Arizona Cardinals

Dec 23, 2012; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; San Diego Chargers wide receiver Danario Alexander (84) is tackled by New York Jets safety Yeremiah Bell (37) during the first half at Metlife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports Yeremiah Neavius Bell, born March 3, 1978 in Winchester, Kentucky, is a recent free agent safety signed by the Arizona Cardinals to compete for a starting job. The 35-year old, listed at 6′o” and 205 pounds, is a recent free agent acquisition and a former Pro Bowl (in 2009) safety, drafted in the sixth round by the Miami Dolphins in the 2003 NFL Draft. Considering where he initially came from early on in his career his story is pretty remarkable. Bell went to George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester, where he primarily played safety and wide receiver. He also played baseball and basketball, but his best sport was football. However, Bell was not highly recruited out of high school and after not getting a full scholarship, he began working in a local steel mill in central Kentucky. After a couple of years working at the steel mill, Bell decided to enroll at nearby Eastern Kentucky, where he decided to walk-on and try out for the Colonels’ football team. Bell did make the team but he came very close to quitting the team during two-a-day practices during his freshman year. Thank goodness for Bell’s decision to remain on the team, because he ended up excelling in the defensive backfield. During his three years with the Colonels, Bell was a finalist for the 2001 Buck Buchanan Award as the Division 1-AA Defensive Player of the Year. He was also named a 2001 All-American, two time All-Ohio Valley conference safety (2000, 01) and was the OVC defensive player of the year (2001). Unfortunately, before Bell’s senior year he injured his knee in a pick-up basketball game, ending his college career. Even after his season-ending injury, Bell was still drafted by the Miami Dolphins in the 2003 NFL Draft. In his rookie season he was relegated to the practice squad. In 2004, Bell played in 13 games and recorded 10 tackles in primarily a special teams role, and towards the end of the year he broke his leg. Over the next couple of years as he slowly moved up the depth chart, and he finally made the starting lineup in 2006. In his first season, Bell registered 62 tackles, two sacks and 11 passes defended. At one point during the season Jason Taylor once said about Bell “the guy just makes plays, no matter if it’s special teams, defense or whatever. He always makes plays for us.” In the 2007 season opener, Bell tore his Achilles tendon and was lost for the year. In 2008, Bell became an unrestricted free agent and after not getting much interest on the market, the Dolphins resigned him to a one-year deal. After returning from his Achilles tendon injury in 2008, Bell truly started making his mark in the NFL and blossomed, as he became a force to be reckoned with, as he finished the season with 120 tackles, one sack and three forced turnovers. Bell ended up being Miami’s leading tackler in 2008 and 2009, as he had 114 tackles, 1.5 sacks and three interceptions in 2009. After the season he was given the ultimate prize of becoming a Pro Bowler. Again in 2010 he had another solid year with 101 tackles, 1.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. However, after the another solid season in 2011 the Dolphins decided to release him. Last year, Bell was signed to a one-year deal with the New York Jets where he also had another very productive season with over 100 tackles. After only one year in New York, he again became an unrestricted free agent and decided to sign with the Cardinals and join his former secondary coach with the Miami Dolphins Todd Bowles . Bowles was hired this year by head coach Bruce Arians to be his new defensive coordinator. ANALYSIS I compare Bell on defense with new defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, very similar to the way I view running back Rashard Mendenhall on offense wi

Off-season? The NFL has no stinking off-season, so we'll explore some news and notes for the next 20 inches or so: Whoever said a person should never revel in the misery of another never played in the NFL, or the NFC West. Outside the Bay Area, there were no tears this week when news broke that 49ers receiver Michael Crabtree suffered a torn Achilles' tendon in voluntary practice.

May 10, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals cornerback Tyrann Mathieu (32) signals during a drill during rookie minicamp at the Cardinals Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports In the NFL draft, the Arizona Cardinals wanted playmakers. By drafting Tyrann Mathieu, they got one. Now, Mathieu is officially a member of the Cardinals. According to NFL.com, Mathieu signed a four-year deal worth a bit more than $3 million with a $265,000 signing bonus. Mathieu missed his senior season at LSU, but, as our staff writer Ryan Sakamoto stated, he always has a knack for the football and is very similar to St. Louis Rams’ cornerback Janoris Jenkings. This doesn’t appear to be a lot for the NFL, as a lot of rookies are signing bigger deals. However, this shows that Mathieu is willing to play for the Cardinals and that he isn’t going to hold out because of the money. Mathieu is on the right track, and it’s reasonable to expect him to outplay his contract and earn a bigger one if he can stay away from drugs and stay out of trouble. For the Cardinals, this is great news. Mathieu has the potential to be great, and if he is moved to cornerback, he and Patrick Peterson could make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.

The Cardinals announced Thursday they have signed third-round draft pick Tyrann Mathieu, a safety from LSU, to a four-year contract. Mathieu was the 69th overall pick in the NFL draft. Contract terms were not disclosed by the Cardinals.

Former Texas teammates working together as Cardinals linebackers

With the news that Arizona Cardinals rookie Tyrann Mathieu signed his four-year rookie contract, the immediate question is how much guaranteed money he gets, based on his history of of off the field problems, which include multiple failed drug tests. However, based on reports tweeted by both Ian Rapoport and Albert Breer, Mathieu will get the full amount of guaranteed money slated to a player drafted where he was, and the team gets a layer of protection. Rapoport was the first to tweet that Mathieu would get the full amount of guaranteed money that woudl go to someone drafted in the third round, but that much of it will come in yearly roster bonuses instead of all of it coming as an up front signing bonus. Albert Breer then added more details. Instead of getting the full $662,500 he would be slotted to get up front to sign, he instead gets $265,000 as his signing bonuses, and then the remaining $397,500 as roster bonuses as installments of $132,500 at the start of years 2, 3 and 4 of the deal. In total, his contract is reportedly worth $3.052 million over the four years. Last year's 69th pick (Bills WR T.J. Graham) signed a deal with $2.9 million over four seasons. It sounds like both parties came to the table willing to work with one another. Mathieu gets a good chunk of money up front and the team is protected if he goes back to having problems he had while in college. Keep up with Cardinals news and opinions when you are not on the site. Follow Revenge of the Birds on Twitter at @revengeofbirds and "like" us on Facebook. You can follow me individually at @senorjessroot.

He is the sixth of the nine Cardinals draft picks to sign their contracts Despite the possible threat of a contract squabble over guaranteed money, Tyrann Mathieu has his first NFL contract. The Arizona Cardinals announced on Thursday that they came to terms with the third rounder out of Louisiana State on a four year contract. Mathieu was the team's third round selection, the 69th selection overall, in April's NFL Draft. When contract terms come out, it will be interesting to see how much of that money is guaranteed and how it is structured, considering the off the field concerns that come with Mathieu, who was kicked off the LSU squad after issues with drugs. In two seasons at LSU, Mathieu (5-9, 186) had eight fumble recoveries (two returned for touchdowns), 11 forced fumbles, four interceptions, 133 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 16 passes defensed, and six sacks while also returning 27 punts for 421 yards (15.6 yard avg.) and two touchdowns. His 11 forced fumbles established a school career-record and tied the SEC's all-time mark. As a sophomore in 2011, Mathieu was a Heisman Trophy finalist, recipient of the Bednarik Award as the nation's top defensive player and unanimous first-team All-America selected after starting all 13 games and collecting 76 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions, 7.5 tackles for loss and three quarterback pressures. He also ranked sixth in the nation with six forced fumbles and third in the country with five fumble recoveries that season. Of the nine draft picks the Cardinals had, six of them are now under contract. All that remain unsigned are first round pick Jonathan Cooper and fourth round picks Alex Okafor and Earl Watford. Keep up with Cardinals news and opinions when you are not on the site. Follow Revenge of the Birds on Twitter at @revengeofbirds and "like" us on Facebook. You can follow me individually at @senorjessroot.

Despite the possible threat of a contract squabble over guaranteed money, Tyrann Mathieu has his first NFL contract. The Arizona Cardinals announced on Thursday that they came to terms with the third rounder out of Louisiana State on a four year contract. Mathieu was the team's third round selection, the 69th selection overall, in April's NFL Draft. When contract terms come out, it will be interesting to see how much of that money is guaranteed and how it is structured, considering the off the field concerns that come with Mathieu, who was kicked off the LSU squad after issues with drugs. In two seasons at LSU, Mathieu (5-9, 186) had eight fumble recoveries (two returned for touchdowns), 11 forced fumbles, four interceptions, 133 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 16 passes defensed, and six sacks while also returning 27 punts for 421 yards (15.6 yard avg.) and two touchdowns. His 11 forced fumbles established a school career-record and tied the SEC's all-time mark. As a sophomore in 2011, Mathieu was a Heisman Trophy finalist, recipient of the Bednarik Award as the nation's top defensive player and unanimous first-team All-America selected after starting all 13 games and collecting 76 tackles, 1.5 sacks, two interceptions, 7.5 tackles for loss and three quarterback pressures. He also ranked sixth in the nation with six forced fumbles and third in the country with five fumble recoveries that season. Of the nine draft picks the Cardinals had, six of them are now under contract. All that remain unsigned are first round pick Jonathan Cooper and fourth round picks Alex Okafor and Earl Watford. Keep up with Cardinals news and opinions when you are not on the site. Follow Revenge of the Birds on Twitter at @revengeofbirds and "like" us on Facebook. You can follow me individually at @senorjessroot.

Third-round pick gets four-year deal; Only three draft picks remained unsigned

PHOENIX (AP) -- Former LSU defensive back Tyrann Mathieu has signed a four-year contract with the Arizona Cardinals.