The original plan was for Tyrann Mathieu to take a few snaps in 7-on-7 drills, move around a bit in an unpadded practice. But as with most things Honey Badger, he wound up doing more than anyone anticipated.
Via Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic, Mathieu said he might still just be around “80 percent,” but that he wanted to do a little more than coaches initially planned for him to do.
“Coach told me I was going to get a couple plays in and I thought about it and said, ‘What are a couple of plays going to do for me?’ So I pushed it a little bit,” Mathieu said.“My coaches, they kind of let me do my thing. I felt great and I’m pretty pleased with where I’m at. . . .
“I was fortunate I was able to come out here today and get some work. They were surprised how I was moving, the things I was doing. They were really encouraged. … Today was a good stepping stone for me.”
While coming back from his second torn ACL lends a little experience to the process, the Cardinals are trying to keep the reins pulled back on Mathieu, because he’s so important to their defense.
But getting him back now gives him a reasonable chance of being on the field for the Sept. 11 opener, which has been the goal all along.
