Revenge of the Birds
Rabbit explains how the players are learning with and from one another
Thanks to Johnny Venerable and Bo Brack at PHNX for posting these highlights of Cardinals’ 2nd-year safety Dadrion Taylor-Demerson’s recent press conference.
Here is Rabbit’s complete presser:
It was fascinating to learn how Rabbit first sits with Garrett Williams in meetings in order to coordinate their versatile roles —- and then Rabbit spends the rest of his meetings with Budda Baker, Jalen Thompson and all of the team’s safeties.
The most special part of what Rabbit had to say was how all of the members of the team’s secondary share their thoughts about the defensive schemes in order to maximize what they do well and try to minimize what they do not do well. Not just as individuals, but as a unit.
Rabbit said that there are things the Cardinals do on defense that he has never seen before —- some that work and some that don’t. He wants to know the “why” about each scheme. What the players are free to discuss is what schemes they have found effective on teams they have played for in the past.
One of the real breakthroughs on the Cardinals’ defense last year was Nick Rallis’ decision to include Budda Baker in the weekly game planning. The results of adding Budda’s input were immediately manifested when in Week 2 Budda basically single-handedly blitz-bombed Sean McVay’s running game while also making a couple of huge pass breakups in key conversion situations versus Cooper Kupp —- which sparked the Cardinals’ stunning 41-10 upset win over the Rams.
Nick Rallis is doing what all great teachers do —- he’s listening. And he’s giving his players the opportunity to provide their input.
There were times last season where it was very puzzling to try to understand Nick Rallis’ coverage decisions. For example, with the Cardinals’ critical playoff-implicated games on the road versus the Vikings and Panthers, when those games were on the line, Rallis reverted to playing soft zones that, alas, left the likes of Justin Jefferson and Adam Thielen wide open. Why was Garrett Williams or someone else not assigned in critical situations to cover Jefferson and Thielen?
There were also times last season when it was puzzling to understand why Nick Rallis, with an assist from Budda, had superb run-stopping schemes versus the Rams, yet did not have as nearly a creative or effective a plan in trying to stifle Seattle’s Zach Charbonnet (22 carries for 134 yards, 6.1 ave., and 2 TDs) in a 30 -18 NFC West home loss and Carolina’s Chuba Hubbard (25 carries, 152 yards, 6.1 ave. and 2 TDs) in a 36-30 OT road loss to a 3-11 underdog.
Therefore, the fact that more of the defensive players this off-season are in active discussions about how the defensive units can be better prepared in games this season, is an auspicious development.
On the defensive line, Nick Rallis and rookie defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere III are going to...
