Jimmy Graham has just one game this season with 100-plus yards through the air, but the Arizona Cardinals know what kind of challenges come with stopping the 6-foot-7, 260-pound Seahawks tight end.
"They already had Marshawn (Lynch) and Russell (Wilson), and now they got that fool over there," Cardinals linebacker Kevin Minter said ahead of Sunday night's showdown with the Seahawks, per the team's official website. "You pick your poison with this team."
Said Minter: "There really isn't much you can do with that, unless you put a D-end out there to cover him. I really don't know what to tell you. We try to scheme against it, but it's really our guys just manning up and making a play on it. And pray."
While he's on pace for more yards than last season, Graham has just two touchdowns after piling up 26 over the past two seasons as Drew Brees' go-to target in New Orleans. Entering Week 10, Saints tight end Ben Watson is on pace for more yardage and touchdowns than Graham, which also speaks to how the Saints and Seahawks use their tight ends.
The Cardinals have fared well this season against the position, holding Cleveland's Gary Barnidge to 53 receiving yards and Chicago's Martellus Bennett to 48. Graham lashed the Panthers for 140 yards in Week 6, but he also has five games with 51 yards or fewer through the air.
"We feel like we've been handling tight ends pretty well the first half of the season," said safety Tyrann Mathieu. "I'm excited for the challenge."
