PHOENIX, Ariz. -- Former Cardinals linebacker O'Brien Schofield has had a rough time in his first five seasons in the league.
Shoulder and knee injuries limited him to 35 games in his three seasons in Arizona. Despite a dearth of pass rushers on the roster, Schofield was cut when Bruce Arians staff took over and Steve Keim became the GM in 2013 and ended up in Seattle.
"I felt like I had done enough for the organization that I would have got more decency of how they let me go," he said Tuesday at Super Bowl Media Day at US Airways Center as his Seahawks prepared to face the Patriots on Sunday at University of Phoenix Stadium.
That wasn't the end of his trials, however. Schofield thought he had agreed to a two-year deal with the Giants this offseason worth a reported $8 million. He thought he had finally cashed in after dropping to the fourth round of the 2010 draft because of a torn ACL suffered while practicing for the Senior Bowl coming out of Wisconsin. Instead, he flunked his physical when a team doctor said his left knee showed the potential for arthritis, and he returned to the Seahawks in a reserve role.
"I found out when I was walking in the (Giants') building. My agent texted me," he said. "I've been battle tested."
Schofield will be a free agent this offseason, and he says his approach will be different this time.
"I'm going to do all my medical stuff ahead of time, send out X-rays to teams," he said. "I'm not going to do visits to anybody, I'm not going to work out for anybody. Look at my film, look at the X-Rays, make a decision. There's plenty of teams that need pass rushers. No way you can ignore what I put on film even with the limited playing time I've had."
Schofield (20 tackles) finished with two sacks and five quarterback hits in his last three games and feels he has grown as player by adding weight and playing multiple positions with the Seahawks, including defensive end, linebacker, nose tackle and the three-technique. Just in case anyone missed the first jab, he made sure media members knew he wouldn't have been given that opportunity in Arizona by then-position coach James Bettcher, who could become the Cardinals new defensive coordinator next week.
"My coach walked past me like he didn't even see me right after I got cut," said Schofield, who had a sack in Seattle's win over Arizona in Glendale on Dec. 21. "It's funny now, and I'm hoping to laugh a little harder after Sunday's game.
"I'm a Super Bowl champ. They have to see me twice a year. I know they didn't want to speak to me the first year and I was perfectly fine with that, but there's no need to hold any grudges. I'm still living my dream. I'm still playing ball."
-- Craig Morgan
Former Cardinal O'Brien Schofield has contributed at multiple positions as a reserve lineman/linebacker for the Seahawks.
With Seattle's Richard Sherman and Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson embroiled in a season-long dispute, Patriots cornerback Darrelle Revis was asked who the best cornerback in the league is. He didn't take the bait.
"Ha, ha, ha," Revis said, laughing. "You are, man."
When pressed if he had an opinion on his own place in the pecking order, in light of the Sherman-Peterson debate, Revis shook his head.
"Everybody's calling it a Twitter beef, a messy situation, but it has nothing to do with me. It really has nothing to do with me."
-- Craig Morgan
Why stop at just the players?
Seattle Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman doesn't mind speaking to the media, but his teammate Marshawn Lynch doesn't enjoy it. As you may know, NFL players are required to speak to the media and face discipline -- in the form of fines -- if they fail to.
So, does Sherman feel the league should back off? In some ways, yes. Sherman argued during Super Bowl Media Day festivities on Tuesday that not every player should be forced to speak with the media each week if uncomfortable.
But Sherman feels the league should hold itself to the same standards as it demands of its players:
If you can't get the league to stop making players meet with reporters, might as well force every person in the NFL to make themselves available, right?
-- Sid Saraf, Laces Out, FOXSports.com
