Rolle worth focusing on at
free safety
Mar/19/08 06:17 PM Filed in:
Antrel Rolle
As position battles go, you could certainly make a case
for the No. 3 WR job generating the biggest buzz in the
desert these days, now that free agent Bryant Johnson
has signed with the division-rival Niners. “It
couldn’t be more wide-open at the moment,”
one team source said. But our vote goes to the battle
at free safety that is expected to take place between
converted CB Antrel Rolle, the team’s 2005
first-round pick, and hard-hitting fellow fourth-year
pro Aaron Francisco. At this year’s Scouting
Combine, Cardinals GM Rod Graves confirmed the
team’s optimism about Rolle’s ability to
effectively switch positions and upgrade a 2007 problem
area. “The one thing we learned with Antrel was
that there was a real confidence level when he was
operating in the middle of the field,” Graves
told PFW. “He is a great open-field tackler, and
the tackling at the safety position (particularly by
the recently released Terrence Holt) was a big problem.
Antrel has been very receptive to the move.” But
team insiders don’t expect Francisco — a
smart, physical player when healthy — to go down
without a fight in the battle for the FS job. In any
event, Rolle is expected to continue operating as the
nickel corner on occasion, which he did so well in
2007. As a result, he will likely be on the
field at the same time as Francisco quite
often.
(profootballweekly.com)