Why The Arizona Cardinals Signed John Abraham

Jan 20, 2013; Atlanta, GA, USA; San Francisco 49ers running back Frank Gore (21) runs with the ball against Atlanta Falcons defensive end John Abraham (55) in the NFC Championship game at the Georgia Dome. The 49ers won 28-24. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

One of last years summer blockbusters was Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. This summer the Arizona Cardinals got John Abraham: The Quarterback Hunter. Officially signing a 2 year $6 million dollar deal with the bird gang, they got a coveted and productive pass rusher.

Many analysts have commented on how they like the secondary the Cardinals have built to compete against the many weapons they face in the division. Steve Keim went one step further and added the current leading sack artist in the NFL to apply pressure and hunt the household name quarterbacks in the NFC West.

As John Abraham commented himself- the Cardinals are getting him “for cheap” considering the lore following him. He should be seen more as a bargain when you account for the fact he is a perfect weapon for the mobile quarterbacks the Cardinals face and that he has “insider” information and experience against all of the NFC South teams they face this year.

Applying him to a 3-4 Under( Abraham is designated as a linebacker but lines up and has the same role as he would as a 4-3 defensive end)  scheme which is very identical to the 4-3 he thrived in while playing for Atlanta. He will make the opposing quarterback throw errant passes for the secondary to hawk away or he will add to his 122 sack total.

It has yet to be seen if the new scheme would allow Calias Campbell and Darnell Dockett to have a more productive season by simplifying their roles and allowing them and a slimmed down Dan Williams to rush more often. With the possibility still being there and now a dedicated quarterback hunter who showed the same tenacity against running backs who tried to scat in his direction.

Abraham is very fast and agile past the offensive lineman he faced last year. He also has a knack for knocking the ball away from the quarterback while taking them to the turf and not letting running backs evade him. Drafted by the Jets in 2000 out of South Carolina where he was a sack master as well. His time in New York was descripted as injury prone. He was traded to Atlanta in 2006 where he lost the injury prone tag and produced on a consistent pace as well as making his record numbers to include being one of the 25 players to pass 100 sacks.

Now with the Arizona Cardinals and coming off a 10 sack season and 37 tackles he will try to add to his proven productivity and show age isn’t always a handicap. He probably has at least a little chip on his shoulder and the Cardinals are more than happy to let him attack the other NFC West quarterbacks and his old team on October 27 as therapy.