Darnell Dockett life and biography

Darnell Dockett is an American football defensive tackle who currently plays for the Arizona Cardinals of the NFL.

Pro Career:
The Cardinals third-round draft choice (64th overall) in 2004, has started 95 of 96 career games and all six postseason contests during his first six seasons. Signed a five-year contract extension on 10/13/06.

2009: Earned his first Pro Bowl start (second selection) and for the fifth straight season started all 16 regular season games; also started both postseason contests … joined Reggie Wells as the only Cardinals players to start every game for Arizona in the 2007, 2008 and 2009 seasons … selected as a team captain prior to the season opener … led team with nine QB hits and a career-high 15 tackles for loss … made 80th career start in season opener, leading the defensive line with two tackles for loss, one sack and one QB pressure vs. SF (9/13) … left the game in the first quarter with an ankle injury but returned in the second quarter and registered one tackle for loss vs. Ind (9/27) … registered a team-high four tackles @ Sea (10/18); part of defense that held Seattle to their lowest rushing output in franchise history (14 yards on 11 attempts) … led the d-line with a season-high six tackles, one tackle for loss, and one QB pressure @ NYG (10/25); part of a defense that held New York to 40 yards below its season average in rushing yards per game … registered a team-high three tackles-for-loss as well as a season-high five solo tackles and one QB hit vs. Car (11/1); surpassed 300 career tackles and 200 solo tackles … registered one sack, one tackle for loss and a team-leading three QB hits @ Chi (11/8); named to Pro Football Weekly’s Midseason All-Pro team … registered one sack and led the defensive line with six tackles and one QB pressure vs. Sea (11/15) … recorded three tackles, one sack, one pass defensed and led the team with two tackles for loss and two QB hits @ StL (11/22) … totaled a career-high of three sacks and tied season-high with six tackles @ Ten (11/29); became 10th player in franchise history to record three or more sacks in a game; marked first time in his career he has recorded a sack in four consecutive games, tying the third-longest streak in franchise history; four-game streak marked the longest by a Cardinals player since 2006 (Chike Okeafor-5 games) … recorded three tackles, one QB hit and a team-high two tackles for loss vs. Min (12/6); part of defense that held the Vikings to 62 yards rushing, 67.2 yards below their season average heading into the game (129.2) … recorded first INT since 10/16/06 (vs. Chi) by deflecting a pass up in air and hauling it in while also registering three tackles, one QB hit and one pass defensed @ SF (12/14) … only played in the first two series of the regular season finale vs. GB (1/3/10) … registered one sack and along with fellow DT Gabe Watson lined up in the offensive backfield to lead the way on a one-yard TD run by Tim Hightower to give Arizona a 7-0 lead vs. GB (1/10/10) in the Wild Card matchup; including the 2008 postseason, marked fourth sack in last two postseason games … started and registered one tackle in the Divisional Playoff game @ NO (1/16/10).

2008: For the fourth straight season started all 16 games played as well as all four postseason contests ... registered a team-high 13 QB hits and led all defensive linemen with 55 tackles and a career-best three fumble recoveries (tied for 2nd most in the NFC) during the regular season … started at DT and registered a forced fumble of 49ers FB Zak Keasey in season opener @ SF (9/7) ... tied for lead among defensive lineman with four tackles, one QB pressure and one sack of QB Brett Favre on third down to force a missed FG @ NYJ (9/28) ... was in the Cowboys backfield frequently recording five tackles, one tackle-for-loss, one sack, one QB pressure and two QB hits vs. Dal (10/12) ... led team with three QB hits and one fumble recovery that resulted in a FG on the ensuing drive to put the Cards up 19-7 in the third quarter @ Sea (11/16); surpassed 250 career tackles; member of defense that allowed a season-low 43 yards rushing on 22 carries ... scored the first TD of his career when he returned a RB Steven Jackson fumble 11 yards to put Arizona up 27-7 in the third quarter vs. StL (12/7); marked third recovered fumble of the season, a new career-high ... led the defensive line with a season-high eight tackles, one QB hit and a sack vs. Min (12/14) ... started first career playoff game and forced a fumble by reaching in to force a botched exchange between QB Matt Ryan and RB Michael Turner that was returned 27 yards for a TD by Antrel Rolle and put the Cardinals up 21-17 early in the third quarter vs. Atl (1/3/09); part of defense that held the Falcons, the second best rushing team in the NFL during the regular season, with 152.7 yards per game average, to just 60 yards on 24 carries (2.5 avg.) ... registered playoff best three tackles @ Car (1/10/09); for second straight week was part of a defense that held one of the NFL’s top three rushing attacks during the regular season to under half of their season average, giving up only 75 yards to a Panthers team that averaged 152.3 ypg. ... recovered a fumble to end the game vs. Phi (1/18/09) ... made team-high 69th straight start and tied the Super Bowl record with three sacks vs. Pit (2/1/09); feat was only achieved by DE Reggie White vs. New England in Super Bowl XXXI.

2007: A Pro Bowl selection, started all 16 games for third straight year while recording nine sacks which led NFL interior defensive linemen; led or tied for lead in tackles among Arizona defensive lineman in 11 of 16 games in 2007 … led defensive line with six tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss in season opener @ SF (9/10) … for second straight week led d-line with five tackles while also recovering the fumble that led to the Neil Rackers game winning 42-yard FG in the home opener vs. Sea (9/16) … tallied 1.5 sacks, one QB pressure and forced Steve McNair to fumble, leading to a Rackers field goal @ Bal (9/23) … led team with career-high 2.5 sacks and eight unassisted tackles (nine total) tied for second highest single-game total in career vs. Pit (9/30); his 2.5 sacks gave him 5.0 sacks through the first four games while his previous season-high was 3.5 in his rookie year of 2004 … recorded one sack and two QB hits vs. Car (10/14) … led defensive line with 10 tackles and career-high nine unassisted tackles as well as two sacks and three QB pressures @ TB (11/4) … recorded three QB hits and recovered a Jon Kitna fumble at the end of the third quarter that would lead to a Cards TD to make it 31-14 vs. Det (11/11); helped hold Lions to -18 rushing yards, the lowest total in the modern era … recorded one QB pressure, one quarterback hit and one sack vs. StL (12/30) to give him nine sacks on the season.

2006: A 16-game starter for the second consecutive season … recovered a TE Vernon Davis fumble in the first quarter of the season opener vs. SF (9/10) which set up a TD that gave the Cards a 21-7 lead … had a career and game-high 12 tackles @ Sea (9/17); sacked Matt Hasselbeck on the first snap of the game, his fifth career sack, and added a tackle for loss @ Sea (9/17) … paced all defensive linemen with five tackles, including one for a loss vs. StL (9/24) while helping to hold RB Steven Jackson to a 2.6-yard rushing average … signed a five-year contract extension on 10/13 that will keep him under contract with the Cardinals through 2011 … had an outstanding performance vs. Chi (10/16) on Monday Night Football, recording three tackles, an INT and a fumble recovery while helping to hold the Bears to 34 yards rushing … paced the defensive line for the fifth time in ’06 with a solid effort vs. Sea (12/10) when he totaled seven tackles, one tackle for a loss and a Matt Hasselbeck sack which forced a fumble that was recovered by the Cardinals … had one pass defensed, two QB pressures and two QB hits, while part of a defensive line that limited RB Frank Gore, the NFC’s leading rusher, to just 51 yards rushing @ SF (12/24).

2005: Started all 16 games at under tackle … recorded both a sack and an INT of QB Marc Bulger in the home opener vs. StL (9/18); picked off Bulger on a fumbled exchange between Bulger and Steven Jackson and sacked him to end the first half … recorded five solo stops including one for a loss and split a sack of QB Billy Volek with DE Chike Okeafor vs. Ten (10/23) … recorded four tackles and forced a fumble @ SF (12/4) … recorded four tackles vs. Was (12/11) and @ Hou (12/18) … recorded seven tackles and a pass defensed vs. Phi (12/24).

2004: Started every game but one (@ Sea 12/26) at under tackle … recorded his first career start in his NFL debut @ StL (9/12) while notching two solo tackles … led the team in total tackles with seven @ Atl (9/26), also recorded a forced fumble when he stopped Falcons RB Warrick Dunn on the Atlanta 17-yard line … tallied four tackles, and his first career sack against 49ers QB Tim Rattay @ SF (10/10) … recorded his second sack of the season on Dolphins QB Jay Fiedler @ Mia (11/7); on third-and-goal from the Arizona four yard-line, sacked Fiedler for a loss of seven yards which forced the Dolphins to kick a FG; finished the game with two tackles and a QB pressure … recorded five tackles and one QB hit @ Car (11/21) … recorded two tackles and added a half-sack and one QB pressure vs. NYJ (11/28) … had a career day in the 2004 season finale vs. TB (1/2), recording two tackles for loss, a sack of QB Chris Simms, an INT which he returned 20 yards, even as his helmet was pulled off by a Buccaneer; also recorded a fumble recovery of a botched snap by Chris Simms in the third quarter which set up a Cardinals FG attempt; became only the third rookie in NFL history to record a sack, INT and defensive fumble recovery in the same game; Ray Farmer did it for the Eagles on 12/1/96 (vs. Giants) and Aundray Bruce did it for the Falcons on 11/20/88 (vs. Raiders).

College:
Atlantic Coast Conference 2003 defensive player-of-the-year at Florida State … started 47 of 49 games for the Seminoles, recording 247 tackles (123 solos), 10.5 sacks for minus 67 yards, 64 stops for losses of 196 yards, 68 QB pressures, four forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery … 64 tackles behind the line of scrimmage shattered the previous school career record of 44 by Ron Simmons (1977–80).

Personal:
Full name Darnell Maurice Dockett … regarded by many as the top DE in the nation while at Paint Branch High School in Burtonsville, MD … USA Today prep All-America selection with 171 tackles (109 solos), 15 sacks, two caused fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and three blocked punts in his senior season ... set a school record with 47 sacks in his career at Paint Branch … Political Science major at Florida State

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