No one is saying Walter Nolen III is going to be an All-Pro, or even that he’s going to be great. He’s only played three games. Even Nolen doesn’t love analyzing his play as exceptional.
“See that’s the thing, I never really feel like I did what I wanted to do,” he said. “If it was up to me I would make every play that is on the field. You also can’t do that either.
“I just try my best. Try and play as fast as possible. One thing my (high school) coach taught me, the one thing you should never have to coach is how violent you’re playing and how fast you are playing. I took that with me for the rest of my life.”
Nolen might not be boasting, but the numbers will. Both coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis have praised Nolen’s ability to push the pocket. He helped create Josh Sweat’s sack against the 49ers with his play, and he has four tackles for loss in his three NFL games – already tied for third on the team with linebacker Zaven Collins. Only Sweat, with 11, and Calais Campbell, with 8, have more, and each of those guys have played all 10 games.
“The kid just loves football and he loves the process,” Cardinals defensive line coach Winston DeLattiboudere III said. “He’s not too into the result of anything, he always wants to know where he can get better and how can he improve. I am hyperfocused on making sure I am communicating with him the good, the bad, the indifferent. And giving him a little love and praise. When you work with someone for some time and you see them have success that they crave, it’s good to pat them on the back for that too.”
With the season in a tough place at 3-7, development of the younger players likely will draw greater priority. Nolen’s status as a first-round pick makes his future that much more crucial.
Despite a late start with his calf injury, early returns carry, yes, the potential for exceptional.
“I feel like I’m starting to feel more comfortable,” Nolen said. “As far as the league, the only difference to me is how much more mental you have to put into it. I think I’m trying to get a rhythm in doing that and everything has been working out so far. I need to continue to add to that.”
— No running back Trey Benson this weekend. Needs more time to practice coming off the knee injury and he remains on IR. Once the Cardinals signed Jermar Jefferson to the roster from the practice squad, that said a lot.
— Cornerback Will Johnson sounded optimistic about being able to play again this week after missing a couple of games with hip and back injuries. He was hurt against Dallas on “Monday Night Football,” but apparently played much of the game while banged up. Johnson tweeted out a play in which he was manhandled and driven to the ground by Cowboys offensive lineman Tyler Guyton, and later admitted it was frustrating to get hurt in such a manner.
“Definitely being something I couldn’t really control, a dirty play, it’s definitely tough,” Johnson said. “It’s one of those things where I want to be on the field, and to go out on something like that, it’s frustrating. Got to keep going, keep the faith and keep doing what I can.”
