Calais Campbell is still on the rise

Most defensive ends who were as productive as Calais Campbell in 2012 would reflect proudly upon the havoc they wrought.

Despite missing three games to injury, Campbell finished second on the Cardinals with 6 ½ sacks, knocked down seven passes, led the team with 14 quarterback hits and blocked the sixth field-goal attempt of his career.

But when Campbell looked back, all he could think of was the opportunities he missed. In his eyes, he should have finished with at least 10 sacks, and the seven pass deflections were four fewer than he had in 2011.

“Finishing,” Campbell said, when asked what he wanted to improve upon this season. “I told myself I want to be dominant. My goal is to affect every game, make a play that helps us win. So far, I’ve been doing a fairly good job of that.”

Campbell leads the team’s defensive linemen in tackles with 40, is tied for second on the team in sacks, has deflected two passes, forced a fumble and recovered two of them.

Campbell, in his sixth season, has never made a Pro Bowl, but those who closely follow the NFL have known for some time how good he is.

ProFootballFocus.com, which analyzes every play and player in the NFL, has graded Campbell as the fourth-best 3-4 defensive end this season.

The Texans’ J.J. Watt is regarded as the best. Here’s how the website evaluated Watt and Campbell in Sunday’s game between the Cardinals and Texans.

“Yesterday’s matchup between these two had the air of two of the game’s best going back and forth in a game of one-upmanship, one setting the target and the other going out here to match that impact.”

Campbell didn’t record a sack in the game, but he spent a considerable amount of time on the Texans’ side of the ball. He’s been doing that for several weeks now. In the past five games, Campbell has recorded 25 tackles, 3½ sacks, five tackles for loss, a forced fumble, a recovered fumble and 12 quarterback pressures.

“The NFL is about matchups,” said Jaguars coach Gus Bradley, whose team hosts the Cardinals on Sunday, “and he’s a guy who creates matchup issues. He’s big, he’s strong and he’s really active. He gets off the ball and he’s very disruptive.”

Campbell, 27, is just entering his prime. At 6 feet 8, 300 pounds, he’s playing with better leverage, staying low enough that offensive linemen can’t drive him.
This off-season, he concentrated on using his hands better, something coach Bruce Arians and defensive-line coaches Brentson Buckner and Tom Pratt have emphasized.

“He was on the ground a little bit too much for me,” Arians said of his evaluation of Campbell in previous seasons. “He is using his hands so much better and shedding blockers and keeping people off of him.”

Campbell has improved as a pass rusher, too. He’s strong enough to push guards back, and when he is stymied, he’s developed some countermoves. Against the Texans, he used a spin move to his advantage.

“He’s a guy who plays every play,” Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew said, “works hard, chases the run down from behind. We have some work cut out for us.”

A second-round draft pick in 2008, Campbell developed quickly enough that the team could allow Antonio Smith to depart through free agency a year later.
Before last season, Campbell signed a five-year, $55 million contract, $31 million of which is guaranteed. For that money, the Cardinals are counting on Campbell to be among the better 3-4 defense ends.

So far, so good.

“I do want to be considered one of the best,” Campbell said. “Everybody wants to leave a legacy when they’re done playing, and what people think of you is a big part of your legacy. But, really, I feel like winning games is the Number 1 thing. My mind-set has always been: ‘How can I affect the game and make sure we win it?’ ”


(azcentral.com)