Ravens wide-out Mark Clayton said Giants safety Antrel Rolle should not be fined for the concussion-enducing hit Rolle delivered in Saturday night's preseason game.

"It's football, stuff like that happens," Clayton said Monday.

Rolle called Clayton on Sunday, apparently to apologize for the second-quarter hit that drew a personal foul penalty and gave the Ravens a first down. On the next play, Rolle was flagged for illegal contact as Todd Heap made a 13-yard touchdown catch.

"[Rolle] said, 'Man, I kind of knocked myself out a little bit,'" Clayton said. "He asked if I was OK, and I asked if he was OK."

Rolle was called for hitting a defenseless receiver, since the ball had already sailed past Clayton. That was a point of emphasis in the offseason, and the reason Rolle might be fined.

It seems very unlikely Clayton would play in the preseason finale in St. Louis on Thursday, but he says he'll be fine for the season opener on Sept.13 against the Jets. He said his neck was "pretty sore," but he felt fine otherwise.

Clayton said he was having a "conversation" with himself after the hit and decided to take his time getting up.

"I was saying, 'Man, I can't believe he hit me like that,' because I saw him coming and I was like, 'Man, he's going to hit me,' and then I was like, 'Dang, he hit me.' After that, I'm like, 'Yeah, take your time getting up, because when you get up, there'll be a rush [of blood] to the head.'"

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(baltimoresun.com)

Five months ago, UM's website called Nevin Shapiro ``an ardent, devoted, intense supporter.'' A student lounge was named in his honor.
Now, facing years in prison for allegedly running a Ponzi scheme, Shapiro is writing a book about the UM football program in which he alleges former Canes players committed NCAA violations, said his attorney, Maria Elena Perez. Perez said Shapiro told the federal government about the violations, which are alleged to be major, but it did not investigate because ``that's not their area.''

Shapiro, who lived in a posh Miami Beach home before his April arrest, said from a New Jersey jail that he will not detail the allegations until the book is published; he's aiming for December. He wrote a first draft and will seek a publisher. The title: The Real U: 2001 to 2010. Inside the Eye of the Hurricane.

UM's website said Shapiro, who had a suite at games, contributed $150,000 to the athletic program; prosecutors allege he used ``stolen funds'' for that. Shapiro said he donated $300,000 to UM, and that $130,000 was returned to the bankruptcy trustee.

Shapiro has said he was close with Jon Beason, Devin Hester, Antrel Rolle, Randy Phillips, Robert Marve, Kyle Wright and others when they played at UM, plus former UM assistant coach/recruiting coordinator Clint Hurtt, now at Louisville.

``This will be a tell-all book from a fan and booster perspective,'' said Shapiro, who did not attend UM. But why write a book that will hurt UM?
``I want to make the average fan aware of what really exists under that uniform,'' he said. ``They might be great players, but they're certainly not great people. I'm speaking of no less than 100 former players.''

Shapiro, 41, is angry because ``once the players became pros, they turned their back on me. It made me feel like a used friend.'' He was motivated by ``heartbreak and disappointment on behalf of the university, which I considered to be an extended part of my family.''

He said the heartbreak was caused by ``former players mostly'' and ``some administrative staff and coaches. I've always had the utmost respect for Donna Shalala, Kirby Hocutt and Paul Dee.''

Shapiro will use book profits to pay back investors in the alleged Ponzi scheme but cannot keep any for himself, Perez said.

Some players call Shapiro ``Little Luke'' after Luther Campbell, who years ago gave cash to UM players for big hits.

When he specifies the allegations, the NCAA will decide whether to investigate. Asked if the NCAA investigates claims by people in jail, spokesperson Stacey Osburn said, ``When reasonably reliable information has been obtained indicating intentional violations may have occurred, the enforcement staff will undertake a review of the information in order to determine the credibility.'' Factors considered include ``how they know the reported facts and what their potential motivation may be,'' among others. UM's Hocutt declined to comment.

Perez said Shapiro will accept a plea deal on money laundering and security fraud charges and will go to prison for an undetermined time. Prosecutors said Shapiro, 41, used a Florida-based company called Capitol Investments USA Inc., to raise nearly $900 million from investors who thought they were buying into a wholesale grocery distribution business. Instead, they said Shapiro left at least 60 investors in Florida, Indiana and New Jersey with about $80 million in losses after the scheme collapsed.

`He's accepting responsibility for his conduct and making his best effort to give everyone back their money,'' Perez said. ``It was a legitimate business until 2007. An individual who was close to him stole $20 million from him and that set him back.'

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(miamiherald.com)

New Giants safety Antrel Rolle and running back Ahmad Bradshaw were both in Tom Coughlin's doghouse Saturday night.

The two spent the first series of the Giants' first preseason home game at their new stadium standing on the sideline as punishment for being late for team meetings, according to a team source. Both were back on the field for the start of the second series.

"I was in the hotel and I read my schedule wrong, so I was late for a special teams meeting," said Rolle, who signed a five-year, $37 million contract during the offseason. "I've been around long enough to understand there are consequences, so I took it like a man. There is no issue. We'll move on."

Bradshaw was not available for comment after the game to explain his situation.

Rolle was replaced in the starting lineup by second-year pro Sha'reff Rashad. Bradshaw, who would've gotten the start in place of the injured Brandon Jacobs, was replaced by D.J. Ware.

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(nydailynews.com)

How long does it take to become a leader?

The Giants hope not very long when it comes to Antrel Rolle.

In less than two weeks Rolle will go to Albany for his first training camp with the Giants, and he'll arrive not merely as a high-priced safety ready to step into the starting lineup. The Giants are hopeful Rolle, in a relatively short period of time with his new team, will emerge as the leader of the secondary.

In his five years in Arizona, Rolle not only helped the Cardinals make it to the first Super Bowl in franchise history but he also became a catalyst for the entire defense. The Giants, realizing their defensive backfield was in shambles in 2009 and that Kenny Phillips is coming back from micro-fracture knee surgery, made Rolle their free-agent priority and signed him to a five-year, $37 million contract, one of the richest deals for a safety in NFL history.

Rolle didn't come in and proclaim he's a leader but it is clear that's where he's headed.

"There's a lot of new faces on this team, a lot of veteran leaders," Rolle said. "We're all learning a new system. Everyone's becoming a teammate at this point. That's first and foremost before we try to step out of bounds and do too much. Before you name leaders, before you become a leader you know you have to be a teammate first.

Last week, former Giants star Michael Strahan told The Post now that linebacker Antonio Pierce is retired, a leadership void could hurt the team if someone such as Justin Tuck doesn't rise up and assume that role.

"I think it's important for Tuck and Osi [Umenyiora], [Mathias] Kiwanuka and Corey Webster," Strahan said, "important for some of these guys to step up."

Add Rolle's name to that roll call of candidates.

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(nypost.com)

After five seasons with the Cardinals, safety Antrel Rolle found a new home, signing a five-year, $37 million free-agent deal with the Giants. Rolle is being counted on to help the Giants' defense bounce back from a disastrous 2009 season. Sporting News' Clifton Brown recently caught up with Rolle to talk about his transition to the Giants' secondary and his excitement about coming to New York.

Sporting News: Were the Giants at the top of your wish list even before free agency began?
Antrel Rolle: I really didn't have a preference where I would play. I hit free agency, and I got the call. Once the Big Blue called, I was ready to go. It's the one of the biggest markets in the world, one of the biggest stages in the world. I'm excited.

SN: Did it help that the Giants already had another former University of Miami guy in their secondary, safety Kenny Phillips?
AR: It sure did. Kenny and I talked about it. He asked if I would ever consider playing for the Giants. I said,  "Absolutely.''

SN: From what you've seen in minicamps and OTAs, how does the Giants' defensive scheme differ from the Cardinals'?
AR: It's all football. A few things are different, a few coverages and schemes may be tweaked differently. But I don't think it will be any different fitting into this program.

SN: Is it hard to be a leader right away when you join a new team?
AR: Not at all. This team has welcomed me, the city of New York has welcomed me. It's been a great transition. The guys and the coaches have made it smooth.

SN: How proud are you of what the Cardinals accomplished the last two years, becoming a contender after so many years of struggling?
AR: I'm very proud. I saw us go from 5-11 seasons to a Super Bowl. I was part of that, part of helping us grow. That's something that will always be there for me. Like they say, "It's not how you start; it's how you finish."

SN: After the way the Giants' defense struggled last season, how confident does the unit seem to you?
AR: The swagger is still there. We can't let last year impact this year. It's a brand-new season, brand-new team, brand-new attitude. That's what we're bringing into the 2010 season.

SN: Does having a huge contract put any more pressure on you?
AR: Absolutely not. I'm still playing ball. I've been playing ball all this time without the big money. I love this game. I love playing in front of the bright lights. Nothing has changed.

SN: How much are you looking forward to being a part of the NFC East rivalries the Giants have with the Cowboys, Eagles and Redskins?
AR: Absolutely, I'm going to love it. The bigger the games, the better my game.

SN: For many years, you played next to a Pro Bowl safety in Adrian Wilson. Do you look at coming to New York as a chance to get more recognition?
AR: I'm still going to be me. I'm not really concerned with who gets the pub. I'm here for a reason.  The coaches must have seen something in my game that they felt could help the Giants win. As long as my teammates and coaches are satisfied with my play, we're good to go.

SN: From what you've seen, do you think Kenny Phillips can come all the way back from major knee surgery?
AR: Kenny looks great. He stays on top of his treatment every day. We talk every day. We'll have a great rotation back there, no matter what. But having Kenny back will be a huge plus.

SN: Did you treat yourself to anything after signing your new contract?
AR: No, I didn't. That's kind of funny, isn't it? My family doesn't ask me for much, never really has. I splurged a little bit on my firstcontract, kind of got everything out of the way. This contract, I was a little more conservative.

SN: So many former University of Miami players still train there during the offseason. Why have you been training with the Giants?
AR: I usually do train in Miami, and I love training down there. I've never been with my team for a full offseason working out. But they're expecting big things from me, and it's in my contract for me to be up here. If that's what they want, that's what they're going to get.

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(sportingnews.com)

New York Giants safety Antrel Rolle believes the turf at the New Meadowlands Stadium is the reason why wide receiver and returner Domenik Hixon is out for the year. Rolle said he was watching when Hixon crumpled to the new FieldTurf untouched on a punt return and tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee on Tuesday. "I was right there when it happened and I saw it right away," Rolle told ESPNNewYork.com on Thursday after the Giants' final practice of veterans' minicamp. "And I was like, 'Damn, it don't look good.' He didn't make a cut or anything. It just got caught in the turf." Giants general manager Jerry Reese said on Wednesday that the new FieldTurf was not the reason why Hixon suffered his season-ending injury and that it could have happened on any surface.

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(gridironfans.com)

The addition of safety Antrel Rolle could also change the face of the New York Giants' offense.

The Giants have been among the dwindling minority of NFL teams that do not use the ``Wildcat'' formation. The Dallas Cowboys call it the ``Razorback,'' but by any name it is a derivation of the single wing.

Arizona had Rolle take the direct snap in the ``Wildcat'' a few times last season. He gained nine yards on one run and had an incompletion on his only pass, which became a no-play because of a penalty.

At an introductory news conference on Friday, Rolle lobbied to be a two-way player. Rolle, a heralded high-school quarterback, told reporters that he can throw the football ``a million miles'' and is comfortable with the run, too.

``Once I'm here, I think they will get a pretty good feel of what kind of athlete I am,'' Rolle said. ``Whether they're going to use me with that, I don't know yet. I hope so. I think it brings another dimension to football. It's something that also can excite the fans."

Giants coach Tom Coughlin was noncommittal about adding the ``Wildcat,'' saying of Rolle ``he's a very talented guy.''

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(dallasnews.com)

Kenny Phillips knew what people were thinking when the Giants signed Antrel Rolle for $37 million on the first day of free agency. He knew some took it as a sign the Giants were worried he'd never make it all the way back.

But Phillips insists those fears are completely unfounded. In fact, he told the Daily News earlier Wednesday that his recovery from left knee surgery is on track to have him on the field for the start of training camp in July.

And once he's there, he plans to help Rolle make good on his vow that they'll form "the best safety tandem in the NFL."

"The coaches have reassured me they didn't bring him in to replace me - they made that very clear," Phillips said. "After the performance we had last year in the secondary, they had to bring someone in. It would be foolish not to. It'll be a privilege playing next to him."

That will happen, the third-year pro insisted, even though several orthopedic surgeons have said that the condition in his knee - patellofemoral arthritis - - can be career-threatening. Phillips and the Giants have denied that possibility from the moment his season ended after their Week 2 game last September. In fact, Phillips recently wrote in his blog that "I feel like I could play tomorrow."

Earlier today, Phillips added that team doctors have continually "assured me I can return and be 100 percent when I do."

"I feel real good," Phillips said. "I'm making a lot of progress. The rehab is coming along real well. I should be running soon - - probably by the end of this month. As far as they tell me, it's looking good. The knee is getting stronger."

The rehab, which Phillips has done mostly from his home in Miami, has been a very long process since he underwent surgery in September, mostly involving weights and strengthening exercises. He said he's consulted with some athletes who suffered from the same condition (though he declined to name them) and "They reassured me that it's something I can bounce back from as long as put in the work."

"Now I have no doubt at all," he said. "When it first occurred, I didn't really know what it was myself. But after talking to trainers and doctors, I felt great about it. I already feel myself get stronger and getting back to the form that I had. I feel that I didn't lose anything, to be honest with you."

Phillips will likely sit out the organized team activity (OTA) sessions in May and  June and the mini-camp in mid-June, but he "definitely expects to be ready for the start of full-speed practices in late July. He's so sure, in fact, that he occasionally pauses and pictures himself back on the field for the first time since mid-September.

"I kind of picture it all the time," Phillips said. "From the way my rehab is going I feel I'm definitely not going to lose anything. I can only get better. So I sometimes picture myself making interceptions, making tackles, just making the plays I used to. I just can't wait."

It'll be more exciting, he said, now that he'll be on that field with Rolle, whom he's known since he was as senior in high school and Rolle - then a senior at Miami - presented him with an award. He said he helped the Giants recruit Rolle and constantly talked with him as the ex-Cardinal was pondering the Giants' big offer.

Rolle, in fact, was scheduled to arrive in Miami earlier today to workout with Phillips - something the newest Giant said he planned to do a lot in the next few months.

"I'm looking forward to it," Phillips said. "You could say he'll be like that older brother for me. He's been in the league longer and he's someone I wouldn't mind taking advice from. He's very intelligent. He has experience. You can't do nothing but learn.

"It's going to be a great addition to an already pretty good secondary," Phillips added. "He's going to bring so much more to our secondary because of things he can do. He's basically a play-maker. You can sum him up in that one word. That's kind of what we were missing this last year."

They were missing that, at least in part, because Phillips was missing. So if he returns, the Giants won't have one play-maker at safety. They'll have two.

"I'm definitely excited," Phillips said. "(Rolle) has that Miami swagger. There's nothing wrong with it. He's very confident. And tell you the truth, we just have two guys that can go out and get it. Most teams usually have just one dog. For us, we have two of us that can go out make some plays.

"And like he said, if we go out there and work at it, we definitely can go for that title of best safety tandem in NFL."

Click here to order Kenny Phillips' proCane Rookie Card.



(nydailynews.com)

Q: Have you talked to Kenny Phillips in this process?
Rolle: “I’ve been talking to Kenny Phillips for the last month or so. Getting a feel for things, just having a conversation – not even about football all the time. Just about life in general. Making sure he’s staying on top of himself. I didn’t know what the future held for me. Kenny is a great guy on and off the field. We’re going to have a brotherhood relationship, no doubt about it.”

Q: His rehab is going well?
Rolle: “Absolutely. He’s rehabbing down in Miami, rehabbing here. He’s never going to leave my side now, because I’m desperately going to need him. And we’re going to need each other. I’m going to make sure he’s doing whatever it takes to get back on the field and be my partner, side by side.”

Q: What number do you want to switch to?
Rolle: “I don’t have an idea yet. We have a couple of ideas in mind, trying to see if we can make that happen. You will know as soon as I know.”

Q: What was the award you presented to Kenny?
Rolle: “I was already in college and I was receiving an award myself. I’m not sure what the award was, but I remember they had me present him an award when he was a senior at Carol City High School.”

Q: At any point during your visit did anyone mention the game you had against the Giants last season?
Rolle: Yeah. I think that played a big part in the reason why I’m here. When you’re in the NFL at this level, you’re not just playing for yourself and your pride and your fans. It’s a job interview. You’re putting film out there. You’re building a resume. You never know what effect you’re going to have on certain teams. This was a team that we knew coming in was an outstanding team. I came in head first. I wasn’t going to be denied. I came in with a chip on my shoulder and I was just going to do whatever it took to make sure that the Arizona Cardinals came back with a win and we did that.

Q: Did Coach Coughlin or anyone else bring that up during your visit?
Rolle: Yeah. I think pretty much all the coaches brought it up. It’s obviously something that stood out in their minds. Something that I’m pretty sure they watched over and over again before making such a huge decision to bring me in as a New York Giant. So it was definitely brought up. We discussed things, went through and watched some of the film and we went over coverages and pretty much broke down some of the scenarios that took place during that game.

Q: Can you take us through that last play, the interception and is that typical play for you that you can make?
Rolle: I think I can make every kind of play, to be honest with you. Not to sound cocky and arrogant but that’s just the way I am. I never go into a game denying myself of any opportunities. If it presents itself, I think I can definitely make the play. That last play of the game, I was hurt, I had torn my plantar fascia at that point and I was very limited as to what I could do. It was pretty much just suppose to be a typical cover two coverage but I pretty much tweaked it on my own. I just got my corner and my nickel together and myself and explained to them what was going to take place on that play and I explained to them exactly how I wanted it to be played. We definitely tweaked the cover two, we didn’t play it the way it was initially supposed to be played and I think it worked out for the best. Sometimes you have to take a gamble, you have to take a chance. That comes from a lot of film study and watching film and understanding the concepts of your opponents and it was something that I was pretty sure was going to take place and I guessed right.

Q: In your game last year against the Giants, you threw a pass out of the wildcat, is that something you will try to convince the coaches to let you do here?
Rolle: Absolutely, like I said, I think that’s going to come from showing them exactly what I can do. Once I’m here with this organization, they will get a pretty good feel of what kind of athlete I am. I can throw the ball a millions miles, I think everyone knows that at this point. Whether they are going to use me for that, I don’t know yet. I hope so because I think it brings another dimension to football. It creates a mismatch. It’s also something that can excite the fans and it can be a momentum changer.

Q: In that game against the Giants, you also put a pretty heavy hit on Kevin Boss and it was pretty costly for you too, do you think its going to strange running into him now that you guys are on the same team?
Rolle: No. It’s not going to be strange at all. We’re all men amongst this league and at any given time, it could be your brother out there but you have to come out there and you have to compete. You never try to hurt anyone under any means. It definitely wasn’t intentional but I was coming to make a statement. I was definitely coming to make contact. When I’m on the field, I hold no pity for the next man but at the same time, I never try to go out and hurt any opponent because his career is just as valued as mine. I never go out there with any intentions like that, I’m not that kind of player at all. But when I’m coming, I’m definitely a headhunter and I want to make sure my presence is felt. That is pretty much all that took place on that play. I was definitely trying to make a play. I was trying to put my team in a better situation than their team and that all it boils down to.

Q: This Giants defense kind of lacked leadership and swagger, do you think you can bring that to this team?
Rolle: No question about that. I think that just comes natural. I think that’s just a part of who I am. I don’t want anyone to name me a leader. I don’t want anyone to pinpoint what I’m going to bring to a team. I think it’s just something that has to come naturally. If it happens, it happens, if it doesn’t then it doesn’t but knowing myself and knowing what kind of competitor I am and what kind of player I am. I think I will definitely be a great fit for this organization and with this team. I’m going to make sure that regardless of what I am within the team and not trying to be beyond the team. I’m a team guy, 120%. I’ll go out there and put everything on the line for my team. I want to make sure they know and I’m going to make sure that I show that when they get Antrel Rolle they are getting 150% each and every down, never take a play off.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle's proCane Rookie Card.



(nyg.scout.com)

The Miami Dolphins had a deal on the table for Arizona's Antrel Rolle, but Rolle signed a five-year, $37 million deal -- that has $15 million in guaranteed money -- with the New York Giants that made him the highest-paid safety in NFL history. Rolle reportedly turned down $32 million over five years from the Dolphins.

Here's a transcript of my interview with the former UM star, who was on the show this morning:

Q: How thrilled are you to land that big of a contract?
A: "It worked out for the best. I'm in a great situation with a great system and a great organization. The best thing about the whole thing was I felt like I was at home when I went there. That's the main thing when you make a free-agent [visit]."

Q: Were the Dolphins in the mix to sign you?
A: "They contacted my agent, Drew Rosenhaus, and they expressed interest. But, I think, the budget that they were willing to spend on a saftey was a little bit lower than what I was looking for. Miami would have been nice just for the fact that it's home. But I don't think anyone would sell themselves short just to stay in their hometown, especially when you have someone like the Giants making such a great offer and giving me such a great opportunity. . . . It pretty much boiled down to whether I wanted to stay an Arizona Cardinal or become a Giant. I think, hands down, I made the right decision."

Q: What can you tell Dolphins fans about Karlos Dansby, a guy you played for a long time?
A: The thing I said about the Dolphins was if they didn't get me, they better get Karlos Dansby. They got one hell of a football player. I think he's one of the most underrated linebackers in the league. I never think he gets the credit that he deserves. He's an all-around linebacker. There's times that we dropped him back at safety and I even went to linebacker and we didn't miss a beat. That alone tells a lot about a guy. Most of all, he's an upstanding guy. He's going to bring to the table exactly what the Dolphins are looking for -- and more."

Q: Are your surprised by how much the Giants offered you?
A: "I just know that when the Giants made their first offer I knew they wanted me to be their guy. They're asking a lot of me, which is fine, because it's something I'm going to bring to the table regardless. I'm definitely going there going head first."

Q: How eager are you to play with Kenny Phillips with the Giants, another former University of Miami standout?
A: "Kenny Phillips is going to be my best friend. I'm going to make sure he's on top of everything he needs to get done because I definitely want him back there with me. I think we can be a dynamic duo once he gets healthy and once we get on the same page. Kenny is an outstanding guy and he's going to look at himself more than anyone else."

Q: How important is it to get a fresh start?
A: "I'm definitely looking forward to it. It's going to be a lot of fun. I'm just looking forward to the change. I'm looking forward to the change of weather. There's a lot of things that came into mind when I made this decision. I've been born and raised in Miami. So I went from hot to hotter, playing in Arizona. I just felt it was time for a change all the way around. I can't wait."

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(sun-sentinel.com)

The Giants did their best to make everyone think they were going to approach the free agency spending spree the way Jerry Seinfeld's parents approached a dinner after the Early Bird Special was over, yet there they were Friday night making Antrel Rolle one of the highest-paid safeties in NFL history. An impressive smoke screen put up by Jerry Reese and the rest of the Giants and one that got them a good player.

A good player, not the great player the salary would indicate. We won't quibble too much about dollars and cents. It's an uncapped year, no one in the Mara family is crying poverty and desperate times call for desperate measures. In the Giants secondary, these are desperate times. With Kenny Phillips's future uncertain because of knee problems, the Giants couldn't let finances get in the way of upgrading their safeties.

Rolle does that. He's not the best tackler nor the best coverage guy in the business, but he's more than competent in both areas. That's a lot more than you can say about C.C. Brown and Michael Johnson. If Phillips is healthy enough to play at 100 percent, the Giants will have a pair of rangy, athletic safeties to protect the back of their defense next season.

That's a big if, though, and if things go the other way then you've still got one good safety and one mediocre one playing behind a defense that looks just as bad as the one that got humiliated down the stretch last season. Perry Fewell's new schemes may mitigate some of their struggles, but the linebackers are still an underwhelming group and the defensive line is still one that couldn't generate any meaningful pressure on quarterbacks who didn't play for crap teams.

If that happens again, it doesn't much matter who you have playing safety. Defenses that can't pressure the quarterback give up big passing plays and Rolle's not going to change that equation. What's more, if Phillips is healthy -- and the Giants keep claiming that he'll be fine -- then the Giants have just doubled down at one of the few positions of strength in a defense with plenty of holes. They tried that last year, and it didn't work out too well for them.

In short, the Rolle signing is good but it's hard to see how much better the defense is because of it. It's reminiscent of a Chinese meal that's awfully tasty while you're enjoying it but does nothing to stop you from feeling hungry in an hour. Perhaps it is unfair to expect any one move to leave fans satisfied, but if the Giants are being honest then this is the only move we're getting. At least Chinese food comes with a fortune cookie.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle's proCane Rookie Card.



(nbc.com)

Antrel Rolle has been a Giant for a little more than a half-day. And already, he believes he's part of something great.

The $37-million man was asked Saturday during his introductory conference call how good of a pair of safeties he and Kenny Phillips can be.

"The best in the league," Rolle replied. "Hands down."

Rolle and Phillips missed each other at the University of Miami by one year, but they've been friends for a while. Rolle said he actually knew Phillips before the younger Hurricane safety's time at the school began. Rolle presented Phillips with an award while he was a promising high-school player.

"From that point on, I knew he was a stand-up guy, a first-class guy all the way, a dynamic athlete and just a great overall person, a person you want to have on your team," Rolle said. "But most of all, just a great individual in himself."

"He's never going to leave my side now because I'm desperately going to need him," Rolle said. "And we're going to need each other. I'm going to make sure he's doing whatever it takes to get back on the field, be my partner, side by side."

Rolle was in contact with Phillips the past couple of weeks, as he knew his time with the Cardinals might be over. Arizona wanted to avoid paying Rolle a $4 million roster bonus, so the team was set to cut Rolle loose - with the hope of re-signing him.

Though the Cardinals made a push for Rolle the past two days, the opportunity to play alongside Phillips and other factors led him to start anew in East Rutherford.

"I was extremely excited when this opportunity presented itself, to be back there with your own guy and a guy that I know his potential will be maximized and my potential will be maximized with him," Rolle said. "And I think we’re going to push each other. It’s going to be a dynamic duo."

What makes him think that will be the case?

"I know what we’re capable of," he said. "And also, I know as a unit, what abilities we have to get things done. It’s just going to be up to us to establish that relationship and that chemistry to make sure we’re on the same page and to make sure that we’re all one within this secondary backfield. The sky’s the limit for us. We’re definitely going to go out there and make things happen."

Plus, they'll be able to do so as similar, interchangeable players.

The days of strong and free safeties for many NFL teams are pretty much long gone. Teams now use their safeties to roll their coverage to either side, meaning on any given play one safety will have a different responsibility than he had the play before.

Rolle said defensive coordinator Perry Fewell suggested that will be the case with him and Phillips.

"I think that’s the way they’re going to look at us because, without a doubt, we’re both interchangeable safeties," Rolle said. "We’re both are very versatile, we can handle multiple positions and multiple tasks at hand. That will best benefit our secondary back there."

One more question: who gets to wear the No. 21?

"That’s his jersey. He’s been a Giant before I got here, he’s earned that jersey," said Rolle, who is unsure what his new number will be. "That’s a very valuable number to me, but I’m going to be in a new system. It’s time for me to start over and make a new number for myself, and I will do that."

UPDATE Rolle will wear No. 26, the Giants have announced.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle's or Kenny Phillips' proCane Rookie Card.



(nj.com)

When Antrel Rolle signed his new five-year, $37 million contract with the Giants, word quickly spread that he's now the highest-paid safety in NFL history.

We said it.

Adam Schefter said it.

Jason La Canfora said it.

But then we started getting questions from readers who thought that Colts safety Bob Sanders had gotten a better deal.  Last night, we laid out the differences between the two contracts, pointing out that Sanders had signed six-year, $38.5 million deal, and that Rolle had signed a five-year deal from scratch.

That hasn't put the matter to bed, and for good reason.  As a source with knowledge of the Sanders contract pointed out today, the Sanders extension was done late in the 2007 season, so it really wasn't a six-year deal.

The new money for Sanders' deal was $37.5 million over five years.  Rolle's deal was $37 million over five years.  (The deal possibly was done at the tail end of the 2007 season to take advantage of any remaining cap space.)

Factoring in the reality that Sanders' deal was negotiated late in the 2007 season, the numbers are very close, with Sanders holding the total edge as to total dollars.

This doesn't change the fact, however, that Rolle has $15 million that is guaranteed for skill and injury; Sanders' guarantee for skill and injury is only $8 million.  It means that, for example, if Sanders passes a physical before the start of the 2010 season and the Colts decide based on their success in 2009 without him that they don't want to pay him the balance of the deal, any remaining guaranteed money not guaranteed for both skill and injury would be lost.

The reality is that there are enough facts to allow manipulation based on perspective.  Rolle's camp has every incentive to characterize those facts as making the former Cardinal the highest-paid player in the league.  And Sanders' camp or Troy Polamalu's camp or other agents who are competing with Rolle's agents have every reason, as they undoubtedly did, to funnel contrary information to folks in the media, like our friend Mike Garafolo of the Newark Star-Ledger, who in our view adopted a tone that was a little too preachy and not sufficiently pragmatic given that his article was influenced by the other side of the same coin that got us, Schefter, and LaCanfora to declare that Rolle is now the highest paid safety in the league.  (In this regard, we also think that Polamalu's four-year extension signed before the 2007 season even started must be viewed as a five-year deal, which would presumably make his contract inferior to both Sanders' and Rolle's.)

It's also possible that the Giants are pushing this information in order to deflect criticism that they made a guy who arguably isn't the best safety in the league the richest one.  But teams rarely put out accurate contractual information, since they want the player to be happy with his deal -- and thus not asking for more money while the ink is still moist.

From our perspective, we care only about making sure the audience has access to accurate information.  Even if it means clarifying the numbers at best, and scraping canine fecal matter off our shoes at worst.

In this case, both sides can make a plausible claim to having the biggest contract for any safety in league history.  And, obviously, both sides are.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle's proCane Rookie Card.



(profootballtalk.com)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — The New York Giants have made Pro Bowler Antrel Rolle the richest safety in the NFL.

In the waning hours of the opening day of free agency, Rolle signed a five-year, $37 million contract that has $15 million in guaranteed money.

Agent Drew Rosenhaus tweeted the announcement late Friday, offering his personal congratulations to Rolle on becoming "the highest paid safety in NFL history!" The Giants formally announced the deal around 11:30 p.m.

"I'm ecstatic," the 27-year-old Rolle said. "Words can't really express how I feel now. I had five great years with the Cardinals organization. But I felt it was time for a change. The Giants are a first-class organization all the way. There are great opportunities for me, and I am excited to be working with the players I'll be working with. I think the sky's going to be the limit as to what we can do."

The signing fills a major need for the Giants, who lost Kenny Phillips to a serious knee injury early last season.

Phillips is expected back this season and having the two Miami products deep in the secondary should help a defense that struggled last year.

"Antrel is a young, ascending veteran player, and he is an outstanding person who will bring leadership, versatility and more big play ability to our secondary," general manager Jerry Reese said.

Rolle, who was recently released by the Cardinals, had four interceptions last season. The one that impressed the Giants the most came in late October when he stepped in front of Steve Smith to intercept an Eli Manning pass around the Cardinals 21-yard line with 68 seconds to play to nail down a 24-17 win.

New York had driven from its own 1-yard line in the final three minutes in an attempt to tie the game in which Rolle also had eight tackles.
Rolle has played in 68 regular season games with 59 starts. His career totals include 337 tackles (296 solo), 12 interceptions, 36 passes defensed, three forced fumbles and 1.5 sacks. He has returned four interceptions for touchdowns, including three in 2007.

This past season, Rolle started all 15 games in which he played and was credited with 72 tackles (61 solo).

Arizona, which also lost linebacker Karlos Dansby to Miami late Friday, released Rolle on Thursday because it wanted to avoid paying him the $4 million roster bonus and the $8 million salary he was due.

However, the battle for Rolle came down to the Giants and Cardinals, and Rolle chose New York after visiting with the team most of Friday.
"I'm extremely excited for the opportunity, and I feel truly blessed," Rolle said. "They have the confidence I can come in and be the player that they expect me to be, and I will live up to everything they expect and go beyond."

Rolle was Arizona's first-round pick, the eighth selection overall, out of Miami in 2005. He began his pro career as a cornerback but had most of his success after being switched to safety in 2008.

In four seasons at the University of Miami, Rolle had 183 tackles and five interceptions. As long as Kenny Phillips makes a full recovery, there will be three proCanes in the Giants defensive backfield; Rolle, Phillips and Bruce Johnson.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle's proCane Rookie Card.



(ap.com)

It might not take long for the Giants to make their first signing in free agency.

Safety Antrel Rolle is in for a visit today and by all accounts and reports he is already close to a contract agreement. Rolle was seeking a deal worth $8 million per season and it appears the Giants will come close to making that a reality.

Rolle turned down a six-year, $38.6 million offer from the Cardinals, who would like to keep him but are unwilling to pay him more than their other starting safety, Adrian Wilson.

The Dolphins are believed to have made a five-year offer to Rolle, a 27-year old converted cornerback. He would instantly move in as a starter in the Giants secondary and provide insurance in case Kenny Phillips cannot make it back all the way from knee surgery. If Phillips returns, he and Rolle would form a dynamic safety duo.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle's proCane Rookie Card.



(nypost.com)

Now that a $4 million roster bonus and an $8 million salary have gotten safety Antrel Rolle released by the Cardinals, multiple teams are hot on his trail.

Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports that Rolle's agent, Drew Rosenhaus, currently is negotiating with the Bears.

A league source has confirmed that the Bears are indeed chasing Rolle.  We're also told that the Giants and Dolphins are pursuing Rolle, and that the Cardinals still hope to get him back.

Rolle, a top-ten pick in the bust-filled first round of the 2005 draft, started 15 games in 2009.  For his career, he has appeared in 68 games, starting 61.

He entered the league as a cornerback, but he eventually was moved to safety.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle's proCane Rookie Card.



(profootballtalk.com)

If the Giants are truly interested in fortifying their defensive backfield and aren't scared off by last year's high-spending, low-impact free agency results they owe it to the organization to make a run at Antrel Rolle.

And they are.

The Pro Bowl safety yesterday was released by the Cardinals -- no big surprise, because he was due a $4 million bonus and an $8.1 million salary and they were unwilling to pay him in excess of $12 million for this season. The demand and price will be high for a 27-year old former first-round pick (eighth overall in 2005) with 12 career interceptions and four touchdown returns.

Free agency began at 12:01 a.m. this morning, but because Rolle was cut the Giants could strike immediately, and they quickly contacted his agent, Drew Rosenhaus. According to reports, Rolle will meet today with the Giants, who will have stiff competition with the Dolphins -- who came up with a five-year offer for Rolle -- and perhaps the Bears and the Cardinals, who do want to get in the bidding to get Rolle back.

The word is Rolle is looking for $8 million per year. Giants general manager Jerry Reese is not going to open the vault this signing period, but he will not be gun-shy when it comes to spending for a player he believes will make a difference. The Giants could wrap this up today.

If Kenny Phillips returns to form following knee surgery, a safety tandem of Rolle and Phillips would be young and dynamic. Like Phillips, Rolle went to Miami and he's a converted cornerback with exceptional coverage skills. The Giants as presently constituted don't really have a safety on their roster they can count on until Phillips proves he's healthy. The other starter, Michael Johnson, is coming off a poor season. The NFL is evolving into a league where the importance of playmaking safeties is growing and Rolle would fit that description.

There's not expected to be much of a play for Karlos Dansby, who is not a true 4-3 middle linebacker and will command a king's ransom, most likely from the Dolphins. Gary Brackett, the only unrestricted true 4-3 middle linebacker of real value, is likely to re-sign with the Colts.

Other alternatives such as DeMeco Ryans (Texans), D'Qwell Jackson (Browns), Kirk Morrison (Raiders) and Barrett Ruud (Buccaneers) all lost out on their unrestricted status and as restricted free agents will find it difficult to change teams.

No team ever has enough cornerbacks and Dunta Robinson of the Texans would be a great addition, because he's 28, in the prime of his career and unrestricted. But he could command $9 million per year as the top corner on the market, which is too much for the Giants. Leigh Bodden of the Patriots is the next-best cornerback.

It is no secret the Giants need help on defense but not exclusively. Their running game, not long ago tops in the NFL, sagged last season and new blood is needed. The 1-2 punch of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw limped to the finish line -- Jacobs with a bum knee and Bradshaw with two bad ankles. Both players underwent offseason surgery.

There are some options on the unrestricted market, meaning no compensation is required for signings. Chester Taylor (Vikings) is versatile and has limited mileage on his legs. Willie Parker (Steelers) has straight-ahead speed. Mighty-mite Darren Sproles was tendered at the highest-level possible, with a first and third-round pick as compensation, ensuring he will remain in San Diego. The Jets today will release Thomas Jones, who is coming off a 1,402-yard, 14-touchdown season but refused to take a pay cut.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle's proCane Rookie Card.



(nypost.com)

In addition to the Bears, the Redskins are expected to pursue FS Antrel Rolle after he's released by the Cardinals.

Rolle has his sights set on a huge payday, and teams are lining up to get a shot at him. The Cardinals are considered the favorites, but the Redskins could overpay. One source calls their interest in Julius Peppers overstated, so they should have money to allocate elsewhere.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle's proCane Rookie Card.



(rotoworld.com)

The Cardinals have officially cut Pro Bowl FS Antrel Rolle loose after speculation they would do so.

The Chicago Bears have wasted little time trying to secure Rolle, according to the Chicago Tribune.

Rolle was due a $4 million roster bonus and an $8.1 million dollar salary this season. He is free to sign with any team right now -- as a released player, he does not have to wait for the beginning of the free-agency period March 5 -- but he could also re-sign with Arizona if he and the team can strike a new agreement.

The eighth overall pick of the 2005 draft out of Miami (Fla.), Rolle has excelled since switching from cornerback to safety in 2008. Rolle had four INTs and 72 tackles in 2009.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle's proCane Rookie Card.



(usatoday.com)

The Bears are in desperate need of a free safety. If there was any doubt about how Lovie Smith felt about the situation, the Bears coach erased it last week at the scouting combine when he said the team needs to "invest" more in the position.

That means the Bears need to get away from their standard approach, which has been to throw a late-round draft pick at the position and hope it sticks. They've selected a safety in five straight drafts and they couldn't tell you with confidence that any one of them is a solution for 2010 as a starter.

The Tribune reported that Danieal Manning will be tried at strong safety, at least to begin the offseason program. If you're keeping score, it will be Manning's fourth position. Al Afalava, a sixth-round pick, fell out of favor late in the season. Craig Steltz probably be the free safety if the season started today. Josh Bullocks would be in the mix along with Kevin Payne.

That is why it's easy to say Antrel Rolle would be a definite upgrade for a defense in need.

Rolle is athletic, can cover and has ball skills. Personnel men interviewed at the combine like his game and believe he'd help the Bears instantly, but cautioned about one thing: He's not going to be a Pro Bowl player. He's not a strong tackler and while he has better instincts than the Bears' safeties, they're not elite.

So the question becomes what will Jerry Angelo and the Bears be willing to pay for Rolle, who is expected to be cut loose by the Arizona Cardinals. He has a roster bonus that is due March 9, according to one league source. Free agency is the marketplace where many a player has been overpaid, and that is why Angelo is so reluctant to be a big spender in March. He knows teams often aren't getting what they pay for.

Rolle is expecting a contract that averages $8 million annually, one source with knowledge of the situation said. That's going to be a hard figure to reach. He already has turned down a contract offer from the Cardinals that averages more than $6 million annually, the source said.

Only three safeties average more than $7 million per year. They're all strong safeties: Adrian Wilson, Troy Polamalu and Bob Sanders. None averages $8 million, although Rolle's teammate in Arizona, Wilson, comes closest at $7.938 million.

Are the Bears prepared to pay Rolle like an elite safety? It's going to require a departure from their way of doing business. They let Tony Parrish walk and become a Pro Bowler in San Francisco after the 2001 season.

Here are some numbers to keep in mind:
Average annual salary for NFL's top 10 free safeties: $5.30 million.
Average annual salary for NFL's top 5 free safeties: $6.25 million.
Average annual salary for NFL's top 10 safeties: $6.51 million.
Average annual salary for NFL's top 5 safeties: $7.24 million.

That shows what a big price a team can pay for its last line of defense. The Bears have been skating by with rookie contracts at the position for a long time. Are they ready to make the jump? Will Rolle realize anything close to $8 million annually? We'll find out soon.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle's proCane Rookie Card.



(chicagobreakingsports.com)

As expected, the Arizona Cardinals are poised to deal with the back end of a bad rookie contract by dumping safety Antrel Rolle, a top-ten draft pick in 2005.

Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the release is expected to come this week.  But Schefter also reports that the Cardinals will attempt to re-sign Rolle.

Rolle is due to earn a $4 million roster bonus soon, along with an $8 million base salary during the 2010 regular season.

And that's way too much for any safety to make.'

Click here to order Antrel Rolle's proCane Rookie Card.



(profootballtalk.com)

Arizona's eventful offseason will continue this week when the Cardinals release former first-round pick Antrel Rolle, an NFL source said Sunday.

Rolle's release will follow Kurt Warner's retirement and the Cardinals decision not to use their franchise tag on linebacker Karlos Dansby.

Rolle will become the premier safety in this year's free-agent class, but it is still possible the safety will return to the Cardinals.

Arizona would like to have Rolle back, and the two sides continue to talk about a potential return.

With less than a week until the start of the March 5 free-agent signing period, Rolle wants to see what he's worth at a time when the Cardinals are reluctant to pay him more than the $12 million that would be owed to him this season.

Rolle had four interception and was a Pro Bowl alternate this season. A starter on the Cardinals' Super Bowl team, Rolle moved to free safety in 2008 after playing cornerback for his first three seasons. He has 12 interceptions and four touchdowns in his career.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle's proCane Rookie Card.



(espn.com)

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Arizona Cardinals are going to continue with their efforts to try to re-sign free safety Antrel Rolle, but barring an unexpected breakthrough he is expected to hit the open market and become a potential Bears target.

The problem for the Cardinals is he is owed $12 million this coming season ($8 million plus a pending $4 million roster bonus) and isn't inclined to renegotiate. If the Cardinals can't sign him to a long-term deal, they are expected to release him and let him enter the free market, where he will be perhaps the most pursued veteran at his position.

"We're going to try hard to get a contract in place with him before we have to make a decision about his contract," Cardinals general manager Rod Graves said. "If not, we will continue to work with him and treat him as if he is a free agent we are pursuing.

"We've always been under the impression Antrel wanted to remain an Arizona Cardinal. We have been able to develop him and we have seen him develop into an outstanding player and we want to keep that relationship going. We're not looking to lose quality players, but again, all of those decisions have to make sense to us from a team standpoint. Obviously he is a top priority."

The Cardinals' focus this offseason will be on a defense that was steamrolled in the playoffs by Green Bay and New Orleans. Losing Rolle will only create more work for the club, but Arizona is already heavily invested in strong safety Adrian Wilson and can't pay Rolle more than him. The team also faces the prospect of losing linebacker Karlos Dansby in free agency.

"At this point, I realize those guys could become free agents and they are interested in what the market will bear," Graves said. "At the same time, I am confident those guys don't undervalue what they mean to our football team and their relationship with us."

Coach Ken Whisenhunt, fresh off his contract extension that averages $5 million per season, said the team is committed to getting a deal done with Rolle and his agent Drew Rosenhaus.

"He's done a great job of making that transition from corner to safety, and is still growing in that role (as a safety)," Whisenhunt said. " He's made a number of big plays for us in the last few years. We're working to try and get that deal done.

"It's a different position to him after all the years of playing outside as a corner. He played nickel for us the first couple years, which was inside and covering a slot receiver, and did a good job for us. But to play the back half of the field, to be able to make the adjustments, make the calls to the secondary, which is critical for safeties to do, he's done a great job of studying and learning the position.

"He still has a lot to learn as far as where he lines up, how he reacts to certain things. Obviously, we're excited about the progress he's made at safety."

So are other teams, the Bears included, and that is why Rolle is destined for free agency.

(chicagobreakingsports.com)

It now appears that the Cardinals will release Pro Bowl free safety Antrel Rolle within the next week. The impetus is almost certainly to avoid the $4 million roster bonus due to Rolle next week. In addition, Arizona is hesitant to commit to a hefty new contract.

Rolle would most likely require an offer that at least approaches Adrian Wilson’s 5-year, $37 million in total dollars deal. It is doubtful the Cardinals would be willing to match that deal, which puts a ceiling on Rolle’s value to the team.

Rolle, a former Miami Hurricane, might be looking at a homecoming with the Dolphins should he become available. According to Brian Biggane of the Palm Beach Post, Rolle expressed a specific interest in playing for Miami and the Dolphins appear to be unhappy with their current free safety, Gibril Wilson.

Of course, these things are never clear. For instance, when coach Tony Sparano was asked in the final days of last season about Wilson, the questioner pointed out that Wilson had a disappointing year all the way around. “That’s your opinion,” Sparano responded.

Although the head coach seems to be playing it cagey, there seems to be little doubt that Miami will take a long look at Rolle if he becomes available. Whether they would sign him is obviously yet to be determined.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle's proCane Rookie Card.



(nflgridirongab.com)

Antrel Rolle has finally come into his own ... yet the Arizona Cardinals might let him walk away.

The Cards may cut the eighth overall pick of the 2005 draft unless they are able to sign him to an extension and avoid paying a $4 million roster bonus by next week, according to the team's website.

Rolle is coming off his first Pro Bowl appearance. He found his niche after switching from cornerback to free safety last season. If he is cut loose, speculation is already building that he could return to Miami, where he starred as a member of the Hurricanes in college, and plug a hole in the Dolphins' secondary.

Fellow Pro Bowl S Adrian Wilson received a 5-year, $39 million extension from the Cardinals last June. Now the team is also facing contractual issues with LB Karlos Dansby, set to hit the open market, as well as WR Anquan Boldin and DL Darnell Dockett, both seeking heftier paychecks.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle's proCane Rookie Card.



(usatoday.com)

The Arizona Cardinals have many boardroom discussions to attend this offseason, but none more important than, corner turned safety, Antrel Rolle's contract talks.

The Cardinals most immediate priority this offseason is to sign free safety Antrel Rolle.

Rolle is due a $4 million roster bonus in March and without a new deal, his salary will escalate to $12 million in 2010.

Even in a year without a salary cap, that's too steep a price for the Cardinals to pay.

The roster bonus and escalator clause were put into the contract to prompt the team to renegotiate before the last year of Rolle's contract.

That's exactly what the Cardinals intend to do. Rolle, however, might see things a bit differently.

He said several times this season that he doesn't intend to take a pay cut. It's hard to say what that means since the club never intended to pay him $12 million. The Cardinals viewed that level of compensation as a device to get both sides back to the bargaining table.

Rolle is an important part of the team's future, but it's not as if the 2010 season will be lost if the team can't re-sign him.

Drafted as a cornerback, Rolle was below-average at the position and moved to free safety two years ago.

He played well there, especially in the 2009 season. Rolle showed great improvement and with Adrian Wilson, gives the team a solid safety duo.

The Cardinals have some options, however, if Rolle's salary demands are viewed as too high. They want to re-sign Matt Ware, who played in dime situations for the past two years.

Ware played well and while an unrestricted free agent, he would cost far less than Rolle. The Cardinals also drafted Rashad Johnson in the third round last year, although he had a disappointing rookie season.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle's proCane Rookie Card.



(ari.scout.com)

Arizona Cardinals’ free safety Antrel Rolle is a name that’s probably on the Green Bay Packers radar.

Why, you ask? Rolle is under contract with the Cardinals.

Well, that contract isn’t going to fly in Arizona. Rolle is due $8 million in base salary and a $4 million roster bonus on March 5. Although Rolle was a Pro Bowler and recorded 72 tackles and four interceptions in 2009, he’s not going to get $12 million from the Cardinals or anyone else in 2010.

So, the Cardinals are in the precarious position of having to rework Rolle’s contract or releasing him by March 5. Thus far, there hasn’t been much movement by the Cardinals’ camp to get a new deal done and as the days tick on, it becomes more likely Rolle will simply be released.

Although the Packers will presumably re-sign starting free safety Nick Collins, who is a restricted free agent, Rolle could offer an intriguing option to replace strong safety Atari Bigby, who’s also a restricted free agent. Bigby has been injury prone throughout his career and his play seemed to tail off towards the end of last season, ultimately making him replaceable.

Rolle (6-0, 208) and Bigby (5-11, 213) are virtually the same size, but Rolle is superior in coverage and has missed only one game the past two seasons, compared with Bigby’s 12.

This isn’t to say converting Rolle to strong safety would be seamless. When healthy and at the top of his game, Bigby is an asset against the run and it’s no certainty the Packers would be able to make up for that absence with Rolle in the defensive backfield. It’s in coverage where Bigby can sometimes be a liability and the Packers’ losses to the Vikings, Steelers and Cardinals showed that the team needs to improve dramatically in coverage to stop top-flight passing teams.

The other wild card here, of course, is if the Packers will pursue Rolle and if Rolle would consider signing with Green Bay.

Rolle played collegiately at Miami and there have been indications that if the Cardinals cut him and the Miami Dolphins have an opening, Rolle would like to return to South Beach.

Still, Rolle is someone to keep an eye on the next few weeks and would be an exciting addition to the Packers’ secondary.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle's proCane Rookie Card.



(totalpackers.com)

Check out our exclusive photos from Saturday Morning's AFC and NFC Pro Bowl Practices. Six of the record 11 proCane Pro Bowlers were on hand, including Warren Sapp of the NFL Network. Click here or above on the proCanes Gallery link to view the photos.

Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle's future in the desert is looking hazy thanks to a $12.1 million salary in 2010 and he's already spent some time thinking about where he might head if he parts ways with the NFC West champs.

Rolle spoke with Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald and told him that he enjoys playing for Arizona but wouldn't mind coming home to play for the Dolphins.

"That would be nice," Rolle told me. "You know what I mean. I would love to take some of the burden off of mom and dad seeing as they travel to every game. Miami is home for me. I haven't played here in five years, but hey, we can make it happen."

Rolle said earlier this week that he won't take a paycut to remain with the Cardinals, which makes his departure a real possibility. Despite that and the discussion of the Dolphins, Rolle was still talking about Arizona as if he sees himself playing there in 2010. He called Kurt Warner's retirement "bittersweet" and shared his thoughts on Warner's presumptive successor Matt Leinart.

"Leinert, I think his time is up right now," Rolle said. "It's time for him to produce and be the player that Matt knows he can be and the player we all know he can be. We're going to be behind him 100 percent of the way and I think he'll do a good job there."

Still, Rolle sounds like a man who is thinking about playing for the Dolphins and not just because he has a desire to eat his mother's cooking more often. He told Salguero that he has kept abreast of the Dolphins' personnel situation and knows that they may be looking to make a change from Gibril Wilson at free safety.

Rolle, who will play in Sunday's Pro Bowl, had 72 tackles, four interceptions and 1.5 sacks during the 2009 season. Wilson had 93 tackles and one sack for the Dolphins. 

Click here to order Antrel Rolle’s proCane Rookie Card.



(profootballtalk.com)

Due an $8.1 million salary in addition to a $4 million roster bonus, Antrel Rolle's status with the Cardinals is up in the air this offseason.

Rolle has said he won't take a paycut, but there's no chance the Cardinals will pay him $12 million this season. Rashad Johnson isn't ready to take over at free safety, so the sides will have to work out a long-term deal or renegotiate Rolle's 2010 salary.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle’s proCane Rookie Card.



(rotoworld.com)

The Internal Revenue Service says Arizona Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle understated his taxable income by more than 50% during his first two years in pro football, sending him a $2.2 million bill for back taxes, interest and penalties.

The IRS claims are contained in a previously unreported lawsuit Rolle filed in U.S. Tax Court against the agency. His petition asserts the IRS violated the Taxpayer Bill of Rights, denied him due process and failed to treat him in a "fair, professional and courteous manner." He complains the agency refused to transfer his tax audit from Sacramento to Los Angeles where his advisors and records were located and would not accept proffered documentation.

However, Rolle does not specifically dispute the IRS audit findings, which he attached to his pleading. The IRS findings state that it was discrepancies and inconsistencies in Rolle's own filings that accounted for most of the bill. Cited points included nonexistent or unlikely addresses, huge deductions claimed by Rolle for a personally run executive business and hard-to-locate churches listed as recipients of big cash gifts, with the amounts and descriptions of these donations changing.

Hiram M. Martin, the lawyer for Rolle in the tax case, declined comment Tuesday on specifics. Calling the matter "confidential," he said it was "totally inappropriate" for Forbes to have obtained his pleading. "I am outraged," he said. By law, Tax Court lawsuits are public record at the clerk's office in Washington, D.C.

Rolle is a new twist on what has become an epidemic of legal troubles plaguing NFL players. His case is a civil tax matter, and Rolle is the plaintiff. Recently New Orleans Saints defensive end Bobby McCray and Atlanta Falcons receiver Eric Weems were arrested for driving while under the influence, while Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Johnny Jolly and Falcons lineman Jonathan Babineaux were charged with drug offenses. None has admitted guilt. Player legal problems are so widespread that there is even a blog devoted to NFL-related crimes.

The hard-tackling Rolle, 27, just finished his fifth season in the National Football League, where he has developed into a top defensive free safety with a knack for turning interceptions into touchdowns. His last game was on Jan. 16, when a head injury forced his first-quarter departure during the Cardinals' 45-14 divisional playoff loss to the New Orleans Saints.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle’s proCane Rookie Card.



(forbes.com)

The NFL 2010 Pro Bowlers were announced with 11 proCanes named on the AFC and NFC rosters.

AFC:
- Andre Johnson - WR - Houston Texans - Starter
- Brandon Meriweather - S - New England Patriots - Starter
- Reggie Wayne - WR - Indianapolis Colts - Starter
- Vince Wilfork - DL - New England Patriots
- Ray Lewis - MLB - Baltimore Ravens - Starter
- Ed Reed - S - Baltimore Ravens - Starter
- DJ Williams - OLB - Denver Broncos - Alternate

NFC:
- Bryant McKinnie - OL - Minnesota Vikings - Starter
- Jonathan Vilma - MLB - New Orleans Saints
- Antrel Rolle - S - Arizona Cardinals - Starter
- Frank Gore - RB - San Francisco 49ers - Starter

*Updated 1/25/10

The Cardinals will have to restructure the final year on FS Antrel Rolle's contract this offseason.

Rolle hit escalators in his incentive-heavy rookie deal, pushing his 2010 salary to a whopping $8.11 million. The Cards won't sever ties with their best option at free safety, but will have to get creative about reducing his pay.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle’s proCane Rookie Card.



(rotoworld.com)

It wouldn't be the NFL playoffs without a little drama and some bulletin-board material. Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle provided both this week and spent Wednesday trying to back-pedal his way out of it.

What set things off was this quote attributed to Rolle about Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers that reporter Michael Silver wrote on yahoo.com:

"Let me tell you something - that dude is scary. We have a great defense and we were up on him and ready to pounce, and he found ways to tear us apart.

"I don't ever want to face him again in my life. I am dead serious. I'll face Drew Brees any day of the way before I face him again."

The quote quickly made its way to New Orleans, where Rolle and the Cardinals are to meet Brees and the Saints on Saturday in an NFC divisional playoff game at the Louisiana Superdome.

Brees brushed off the remark on Tuesday telling reporters, "I think that's just part of the game. We've encountered that over the year. The fact is, that doesn't affect the way I prepare."

Rolle, however, said his quote was taken out of context, that Silver "twisted and turned" his words around.

"It's a complete and total lie," Rolle said. "First of all, I wasn't even talking to Michael Silver. Adrian (Wilson) and myself were having a private conversation and I was simply praising Aaron Rodgers.

"(Silver) decided to throw Drew Brees' name out there and I was like, 'I'm not even talking about Drew Brees. I'm talking about Aaron Rodgers. . . . I have all the respect in the world for Drew Brees. His game speaks for itself."
Rodgers passed for four touchdowns and a team playoff-record 422 yards in Green Bay's 51-45 loss to Arizona on Sunday.

"Michael Silver threw Drew Brees' name up as I was walking out of the locker room," Rolle continued. "After a game like that, who's going to be thinking about Drew Brees? The guy that just ripped us was Aaron Rodgers. That's who I was talking about. That's who I was giving praise to."

But if the Saints want to hang the quote up in the locker room, Rolle said they can have at it.

"If they want to go out there and use that as motivation, then let it be done," he said. "I don't back down from anyone."

Click here to order Antrel Rolle’s proCane Rookie Card.



(azcentral.com)

Yahoo! Sports - The Cardinals may have advanced, but Arizona defensive back Antrel Rolle never wants to face Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers again.

"Let me tell you something – that dude is scary," Rolle said of Rodgers. "We have a great defense, and we were up on him and ready to pounce, and he found ways to tear us apart.

"I don't ever want to face him again in my life. I am dead serious. I'll face Drew Brees any day of the week before I face him again."

Rodgers completed 28-for-42 passes, throwing for 422 yards and four touchdowns in Green Bay's 51-45 overtime loss to Arizona.

"Hey, nobody ever said the guy was a bad player. But to have him actually do what he did to us in the second half was unbelievable. He was on fire. The whole half. The guy was just amazing," added safety Adrian Wilson.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle’s proCane Rookie Card.



(realgmfootball.com)

Free safety Antrel Rolle missed practice because of a bruised thigh, which caused him to sit out last Sunday. He declined to say how he was feeling, saying only that he would be evaluated as the week progress.

Click here to order Antrel Rolle’s proCane Rookie Card.



(azcentral.com)

The NFL 2009 Pro Bowlers were announced with 9 proCanes named on the AFC and NFC rosters.

AFC:
- Andre Johnson - WR - Houston Texans - Starter
- Reggie Wayne - WR - Indianapolis Colts - Starter
- Vince Wilfork - DL - New England Patriots
- Ray Lewis - MLB - Baltimore Ravens - Starter
- Ed Reed - S - Baltimore Ravens - Starter
- DJ Williams - OLB - Denver Broncos - Alternate

NFC:
- Bryant McKinnie - OL - Minnesota Vikings - Starter
- Jonathan Vilma - MLB - New Orleans Saints
- Antrel Rolle - S - Arizona Cardinals - Alternate
- Frank Gore - RB - San Francisco 49ers - Alternate*

*Updated 12/31/09 1am

Cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and safety Antrel Rolle helped the Cardinals engineer a six-point swing just before halftime.

Rodgers-Cromartie blocked a 48-yard field goal attempt by Robbie Gould. Rolle, standing in the end zone, grabbed the short kick, evaded several Bears’ tacklers inside the 10-yard line and returned it 59 yards to Chicago’s 49-yard line.

Two Warner completions advanced the ball to the 25, and Neil Rackers kicked a 43-yard field goal as time expired for a 31-7 halftime lead.

The play didn’t endear Rolle to his teammates, though. He caught grief because it was Gould who tackled him.

“He grabbed my (right) foot, and that foot hasn’t been healthy lately,” said Rolle, who’s been bothered by a sore arch. “I’ve been ripped all day today by everybody.”

Click here to order Antrel Rolle’s proCane Rookie Card.



(eastvalleytribune.com)

Last Sunday's game against the Giants was a costly one for several members of the Arizona Cardinals.

Safety Antrel Rolle was fined $7,500 for unnecessary roughness for striking a defenseless receiver, tight end Kevin Boss. No penalty was called on the play. Tackle Levi Brown was fined $5,000 for a chop block that was called.



(azcentral.com)

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle has missed practice for the second day in a row with a sore right foot.

Rolle, whose interception clinched Sunday night's 24-17 victory over the New York Giants, is uncertain for Sunday's home game against Carolina.



(espn.com)

Antrel Rolle isn't 100 percent either. But it wasn't evident last Sunday against the Giants. he played through an injury to the arch of his foot. Rolle was a pivotal reason the Cardinals success on the East Coast.

He ended the Giants possible game-tying drive with an interception to end the game in the Cardinals favor.

Rolle explained that the pick was the result of great communication between him and the nickel back.

"I told the nickel back that I know Steve Smith was the guy, and I told him to lean toward number 12," Rolle said. "So I did just that and I told Mike that if runs vertical just carry him all the way because I'm going to play outside. So he gave me the out-cut and I was able to jump all over it."

The common theme for the defense's solid showing was continuity.

"It just came down to getting out to the balls and making plays," Rolle said. "Most of all, I know we're playing for each other out here. Nothing makes me happier than to see [Adrian] Wilson go out and get an interception, and Dominique get an interception. It makes me feel good and I'm sure it makes our coaches feel good. We're going out there and playing for each other, and that's the bottom line."



(ari.scout.com)

Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt is known for calling gadget plays, but the Cardinals haven't surprised anyone with them this year.

They tried one in the third quarter Sunday night, and it almost worked. On second and 2 from the Giants 40, cornerback Antrel Rolle entered the game in the wildcat formation.

He took the direct snap, rolled right and threw long to receiver Larry Fitzgerald, who had to pause to catch it. Fitzgerald was tackled at the goal line but never had control of the ball and it was incomplete.

It didn't matter, anyway. The play was negated by a holding call on tight end Ben Patrick.



(azcentral.com)

Calais Campbell, DE, Arizona; Antrel Rolle, CB, Arizona

With the Jaguars aiming to cut a seven-point deficit to four on a Josh Scobee field goal, Campbell found a seam in the Jags punt-team line, slithered through it, blocked the field goal, then helped form a convoy for the sixth touchdown of young Rolle's career. Rolle, catching the ball at the Cardinals' 17, weaved down the left sideline, then cut across and scored against the grain on a play I can guarantee you Jack Del Rio will replay in Jacksonville film study this week. He'll ask his team: "Why'd so many people not sprint to the ball, even after Rolle ran past you once?''



(cnnsi.com)

Well, you can say this for Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle: It’s never dull when he’s around the ball. Both the exhilarating and exasperating sides of Rolle were on display in the Cardinals’ 31-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday.

First, the good:

Rolle scooped up a Jacksonville field goal attempt blocked by defensive end Calais Campbell and weaved through the Jaguars for an 83-yard return. Amazingly, it was the sixth touchdown of Rolle’s career, four coming on interceptions and the fifth on a fumble recovery.

“A lot of the really good players in the league have that knack and I can’t really explain what it is, but Antrel has it,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

Rolle said he knew he had a chance to score even though he was playing on a sore left knee that swelled up after a first-quarter hit.

“Their field goal blocking, they have a majority of big guys on the field so once the all got in my hands I knew pretty much I could take it the distance.”

Now, the bad:

It was an adventure watching Rolle return punts. Early in the second quarter he failed to catch an Adam Podlesh kick that bounced just a few yards from him. He compounded the mistake by not waving off his teammates, and the ball hit rookie Greg Toler. Jacksonville recovered at the Arizona 26-yard line.

“I was mute on that play,” Rolle said. “I was supposed to give him (Toler) a call to back off and I didn’t do it. So I take full responsibility for that.”

Then, late in the second quarter, he muffed a Podlesh punt and was fortunate to recover the ball at Arizona’s 17-yard line.

“I don’t think I played the best game. I made a couple of bad decisions,” Rolle said.

Whisenhunt had seen enough by halftime. Steve Breaston returned punts in the second half.

“I’m going to have to talk to him about the punt returns,” Whisenhunt said.



(eastvalleytribune.com)

FS Antrel Rolle did a nice job in his first regular-season action as punt returner. He had a 27-yard return and averaged 11 yards on five returns.




(ari.scout.com

Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle is licking his lips when he looks at the schedule and sees Brett Favre's Vikings due in Arizona on Dec. 6.

The memory of the 56-35 shellacking the Cardinals endured at the hands of Favre when he was with the Jets last year is fresh in his mind.

"I think Brett Favre is a good quarterback," Rolle told Arizona's Xtra 910 (listen here). "But this year when they come play us he's going to have his hands full because we definitely have to get him back for what he did to us last year.

"I'm going at him."

Favre had a career-high six touchdown passes against the Cardinals when they went to the Meadowlands on Sept. 28 last season.



(usatoday.com)

Cruelly, NFL players have to sacrifice a lot for their craft. They're away from their families, their workout routines can be brutal and they're subject to a lot of harsh public criticism. Also, many punt returners have to give up slathering their forearms with Japanese Cherry Blossom body lotion.

What happens if they don't? Antrel Rolle(notes) learned the hard way last Thursday night in the Cardinals preseason opener against the Steelers. From the official site of Antrel Rolle:

I got a chance to return punts last night but I forgot about it until game time. I always put some real thick Japanese Cherry Blossom lotion on my arms because it keeps me warm and loose during games. I do it before every game but I forgot that I was returning punts on Thursday. I caught the punt perfectly, but as soon as I tucked it away I felt it start to slip. Then someone hit me from behind and it just slipped out.

Full disclosure: I once purchased and used the Japanese Cherry Blossom body wash. The scent is delightful, so in some ways, it's hard to blame Antrel Rolle for being unable to resist. I'm just glad he didn't use the body butter. Imagine the chaos that could be set off by that aromatic lubrication.

They either need to put a warning label on that stuff, or perhaps cover it with a special seminar at the league's rookie symposium. Japanese Cherry Blossom body lotion is too dangerous a substance to not be addressed.

(sports.yahoo.com)

FLAGSTAFF – Everyone has seen what Antrel Rolle can do with the football in his hands. He already has four interception returns for a touchdown (and a fumble return for a TD in the playoffs) and that led the Cards to try the safety as a slot receiver a couple of times.

It’s also why the Cards want to look at Rolle as a punt returner, and why Rolle would want the job.

“It would be something I would take a whole lot of interest in,” Rolle said. “I love punt returns. That was always my number one love growing up in high school and college.”

But for now, coach Ken Whisenhunt sounds like he is planning on keeping Steve Breaston as both his kickoff and punt returner. Whisenhunt noted Breaston’s sure-handedness as a punt return man – he has yet to fumble in two years.

Rolle badly sprained his ankle the very first time he tried to return a punt in the preseason last year and never got another chance.

“I don’t think you can ever have enough of those guys,” Whisenhunt said. “With Steve’s situation, maybe it’s a spot where we need someone else to do it to spell him when he needs a blow.

“From this point, I am very comfortable with Steve as both. But we are always looking to have other guys do it because you don’t want just one guy who can do it. We will know a lot more after the preseason games.”



(azcardinals.com)

The affable and outspoken broadcast major, Laron Byrd, wears the No. 47 of former UM great Michael Irvin, and regularly watches old film of him with the Cowboys and UM. This summer he has been under the tutelage of NFL stars and UM alums such as Ravens safety Ed Reed and Colts receiver Reggie Wayne. The latter two grew up in the New Orleans area, also home to Byrd.

Byrd said Reed told him, `` `Don't embarrass Louisiana.' The second thing he'll say is when you represent Miami you represent them right. Take every play like it's your last, because you never know. . . .

``Reggie was like, `You've got to represent the receiver spot right. Every time you run a route, run it full speed. Always expect that the ball is going to come to you.'

``I've seen a lot of guys, like Andre [Johnson]. I'm trying to work hard to be his size. The Andres, the Reggie Waynes, the Ed Reeds, the Phillip Buchanons, the Antrel Rolles. A lot of guys roll in and out [of UM], and for me it's motivation.''



(miamiherald.com)

The first time I interviewed Antrel Rolle, I was just getting my feet wet in reporting and he was just starting to get everyone's attention for his football talents at South Dade.

Ten years after I wrote my first high school football story on him -- one his father Al, Homestead's police chief, still keeps in his office -- I caught up Antrel for another on Tuesday. This time, it was about the South Dade kid who made good at The U and is doing even better now in the NFL with the Arizona Cardinals. And by doing better, I mean by his contributions to his community. Tuesday, South Dade High renamed its weight room in Rolle's honor after he gave the school $30,000 this past Christmas. It bought new football uniforms, the $10,000 weight room floor, $5,000 in weights and a bunch of other stuff.

If you've ever been in a Miami-Dade or Broward High School weight room or athletic facility, you know just how poor the facilities run down they are. Most of the time, the equipment is out of date or just flat out dangerous. Rolle's money is going a long way toward helping his alma mater build a new image with its new campus.

Click here to read the rest of this interview!



(miamiherald.com)

(espn.com)

Football free safety Antrel Rolle may be getting ready for another season with the Arizona Cardinals -- but he's also hard at work helping his hometown.

He has set up scholarships and given $30,000 to the athletic department at his alma mater, South Dade High. He's also given scholarships to Homestead High and helped sponsor a Florida City youth baseball team. And he's paying for Southridge High's new football jerseys.

Coming up: A football camp.

''If you are blessed -- and I am -- you should give,'' Rolle said in a telephone interview. ``It's the right thing to do.''
Next Tuesday, South Dade High formally will rename its weight room ''The Rolle Room'' at a 2 p.m. ceremony to honor the 26-year-old for helping pay to renovate it.

''He came to us -- we didn't have to ask him. He has always been generous and given to us,'' said South Dade High Athletic Director Joel Furnari.

''It is the case of local man who does well and doesn't forget where he came from,'' Furnari added in an e-mail.

''Antrel is aware of high school athletics,'' said his father, Alexander E. Rolle, who also happens to be the Homestead police chief.

``He knows it's really difficult raising money.''

Indeed, his son's giving is a family affair.

His mother, Armelia Rolle, a Homestead High career counselor, helps scout worthy charitable projects for his Antrel Rolle Make a Pledge for Change Foundation.

She came up with the foundation's name while listening to a Barack Obama speech before he became president.
She was moved by Obama saying that all should pledge to make a change -- no matter how small an effort.
'I called Antrel and said, `Hey, I've got a name for your foundation' '' she said.

Rolle likes to help out in the neighborhood he grew up in -- and still lives in.

He looked at homes in Pinecrest and Miami Beach, his mother added, but eventually settled on a house blocks away from his alma mater, South Dade High. ''He jogs by the school,'' his father said.

His new home also is not too far from his parents'. ''I'm a big-time momma's boy,'' Rolle said.

Plus, he said, he's got ''a million little cousins'' and other family members whom he wants to stay near. ''I want to make it convenient for everyone,'' he said.

While Rolle keeps a high profile in his neighborhood, he has kept a lot of his charity work off the radar.
''He's kept quiet over the years,'' his father said.

Lately, he has decided to be more public about his giving because of the sour economy and trying to encourage others to give.

''He thinks it is so important during the budget crisis to help the kids out,'' his father said.

That has meant giving to schools not in his immediate neighborhood.

Southridge, for example, needed new jerseys, his mother said.

They cost $4,000. His uncle, Harvey Clayton Sr. -- who also played pro football -- is Southridge's athletic director.

At South Dade, Rolle's mother said she remembered how her son trained on South Dade High's rusty weight equipment, so part of his $30,000 donation to the athletic department is helping renovate the weight room.
Rolle also has been focused on encouraging kids to excel in academics. Rolle graduated with honors from South Dade High and UM.

He has given tens of thousands of dollars in scholarships to South Dade and Homestead students, his mother said.
This spring, his foundation gave $2,500 scholarships to three South Dade seniors and to six Homestead High seniors.

Rolle said he looks to help motivate kids who have ``that extra push and motivation.''

In Florida City, Rolle also helped this spring as many as 140 kids by helping sponsor of the newly created Florida Marlins RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) team.

He knows the need firsthand: He grew up playing sports in Homestead and Florida City.
Rolle started playing football as a 6-year-old at Harris Field.

That's where he met another future football star -- the late Sean Taylor, who played for the Washington Redskins before he was murdered at his Palmetto Bay home in 2007.

The two learned the beginnings of football in Homestead before then playing for the Florida City Razorbacks.

They went to different high schools. Rolle was a Parade All-American high school player at South Dade.

However, the two reunited at the University of Miami where they were both stars and recruited to play for the pros.

Since then, Rolle has earned a hefty salary playing for the National Football Conference champion Cardinals ''but everybody has told me: He hasn't changed -- he's the same kid who went to South Dade and the University of Miami,'' his father said.



(miamiherald.com)

Here is Antrel Rolle with Alex Vega infront of his red Maserati staggered on 22″ Forgiato Capolavaro rims. 

The rims are chrome with red windows and red flange. Exclusive Motoring did another great job in advising their clients to choose a very very nice set of rims.



(celebritycarz.com)

I'm pretty much done with vacationing and all that offseason stuff. I've been working hard getting ready for the season.

Right now I'm in Minneapolis working out with Larry Fitzgerald, getting some work in before training camp. Today we did a lot of agility stuff, working on vertical movement at the Velocity training facility. We broke out the parachute and did some sprints. I ran three 300-yard shuttles today too. Today was all about working on explosive movement. There were a bunch of other NFL guys here too. Jerry Rice, Brandon Marshall, Greg Jennings and Michael Clayton were all here doing their thing.

I'm getting ready to head back home to Miami for a couple days. I might hit the beach and kick back. I need to recuperate a little bit. My body is pretty sore from working out. I'm going to continue to train all the way up until we report to Flagstaff on the 29th. I think I'll take a couple days off before camp starts just to rest up.

Click here to read the rest of Antrel’s Blog Entry at: www.rolle21.com.



(playerpress.com)

It's good to be back in a football mindset after the offseason. It felt really good to see all my teammates again. I'm still so proud of how we responded to everything to get to the Super Bowl. 

I think I handled the situation leading up to the Super Bowl pretty well. I tried not to let myself get overwhelmed by the situation and just focus on what was going to be the biggest game of my life. I kept my routines the same. Now that I've been there I know what to expect. 

I think we proved a lot to the doubters last year. Fluke teams don't make it to the Super Bowl, but if we need to prove ourselves again then we will. But I feel that we're here to prove to ourselves that we're a good football team. Having a good regular season and hopefully going into the playoffs with a winning record is our goal. 

After the season I took about a month off to rest and heal up a bit. In mid-March I started to get my running and weights in. After a few weeks I was pretty much back in football shape.

OTAs ended on June 11th and I was really impressed with the effort that the new guys were showing out there. I have never seen such high competition like that in OTAs before. Every player was going after it full speed every play. 

Rookie CB Greg Toler has impressed me a lot too. He has great potential. I think he had five interceptions in OTAs which is a lot for a rookie. We sit down and talk all the time. I have told him how to defend certain passes and things, but he has exceptional athleticism, explosive speed, good ball skills and he is eager to learn. 

We're looking forward to getting Anquan Boldin and Darnell Dockett back on the field in a Cardinals uniform because they're two of our top guys. We couldn't have made it to the Super Bowl without them, no doubt. We need them back. I'm not saying I agree or disagree with what they're doing. I just know they're doing what they think they need to do.  We report to training camp on July 29th. I dread going to training camp but only because it forces me to be away from friends and family. It wears on your body and mind after a while, but it's necessary.

We intend to prove that there is no such thing as a fluke Super Bowl team.

Antrel Rolle is a starting defensive back for the Arizona Cardinals. His blog for www.playerpress.com runs at www.rolle21.com. Follow him on Twitter as antrelrolle.



(playerpress.com)

In the days leading up to Super Bowl 43, Arizona Cardinals corner back Antrel Rolle did the media rounds and gave an interview to 560 WQAM in South Florida. Rolle, a native of Miami and a former player at the University of Miami, was an All-American when the Hurricanes were more of a force on the college scene.

"The Big Dog" Joe Rose probed Rolle about a number of things at the beginning of the interview, but he eventually got on the topic of the struggling Hurricanes.

"These boys are hurting. Most of all, they're hurting themselves and they're hurting the program. I think they need to get that attitude back. Go steal a couple of cars, go break into a couple of houses. Do whatever it takes just to get that attitude back. Go out there and do something bad, it doesn't matter. We'll forgive. Just bring that attitude back to the 'U'. We need it."

I'm going to give Rolle the benefit of the doubt and think some of that can be taken with a grain of salt. Rolle wants Miami to get its swagger back. He wants them have a modern version of deplaning in camouflage at the 1987 Fiesta Bowl. You know, when Miami was labeled the "evil" side of the war between the Canes and Penn State. I really hope he doesn't want his Miami brothers to actually commits crimes.

But Rolle has to be cautious.

First, it was just three years ago when Miami brawled with Florida International University in what became a public embarrassment. That type of action is related to stealing cars, breaking into houses, etc. It's not the image ANYONE wants.

Second, Rolle was arrested in 2004 just before his senior season, for allegedly hitting a police officer. The charges were dropped, but again, you never want that kind of press.

There is such a thing as controlled swagger. Start winning football games and you can show a little flavor to get that Miami attitude back. Until then, you can steal all the cars you want, but a 7-6 record will just get you laughed at.

But I see why Rolle is stepping up to the plate and saying something. Miami is 26-25 since Rolle left for the NFL. In Rolle's four years in Coral Gables, the Hurricanes went 44-6 and won a national title. Not too shabby. Rolle called guys like Clinton Portis, Jeremy Shockey, Andre Johnson, Jonathan Vilma, Ed Reed, Willis McGahee, Bryant McKinnie, Kellen Winslow II and Sean Taylor, among others.

Miami is young right now, and Randy Shannon definitely needs some time to develop that talent. He's definitely bringing in some high-profile prospects, and if they don't stop being mediocre soon, I think you'll again see some changes.

(amny.com)

Too-on-One spent a few minutes with Cardinals defensive tackle Gabe Watson to get the dirt on his teammates:

Q: Who’s the best dresser on the team?
A: Antrel Rolle. He’s a clean-cut guy. Everything is neat about him.

Q: Who has the best car?
A: Edgerrin James, with that Lamborghini. That’s my favorite car. He actually called me and asked how to put it in gear. I told him everything about it.

Q: Who is the coaches’ pet?
A: Calais Campbell. Sometimes in meetings the coaches will say something that might not be right, and he’ll agree with it. Then one of us will say something that all the players agree with, and he’ll agree with the coach. I’m like, 'C’mon man, whose side are you on?’

(eastvalleytribune.com)

TAMPA — This state has its share of big-time football programs, with the University of Florida and Florida State leading the way in more recent years.

But when it comes to the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals, one school leads the way: the "U."

That's the University of Miami, the home of five national championships since 1983, two Heisman trophy winners and Cardinals players Edgerrin James, Antrel Rolle and Calais Campbell. (Although Florida State graduates Anquan Boldin and Darnell Dockett may disagree).

"I got text (messages) from Edge and Antrel right after I was drafted by the Cardinals," Campbell said. "It's a big brother-type thing."

As the Cardinals prepare for Sunday's Super Bowl at 6 p.m. at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium, these three players will be focused on the red and white -- but they still bleed orange and green.

"I'm always helping recruit (to Miami)," said James, an Immokalee native. "We're the ones that set the trend for everyone else (in Florida)."

James' commitment to Miami might be the most visible of the three Cardinals players -- the 30-year-old star running back made a $250, 000 donation to his alma mater in 2000, the largest amount of money ever donated to Miami by a former Hurricanes athlete, and the team meeting room is named after him. He was selected to the school's Ring of Honor in September.

But Rolle and Campbell also add to the South Florida feel on this Southwestern NFL team.

"It was like no other, man," Rolle said, reminiscing about his Miami team's national championship in 2001. "I've never been part of an organization where I didn't work for myself, I worked for the guy next to me. It was a team of brothers."

Of the three Cardinals from UM, Rolle best represents the program's glory years -- he was at Miami from 2001-04, when the Hurricanes advanced to the national championship twice and played in the Orange Bowl and the Peach Bowl his other two seasons.

A Miami-area native himself, Rolle attended South Dade High School, where he was an all-American, before choosing the hometown Hurricanes. The then-cornerback was an All-American in college, too, and a first-team all-Atlantic Coast Conference player as a senior. The Cardinals then chose Rolle eighth overall in the 2005 NFL Draft, and he has been a regular in Arizona's defensive backfield since, picking up five interceptions in 2007 and 77 tackles in 2008.

As for James, his future at Miami looked bright after the Hurricanes won the 1994 National Championship in James' junior year of high school. But Miami received NCAA sanctions in 1995 before James arrived, and his sophomore year the Hurricanes were 5-6, including an embarrassing 47-0 loss to Florida State. Still, James rushed for 1,098 yards on just 184 attempts.

James left Miami after his junior year as the only player in school history to post back-to-back seasons of 1,000 yards rushing or better. The program had started to rebound, with a 9-3 record in 1998 including a 49-45 win against then-No. 2 UCLA.

Despite Miami's recent problems, James' support for the Hurricanes hasn't wavered, even given his sanction-ridden experience there.

"You have to understand why the program is that way," said James, addressing the Hurricanes' 5-7 season in 2007 and 7-6 campaign in 2008. "We've had guys that are consistently good enough to leave. ... No other school could come back right away after losing that many players."

Campbell was part of that exodus from Miami. The rookie defensive end left the Hurricanes after his junior season and was picked up by the Cardinals in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft.

"He's the baby of the group," Rolle joked. "But you've got to look out for him."

Campbell, 6-foot-8 and 282 pounds, was a first-team All-American for the Hurricanes after a streak of seven straight games with a sack as a sophomore. He was highly recruited by several big-time football schools after earning a Colorado high school record of 58 sacks in his four seasons.

"I had an opportunity to go a lot of places," Campbell said. "But I still had a good time at UM. To me, it still taught me what I needed to know ... They just need to get back that, well, swagger is what we called it when I was there."

(naplesnews.com)

TAMPA, Fla. -- Dexter Jackson's name came up yesterday. Arizona safety Antrel Rolle broached the subject because that Tampa Bay safety was the last defensive MVP of a Super Bowl, a feat Rolle aims to duplicate.

"He had three picks. Went to the house with one. That could be me. I'm definitely trying to steal that trophy," Rolle said of the Super Bowl XXXVIII star.

Yet, to Steelers followers, Jackson stands as a potential cautionary tale in the Steelers' Super Bowl XLIII match with six of its former coaches and four of its former players toiling for the Steelers West that is the Arizona Cardinals. Did Jackson perform so capably against quarterback Rich Gannon and the Oakland Raiders because new Tampa coach Jon Gruden schooled his Buccaneers about his former team?

"I don't know if it's a jump," rookie Cardinals cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie said of the inside Steelers information on hand for Arizona, "but I could say that they understand their [old] team a little better."

"We have a pretty good idea. ..." Rolle said of the Steelers' offense. "As I'm sure they have a pretty good idea of what we're doing. You always have a few wrinkles, a few trick plays here or there. But, at the end of the day, you still got to play football."

"I don't even think about that," added running back Edgerrin James. "In the NFL, there are really no secrets. That 'this guy likes to do that, this guy likes to do this,' you watch that on film. Nobody really gives you inside information unless they give you personal information, and I really don't want that."

(post-gazette.com)

TAMPA, Fla. — The numbers don’t lie. Arizona’s defense gave up a league-worst 36 TD passes this season — nine more than the closest pursuer.

But down the stretch of what has turned out to be a very surreal season for the storybook Cardinals, their secondary has suddenly become a primary reason for the defense’s success, particularly at the right cornerback and free safety positions, where a couple of first-round draft picks have picked up their games at just the right time.

You wouldn’t be lying if you called rookie RCB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, the 16th overall pick in the 2008 draft, a work in progress. Same goes for FS Antrel Rolle, the eighth overall pick in the 2005 draft, who was a cornerback his first three seasons in the league. But the progress that both of them continue to make has been impressive, to say the least.

As for Rolle, he’s still learning the nuances of his new full-time position and doing everything he can to master his craft. This offseason, he looks forward to spending much of his time working out with Ravens Pro Bowl safety and fellow Miami (Fla.) product Ed Reed.

“I think he is a real student of the game,” Rolle said of Reed. “He understands the game probably better than anyone. I heard he spends 25 hours a week studying film. So I figured if I put in 25 hours, or better yet 25-plus hours, maybe I can get to the same level as him.”

Rolle thoroughly enjoys his new role with the Cardinals.

“Yeah, I really do,” he said. “I’m around the ball a whole lot. I get to see the whole field. I get to help out on blitzes, both against the run and pass. I get to quarterback the defense. That’s a responsibility I’ve been more than willing to take on. It’s been a great fit for the Cardinals as well as myself.”

Rolle adds a unique extra dimension with his uncanny knack for scoring touchdowns once he gets his hands on the ball. He’s returned four of his eight career interceptions for scores, and in the playoff victory over Atlanta, his TD return of a fumble forced by teammate Darnell Dockett was the turning point of the game.

“My thing is, if I get the ball, I want to take it to the house every time and try to help out the offense as much as I can,” Rolle said. “I don’t try to get too outside of myself, but I know that, inside of myself, getting in the endzone is something I can do every time I get the ball in my hands.”

Rolle had some rough stretches at the beginning of the season after missing some time in training camp due to injury.

“As a result, he had to learn on the fly,” Austin said. “There’s no doubt that he’s a good football player, and it’s starting to show. Each week, he’s gotten more comfortable making calls, knowing what angles to take and directing our defense. And I think he will just keep on improving.”

(profootballweekly.com)

Maybe Antrel Rolle can provide some not-so-comic relief. Another media member already has him cornered.

"Three questions," Access Hollywood's Maria Menounos tells him. "First, name one of Brad and Angelina's children."

"Shiloh!" Rolle offers proudly.

"Next, who are Nick, Kevin and Joe?"

Rolle: "The Backstreet Boys?"

Menounos: "No, the Jonas Brothers."

Rolle: "Oh, right. The three dudes with the dark hair."

She later reveals that only one Cardinals player got all three Hollywood questions right.

Atta boy, Matt Leinart.

(azcentral.com)

TAMPA -- During the tough times, when it looked as if all they were doing in Arizona was wandering the desert, Edgerrin James, Antrel Rolle and Calais Campbell could find direction in their brotherhood.

The tie that binds them is the fact they all played at the University of Miami. And they argue that is every bit as important as one out of similar DNA.

''It really is a brotherhood,'' Rolle insisted Tuesday as the Cardinals continued preparations for Super Bowl XLIII against Pittsburgh. ``No matter what, it can never be broken. Nobody should even try.''

If you think there is nothing extraordinary about the bond between players at ''The U,'' examine the relationship the three Cardinals players share. They come from different Miami classes and teams that reached different levels of success.

But when they were united on the same Arizona roster, they connected. It was natural. It was expected.

''We have a special relationship,'' James said. ``It's a bond that has been going on for years with players from that school. It's something that no other team and no other school can duplicate.

``It's something that's super special. It's really hard to explain, but you talk to anybody from the University of Miami, they know what it's about.''
It's about men who wouldn't otherwise be friends becoming each other's support system.

When Campbell, 22 and still a rookie, was selected by Arizona in the second round of last April's NFL Draft, the first call he took was from the Cardinals. The second and third calls he took were from James, 30, and Rolle, 26.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
''As soon as I got drafted by the team, they called me and welcomed me to the team,'' Campbell said. ``There's just that connection you have that comes from work ethic and knowing what you have to do to get where you want to be. We had that and learned that at UM and it carries over.

``So when I got to Arizona, these guys helped me with getting a house and showed me what people to talk to. They helped with simple decisions like places to eat. They took care of me like a little brother. They looked out for me.''

That apparently applies in times of trouble as well as triumph. And this trio has tasted both this season.

After being drafted as a cornerback in 2005 and enjoying only modest success his first two seasons, Rolle lost his starting job in 2007. James was the teammate who encouraged Rolle.

''Since I first stepped into this league, he's been that guy in my ear telling me the right things to do,'' Rolle said. ``He pulls you to the side and talks to you, he's not a spotlight person. He doesn't tell you what you want to hear, but he does tell you what you need to hear.''

Rolle handled the demotion by moving to safety, where he has become a ball-hawking, touchdown return waiting to happen.

Rolle has nine interceptions in his career and has returned four for touchdowns. He also had a fumble return for a touchdown during the playoffs.
James also has a playoff touchdown to go with his 203 yards on 52 carries. He is again a starter and a key to bringing balance to a pass-first Arizona offense.

But midway through the season, James was practically erased from the offense -- with 27 carries in 10 games between Oct. 5 and Dec. 21. He was benched in favor of rookie Tim Hightower.

It was a difficult time for the NFL's leading active rusher.

''You want to play,'' James said. ``This year I worked extremely hard in the offseason, and I had a chance to pass some of the greatest rushers of all time. You want to build on the previous year, and the previous year I had 1,200 yards, and that was a new system. In training camp we were doing certain things that looked like it was going to be promising, and then we were going in a different direction.''

It was a time in which James could lean on Rolle and Campbell.

''I was in the same situation as him last year,'' Rolle said. ``I got pulled from my starting job last year and every day there was a conversation with him. He'd say, `Antrel, keep balling, keep working, keep doing what you do. They're going to have to play you, they're going to have to put you on the field.'

LEARNING TO BE A PRO
'And so when the same thing happened to him, I told him, `Edge, you know who you are. I mean, the whole world knows who you are and it's going to come back. Trust me, it's going to come.' For whatever reason, the coaches thought he wasn't getting the job done. But he never let them keep him down.''

The professionalism James and Rolle showed this season didn't go unnoticed by Campbell.

He didn't start any games and had only 25 tackles on defense and 16 more on special teams, but Campbell learned by watching Rolle and James.

''The way Edgerrin carried himself and the way he came back was a great story,'' Campbell said. ``I learned all it takes is one opportunity to be at the top again. You can never get down on yourself. If something bad happens, you let it go into yesterday and think there's always tomorrow and try to better yourself.

``It was a good lesson to learn from a guy I think of as an older brother.''

(miamiherald.com)

4. Antrel Rolle is a right place, right time kind of guy: One week after a time fumbled recovery for a touchdown changed the game, Rolle found himself the benefactor of a tipped pass. Rolle has a knack for being an opportunistic defender and rarely misses a chance to grab a loose or tipped ball.

(nyj.scout.com)

Place a football in their hands, and some people make plays. Only a few make magic.

Meet Antrel Rolle, a young man who has turned 50 percent of his interceptions into touchdowns. And that's only half the story.

"I think it's just a Miami thing," Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. "Look around the league. Remember the late Sean Taylor? Every time he got his hands on the ball, he was going to the end zone. You saw (the Ravens) Ed Reed on Sunday, and what he's done his whole career. Antrel has that same knack for the end zone, the same swagger, effort and determination to change the course of the game."

These days, the best part of the Cardinals defense is no longer the depth of defensive linemen. It's the upgraded secondary. Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is ascending toward becoming the team's best cover cornerback since Aeneas Williams, and Rod Hood is much better when battling the other team's lesser receiver. Meanwhile, Adrian Wilson is a Pro Bowl safety who'll hit you into the neighbor's living room, a man who knocked out quarterback Trent Edwards and personally derailed a promising season in Buffalo. After that game, Wilson actually received hate mail from enraged Bills fans.

But the story of Rolle is becoming absurd. He's not particularly elusive. He's certainly not that fast. He's built solid and muscular, and his lack of foot speed is partly why he was switched from cornerback to safety. Yet Rolle has somehow returned 4 of 8 interceptions for touchdowns, and the numbers should be even more incredible.

They don't count an interception Rolle returned for a score last season against Cincinnati (his third of the game), a touchdown wrongly nullified by penalty. The league acknowledged so publicly.

They don't count a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown against the 49ers earlier this season nullified by an offsides penalty on Wilson.

Rolle should be 6 of 10, a percentage that drops the jaw. He also returned a fumble for a touchdown in last week's playoff win against Atlanta.

By comparison, Reed is rightfully considered the master of the pick six, a man with an astonishing 1,144 career yards on interception returns. Playoffs included, Reed has returned 6 of 48 interceptions for touchdowns, a ratio that actually pales in comparison to his fellow Hurricane.

"Some guys just have that innate quality," Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "Sometimes, you say they're lucky. But when it creates a pattern, it's something different. Either Antrel's one of the luckiest people I've ever been around, or there's some type of talent there."

Rolle says he's always had a nose for the end zone. He was a running back for most of his young life, and he runs with the same kind of internal fury that pours from Anquan Boldin. He follows his blocks, stops with anti-lock brakes and innately understands all angles. His eyes are always well beyond the nearest tackler.

"Once I get the ball in my hands, I definitely know what to do," Rolle said. "I just keep my eyes on the bigger prize and if they touch me or grab at me, nine times out of 10 I don't feel it."

After a rough start, Rolle has finally found a comfort level. He was selected with the eighth overall pick in the 2005 draft, and struggled with the pressure, the expectations and with Dennis Green's defense. He was at risk of becoming yet another Arizona draft debacle, a player the Cardinals chose over defensive beasts like DeMarcus Ware and Shawne Merriman.

"I was used to being a pressing corner, and my first two years here, it was mandatory that we played nine yards off the ball," Rolle said. "That threw me off a little bit."

Now, Rolle is developing fast. He wants to be the next Reed. He wants to "see what he sees." The two men are friends, members of the Hurricane fraternity, and Rolle vows to spend part of the upcoming offseason learning more from the master.

Once a target, Rolle is making them pay for throwing his way. For Cardinals fans, that's when the magic begins.

(azcentral.com)

Don’t be surprised down the stretch if you see the always-creative Cardinals running a few more well-timed offensive plays featuring S Antrel Rolle, similar to his nine-yard catch on a quick screen in the Week 14 win over the Rams. “I can see them getting the ball in his hands some more,” said one veteran insider. “He’s so good in the open field.” As for other Arizona defenders who could conceivably get thrown into the offensive mix, we’re told it’s quite possible the team might try to capitalize on CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie’s blazing speed and sneak a deep ball in his direction at some point.

(profootballweekly.com)

There was never a doubt that Antrel Rolle would commit himself to making a successful transition from cornerback to free safety.

"He just loves to play the game, and he doesn't care where he's playing," said Cardinals secondary coach Teryl Austin. "If you said, 'Trel, we have to line you up at nose tackle this week,' he'd say, 'All right, what do I have to do?' "

The questions about Rolle's move were more about time and space. How long would it take Rolle, who played cornerback in college and in his first three years with the Cardinals, to adapt to a position farther away from the ball?

Turns out, about a half a season. Rolle went through predictable rough spots early in the season, and his transition was slowed by an ankle injury suffered in training camp. He wasn't bad, but there were some bad angles taken and some tackles missed.

Over the past month, however, Rolle has settled into the free safety spot. Always a student of opponents' tendencies, he's now comfortable in applying the Cardinals defensive concepts to stopping them.

He returned an interception for a touchdown against the Rams in early November and had 12 solo tackles the past two games. He's even dabbled a bit on the offensive side of the ball, lining up at receiver and catching a pass for 9 yards last week against the Rams.

"When I see myself from Week 1 to Week 9 or 10, I'm like, 'Who is that dude out there?' " Rolle said. "I was running around like a chicken with its head cut off. But that's all part of the process, you watch yourself grow, week in and week out."

Strong safety Adrian Wilson has played a large part in that process. Rolle has always been willing to study but had to grow accustomed to the physical differences between the two positions.

At safety, he also had to learn more about the entire defense. At cornerback, he usually had to worry about himself. Wilson taught him that knowing each position's responsibilities would help.

"It's not foreign for him any more to know what each guy is able to do," Wilson said. "It really helps our defense to have two guys (at safety) who kind of know what they're doing."

Wilson and Rolle are so comfortable now that they often play interchangeable roles. In past years, if a safety blitz was called and the offense flipped the strong side of the formation, Wilson moved to the other side, too.

Now, Wilson's just as likely to move back to safety and allow Rolle to move down. It's not always just Wilson coming down for run support, either.
"We know every formation, and we know each other's positions," Rolle said. "So at any given time, we have the ability and mind-set to adjust to formations. That's what we do, we just take chances. The best thing for a defense to do is keep an offense guessing."

Free safety has been a weakness of the Cardinals for years. They signed Terrence Holt in free agency last year, but he played poorly and was cut in the off-season.

Rolle, meanwhile, struggled at cornerback for portions of his first three seasons. The eighth overall pick in 2005, he excelled at playing the nickel corner and returned three interceptions for touchdowns last year.

There were rumblings all along that he would make a better safety than corner, and last off-season Rolle volunteered to make the move.

"Each week, he's getting better," Austin said. "I figured it would come; I wasn't sure how fast it would come. Boy, I couldn't be happier for him and the way he's played."

(azcentral.com)

The Arizona Republic reports the Cardinals used CB Antrel Rolle at receiver during yesterday's game against the Rams. He caught a quick outside screen and gained 9 yards to give the Cardinals a first down at the Rams' 12.



(ffmastermind.com)

Cardinals' free safety Antrel Rolle was named the "NFC Defensive Player of the Week" Tuesday after his performance in Sunday's victory over St. Louis.

Rolle registered four tackles and also returned an interception 40 yards for a touchdown against the Rams.

The "pick six" was the fourth of Rolle's career, and the touchdown got the Cards on the scoreboard in a game they went on to win 34-13.

This is the third time Rolle has received the award - after receiving it twice last season - and he is the third Cardinal to be selected as a Player of the Week this season (Kurt Warner, Sean Morey).

(ktar.com)

I'll admit that I mistakenly threw this guy's name into Pro Bowl consideration during the offseason. Maybe I expected too much out of the guy while he's learning a new position or maybe he just doesn't have what it takes to be a top-flight player in this league. Antrel Rolle has taken a lot of heat for the secondary's inability to stop the big play in the passing game and for taking bad angles at times. The Cardinals have been burned by big pass plays several times and on at least a couple of instances it looked like Rolle bit on a play-action pass. In this defense, Rolle is being asked to play centerfield while Adrian Wilson roams all over the field and if Rolle can't stay deep, this secondary is very flawed. It does seem that he's got the physicality to play the position and he just has to get his head wrapped around a new role on the defense. Rolle was put in a tough situation because he was injured for half of the preseason, which slowed his progression, but he's got to get up to speed in a hurry. Hopefully Rolle continues to learn the position because if he becomes even an average safety and keeps plays in front of him, this defense has the talent and play making ability to terrorize opposing offenses.

(revengeofthebirds.com)

FS Antrel Rolle didn't play one of his better games last week. He missed tackles and he's yet to make the sort of game-changing plays the Cardinals had hoped he would provide when he moved from cornerback.




(michigan.scout.com)

Safety Antrel Rolle, who is just getting back to action after missing two weeks with a sore ankle, probably will play more than most starters Friday against Denver, Whisenhunt indicated.

Rolle is making the transition from cornerback.

From watching him in practice, “I think we’ve seen enough to believe he’s going to be a pretty good player at that position,” Whisenhunt said. But, “He needs to get a feel for the game and the speed of the game at that position.”

(eastvalleytribune.com)

Darren Urban, of AZCardinals.com, reports Arizona Cardinals FS Antrel Rolle (ankle) participated in practice Thursday, Aug. 21, but will not play in the team's preseason game Saturday, Aug. 23.



(kffl.com)

Cardinals safety Antrel Rolle will likely miss the team's preseason game against Chiefs as he is still recovering from a sore foot, according to the East Valley Tribune.




(nooffseason.com)

Free safety Antrel Rolle received a chance to return a punt last week and suffered a sprained left ankle in the process.

He suffered the injury as he was tackled for a 3-yard loss. Rolle missed practice Sunday and was replaced by Francisco.

But Rolle expects to return to practice in the next day or two. Coaches also plan to give him another shot at returning punts in preseason games.

(azcentral.com)

The Arizona Republic reports Cardinals HC Ken Whisenhunt was asked Tuesday if FS Antrel Rolle would return some punts in the preseason. He noted that Rolle returned four interceptions for touchdowns last year, although one was nullified by penalty. "The answer to that would be yes," Whisenhunt. "I would like to look at him in that role and see what he can do."

(ffmastermind.com)

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- Antrel Rolle finally seems to have found his home in the NFL.

The Arizona Cardinals shifted him from cornerback to free safety this season, and it's a job that he's taken to naturally.

"It's coming pretty easy to me right now," he said.

Rolle was supposed to be the Cardinals' cover cornerback when Arizona drafted him out of Miami in 2005 as the No. 8 pick overall. But he struggled at the position. Lacking speed to keep up with receivers who went deep, he would play far off the line of scrimmage, leaving wide-open opponents in front of him.

Last year, under new coach Ken Whisenhunt, Rolle lost his starting cornerback spot. But he became the inside or "slot" player when Arizona went to a five defensive-back "nickel" defense.

And there he thrived. He became one of only 22 NFL players to return three interceptions for touchdowns in a season. He took two back for scores against Cincinnati, becoming one of 24 to do that in league history. He returned a third for a score in that game but it was called back because of a penalty.

Rolle's duties in the slot were similar to those of a free safety, and Arizona's coaches began thinking about moving Rolle.

"The light bulb kind of went on and we said 'Hey, this guy might be pretty good at that,'" Whisenhunt said.

The talkative Rolle said there's "three times" more information to learn about playing free safety than cornerback. That's meant a lot of studying before and after practice in training camp.

"I might have to be in there all day every day," he said. "I'm going to do whatever it takes for me to not miss a beat. I want to go in there and play confident and play comfortable and just not think so much."

With Pro Bowler Adrian Wilson at strong safety, Arizona should have a tough final line of defense. But Whisenhunt cautioned that learning the free safety position takes time.

"You have to be comfortable because there are so many situations that unfold," he said, "so many changes or adjustments that you have to make to formations, to offenses and their sets."

Rolle will get his first test Thursday when the Cardinals open preseason play at home against the New Orleans Saints.

"It's going to be invaluable for him to get some experience in games so he can see some of that live action and we'll see how he adapts to that," Whisenhunt said.

Rolle can't wait.

"I'm ready, man," he said. "I mean, the game can't come fast enough. I'm definitely going to be tested and I hope I get tested. I hope I'm not out there just covering air."

Whisenhunt said he's already noticed that Rolle has slipped nicely into his new position.

"I will say this about him: He does have a good feel," Whisenhunt said. "That was evident by the way he played last year in that slot position and how he was able to see the offenses and anticipate things."

Rolle would like to get a chance to return punts, but that job belongs to Steve Breaston, who excelled as a rookie last year.

"Right now Breaston's the man back there and he's doing a great job," Rolle said, "but if he needs a breather or two, I'll take the opportunity."

For now, Rolle will have to pick off passes to show what he can do with the ball.

During Saturday's practice, he intercepted Matt Leinart's pass and headed through would-be tacklers.

"Take it to the house if that was a real game!" someone shouted from the crowd.

"Every last one of them," the new safety replied.

(kvoa.com)

Former first-round draft choice Antrel Rolle is making the switch from cornerback to free safety, and if he can play as well as he did last year in the slot and as a part-time starter, the Cardinals could have one of the league's top safety tandems in Rolle and Wilson. Rolle picked off a career-high five passes last year, returning three for touchdowns, including two in one game. At safety he will be asked to do some of the same things he did as a slot defender last year.

He says the big adjustment for him is recognizing formations and seeing the whole field instead of focusing on one player or one part of the field. "Any move that's made by the offense can affect your alignment, your depth and your position. There's also a lot more [adjustment calls]. At corner you really don't have too many checks."

(cnnsi.com)

FLAGSTAFF - There's one thing you don't expect after you enjoy one of the greatest games ever for a defensive back:

A position switch.

That's not only what has happened to the Cardinals' Antrel Rolle. It's actually what he asked to do.

Rolle returned three interceptions for touchdowns - two that actually counted - Nov. 18 at Cincinnati playing as a third cornerback against the pass-happy Bengals. He ended up leading the NFL with three such returns in 2007.

Now, he's making the switch to free safety.

The reason: Rolle had enough of a roller coaster ride at corner since being picked in the first round in 2005 (No. 6 overall) that he was losing playing time.

He lost his starting job last year in training camp when free agent Rod Hood and holdover Eric Green outplayed him.

That made everyone question why he was drafted so high. But his huge game vs. the Bengals showed he should be on the field somewhere.

So Rolle figured he needed to make the switch.

"Last year was the first time I'd ever not been a starter in my life. I took that hard. I took that personal. I told myself no matter what happens from this point on, I'm never going to be on the sideline again.

"Toward the end of last season, I just gave it a lot of thought. I felt that position would best suit me. I was able to see the whole field, see the formations, see everything and make a good break on the ball."

Rolle joins Adrian Wilson at safety with Green and Hood remaining at corner, backed up by rookie Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

"Antrel moving to safety really helps us a lot," Green said. "Being a corner, he knows what it's like to be out there on the island. With his ball skills, his ability to run and cover a lot of ground, will help us out a lot."

The Cardinals are hoping he's an upgrade over the departed Terrence Holt, who struggled, especially after Wilson went down with a season-ending heel injury.

As a safety, "You have to have cover skills," Rolle said. "You have to be able to hit. You have to be able to read the defense."

That means much learning in training camp and in exhibition games.

"As of right now, where I am I feel very good about it," Rolle said.

Rolle's roll will be particularly important considering the Cardinals like to use Wilson up near the line of scrimmage, where he can rattle opposing quarterbacks.

"As a free safety, you're the deepest guy on the field," Rolle said. "You can't let anything get past you."

Rolle still figures to play a corner's role when the Cardinals put an extra defensive back on the field.

That's what happened Nov. 18, when he enjoyed the kind of game even Hall of Famers only dream about.

"We used three corners pretty much the entire game," Rolle recalled.

Rolle said he studied Carson Palmer and the Bengals extensively. The result: interceptions that resulted in scoring returns of 55 and 54 yards.

"A game like that is surprising. At the same time, I knew I could do it because I prepared well."

In addition, in the game's waning moments, Rolle made another interception near midfield to preserve a big Cards' win.

What's more, he again danced down the field and into the end zone for what should have been a third score, a would-be first for an NFL defensive player.

But teammate Antonio Smith was called for a penalty for blocking Palmer; players are not supposed to hit a quarterback unless he's in a defensive position.

That's what the Cardinals believe was the case; the Cardinals interpreted the fact that the NFL declined to fine Smith as an admission that the penalty was a bad call.

Rolle can't help but be disappointed.

"You can't win 'em all. But I wish I'd won that one.

"It's still going in my record books. It might not be in the NFL record books, but it's still going in my record books."

(eastvalleytribune.com)

Antrel Rolle has drawn 22 flags in the past two seasons, including special teams penalties, third in the NFL behind Robert Gallery and Alex Barron.




(profootballprospectus)

Antrel Rolle never became the cornerback Arizona envisioned when the franchise made him the eighth player chosen in the 2005 draft. That doesn't necessarily mean Rolle is a bust.

Rolle flashed his talent last season when he picked off three passes in a game against Cincinnati. Coaches are optimistic Rolle can make a successful transition to free safety.

If that happens, the Cardinals could field a highly talented secondary featuring Rolle, Pro Bowl strong safety Adrian Wilson and rookie cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, the 16th player chosen in 2008.

(espn.com)

In football, spring accomplishments and evaluations come with an asterisk and a warning.

*These statements and observation might not hold true this fall, when regular-season games begin.

The Cardinals know that in May every team is undefeated and no player has failed. With that caveat out of the way, everyone seems confident that switching Antrel Rolle from cornerback to safety could be one of the key moves of the off-season.

"As far as purely playing the safety position, he's looked very comfortable and very confident," coach Ken Whisenhunt said.

It's a move many expected the Cardinals to eventually make when they took Rolle with the eighth overall pick in 2005. Some scouts back then thought Rolle would make a better safety than corner, and Rolle struggled at times during his three years at cornerback.

But Rolle appears to have all the tools to succeed at free safety: He's a good tackler, has good instincts, runs well and has the ability to intercept passes and run with them afterward.

As the team's third corner last year, he returned three interceptions for touchdowns, including two in one game.

Now, it appears Rolle will have the best of both worlds. He'll play free safety in the base defense and move to cornerback in some nickel situations.

"I think it was a good move," Rolle said. "I wanted to move back there. I felt like I could help the team more back there, roam around, pretty much freelance and be a deep safety."

Some cornerbacks resist such a move, and in his first three years, Rolle always maintained he would prefer to play corner. After last year, however, it didn't make much sense to keep him there.

Rolle had lost a starting spot to Eric Green and Rod Hood, and the club had cut last year's starting safety, Terrence Holt.

So the Cardinals moved Rolle and drafted cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the first round.

"I think the biggest thing for Antrel is he wants to be a starter, he wants to be a great player in this league," secondary coach Teryl Austin said. "I think he'll do whatever it takes to be that kind of player."

There is much to learn, however. Cornerbacks have to know just one side of the field, while safeties must take in the whole field and the entire offensive formation.

There are signals to be called, information to be passed on to linebackers and corners. The pursuit angles are different, as is the time he has to react to plays.

"The main thing I have to work on is reading the quarterback from that depth," Rolle said, "just slowing down a little bit. I'm used to being at corner, so my instincts are a whole lot faster. You have more time, and you can't get too antsy."

With the plan to keep him responsible for the slot receiver in nickel situations, Rolle will keep one foot in his old world.

"That's one of the things I mentioned that no matter what happened, I never wanted to move from the slot," he said. "That's a natural fit, being that I played there in college and I fit in pretty good there last year. It's a great position for me."

But it's only May and Rolle hasn't won the free safety job yet.

He's running with the first team, but he'll be pushed in training camp by Aaron Francisco and possibly Matt Ware.

"He looks like a natural for the position," Whisenhunt said. "I'm excited to see what he does in the preseason games and when we get the pads on."

(azcentral.com)

Nobody gets Antrel Rolle’s name right.

Everyone pronounces it “Ann-trel” – including teammates – and amazingly enough, that’s the pronunciation Rolle himself tells anyone who asks.

“Everyone says ‘Ann-trel, Ann-trel’ and you can’t go around correcting everybody so I just tell people ‘Ann-trel,’ ” Rolle said. “But it’s really ‘Ahn-trel.’ ”

Rolle hopefully has more trouble with the name switch than his current task of switching positions in the Cardinals’ defensive backfield. Drafted as a cornerback with the eighth overall pick in the 2005 draft, there were many at the time who thought Rolle would eventually become a safety.

After a few years struggling at cornerback – and then proving in 2007 with his five interceptions that he was very effective in inside coverage – Rolle became the candidate to replace the released Terrence Holt as starting free safety.

“He’ll have to look at things inside-out instead of outside-in, and that’s always a challenge for guys,” defensive backs coach Teryl Austin said. “There are some things he might struggle with early but I am sure by the end of the day he will be pretty good at it.”

Rolle called himself “a natural” for the free safety spot. The mental work is more intense, but he after playing all over the field growing up, finding a new spot isn’t a big deal.

Austin sees the same thing, saying Rolle “just likes to play.”

“If we told him you are going to be our starting Will linebacker or our starting guard, he’d be ‘OK, wherever you want me to play,’ ” Austin said.

It isn’t the prep work that concerns Rolle as much as the absent one-on-one battle he craved while playing cornerback.

“I love that one-on-one battle,” Rolle said.  “So I miss that. But now I’m the last line of defense out there, and I am up to the challenge.”

As for his name, Rolle is less concerned.

“I didn’t even know (how it was pronounced) until I was 7,” he admitted.

(azcardinals.com)

Antrel Rolle is being moved to safety and that could propel the Cardinals' defense to new heights. Rolle, the eighth pick in the 2005 draft, was drafted to be a "shut down" corner on the edge, but several coaches and scouts felt that his best position would be at safety. "After watching him play at Miami, I thought that he would be an average corner as a pro, but a Pro Bowl-caliber safety," said a former secondary coach of an AFC team. "His versatility stood out on tape ... as a multi-faceted guy with a high football IQ, he could cover in slot, blitz off the edges and be a factor against the run... all of his strengths as a player will stand out at safety."

The move to safety will require some work, but Rolle's experience last season should ease the transition. As the Cardinals' nickel corner, he had the chance to play as a deep middle player in some of their exotic sub-packages and the results were impressive. Rolle finished the season with five interceptions, including four made while playing as the nickel or safety in the sub-defense.

"He showed us last season that he could be a playmaker in the middle of the field, so we think moving him to safety full-time will greatly improve our secondary." said Cardinals' secondary coach Teryll Austin. "He teams with Adrian Wilson to give two athletic guys at the position, and that should allow us to be more creative with Adrian near the line of scrimmage."

The Cardinals used Wilson extensively as a box defender two seasons ago, and the eight-year vet registered eight sacks and four interceptions. But Wilson rarely spent time near the line of scrimmage last season, as the coaches lacked confidence in free safety Terrence Holt to use a lot of single-high safety coverage. That will change with Rolle at free safety. His athleticism, range and ballhawking skills are ideal for playing in the deep middle, and the Cardinals will surely tap into the versatility of both players to wreak havoc. "They have two Pro Bowl-caliber players at the safeties with multiple skills," said a former secondary coach of an AFC team. "That allows them to become more aggressive with their pressure packages because either guy is capable of manning the middle or getting to the quarterback ... that's a coordinator's dream."

(cnnsi.com)

As position battles go, you could certainly make a case for the No. 3 WR job generating the biggest buzz in the desert these days, now that free agent Bryant Johnson has signed with the division-rival Niners. “It couldn’t be more wide-open at the moment,” one team source said. But our vote goes to the battle at free safety that is expected to take place between converted CB Antrel Rolle, the team’s 2005 first-round pick, and hard-hitting fellow fourth-year pro Aaron Francisco. At this year’s Scouting Combine, Cardinals GM Rod Graves confirmed the team’s optimism about Rolle’s ability to effectively switch positions and upgrade a 2007 problem area. “The one thing we learned with Antrel was that there was a real confidence level when he was operating in the middle of the field,” Graves told PFW. “He is a great open-field tackler, and the tackling at the safety position (particularly by the recently released Terrence Holt) was a big problem. Antrel has been very receptive to the move.” But team insiders don’t expect Francisco — a smart, physical player when healthy — to go down without a fight in the battle for the FS job. In any event, Rolle is expected to continue operating as the nickel corner on occasion, which he did so well in 2007. As a result, he will likely be on the field at the same time as Francisco quite often.

(profootballweekly.com)

First, Arizona is planning to move former first-round pick Antrell Rolle inside to safety, where he'd be paired with Adrian Wilson, and the Cardinals have been quiet on free-agent corners despite a looming need.

(cowboysblog.com)