TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) While the team around him has stumbled through five straight losses, Arizona inside linebacker Daryl Washington is emerging in his third season as one of the best defensive players in the NFL. The former TCU star slipped to the second round of the 2010 draft because of concerns he wasn't big enough to play the position. ``I look at the way he plays,'' coach Ken Whisenhunt said, ``the speed, how he can avoid guys, the big sudden change plays that he makes, and it's very impressive.' The Cardinals are looking awfully smart for locking the fleet 26-year-old up with a big contract before this season began. That six-year, $32.5 million deal - including a $2.5 million signing bonus and $10 million in other bonuses over the life of the deal, could be a bargain. He's making $2.5 million this year. Cardinals safety Kerry Rhodes has watched Washington's fast-track maturing through the usual troubles of a rookie season, to considerable growth in 2011 - to this year. ``This year he's just a different animal,'' Rhodes said. ``He knows everything. He's such a smart guy. He's very instinctive and he can make all the plays on the field. He could play safety. I think he understands football now. He's not just an athlete running around - which he's very good at - but he understands football now.'' Washington, 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, said he's heard the ``too small'' talk for years. ``That's always been motivating - to prove you