Arizona Pro Bowler Adrian Wilson hungry for Super Bowl ring

Pro Bowler Wilson hungry for Super Bowl ring

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. —The Arizona Cardinals handed out NFC championship rings when training camp opened.

As much as he appreciated the gesture, strong safety Adrian Wilson put his away.

“It’s in a safe,” Wilson said after practice this week at Northern Arizona University. “It’ll probably never get worn. It’s something you want to strive for and get back to, but the ultimate goal is to win the Super Bowl.”

Wilson received something more valuable than jewelry during the offseason — a five-year, $39 million deal, with $18.5 million guaranteed.

It was a reward for sticking with the franchise that had drafted Wilson in the third round out of North Carolina State in 2001. Wilson, the longest-tenured Cardinal, had opted not to become a free agent after the 2004 season because he wanted to be there when the once-woeful Cardinals finally broke through.

It hasn’t always been a smooth ride — Arizona went 40-72 in Wilson’s first seven seasons and fired two head coaches — but last year made the wait worth it. The Cardinals went 9-7, won the NFC West and made an unexpected run to the Super Bowl, where they lost a thriller to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“I’m a very patient person,” said Wilson, who turns 30 in October. “You can’t build a team in two or three years. It takes time to build talent. It takes time to develop the talent that you have on the roster. So for me to stay here and be a part of that, it meant a lot to me because I was here to help the coaches do what they needed to do in order for us to be successful.”

Now Wilson wants the Cardinals to take the next step: win the Super Bowl. And if they do, Wilson figures to play a big role.

Last year, Wilson earned his second Pro Bowl berth and dispelled any doubts that he would be diminished by a heel injury that sidelined him for the last seven games in 2007.

Wilson’s first Pro Bowl invitation came in 2006, when he became the first defensive player in NFL history with two touchdown plays of at least 99 yards in the same season — one on an interception and another on a fumble return.

The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Wilson has started 100 of his 118 games, with 651 career tackles, 481 solos. He also has 63 pass deflections, 10 forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries.

In the Cardinals’ four playoff games last season, Wilson had 20 tackles and two forced fumbles.

“He’s a big, strong, fast hitter that has learned the game and studies the game hard,” defensive coordinator Bill Davis said. “He wants to be the complete safety. You put a hard work ethic, combined with his size, strength and speed, and you get Adrian. You get a Pro Bowler.”

Davis said he’s noticed that opposing offenses have tried to “track” Wilson by putting an extra blocker on his side of the field.

That can open a lane for a teammate to pressure the quarterback, but Davis said he doesn’t hesitate to ask Wilson to beat a double team. The idea is to unleash the feared blitzer who knocked Buffalo quarterback Trent Edwards out of the game with a concussion in a 41-17 victory over the Bills last Oct. 5.

“Sometimes you just say, you know what, Adrian, they’re sliding the protection that way, but go do your thing,” Davis said. “And he wins. He’s got that rare ability.”

New cornerback Bryant McFadden, who came over from Pittsburgh in the offseason, said he always knew Wilson was a superb defender. But he’s been impressed by Wilson’s physical presence in practice.

“You ever see a safety 6-3, brute strength, all muscles, muscles everywhere in his neck and can move as well as he can move?” McFadden said.

If Wilson plays out his latest extension, he’ll be with the Cardinals through the 2013 season. By then, the franchise’s shoddy history may be a distant memory.

The run to the Super Bowl changed the team’s image. But Wilson senses that skeptics remain and that many expect the Cardinals to revert to form. He vowed it won’t happen.

“It’s just the aura of the franchise,” he said with a shrug. “I mean, just being the Cardinals, everybody expects us to be bad. So we have to go out there and prove people wrong.”