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In the same Insider ESPN article that gave the Arizona Cardinals a C for their offseason moves had a sentence that caught my attention and I forgot to mention it. It is in relation to Patrick Peterson, who as a rookie made a huge impact, albeit mostly on special teams. He improved in coverage throughout the year, but still was picked on.
But Matt Williamson made a declaration that is positive for the Cards, but very bold.
...Patrick Peterson is on the cusp of becoming the second-best cornerback in football behind Darrelle Revis.
As great as that sounds, and as talented as PP is, it does seem a little premature to say it is on the cusp of occurring.
After all, according to PFF stats, Revis had the best (lowest) completion percentage against him (41.2 percent).
Peterson? He was the fifth most targeted cornerback in the NFL, being thrown at 113 times. He allowed 67 completions, for a 59.3 percent completion percentage against him.
Peterson also allowed the third highest number of yards against him in coverage with 869.
However, his improvement was notable. In four of the last five weeks of the season, PP earned a positive rating for his defensive play, according to PFF ratings. He only had two other positive game ratings the rest of the season.
Most seem to be in consensus that he could be the next great corner in coverage, but to say he is about to become the second best behind Revis seems (to me) a bit excessive.
Is this as crazy to you as it sounds to me? Let me know.
I'm not saying he won't be good. I just don't think he's going to be THAT good...yet.
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