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Three-day minicamp ends on a high note
Seth Polansky
azcardinals.com
It's all over for now. The fifth and final session of the three-day minicamp has come to a close. For head coach Ken Whisenhunt, it all went by pretty fast. So the old adage of "time flies when you're having a good time" still rings true. And that's very encouraging for this team.
"I think we still have a long way to go, but it was a good start for us," Whisenhunt said. "We threw a lot at them. Today we had a little bit of the elements with the wind … so everything wasn't all smooth sailing. It was a good weekend for us."
He went on to say: "I liked the way they were eager to learn, especially the techniques and fundamentals of their positions. Everybody was interested in what we were doing; they paid attention. A good sign of the team is when we moved between drills everybody was moving quick and running, and I liked how they bonded. There's a little bit of team chemistry that you work on at this type of camp. It was good to see some of the defensive and offensive players interact and compete."
The main thing for the players to do now is retain what they learned here and apply it in a month when the second minicamp begins in the middle of May. That camp will feature the team's draft picks, which will be acquired in a little less than two weeks from now.
"The point we made this morning is make sure over the next month until the next minicamp is to go back and look at your notes," said Whisenhunt. "There are things you can work on the field out here after you've done your workouts in the weight room. But the important thing is study your notes, the formations, the techniques, the defensive alignments. So when we come back in the next time it won't be like starting over."
Minicamp wrapup video
See what head coach Ken Whisenhunt and the players have to say about the way their first minicamp concluded.
One of the most important aspects of the camp was the camaraderie between the players, especially for the new guys coming in. Guys like defensive ends Rodney Bailey and Joe Tafoya, and cornerback Ralph Brown, who were just signed as camp began, made immediate impacts at their positions and with their teammates. With the amount of high-energy play needed on the defensive side of the ball, those guys were welcomed additions.
The final day of the minicamp was an extension of the first two to see how much the players soaked in from prior field drills and team meetings. Since the players did an excellent job of picking up the schemes, both the offense and defense seemed to be on level playing fields. It was a little harder for them to beat their man today than it was on Friday.
"Everybody came with a positive attitude and we worked hard," CB Antrel Rolle said. "We were competitive and we worked together. I think we had a great start. We've been away from football for a little while so there were a lot of guys rusty. But all it took was the first morning practice. And after that we were pretty much back to our normal selves."
Wide receiver Anquan Boldin also chimed in.
"The guys are excited because we got a lot accomplished," he said. "We're a new team starting from behind so it was good for us to get out here and do some work. Everybody understands what the coaches want out of us. And that's what we're trying to give them. It's a new system. Of course there are going to be some gray areas, but for the most part we gave them what they wanted."
After the weekend practices Whisenhunt reaffirmed his belief that the talent was already in place with the Cardinals when he took the job. This minicamp proved to him that major overhauls weren't needed and that these new schemes will get Arizona pointed in the right direction. And with the way the team worked together this weekend, Whisenhunt can't wait for the next camp.
It was also a learning process for the first-year head coach. With the practices moving along at a rapid pace, Whisenhunt didn't have the time to stand there and let the fact sink in that this was his first camp as the head man. He mentioned standing in front of the team for meetings has an effect, but being on the field for minicamp felt natural. After some first-day thoughts about what to do and where to be, everything just fell into place after that. It was easy to be the coach because the team was making it easy for him.
Now the Cardinals move forward and continue the evolution in this new era.
"The thing we said today, too, is this is just the tip of the iceberg," Whisenhunt mentioned. "We're just starting. They recognize that. But I think the thing that was most encouraging was the effort and the participation."
Two more into the mix
In continuing to address depth on the offensive line, the team signed tackle Qasim Mitchell to a one-year deal after bringing him in to minicamp for a tryout. His addition to the line provided for even more rotation in practice and gave the coaches a sense of who can go where. Mitchell and another free-agent pickup, Mike Gandy, started together for the Bears in 2004 -- Mitchell at tackle and Gandy at guard, before Gandy was released after five games.
In continuing to address depth on the offensive line, the team signed tackle Qasim Mitchell to a one-year deal after bringing him in to minicamp for a tryout. His addition to the line provided for even more rotation in practice and gave the coaches a sense of who can go where. Mitchell and another free-agent pickup, Mike Gandy, started together for the Bears in 2004 -- Mitchell at tackle and Gandy at guard, before Gandy was released after five games.
The other addition was tight end Eric Bienemann. He has the prototypical size for a TE and last played for Washington State in the 2005 season before tearing his ACL on a touchdown catch in the second-to-last game of his collegiate career. Bienemann signed on as an undrafted free agent with the Saints last year before being released prior to the season.
"We saw enough good things that we wanted to sign them to the team. They did a good job," Whisenhunt said. "It's always hard when you come in and try to play catch-up, but they did enough and showed some positive signs to be encouraged by."
As far as Bienemann being the blocking tight end the team hoped to land before the draft, that has yet to be determined. This camp was more for the players to get a feel for the system and whether or not they would be a good fit for the organization.
"That'll be determined when we get into the pads. It's a little early to say that," added Whisenhunt. "He's a big-bodied guy that looked like he moved around on the field pretty well. It gives us a little bit more depth at tight end, which was an area that we needed."
