The Arizona Cardinals were unfortunate to lose cornerback Robert Alford for the entire season to a broken leg in practice during training camp. He was supposed to be the team’s No. 1 cornerback while Patrick Peterson was suspended for the first six games.
Often, when a player has an injury that keeps him out for the whole year, he can become a little isolated from the team and it can be a lost season.
That wasn’t the case for Alford.
Despite the injury, he made sure he maintained a mental focus as if he was playing.
“Last year when I was out, I still treated it like I was actually going into a game setting each and every week and playing,” he explained to reporters on a video conference. “I was still going to meetings. I was still going to practice. I just made sure that I was still in tune with the team. I didn’t want to let the injury keep me say or make me feel like that I wasn’t a part of the team.”
As a result, despite not having played a down in the Cardinals’ defense under coordinator Vance Joseph, he doesn’t feel like a newcomer.
“I was still going through everything like I was still playing, so, pretty much, I’m on top of the playbook,” he said. “Everything is second nature now.”
Alford will be the one “new” face in the defensive backfield, as the Cardinals have added no one who wasn’t on the team a year ago. But he isn’t new to the playbook.
Part of what the Cardinals are banking on are players like Alford in the secondary playing well from the start of the season.
Alford is already integrated. He knows the playbook.
If comes back from the broken leg and plays like a solid No. 2 corner, the Cardinals’ defense will be much better.
Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.
Ep. 267
Ep. 266
