Kevin Minter likely to stay in the shadow, which is perfectly fine

On the team's official web page, Darren Urban wrote a piece featuring rookie linebacker Kevin Minter, whom the Arizona Cardinals drafted out of LSU in the second round.

The focus? How he tends to sty under the radar. He is shorter than many at his position, and, while has alway been very productive, he has played in the shadow of another flashier teammate.

Even among the rookies in the Cardinals draft class, he is the one that gets forgotten -- Jonathan Cooper is the future Alan Faneca on the line, Tyrann Mathieu is the one to get all the attention, Ryan Swope has concussion issues, etc. Minter? He's just there.

But, as Urban notes, Minter doesn't mind being overlooked, being "content being quiet, sitting in front of his corner while figuring out what his role will be for the Cardinals."

The truth is that it is exactly the type of player the team needs. They already have flash on their defense with Patrick Peterson, Darnell Dockett and Daryl Washington (and now even Karlos Dansby). They will make the big plays and do the most talking (Washington to a lesser extent). What the Cardinals have needed is a guy to just hit guys.

What does Minter like to do? He likes to hit guys, so much so that Bruce Arians said he had to take him out of some practice drills during mini-camp.

He is the type of player the team has not had since Gerald Hayes was thumping players before his back problems.

So let offenses worry about Dockett and Peterson. Let the media talk to them, to Dansby and to Mathieu for their quotes. Let Minter tackle players for many years to come.

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