Acho ready to play for defensive coach with Steelers ties
May 11, 2011, 5:15 PM | Updated: 5:18 pm
Arizona Cardinals fourth round draft pick Sam Acho referred to the Cardinals as the “perfect team” when talking to The Bud Light Morning Rush — ESPN radio in Austin, Texas.
Acho is excited and ready to get his professional career underway.
Of course one would expect a rookie to be excited. Acho has specific reasons, though not your typical generic answer.
“Joey Porter and Clark Haggans are the two outside linebackers that are there right now, both of those guys are older and have been playing in the NFL for about 10 or so years and I can learn from them,” Acho said. “I can learn the ins and outs of playing outside linebacker from two guys that have done it for about 10 years.”
While Acho is eager to gather up knowledge from a couple of veterans, he is really happy to get to be playing for new defensive coordinator Ray Horton.
“To have a coordinator from the [Pittsburgh] Steelers be our new defensive coordinator I think will be a great opportunity for me to flourish,” he said. “The Steelers have had one of the top defenses in the world for the past five-ten years, or honestly the whole time the Steelers have been in existence. You always hear about the Steel Curtain and their defense.
“For me to be coming to the Cardinals at the same time when they have their defensive coordinator coming from the Steelers, I don’t think it could be better timing.”
Acho has done his homework and knows the positives for what he is walking into once the lockout is over.
The Texas Longhorn had nine sacks as a senior while playing defensive end. The Cardinals hope to see him finding his way to the quarterback too as they move him to the outside linebacker position.
