It was a nice week for Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker.
In addition to being selected for the Pro Bowl for the seventh time in his eight-year career, Baker was named a team co-MVP with running back James Conner by the Arizona chapter of the Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA).
The MVP award is named after former Arizona Republic beat writer Lloyd Herberg, who passed away from cancer in 1994.
The PFWA Good Guy Award is named after Republic beat reporter Steve Schoenfeld, who was killed in a car accident in 2000, and went to wide receiver Michael Wilson.
Baker said he was honored to share the MVP award with Conner. Both are the hearts and soul of the offense and defense, respectively, and they each recently signed contract extensions.
“It feels awesome,” Baker said. “JC’s one of my best friends on the team. Really good guy. We kind of have the same character in that sense of just grinding. We work out all the time in the weight room together and on the field we talk to each other. Try to get each of our sides of the ball going. Very intelligent, very great football player and really special to share that honor with him.”
As for the Pro Bowl, Baker said, “Definitely truly a blessing just to be here with Arizona and just try to stay as consistent as I can be each and every day, each and every week, each and every year. So me personally, it’s just head down take it one day at a time. That’s how I truly feel. I truly feel that everything else will take care of itself and these accolades are definitely a blessing.
“Some people don’t make a Pro Bowl one time in their career. So for me to get seven, that’s definitely special. I’m going to continue to try to stay consistent, continue to be the best teammate I can be and of course the best player I can be on the field and ultimately get to winning games.”
There might have been no one happier in the team facility than defensive coordinator Nick Rallis after Baker re-upped for at least three more seasons.
Calling it a “phenomenal feeling,” Rallis was asked recently about all that he adds to the defense.
“A lot,” Rallis said. “To put it simply, it did mean a lot to me that he took that deal and that he’s going to be here because I just feel like he sets the tone for the locker room. I think he pushes us coaches because he’s so intelligent. Good players are going to make you a better coach because you have to bring it every single day on how can I make this guy a better player? Because he’s watched all the tape too. He’s looked ahead at the game plan of what we’re going to do days in advance before we even put it in on that day and so he’s going to have all kinds of questions.
“He’s going to make the people around him better. And that’s just the guy that we’re talking about before we hit the field, right? And I think we all see the guy that he is between the white lines. So, it meant a lot to this whole organization, but for me specifically, it was definitely like, I gave one of those Tiger Woods fist pumps when I heard the news.”
Rallis also had a wild analogy recently when it was noted that we can all see his athleticism, but was then asked, “But how often does he win with just his instincts and his knowledge and eight years of experience. How often does he win down-to-down just mentally?”
Rallis also started that answer with “a lot,” and then explained, “I think that generates his play speed. Meaning like when he pulls the trigger, like this guy pulls the trigger. But he also has this unbelievable ability to play like a bullet. Not everyone has the ability to just shoot their gun and go get a ball-carrier down or shoot through a blocker, avoid a blocker or the way he can feel space. And know if he needs to send the ball back and play the blocker like he needs to or if it feels like he can leverage the ball instead of a blocker, slip it and go make it.
“His brain leads him to a lot of plays, just knowing our stuff really well, knowing what they do really well. But he also has this play speed that you can’t really teach. I think that’s also a mindset of, ‘That ball’s mine.’”
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