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Cardinals linebacker Dennis Gardeck overcomes odds with refined toolbelt
When Arizona Cardinals linebacker Dennis Gardeck reached the NFL as an undrafted free-agent in 2018, he carried a figurative toolbox of skills into every practice and every game.
As he honed his craft, he added tools to that box. Before long, he realized that the carrying case, not the tools, was hindering his play.
“Before it was ‘Alright, I know going into this play I want to use a wrench,'” he said. “All of a sudden the screw presents itself. Tough situation. So now I’d like to say I’m switching from a toolbox to a toolbelt. I want to have everything right handy on me. That way when the situation presents itself, here’s my screwdriver. It’s just being able to get to the point of attack, see what’s in front of me and react off of that.”
It’s that ability to read and react quickly that helped Gardeck sack Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford three times last week and jump into a five-way tie for fifth in the NFL in that category. But it’s not a skill set that came as easily as it does for the guy who will line up at defensive end for the Lions: physical specimen Aidan Hutchinson, who leads the NFL with 5.5 sacks.
Hutchinson is 6 feet 7, 267 pounds. Gardeck is 6 feet, 232 pounds.
“Let me tell you what Dennis Gardeck is not great at: being tall and having long arms. End of list,” Cardinals outside linebackers coach Rob Rodriguez said. “The guy’s really good at everything else. He’s an outstanding player that wasn’t given an ideal body and I think that makes me love him even more.”
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Over the past 19 games (all of 2023 and two games this season), no Cardinal has more sacks than Gardeck’s nine. It’s no coincidence that his rise in that department coincides with Rodriguez’s arrival.
Rodriguez spent three seasons coaching at ASU and used tape of Gardeck as motivation for his players. The simple message to the Sun Devils was that, in spite of his less-than-ideal frame, Gardeck played the game the right way. What Rodriguez learned when he moved from north Tempe to south Tempe was that Gardeck also studied the game the right way.
“There’s levels to it,” Rodriguez said. “There’s arithmetic, there’s algebra, and then you get into calculus. With him, you can coach the calculus. You can set up rushes. He understands the minutiae of sets and how to set things up.
“He really did an extraordinary job executing the rush plan to a tee [against the Rams] and still setting up his rushes. It’s not that easy to do. I think there’s a nuance to it. Some guys, they just rush like crazy. Other guys have to be a little bit smarter. It’s cool that he puts on display his talent and his ability, but also his intelligence.”
One thing Rodriguez altered when he arrived was the angle at which Gardeck attacks.
“If you ever watch linemen work, they work the targets in front of them, between their armpits and between their legs, and they do such a good job of keeping you there. You never see O-linemen working with their hands outside their frame,” the coach said. “You want to get them there, make them turn and stress them. So [it’s about] getting those angles at the contact point where they’re slightly moving, they’re slightly off balance.
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“That creates situations where they bob their heads and we can work back inside. Or they stay inside so we can work outside. And then the next thing that we worked on [is] all that stuff [within] those angles. We stopped saying, ‘When you put your hand on the ground, ‘Hey, I’m gonna use a speed rush like this.’ [Instead,] we’re gonna rush the angle and basically attack what we see.”
Gardeck has seen benefits to that approach.
“Sometimes [by] anticipating, you can mess yourself up by [thinking] ‘Oh, I’m gonna get ready to go do this,’ and you don’t get that look,” he said. “They’re watching film on you, too.
Gardeck gave an example.
“Normally they’re a 45 [degree] setter, but he’s set flat because he has to slide to me and he knows I’m a lighter [weight]. There’s so many factors that go into it so being prepared is important. Being confident that you have the tools in your belt is also important.”
Gardeck has basic names for all of his tools in his belt, but he doesn’t have one yet for the most exotic tool. He’s open to suggestions.
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“The most exotic tool I have on tape is dipping under a puller and making the tackle,” he said. “That one is not so [technically] sound, but I made the play.”
Gardeck and Rodriguez both recognize the challenge that the Lions’ elite offensive line presents. The Cardinals have watched a lot of film on this unit, but from the perspective of outside linebackers room, the focus is Detroit tackles Taylor Decker and Penei Sewell.
“I almost wanted to take a nap afterwards; I was depressed,” Rodriguez said. “Even when you catch them in their weakness, they have the ability to recover. These tackles are a challenge just because they’re athletic. And when they’re athletic, they don’t get off balance. It’s harder to get them to lean. They can anchor, they can run, they switch up their sets. They’re outstanding.”
Gardeck offered the same level of respect, but he also sees opportunity.
“I understand they’re a top-ranked offensive line,” he said. “[So it’s about] going into it with our game plan and understanding that if they want to be athletes, I’m an athlete with you. There’s a reason why they play offensive line. Yeah, they’re athletic offensive linemen, but they’re O-linemen.”
Before the Rams game, Rodriguez had a premonition of Gardeck’s performance.
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“I said, ‘I’d bet my mortgage that you’re gonna have a great game,'” he said. “After the second sack, he comes over and hugs me and says, ‘Your house is safe.’ I said. Thanks, I need more.’ And then he got me another one.”
Neither coach nor player offered predictions this week, but Gardeck knows how he’ll celebrate if he does get to QB Jared Goff. It won’t be the St. Louis Stomp that he rolled out last week in homage to former teammate Markus Golden.
“That’s put the bed,” he said. “The DBs are pissed. They want nothing but the strobe.”
(Getty Images)
3 Keys to a Cardinals victory
Don’t let Goff get right: Through two games, Lions quarterback Jared Goff has thrown just one TD and three interceptions, giving him a 69.6 quarterback rating that ranks 26th in the NFL. The Lions coaching staff has expressed optimism that Goff will get back on track. The Cardinals can’t let that happen on Sunday.
Detroit’s offensive line is one of the best in the NFL. The Cardinals defense is not highly regarded despite a strong performance against a banged-up Rams offense last week. At the very least, the Cardinals have to try to keep Detroit one-dimensional as they did last week against the Rams in holding them to 53 rushing yards and a 2.7-yard average per carry. But as SI.com’s Lions beat writer John Maakaron noted, Goff has historically struggled when under pressure. Can the Cardinals engineer a second straight week of consistent pressure on the QB? It won’t be as easy against this offensive front.
Handle Hutchinson: The NFL sacks leader is more than a one-dimensional player. He is just as solid against the run and his game still appears to be improving. He has the ability to disrupt the Cardinals game plan all by himself.
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Whether Kelvin Beachum (hamstring, questionable) plays or not, the Cardinals will have their hands full with Hutchinson, who figures to line up at the left defensive end spot primarily. If the Cardinals do have to insert another player such as Jackson Barton, they will have to give him help, whether that’s with tight end Tip Reiman or a running back.
More middle and Marv: The Cardinals found ways to use Marvin Harrison out of the slot last week. The Lions defense is not strong over the middle. A perfect pairing? Maybe, but this could also mean more opportunities to shine for slot receiver Greg Dortch, if he plays (hamstring, questionable), and tight end Trey McBride.
What the Cardinals can’t allow to happen, however, is the game plan we saw in Buffalo where they didn’t attack the edges and didn’t attack downfield. Again, Hutchinson will play a role in the Cardinals game plan, but there are ways to mitigate and still craft a complete game plan.
Matchup to watch
Cardinals RT vs. Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson
Sorry to repeat ourselves, but if there’s one matchup that could derail the momentum the Cardinals offense is building, it’s Hutchinson vs. whomever lines up at right tackle — Beachum or the fourth guy on the depth chart because Christian Jones is also on IR.
Hutchinson’s spin move is his calling card, but he’s an elite, all-around player. His 11 pressures and 67 pass rush attempts were tied for the fifth best through two weeks of play, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
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This matchup is critical. Limiting Hutchinson may require an all-hands-on-deck approach.
Final injury report
Quotable
I’m changing up the look of this section and it’s all about shouting out my colleague, Bo Brack, who sets the standard for how a news conference or locker room access should be covered from a video perspective. Bo gets these clips out to the Cardinals audience almost as quickly as they are uttered.
Here’s a few of Bo’s favorites from the week.
And here’s one that I posted when Bo couldn’t make it due to a flat tire. Note the lack of Zoom and volume-control skills, which is why I mostly stay in my lane.
Game Notes
- Per NFL Next Gen Stats, Detroit has allowed the fifth most QB pressures (29) in the NFL among teams that have played two games (the Jets and Patriots played their third game of the season on Thursday). The Lions are 17th in quarterback pressure rate (32.6 percent)
- Lions slot receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had 11 catches for 119 yards in last Sunday’s loss to Tampa Bay. He had 11 games of at least 90 receiving yards (1,515 yards overall) last season. “St. Brown is a great player, but that offense is a great offense,” Cardinals safety Budda Baker said. “It’s about understanding our rules and bringing our rules to the field as soon as we get the play calls in.”
- Undrafted cornerback Starling Thomas V got his NFL start with the Lions in 2023. Detroit cut him in preseason, the Cardinals claimed him and he’ll get the chance to show the Lions the error of their ways on Sunday.
- With a win on Sunday, the Cardinals would improve to 6-2-1 at home vs. the Lions since beginning play at State Farm Stadium in 2006.
- With a TD of any kind, running back James Conner would have at least one TD in eight consecutive games dating to last season. That would establish a new franchise record for consecutive games with a TD. With a rushing TD, Conner would have at least one rushing TD in five consecutive games dating to last season. That would match the longest streak in franchise history for consecutive games with a rushing TD, currently established by seven others, including Conner in 2021.
- Trey McBride and Elijah Higgins are the only tight end duo in the NFL to each have an active streak of nine-plus games with at least one catch.
- Last Sunday vs. the Rams, the Cardinals had 12 tackles for loss which tied for the most by the team in a single game (Seattle, Jan. 1, 2012) in franchise history. The Cardinals lead the NFL in tackles for loss with 17.
Predictions
Top photo via Getty Images
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