Kent Somers

azcentral sports

The Cardinals drafted Deone Bucannon as a safety. He's listed as one on the roster, the depth chart, the media guide, most everywhere except his driver's license. And Bucannon, a first-round pick out of Washington State, is emphatic that, yes, he is a safety.

So how many times has he lined up in a traditional safety spot, 10-to-15 yards from scrimmage?

"In the NFL? In a game?" he said, laughing. "No, I have not. In practice, I have."

What Bucannon has really been this year is an inside linebacker, the "Mike" in nickel and dime packages. Also called the "Dollar" linebacker, Bucannon's job varies, from reading blocks and dissecting run plays, to blitzing up the middle and from the outside, to defending tight ends.

He's improved so much at it that his playing time has increased in each of the past three games, to a season-high 82 percent of the defensive plays last Sunday against Washington.

"In the beginning we were just playing him on pass downs," defensive backs coach Nick Rapone said. "But he's so physical and he can read the surface of the offensive line. Todd (Todd Bowles, defensive coordinator) has kept him in on run downs in the nickel. It's been his progress. He's such a physical player at 214 pounds.

"It really should be a mismatch, when you talk about weight, going against 300-pound linemen, but you also picked up a guy who runs 4.49 (in the 40-yard dash)."

Bucannon seems to relish the job, which often means managing chaos.

"No one's going to feel sorry for you, bro," he said.

Bucannon, who played safety in high school and throughout his college career, was surprised in training camp when Bowles approached him about playing linebacker.

Bucannon was humble enough and smart enough to embrace the role. With the return of Rashad Johnson and Tyrann Mathieu, and the improvement of Tony Jefferson, it didn't look as if Bucannon was going to play much safety.

One of Bowles' strengths is finding roles for players, and he's done it with Bucannon.

"I didn't know what 'dollar' was at the time," Bucannon said. "He told me it's kind of a hybrid role. I was totally excited about it. I just want to be on the field."

Bucannon also felt lost. He was accustomed to playing farther off the ball, where there is more time to diagnose plays. He knew nothing about reading what Rapone calls "the surface" of the offensive line.

"By how they're blocking, linemen for the most part will tell you where the play is going," Rapone said. "A guard pulls, a tackle pulls, a tight end offsets. He is now starting to be able to read the linemen. He's able to cross key and he's going to be able to get to the point of attack much quicker."

It's not an unusual job in the NFL, or with the Cardinals. Safety Yeremiah Bell played some "dollar" a year ago, but not to the extent Bucannon is playing.

The increase is due partly to the suspension of linebacker Daryl Washington, perhaps the fastest inside linebacker in the NFL, and partly because it fits Bucannon's style.

He loves to hit, so much in fact, that coaches are trying to get him to use his hands more and shoulder pads less when taking on blockers.

"The first day he jumped out there, it was, 'Oh, he's going to be a natural at it,' " coach Bruce Arians said. "He allows us to do so many things and it adds to our speed level. This (Washington) was not his best game; it was probably his worst game. But again, he'll learn from it.

"He's a great kid. He studies and has a lot of pride."

Bucannon seems to know his place among veterans and coaches. He's quiet, rarely saying nothing more to Rapone than, "Yes, sir."

On Monday, Bucannon said he was humbled that coaches and would take so much time to teach him.

"They don't have to," he said. "It's not in their contract."

It probably is in their contract, but that's how Bucannon thinks.

Eventually, next year perhaps, Bucannon will spend some time as a traditional safety. His experience at the "dollar" spot should make him a better player, he said.

"What the linebacker does affects what the safety does, especially in our defense," he said. "Me knowing what he is thinking, I'll know, 'OK, this is where I have help. This is where I don't have help.'

"Safety is my position, safety is where I love to play. But this just broadens the horizon. I'm playing a lot and I love it. It's a lot of trust they are putting in me."

Stat pack

Safety Rashad Johnson had three interceptions in 59 career games before losing part of a finger in Week 3 last year. He has five interceptions in the 15 games since.

14-7: Cardinals record under Bruce Arians. Only Norm Barry (16-4-1) had a better record as Cardinals coach through 21 games.

223: Consecutive pass attempts without an interception by Arizona.

+8: Cardinals turnover margin this season.

20: Number of touchbacks kicker Chandler Catanzaro has this season. He has kicked off 29 times.

15: Number of consecutive games in which Carson Palmer has thrown a touchdown pass. It's the longest streak of his career.

Coach's corner

"Two very, very smart players. They dissect plays by formation, they see things, they study a ton of tape, they communicate very well. When a guy's smart, it's easy to communicate because he believes in what he's saying. JP, there's no doubt he's been our MVP so far defensively. Rashad has been as steady as you can get."

— Bruce Arians on cornerback Jerraud Powers and safety Rashad Johnson.

UP NEXT

Arizona Cardinals (4-1) at Oakland Raiders (0-5)

Time/TV: Sunday at 1:25 p.m./Channel 10

Where: O.co Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.