The Arizona Cardinals went into New Orleans with the intention on carrying the momentum from the win against Detroit however Drew Brees and the Saints had other plans. Arizona who is now 1-2 struggled to protect Carson Palmer and had very little help from the offensive line. While giving up 3 sacks, allowing a ton of pressure and forced out of the pocket for most of the game, Palmers throws seems hurried and his accuracy suffered heavily.
On the other side of the ball, the Birdgang defense had some promising moments. Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu displayed the dynamic duo in their homecoming since they both played at LSU, however Darnell Dockett was the one who ended up with top defensive honors. He ended up with 3 sacks and had several tackles showing a glimpse of the BEAST we all love in AZ. During the off-season Dockett dedicated his time to conditioning, learning new techniques and polishing his skills, something he’s calling the “Rebirth of Dockett”. His dominating play and Beast-Mode mentality is why fellow teammates named him Captain of the Birdgang defense.
Darnell Dockett has taken a lot of heat from critics due to his play last season , off-field antics and choice of exotic animals (tiger cub) but with his recent performance it has the organization in a buzz. One thing we can always count on from Darnell is him being a 100% real. In a recent interview he was asked how he felt after being given the “Captain” duties and he simply replied with “It’s an honor, I’m very thankful for my teammates looking at me in that nature” he continued by adding “I’m going to do the best I can to lead by example, but I’m not a role model, I will still do “Dockett” things.”
Birdgang fans appreciate his honesty and can’t wait to see if this break-out game is the first of many to come. He brings the adrenaline to a new level on the field… which spreads like wild fire along the sidelines. His ability to dominate is a threat to the opposing team and with the help of the Birdgang defense, we’re about to see him get back into his BEAST-MODE ways !!!
Photo by Mike Yduarte / AzBirdgangCrew
