“Ain’t nothing much to talk about right now, let’s get the ball today.”
Arizona Cardinals safety Budda Baker was mic’d up during Sunday’s road victory over the Los Angeles Rams.
An intense, hard-hitting player, Baker got engaged long before the opening kick.
A skirmish put him in an especially intense mood during warmups. Players from the two sides got into an argument after Rams special teamers fielded kicks in what the Cardinals believed was their space.
“What are they doing over here, go over there bro,” Baker exclaimed.
After some exchanged words that were left off of the Cardinals-produced video, Baker was heated. He kept repeating that the Rams “woke up a demon.”
“They woke me up too early,” Baker said. “When you wake me up early, this is going to get bad, you’ll see, the world will see today.”
While playing catch on the sideline during the game, he said he liked the feel of the ball and he was going to get it.
In the second quarter, Cardinals edge rusher Markus Golden poked the ball away from Rams running back Sony Michel. Baker picked it up, and the Cardinals offense finished the job with a touchdown soon after.
That was Arizona’s second takeaway of the half after cornerback Byron Murphy Jr.’s interception, as the defense did what Baker preached pregame.
The microphone constantly picked up moments in which Baker coached up his teammates, whether it be Isaiah Simmons to go underneath, the defensive line to beware of a hard count or the whole team to watch the ball in preparation for a fake.
Baker looked the part of team captain.
His final exclamation was simply yelling, “No,” at the SoFi Stadium fans after Arizona stopped Los Angeles at the goal line in the fourth quarter to essentially seal the win.
Baker finished with eight combined tackles and the fumble recovery.
While his performance did not lead to individual accolades, he was right that the world, at least the football world, took notice of the Cardinals after they became the only 4-0 team in the NFL.