Cards Work Two Minute & Red Zone Drills, Tuesday, Aug. 9
August 9, 2005
www.azcardinals.com
Prescott, AZ - The Arizona Cardinals continued to prepare for the season Tuesday morning with a full pad workout at Pioneer Park in Prescott. Coach Dennis Green and his Cardinals spent a good part of the practice focusing on the two minute drill, red zone work, and having the offense work out of their own end zone.
“The first unit did well,” Green said. “The second unit did just okay and the third unit did just okay. We try to really emphasize the situations and circumstances that would take place during the course of a ballgame.”
While much attention has been given to Kurt Warner and the passing game, the Cardinals are looking to dramatically improve their running game. A big key to achieving that goal is the offensive line. Tackles Leonard Davis and Oliver Ross are off to a good start in the eyes of the Head Coach.
“Leonard is playing very well,” Green Said. “Leonard is off to a flying start. I think that he will just keep going and reach those goals that he has set for himself. Oliver Ross is doing well too. He has made the adjustment to a new system, he likes the run game. I think that’s really the strength of the offensive line….those two guys.”
Ross is no stranger to a successful running game. A year ago, he helped the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 15-1 regular season record by paving the way for Steelers running backs.
“You basically want to impose your will on the person in front of you,” Ross said. "You just keep pounding and pounding. Eventually a guy is going to give in. The way we did it in Pittsburgh was that we ran it in the first and second quarter, and at halftime, the guys would be tired. That is when the running backs would break big runs.”
Ross said that many Cardinals players are looking forward to Saturday night when the Cardinals take on the Dallas Cowboys at Sun Devil Stadium.
“You get tired of going against the guys that you practice against every day, so being able to hit another guy will be a bonus.”
Coach Green said that he is not sure how long each unit will play in Saturday’s game and that he will see how the game goes.
“We are not our normal self,” said Green. “We have two of our starters (Boldin and Stepanovich) that are not there so that will make a little bit of a difference. A lot of it depends on how we play and how it goes along in the first quarter and how hot it actually is. Those are all the factors that will come into play.”
Boldin Getting Impatient
While the Cardinals were in full pads Tuesday morning, wide receiver Anquan Boldin ran a few routes in shorts and a baseball cap during individual drills. Following practice, Boldin caught several more passes from quarterback Josh McCown. Boldin broke his nose in last Thursday’s practice and is scheduled to miss 2-3 weeks of action.
Pre Game Huddle Crew Prepares for First Broadcast
The Arizona Cardinals Pre Game Huddle will make its 2005 debut on Saturday as the Cardinals welcome the Dallas Cowboys to Sun Devil Stadium.
Hosted by ABC 15’s Craig Fouhy, The Pre Game Huddle begins at 5pm and is followed by the game broadcast at 7pm. Wide receiver Rob Moore and defensive lineman Michael Bankston, both former Cardinals, will be joined by sideline analyst Paul Calvisi to round out Pre Game Huddle crew.
Moore and Bankston roamed the sidelines at Tuesday’s practice as they prepared for Saturday’s broadcast.
Preparation for Mexico Trip?
Prior to the Tuesday morning practice session, Cardinals players counted out their jumping jacks in Spanish to the amusement of the gathered crowd.
The Cardinals will play host to the San Francisco 49’ers in Mexico City, Mexico on Sunday, October 2 in the first NFL regular season game to be played outside of the United States.
Injury Report
Center Alex Stepanovich returned to the valley on Tuesday to have his injured right hand examined by a specialist…DE Peppi Zellner (Knee), RB Troy Hambrick (Foot), TE Eric Edwards (Pectoral), DT DeVonne Claybrooks (Knee), WR Lawrence Hamilton (Hamstring), and SS Ernest Shazor all missed the morning session. WR Charles Lee (Knee) was limited.
The Cardinals will hold two practices on Wednesday. The morning practice is at Pioneer Park from 8:45am – 11:00am (Full pads) and the afternoon practice is at Pioneer Park from 4:00pm – 5:30pm (Shorts and Helmets). Stay tuned to azcardinals.com or call the training camp hotline at (602)379-1714 for up-to-date practice information.
August 9, 2005
www.azcardinals.com
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Prescott, AZ - The Arizona Cardinals continued to prepare for the season Tuesday morning with a full pad workout at Pioneer Park in Prescott. Coach Dennis Green and his Cardinals spent a good part of the practice focusing on the two minute drill, red zone work, and having the offense work out of their own end zone.
“The first unit did well,” Green said. “The second unit did just okay and the third unit did just okay. We try to really emphasize the situations and circumstances that would take place during the course of a ballgame.”
While much attention has been given to Kurt Warner and the passing game, the Cardinals are looking to dramatically improve their running game. A big key to achieving that goal is the offensive line. Tackles Leonard Davis and Oliver Ross are off to a good start in the eyes of the Head Coach.
“Leonard is playing very well,” Green Said. “Leonard is off to a flying start. I think that he will just keep going and reach those goals that he has set for himself. Oliver Ross is doing well too. He has made the adjustment to a new system, he likes the run game. I think that’s really the strength of the offensive line….those two guys.”
Ross is no stranger to a successful running game. A year ago, he helped the Pittsburgh Steelers to a 15-1 regular season record by paving the way for Steelers running backs.
“You basically want to impose your will on the person in front of you,” Ross said. "You just keep pounding and pounding. Eventually a guy is going to give in. The way we did it in Pittsburgh was that we ran it in the first and second quarter, and at halftime, the guys would be tired. That is when the running backs would break big runs.”
Ross said that many Cardinals players are looking forward to Saturday night when the Cardinals take on the Dallas Cowboys at Sun Devil Stadium.
“You get tired of going against the guys that you practice against every day, so being able to hit another guy will be a bonus.”
Coach Green said that he is not sure how long each unit will play in Saturday’s game and that he will see how the game goes.
“We are not our normal self,” said Green. “We have two of our starters (Boldin and Stepanovich) that are not there so that will make a little bit of a difference. A lot of it depends on how we play and how it goes along in the first quarter and how hot it actually is. Those are all the factors that will come into play.”
Boldin Getting Impatient
While the Cardinals were in full pads Tuesday morning, wide receiver Anquan Boldin ran a few routes in shorts and a baseball cap during individual drills. Following practice, Boldin caught several more passes from quarterback Josh McCown. Boldin broke his nose in last Thursday’s practice and is scheduled to miss 2-3 weeks of action.
Pre Game Huddle Crew Prepares for First Broadcast
The Arizona Cardinals Pre Game Huddle will make its 2005 debut on Saturday as the Cardinals welcome the Dallas Cowboys to Sun Devil Stadium.
Hosted by ABC 15’s Craig Fouhy, The Pre Game Huddle begins at 5pm and is followed by the game broadcast at 7pm. Wide receiver Rob Moore and defensive lineman Michael Bankston, both former Cardinals, will be joined by sideline analyst Paul Calvisi to round out Pre Game Huddle crew.
Moore and Bankston roamed the sidelines at Tuesday’s practice as they prepared for Saturday’s broadcast.
Preparation for Mexico Trip?
Prior to the Tuesday morning practice session, Cardinals players counted out their jumping jacks in Spanish to the amusement of the gathered crowd.
The Cardinals will play host to the San Francisco 49’ers in Mexico City, Mexico on Sunday, October 2 in the first NFL regular season game to be played outside of the United States.
Injury Report
Center Alex Stepanovich returned to the valley on Tuesday to have his injured right hand examined by a specialist…DE Peppi Zellner (Knee), RB Troy Hambrick (Foot), TE Eric Edwards (Pectoral), DT DeVonne Claybrooks (Knee), WR Lawrence Hamilton (Hamstring), and SS Ernest Shazor all missed the morning session. WR Charles Lee (Knee) was limited.
The Cardinals will hold two practices on Wednesday. The morning practice is at Pioneer Park from 8:45am – 11:00am (Full pads) and the afternoon practice is at Pioneer Park from 4:00pm – 5:30pm (Shorts and Helmets). Stay tuned to azcardinals.com or call the training camp hotline at (602)379-1714 for up-to-date practice information.
