The Arizona Cardinals are giving their height-challenged, playmaking rookie defensive back Tyrann Mathieu his first NFL start on Saturday in a Week 2 preseason game against the Dallas Cowboys.
For a while it was a stretch to think that Mathieu, who was once a star at LSU and potential Heisman Trophy candidate, would make it this far. Mathieu, nicknamed "Honey Badger" as a member of the LSU Tigers, had myriad disciplinary issues in college, eventually getting himself kicked off the team.
In two seasons at LSU, Mathieu was an absolute force, recording 173 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, six sacks, 11 forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries. Despite that high level of production, and representing the school as a Heisman trophy finalist in 2011, he was dismissed from the team for a slew of failed drug tests.
Mathieu accepted the ban and entered drug rehabilitation a week later after withdrawing from LSU. In September, however, he re-enrolled in classes and said he wanted to play for the Tigers in 2013. Those hopes were dashed in October of 2012 though, when he and three other ex-Tigers were arrested for possession of marijuana.
That baggage followed Mathieu to the pros, where he was taken in the third round despite his clear abundance of talent. Mathieu seems to have gotten his life together these days and is impressing Cardinals coaches.
Mathieu's trying to keep a low profile now, and has said he wants to ditch his "Honey Badger" moniker in an effort to escape the bad press he received at LSU. "For the most part everybody's just telling me to play my role [and] everything's going to come to me," he said. "Don't get caught up in the media and all the hype that's going on right now, just go out there and keep doing what you're doing."
If he lives up to the standard he set in college, he and fellow Tiger Patrick Peterson could form the top secondary in the league.
© Copyright 2024 Sports World News, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
