Patrick Peterson Role Model

“Being a cornerback, you’ve got to have that confidence within yourself, because I believe if you don’t have the confidence and the swagger within yourself, you’ll never be what you want to be.” Patrick Peterson, cornerback for the Arizona Cardinals, quoted saying this in 2011. Peterson is a role model for many young teens who enjoy to play and watch football. He has been considered one of the most electric players in the NFL. Patrick Peterson has inspired me to have a better work ethic and the consequences of not trying hard.

Patrick Peterson is a 24 year old professional football player for the Arizona Cardinals. Since he was a kid, Peterson was destined to be a great football player. By the time he was out of high school, he had four cousins

already playing in the NFL (most notable Santana Moss). Not only did he have those four cousins to help him with football, but just the fact of growing up in Florida made him that much better due to the fact that Florida is one of the best states for high school football. Although he had always been a great athlete, Peterson lacked the effort to study in school. That all changed when his dad made him quit football his sophomore year in high school. Petersons’ entire attitude changed towards academics and his father let him play the next year. “It was a jaw-dropping moment, but it definitely helped me put a lot of things in perspective,” Peterson said. “It helped me be a better player and a better person.” This new attitude earned him a full ride scholarship at Louisiana State University (LSU). Throughout his three years at LSU, Peterson was not only considered, but was the best cornerback in college football. HIs Junior year he won the Bednarik (Nation’s top defender) and Thorpe award (Nation’s top defensive back). He also earned all SEC (southeastern conference) defensive and special teams player of the year and also was voted as an all-american. After his Junior year, Peterson entered the NFL draft and was taken fifth overall by Arizona. Today he is still with Arizona and is considered one of the best in the league.
Ever since I was a kid football has been very important to me. I played my first eight years in the little league, but when it came time for high school football to start, I didn’t put in the right work ethic and decided not to play. I didn’t think that I’d ever play football again, but when I started watching Patrick Peterson and learning about his past, I decided that I would think about it. I thought about it for about two months, and decided that I would at least go to the workouts and decide before baseball season. l remembered how Peterson didn’t play his sophomore year and how he thought he would be behind, but instead he worked harder than anyone else and came back better than ever. Knowing this, I decided that I would work harder than ever and try and become as good as everyone else, if not better. Peterson has truly inspired me to be the best I can be and work hard every day.
After all of the workouts throughout the offseason had been completed, the regular season had finally come.

Even though I thought that it would never be possible judging by the place I had been in 8 months before, I earned a spot starting at cornerback. Though I had the starting spot for the first game, I kept the same mentality that Peterson had taught me unknowingly, to work as hard as you could every single day. After the first game had ended, I felt very confident that I had kept my starting spot. As the games went on, and the season grew deeper into the year, I kept striving to become a better player. Peterson is notorious for shutting down the opposing teams best player, and when week nine and ten came, I took on those duties. I knew that the two kids that I would have to face were bigger and stronger than me, but I knew that size and strength didn’t matter as long as you had confidence in yourself and the teammates around you. I won some and lost some of the many battles fought throughout the entire year. Although I didn’t give up a single touchdown the entire year, our team still lost two games, one ending our season in the first round of playoffs. Throughout the entire season I kept working hard as I possibly could, and in turn, I turned myself into a good football player thanks to

Peterson.
Over the course of my life I have always enjoyed playing all kinds of sports, especially football. Even though I didn’t play in high school until my last year, I still enjoyed all the great times I had with my teammates and coaches in the only year I played. Though there was much adversity I had to overcome this past year, I kept my head up and kept pushing to get better. Although I’m not big on working hard, I can say that I enjoyed all the intense training sessions over the summer, and looking back now, I can say that I have made major improvements. Not only did Peterson teach me to work hard at everything I do, but he also helped me re find my love for football, and that’s why he inspires me.