azdad1978
Championship!!!!
As a reminder that a week from day, the Cards will be playing their season opener on the road against the St. Louis Rams, Head Coach Dennis Green had his players work in full pads Sunday morning.
“If you are playing on Sunday, you should wear pads,” stated Green.
With 13 players released today, players have a clearer picture of who they will be battling with this season.
“It is kind of nice knowing who we are going to go with now but we all have a job to do and things could still change at anytime,” said rookie center Alex Stepanovich. “It is never easy when guys who you have developed a good relationship with are gone, but it is the nature of the game. I think Coach Green is putting us in a situation so that we can succeed and we’ve got a good group of guys.”
Despite the difficulty of watching friends pack up their lockers, quarterback Josh McCown also knows it will be easier to firm up the timing needed to run a successful offense.
“It is always an unfortunate time and tough to deal with because you have friends on the team who aren’t here anymore,” offered McCown. “That is hard and there are guys you will miss having around but as we all know, this is a business.”
“As far as the continuity with the receivers and the backs, it does help out to have things more finalized because you know who you are going to have back there and you can really start getting your timing worked out.”
Timing is a key area of concern for receivers Bryant Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald. Both are returning from injuries and Green said again today that both looked rusty.
“Part of that issue is that they are big guys,” pointed out Green. “If you look at where they were at the end of team organized workouts, their rhythm and timing, they were very impressive. My concern is that both of them because of their size are going to have a lot of work to do. Will they get there in a week, I don’t know?”
McCown seemed confident that he could have both back for the St. Louis game.
“They are trying to make up a lot of time and it is tough for them right now because of endurance but they’ll catch up,” he stated. “That is why they were drafted where they were, because they are exceptionally talented guys, and I don’t think they’ll have any problem getting ready.”
Linebacker Ray Thompson (knee), tackle L.J. Shelton (back), and safety Ifeanyi Ohalete (ankle) did not practice. Thompson said the MRI on his knee showed a MCL strain.
“It felt pretty bad and was hard to walk on it the next day, but the MRI showed a MCL strain so it is nothing serious,” said Thompson. “I’m certainly not going to push it, but I have a tendency to heal quickly. Hopefully I can bounce back and get some good preparation for the game.”
Cornerback Duane Starks (groin) also returned to practice.
Defensive tackle Wendell Bryant was excused from today’s practice. Green said he would return Monday.
http://www.azcardinals.com/press/pressdetails.php?sid=2176
“If you are playing on Sunday, you should wear pads,” stated Green.
With 13 players released today, players have a clearer picture of who they will be battling with this season.
“It is kind of nice knowing who we are going to go with now but we all have a job to do and things could still change at anytime,” said rookie center Alex Stepanovich. “It is never easy when guys who you have developed a good relationship with are gone, but it is the nature of the game. I think Coach Green is putting us in a situation so that we can succeed and we’ve got a good group of guys.”
Despite the difficulty of watching friends pack up their lockers, quarterback Josh McCown also knows it will be easier to firm up the timing needed to run a successful offense.
“It is always an unfortunate time and tough to deal with because you have friends on the team who aren’t here anymore,” offered McCown. “That is hard and there are guys you will miss having around but as we all know, this is a business.”
“As far as the continuity with the receivers and the backs, it does help out to have things more finalized because you know who you are going to have back there and you can really start getting your timing worked out.”
Timing is a key area of concern for receivers Bryant Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald. Both are returning from injuries and Green said again today that both looked rusty.
“Part of that issue is that they are big guys,” pointed out Green. “If you look at where they were at the end of team organized workouts, their rhythm and timing, they were very impressive. My concern is that both of them because of their size are going to have a lot of work to do. Will they get there in a week, I don’t know?”
McCown seemed confident that he could have both back for the St. Louis game.
“They are trying to make up a lot of time and it is tough for them right now because of endurance but they’ll catch up,” he stated. “That is why they were drafted where they were, because they are exceptionally talented guys, and I don’t think they’ll have any problem getting ready.”
Linebacker Ray Thompson (knee), tackle L.J. Shelton (back), and safety Ifeanyi Ohalete (ankle) did not practice. Thompson said the MRI on his knee showed a MCL strain.
“It felt pretty bad and was hard to walk on it the next day, but the MRI showed a MCL strain so it is nothing serious,” said Thompson. “I’m certainly not going to push it, but I have a tendency to heal quickly. Hopefully I can bounce back and get some good preparation for the game.”
Cornerback Duane Starks (groin) also returned to practice.
Defensive tackle Wendell Bryant was excused from today’s practice. Green said he would return Monday.
http://www.azcardinals.com/press/pressdetails.php?sid=2176
