Revenge of the Birds
Will Budda’s teammates consistently have Budda’s back?
Yesterday, ESPN’s Mina Kimes conducted a fascinating session with the Arizona Cardinals’ “red dot” defender, Budda Baker. To see and hear what “red dot” means, check this out:
Here’s the entire video:
Commentary:
Being the Cardinals’ red dot (most targeted) defender is nothing new for Budda Baker. Back in 2021, when Budda was voted the 19th best player in the NFL by his peers, the common themes among his offensive opponents were:
Click here for short NFL #19 tribute to Budda Baker:
(18) #19 Budda Baker (S, Cardinals) | Top 100 Players in 2021 - YouTube
What was different for Budda Baker in 2024?
Nick Rallis, in his 2nd season as the Cardinals’ DC, after using Budda in a more traditional type of safety role in 2023, decided to, at Budda’s behest, incorporate the multiple, creative ways that Budda could be used in the defense, much in the manner that Vance Joseph used him.
Some of you may recall that Budda was hoping for Vance Joseph to be named as Kliff Kingsbury’s successor. Understandably for him because Budda was thriving in the creative roles that Vance was giving him.
Budda also surmised that if Vance were to become the next head coach, then he would receive the 3-year contract extension that Steve Keim had promised him. But for Budda, Kliff and Vance were now gone and so was Steve Keim.
That left Budda at the mercy of a new GM and head coach —- and when Budda asked for his contract extension in good faith, given what was promised to him by the old regime, Monti Ossenfort was not willing to go that far, but was willing to restructure Budda’s contract in 2023 in order to give him some added guaranteed money assurances.
It was a one-year compromise that eventually paid off for Monti and Budda after the new coaches saw first-hand how and why Budda is the heart and soul of the Cardinals’ defense and an alpha leader for the team. By virtue of Budda’s ability to prove his value to the team, one week before Christmas, he was awarded a 3-year, $54M contract with $29M guaranteed.
Budda loves Nick Rallis’ offense, in part, because he is back to being the Cardinals’ “red dot” laser force on the game board.
Nick Rallis: “The Mad Scientist”
When Mina Kimes raved about Nick Rallis’ “crazy” ability to dial up creative looks and blitz packages, Budda Baker agreed that Rallis can be considered “the mad scientist.”
Elaborate, surprise-tactic schemes are good when the timing is exactly right, but a successful defense is always dependent on the players’ ability to diagnose plays quickly, shed blocks, tackle forcefully and cover fast and sticky.
Budda epitomizes all of these cornerstone abilities...
