Don’t be surprised down the stretch if you see the always-creative Cardinals running a few more well-timed offensive plays featuring S Antrel Rolle, similar to his nine-yard catch on a quick screen in the Week 14 win over the Rams. “I can see them getting the ball in his hands some more,” said one veteran insider. “He’s so good in the open field.” As for other Arizona defenders who could conceivably get thrown into the offensive mix, we’re told it’s quite possible the team might try to capitalize on CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie’s blazing speed and sneak a deep ball in his direction at some point.

(profootballweekly.com)

There was never a doubt that Antrel Rolle would commit himself to making a successful transition from cornerback to free safety.

"He just loves to play the game, and he doesn't care where he's playing," said Cardinals secondary coach Teryl Austin. "If you said, 'Trel, we have to line you up at nose tackle this week,' he'd say, 'All right, what do I have to do?' "

The questions about Rolle's move were more about time and space. How long would it take Rolle, who played cornerback in college and in his first three years with the Cardinals, to adapt to a position farther away from the ball?

Turns out, about a half a season. Rolle went through predictable rough spots early in the season, and his transition was slowed by an ankle injury suffered in training camp. He wasn't bad, but there were some bad angles taken and some tackles missed.

Over the past month, however, Rolle has settled into the free safety spot. Always a student of opponents' tendencies, he's now comfortable in applying the Cardinals defensive concepts to stopping them.

He returned an interception for a touchdown against the Rams in early November and had 12 solo tackles the past two games. He's even dabbled a bit on the offensive side of the ball, lining up at receiver and catching a pass for 9 yards last week against the Rams.

"When I see myself from Week 1 to Week 9 or 10, I'm like, 'Who is that dude out there?' " Rolle said. "I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. But that's all part of the process, you watch yourself grow, week in and week out."

Strong safety Adrian Wilson has played a large part in that process. Rolle has always been willing to study but had to grow accustomed to the physical differences between the two positions.

At safety, he also had to learn more about the entire defense. At cornerback, he usually had to worry about himself. Wilson taught him that knowing each position's responsibilities would help.

"It's not foreign for him any more to know what each guy is able to do," Wilson said. "It really helps our defense to have two guys (at safety) who kind of know what they're doing."

Wilson and Rolle are so comfortable now that they often play interchangeable roles. In past years, if a safety blitz was called and the offense flipped the strong side of the formation, Wilson moved to the other side, too.

Now, Wilson's just as likely to move back to safety and allow Rolle to move down. It's not always just Wilson coming down for run support, either.
"We know every formation, and we know each other's positions," Rolle said. "So at any given time, we have the ability and mind-set to adjust to formations. That's what we do, we just take chances. The best thing for a defense to do is keep an offense guessing."

Free safety has been a weakness of the Cardinals for years. They signed Terrence Holt in free agency last year, but he played poorly and was cut in the off-season.

Rolle, meanwhile, struggled at cornerback for portions of his first three seasons. The eighth overall pick in 2005, he excelled at playing the nickel corner and returned three interceptions for touchdowns last year.

There were rumblings all along that he would make a better safety than corner, and last off-season Rolle volunteered to make the move.

"Each week, he's getting better," Austin said. "I figured it would come; I wasn't sure how fast it would come. Boy, I couldn't be happier for him and the way he's played."

(azcentral.com)

The Arizona Republic reports the Cardinals used CB Antrel Rolle at receiver during yesterday's game against the Rams. He caught a quick outside screen and gained 9 yards to give the Cardinals a first down at the Rams' 12.



(ffmastermind.com)

Cardinals' free safety Antrel Rolle was named the "NFC Defensive Player of the Week" Tuesday after his performance in Sunday's victory over St. Louis.

Rolle registered four tackles and also returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown against the Rams.

The "pick six" was the fourth of Rolle's career, and the touchdown got the Cards on the scoreboard in a game they went on to win 34-13.

This is the third time Rolle has received the award - after receiving it twice last season - and he is the third Cardinal to be selected as a Player of the Week this season (Kurt Warner, Sean Morey).

(ktar.com)

I'll admit that I mistakenly threw this guy's name into Pro Bowl consideration during the offseason. Maybe I expected too much out of the guy while he's learning a new position or maybe he just doesn't have what it takes to be a top-flight player in this league. Antrel Rolle has taken a lot of heat for the secondary's inability to stop the big play in the passing game and for taking bad angles at times. The Cardinals have been burned by big pass plays several times and on at least a couple of instances it looked like Rolle bit on a play-action pass. In this defense, Rolle is being asked to play centerfield while Adrian Wilson roams all over the field and if Rolle can't stay deep, this secondary is very flawed. It does seem that he's got the physicality to play the position and he just has to get his head wrapped around a new role on the defense. Rolle was put in a tough situation because he was injured for half of the preseason, which slowed his progression, but he's got to get up to speed in a hurry. Hopefully Rolle continues to learn the position because if he becomes even an average safety and keeps plays in front of him, this defense has the talent and play making ability to terrorize opposing offenses.

(revengeofthebirds.com)

FS Antrel Rolle didn't play one of his better games last week. He missed tackles and he's yet to make the sort of game-changing plays the Cardinals had hoped he would provide when he moved from cornerback.




(michigan.scout.com)

Safety Antrel Rolle, who is just getting back to action after missing two weeks with a sore ankle, probably will play more than most starters Friday against Denver, Whisenhunt indicated.

Rolle is making the transition from cornerback.

From watching him in practice, “I think we’ve seen enough to believe he’s going to be a pretty good player at that position,” Whisenhunt said. But, “He needs to get a feel for the game and the speed of the game at that position.”

(eastvalleytribune.com)

Darren Urban, of AZCardinals.com, reports Arizona Cardinals FS Antrel Rolle (ankle) participated in practice Thursday, Aug. 21, but will not play in the team's preseason game Saturday, Aug. 23.



(kffl.com)

Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle will likely miss the team's preseason game against Chiefs as he is still recovering from a sore foot, according to the East Valley Tribune.




(nooffseason.com)

Free safety Antrel Rolle received a chance to return a punt last week and suffered a sprained left ankle in the process.

He suffered the injury as he was tackled for a 3-yard loss. Rolle missed practice Sunday and was replaced by Francisco.

But Rolle expects to return to practice in the next day or two. Coaches also plan to give him another shot at returning punts in preseason games.

(azcentral.com)

The Arizona Republic reports Cardinals HC Ken Whisenhunt was asked Tuesday if FS Antrel Rolle would return some punts in the preseason. He noted that Rolle returned four interceptions for touchdowns last year, although one was nullified by penalty. "The answer to that would be yes," Whisenhunt. "I would like to look at him in that role and see what he can do."

(ffmastermind.com)

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Antrel Rolle finally seems to have found his home in the NFL.

The Arizona Cardinals shifted him from cornerback to free safety this season, and it's a job that he's taken to naturally.

"It's coming pretty easy to me right now," he said.

Rolle was supposed to be the Cardinals' cover cornerback when Arizona drafted him out of Miami in 2005 as the No. 8 pick overall. But he struggled at the position. Lacking speed to keep up with receivers who went deep, he would play far off the line of scrimmage, leaving wide-open opponents in front of him.

Last year, under new coach Ken Whisenhunt, Rolle lost his starting cornerback spot. But he became the inside or "slot" player when Arizona went to a five defensive-back "nickel" defense.

And there he thrived. He became one of only 22 NFL players to return three interceptions for touchdowns in a season. He took two back for scores against Cincinnati, becoming one of 24 to do that in league history. He returned a third for a score in that game but it was called back because of a penalty.

Rolle's duties in the slot were similar to those of a free safety, and Arizona's coaches began thinking about moving Rolle.

"The light bulb kind of went on and we said 'Hey, this guy might be pretty good at that,'" Whisenhunt said.

The talkative Rolle said there's "three times" more information to learn about playing free safety than cornerback. That's meant a lot of studying before and after practice in training camp.

"I might have to be in there all day every day," he said. "I'm going to do whatever it takes for me to not miss a beat. I want to go in there and play confident and play comfortable and just not think so much."

With Pro Bowler Adrian Wilson at strong safety, Arizona should have a tough final line of defense. But Whisenhunt cautioned that learning the free safety position takes time.

"You have to be comfortable because there are so many situations that unfold," he said, "so many changes or adjustments that you have to make to formations, to offenses and their sets."

Rolle will get his first test Thursday when the Cardinals open preseason play at home against the New Orleans Saints.

"It's going to be invaluable for him to get some experience in games so he can see some of that live action and we'll see how he adapts to that," Whisenhunt said.

Rolle can't wait.

"I'm ready, man," he said. "I mean, the game can't come fast enough. I'm definitely going to be tested and I hope I get tested. I hope I'm not out there just covering air."

Whisenhunt said he's already noticed that Rolle has slipped nicely into his new position.

"I will say this about him: He does have a good feel," Whisenhunt said. "That was evident by the way he played last year in that slot position and how he was able to see the offenses and anticipate things."

Rolle would like to get a chance to return punts, but that job belongs to Steve Breaston, who excelled as a rookie last year.

"Right now Breaston's the man back there and he's doing a great job," Rolle said, "but if he needs a breather or two, I'll take the opportunity."

For now, Rolle will have to pick off passes to show what he can do with the ball.

During Saturday's practice, he intercepted Matt Leinart's pass and headed through would-be tacklers.

"Take it to the house if that was a real game!" someone shouted from the crowd.

"Every last one of them," the new safety replied.

(kvoa.com)

Former first-round draft choice Antrel Rolle is making the switch from cornerback to free safety, and if he can play as well as he did last year in the slot and as a part-time starter, the Cardinals could have one of the league's top safety tandems in Rolle and Wilson. Rolle picked off a career-high five passes last year, returning three for touchdowns, including two in one game. At safety he will be asked to do some of the same things he did as a slot defender last year.

He says the big adjustment for him is recognizing formations and seeing the whole field instead of focusing on one player or one part of the field. "Any move that's made by the offense can affect your alignment, your depth and your position. There's also a lot more [adjustment calls]. At corner you really don't have too many checks."

(cnnsi.com)

FLAGSTAFF - There's one thing you don't expect after you enjoy one of the greatest games ever for a defensive back:

A position switch.

That's not only what has happened to the Cardinals' Antrel Rolle. It's actually what he asked to do.

Rolle returned three interceptions for touchdowns - two that actually counted - Nov. 18 at Cincinnati playing as a third cornerback against the pass-happy Bengals. He ended up leading the NFL with three such returns in 2007.

Now, he's making the switch to free safety.

The reason: Rolle had enough of a roller coaster ride at corner since being picked in the first round in 2005 (No. 6 overall) that he was losing playing time.

He lost his starting job last year in training camp when free agent Rod Hood and holdover Eric Green outplayed him.

That made everyone question why he was drafted so high. But his huge game vs. the Bengals showed he should be on the field somewhere.

So Rolle figured he needed to make the switch.

"Last year was the first time I'd ever not been a starter in my life. I took that hard. I took that personal. I told myself no matter what happens from this point on, I'm never going to be on the sideline again.

"Toward the end of last season, I just gave it a lot of thought. I felt that position would best suit me. I was able to see the whole field, see the formations, see everything and make a good break on the ball."

Rolle joins Adrian Wilson at safety with Green and Hood remaining at corner, backed up by rookie Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

"Antrel moving to safety really helps us a lot," Green said. "Being a corner, he knows what it's like to be out there on the island. With his ball skills, his ability to run and cover a lot of ground, will help us out a lot."

The Cardinals are hoping he's an upgrade over the departed Terrence Holt, who struggled, especially after Wilson went down with a season-ending heel injury.

As a safety, "You have to have cover skills," Rolle said. "You have to be able to hit. You have to be able to read the defense."

That means much learning in training camp and in exhibition games.

"As of right now, where I am I feel very good about it," Rolle said.

Rolle's roll will be particularly important considering the Cardinals like to use Wilson up near the line of scrimmage, where he can rattle opposing quarterbacks.

"As a free safety, you're the deepest guy on the field," Rolle said. "You can't let anything get past you."

Rolle still figures to play a corner's role when the Cardinals put an extra defensive back on the field.

That's what happened Nov. 18, when he enjoyed the kind of game even Hall of Famers only dream about.

"We used three corners pretty much the entire game," Rolle recalled.

Rolle said he studied Carson Palmer and the Bengals extensively. The result: interceptions that resulted in scoring returns of 55 and 54 yards.

"A game like that is surprising. At the same time, I knew I could do it because I prepared well."

In addition, in the game's waning moments, Rolle made another interception near midfield to preserve a big Cards' win.

What's more, he again danced down the field and into the end zone for what should have been a third score, a would-be first for an NFL defensive player.

But teammate Antonio Smith was called for a penalty for blocking Palmer; players are not supposed to hit a quarterback unless he's in a defensive position.

That's what the Cardinals believe was the case; the Cardinals interpreted the fact that the NFL declined to fine Smith as an admission that the penalty was a bad call.

Rolle can't help but be disappointed.

"You can't win 'em all. But I wish I'd won that one.

"It's still going in my record books. It might not be in the NFL record books, but it's still going in my record books."

(eastvalleytribune.com)

Antrel Rolle has drawn 22 flags in the past two seasons, including special teams penalties, third in the NFL behind Robert Gallery and Alex Barron.




(profootballprospectus)

Antrel Rolle never became the cornerback Arizona envisioned when the franchise made him the eighth player chosen in the 2005 draft. That doesn't necessarily mean Rolle is a bust.

Rolle flashed his talent last season when he picked off three passes in a game against Cincinnati. Coaches are optimistic Rolle can make a successful transition to free safety.

If that happens, the Cardinals could field a highly talented secondary featuring Rolle, Pro Bowl strong safety Adrian Wilson and rookie cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, the 16th player chosen in 2008.

(espn.com)

In football, spring accomplishments and evaluations come with an asterisk and a warning.

*These statements and observation might not hold true this fall, when regular-season games begin.

The Cardinals know that in May every team is undefeated and no player has failed. With that caveat out of the way, everyone seems confident that switching Antrel Rolle from cornerback to safety could be one of the key moves of the off-season.

"As far as purely playing the safety position, he's looked very comfortable and very confident," coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

It's a move many expected the Cardinals to eventually make when they took Rolle with the eighth overall pick in 2005. Some scouts back then thought Rolle would make a better safety than corner, and Rolle struggled at times during his three years at cornerback.

But Rolle appears to have all the tools to succeed at free safety: He's a good tackler, has good instincts, runs well and has the ability to intercept passes and run with them afterward.

As the team's third corner last year, he returned three interceptions for touchdowns, including two in one game.

Now, it appears Rolle will have the best of both worlds. He'll play free safety in the base defense and move to cornerback in some nickel situations.

"I think it was a good move," Rolle said. "I wanted to move back there. I felt like I could help the team more back there, roam around, pretty much freelance and be a deep safety."

Some cornerbacks resist such a move, and in his first three years, Rolle always maintained he would prefer to play corner. After last year, however, it didn't make much sense to keep him there.

Rolle had lost a starting spot to Eric Green and Rod Hood, and the club had cut last year's starting safety, Terrence Holt.

So the Cardinals moved Rolle and drafted cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the first round.

"I think the biggest thing for Antrel is he wants to be a starter, he wants to be a great player in this league," secondary coach Teryl Austin said. "I think he'll do whatever it takes to be that kind of player."

There is much to learn, however. Cornerbacks have to know just one side of the field, while safeties must take in the whole field and the entire offensive formation.

There are signals to be called, information to be passed on to linebackers and corners. The pursuit angles are different, as is the time he has to react to plays.

"The main thing I have to work on is reading the quarterback from that depth," Rolle said, "just slowing down a little bit. I'm used to being at corner, so my instincts are a whole lot faster. You have more time, and you can't get too antsy."

With the plan to keep him responsible for the slot receiver in nickel situations, Rolle will keep one foot in his old world.

"That's one of the things I mentioned that no matter what happened, I never wanted to move from the slot," he said. "That's a natural fit, being that I played there in college and I fit in pretty good there last year. It's a great position for me."

But it's only May and Rolle hasn't won the free safety job yet.

He's running with the first team, but he'll be pushed in training camp by Aaron Francisco and possibly Matt Ware.

"He looks like a natural for the position," Whisenhunt said. "I'm excited to see what he does in the preseason games and when we get the pads on."

(azcentral.com)

Nobody gets Antrel Rolle’s name right.

Everyone pronounces it “Ann-trel” – including teammates – and amazingly enough, that’s the pronunciation Rolle himself tells anyone who asks.

“Everyone says ‘Ann-trel, Ann-trel’ and you can’t go around correcting everybody so I just tell people ‘Ann-trel,’ ” Rolle said. “But it’s really ‘Ahn-trel.’ ”

Rolle hopefully has more trouble with the name switch than his current task of switching positions in the Cardinals’ defensive backfield. Drafted as a cornerback with the eighth overall pick in the 2005 draft, there were many at the time who thought Rolle would eventually become a safety.

After a few years struggling at cornerback – and then proving in 2007 with his five interceptions that he was very effective in inside coverage – Rolle became the candidate to replace the released Terrence Holt as starting free safety.

“He’ll have to look at things inside-out instead of outside-in, and that’s always a challenge for guys,” defensive backs coach Teryl Austin said. “There are some things he might struggle with early but I am sure by the end of the day he will be pretty good at it.”

Rolle called himself “a natural” for the free safety spot. The mental work is more intense, but he after playing all over the field growing up, finding a new spot isn’t a big deal.

Austin sees the same thing, saying Rolle “just likes to play.”

“If we told him you are going to be our starting Will linebacker or our starting guard, he’d be ‘OK, wherever you want me to play,’ ” Austin said.

It isn’t the prep work that concerns Rolle as much as the absent one-on-one battle he craved while playing cornerback.

“I love that one-on-one battle,” Rolle said.  “So I miss that. But now I’m the last line of defense out there, and I am up to the challenge.”

As for his name, Rolle is less concerned.

“I didn’t even know (how it was pronounced) until I was 7,” he admitted.

(azcardinals.com)

Antrel Rolle is being moved to safety and that could propel the Cardinals' defense to new heights. Rolle, the eighth pick in the 2005 draft, was drafted to be a "shut down" corner on the edge, but several coaches and scouts felt that his best position would be at safety. "After watching him play at Miami, I thought that he would be an average corner as a pro, but a Pro Bowl-caliber safety," said a former secondary coach of an AFC team. "His versatility stood out on tape ... as a multi-faceted guy with a high football IQ, he could cover in slot, blitz off the edges and be a factor against the run... all of his strengths as a player will stand out at safety."

The move to safety will require some work, but Rolle's experience last season should ease the transition. As the Cardinals' nickel corner, he had the chance to play as a deep middle player in some of their exotic sub-packages and the results were impressive. Rolle finished the season with five interceptions, including four made while playing as the nickel or safety in the sub-defense.

"He showed us last season that he could be a playmaker in the middle of the field, so we think moving him to safety full-time will greatly improve our secondary." said Cardinals' secondary coach Teryll Austin. "He teams with Adrian Wilson to give two athletic guys at the position, and that should allow us to be more creative with Adrian near the line of scrimmage."

The Cardinals used Wilson extensively as a box defender two seasons ago, and the eight-year vet registered eight sacks and four interceptions. But Wilson rarely spent time near the line of scrimmage last season, as the coaches lacked confidence in free safety Terrence Holt to use a lot of single-high safety coverage. That will change with Rolle at free safety. His athleticism, range and ballhawking skills are ideal for playing in the deep middle, and the Cardinals will surely tap into the versatility of both players to wreak havoc. "They have two Pro Bowl-caliber players at the safeties with multiple skills," said a former secondary coach of an AFC team. "That allows them to become more aggressive with their pressure packages because either guy is capable of manning the middle or getting to the quarterback ... that's a coordinator's dream."

(cnnsi.com)

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)

First, Arizona is planning to move former first-round pick Antrell Rolle inside to safety, where he'd be paired with Adrian Wilson, and the Cardinals have been quiet on free-agent corners despite a looming need.

(cowboysblog.com)