Calais Campbell Is on the Verge of a Monster Year for the Arizona Cardinals

If you aren't familiar with the NFC West or you have simply been living under a rock for the past two years, make sure to write down the name Calais Campbell.

Campbell is arguably one of the top, if not the top, 3-4 defensive ends in all of football. And the Arizona Cardinals feel the exact same way. After piling up 15 sacks, 12 quarterback hits and 55 quarterback hurries over the past two seasons, the Cardinals rewarded him with a five-year, $55 million contract extension this offseason.

Big contracts come with big expectations and he is fully aware of what is expected of himself moving forward. Campbell had this to say about expectations and his new contract (via the Associated Press):

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I guess naturally it puts a burden on you a little bit, but I put a big burden on myself to go out there and be the best I could be. I'm very passionate about this game. I love what I do. I want to be held accountable and I want to be worth every dollar they gave me.

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It's hard to imagine Campbell being even more dominant than he already is, but Coach Whisenhunt offered up a few thoughts on areas of improvement for the upcoming season:

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Play better technique, I think one of the things with him being 6-foot-8 is playing too high sometimes. If he can continue to work on staying lower and using his hands, it will make him an even better player. I like to think about those kinds of things because as productive as he was for us last year, if he can improve on that, it will make us a better football team.

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The Cardinals are entering the second season of Ray Horton's high-pressure scheme, so I wouldn't be surprised to see them take that next step and finish as a top-10 defense after a great finish in 2011.

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