Arizona Cardinals MVP: Top Five Candidates
By Scott Allen
3. Dwight Freeney
Several times over the last couple of months of the season I heard broadcasters say “remember him?” The “him” they were referring to was linebacker Dwight Freeney. The former San Diego Chargers and Indianapolis Colts pass rusher was thought to be getting close to past his prime.
In October, the Cardinals were in need of another pass-rushing linebacker. They called on Freeney and signed him to an incentive-laden one-year contract. At 35, most believe he is close to retiring. Don’t tell him that though.
He didn’t play like a guy ready to retire. Despite not joining the Cardinals until mid-October, Freeney lead the team with eight sacks. He had a few big ones too.
He secured the victory over the Minnesota Vikings 23-20 on December 10th. He provided his traditional spin move and got to Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater. Not only did he sack Bridgewater, who had already guided his team into possible game-tying field goal range, he forced Bridgewater to fumble. The Cardinals recovered the ball.
He had a great game a couple of weeks later at home against the Green Bay Packers. In that one, he sacked Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers three times. He is going to be a valuable asset in the playoffs, especially given the recent injuries to Alex Okafor and Cory Redding.
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