Calais Campbell coming up big for Cards' defense

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt had to laugh Wednesday at his choice of words in describing the play of defensive end Calais Campbell.

"The sky's the limit for Calais," Whisenhunt said before pausing. "He's a tall guy. ... Good joke, right?"

Amid a few laughs, Whisenhunt conceded that the joke was "pretty bad," but the sentiment was sincere. At 25 years old, Campbell has emerged as the Cardinals' next big playmaker, and his coaches and teammates only see him getting better.

Whisenhunt has been somewhat tempered in his praise of the 6-foot-8 Campbell, complimenting the things Campbell does well but also making regular note of needed improvements. As for Campbell, he couldn't help but chuckle at the notion he's having a breakout season before admitting ever so slightly that he's playing well.

"I don't feel like I'm playing as good as I could, but I feel like I'm playing disciplined football," Campbell said. "I feel like it's starting to come together. I feel more confident out there, but I still have a long way to go because I feel I could be so much better."

Campbell may downplay his progression this season, but the statistics don’t lie. He leads the Cardinals with five sacks this season and has 18 in 2 1/2 seasons as a starter. To be fair, 4.5 of his sacks this season came in two games, against the Rams (two) and Seahawks (2 1/2), but the ability is clearly there.

The Cardinals' second-round pick out of Miami in 2008, Campbell also has two blocked field goals this year (and four in four seasons), which is two more than anybody else on the team, and last week snagged his first career interception in a win over the Eagles. His 46 tackles are tied for third most on the team.

"He’s making plays, but he’s young," fellow defensive lineman Darnell Dockett said of Campbell last week. "He’s only got an upside. He’s going to keep working, keep fully developing into his body. Another 10 pounds and he’ll be like a gorilla walking around here."

Both Campbell and Whisenhunt feel that upside will develop as Campbell's technique improves.

"When a guy is as tall as Calais is, you always struggle with staying low, using your hands and those type of things," Whisenhunt said. "He's gotten better at doing that, and that's why he's had the production as far as getting off blocks, whether it's sacks or making plays, making tackles in the run game.

"If he continues to work that way, Calais can be an outstanding football player in this league. I think we're already seeing glimpses of that. Now what you've got to see from him is the consistency week in and week out, which he's starting to do."

Campbell feels he's come a long way with his technique this season alone, purely because of the amount of time he's spending on the field. The more times he does the same things, Campbell said, the better he gets at them.

As Campbell does keep getting better, the Cardinals are hoping it's in Arizona. General manager Rod Graves said last week that he anticipates opening negotiations soon for an extension for Campbell, who is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season's end.

Campbell has said he doesn’t think much about his contract situation, instead keeping the focus on football, but it's clear he's interested in remaining with the Cardinals.

"I love it here," Campbell said. "This is a great place to be, but I just try to keep it simple and concentrate right now."

Dockett, who last September signed an extension of his own worth a guaranteed $30 million over four years, addressed last week the importance of keeping Campbell in the fold.

"We need to," Dockett said. "I trust in this organization and Rod Graves. They'll definitely do right by Calais.

"When you're trying to build a championship team, you've got to start keeping your guys. You can't let guys leak out of here and go to other teams and help other programs."

Campbell is content to let his contract situation play out at the appropriate time and keep working hard on his skills. While Campbell may be realizing his potential more than ever this season, Whisenhunt says it came as no surprise to see Campbell making another leap.

"I've seen that from Calais for a couple years now," Whisenhunt said. "Sometimes it just takes a little bit of time to get those reps and get into the feel of what we're trying to get done. This was a new scheme for him, but he's really working hard at the fundamentals. … You're starting to see it pay off."

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(foxsportsarizona.com)