All-Access with Bruce Arians: ‘Hard to describe’ reason for Cards’ WR drops

TEMPE, Ariz. – Head coach Bruce Arians, now in his fifth year with the Arizona Cardinals, meets the media several times leading up to gameday.

Here, in this space, with help from the Cardinals’ media relations staff, we’ll highlight many of the key topics and personnel conversations he has with reporters following practice.

Opening statement:

“Injuries from the game: John Brown has got a turf toe, Josh Mauro has a high ankle sprain and that’s about it; a lot of bumps and bruises. We’ll see more on Wednesday. Those guys could miss some time. Really disappointed in the game, as far as running the ball and stopping the run. When you look at the game, that tells the story when they have 10 out of 16 third downs and six (yards) or less, and we have three or four, whatever it was, six or less, because they’re running the ball, and we’re not. You want to stay in manageable down and distances, whether penalties or whatever, we’ve got to play the game at better, manageable third downs, and defensively, we’ve got to get them in third-and-longs. They were 60 percent out of those, and that’s huge.

“That’s controlling the football, because they were running the ball so well on first down. A lot of that was misfits in our run game, in our defensive run fits. Some of those young linemen were trying to do a little too much, which is usually what happens. They try to make a play and get out of their gap, and we just didn’t fit a couple of those things well. The fourth down call, I take all that (expletive) back I said yesterday. That was a damn good call, and we busted an assignment at the point of attack. That was an easy pickup. Goody (offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin) had a hell of a play designed, we called it and we busted an assignment. They did not whoop us up there. We just turned them loose, the interior of our offensive line. So, I take everything I said back.”

On what the interior offensive lineman did wrong on the fourth down call:

“He blocked the wrong damn guy.”

On if he considered a quarterback sneak on the fourth down attempt:

“Yeah, but I’ve never seen Blaine (Gabbert) run one. A lot of quarterbacks can; a lot can’t. The same blocking on the quarterback sneak as the play we handed off, so I’d give it to Adrian (Peterson) right there.”

On Texans RB D’Onta Foreman’s 34-yard touchdown run on the next play and the Cardinals responding to adversity:

“Yeah, again, we have two busted assignments. A play they had run earlier in the game coming off the goal line, we had fixed it, corrected it, and we busted it again. It’s a jet sweep motion with a pulling guard, and we don’t fit the thing properly, and it’s a walk-in when it’s already been corrected. That’s frustrating.”

On if he still feels the same way about the receivers:

“Yeah. Injuries are going to have some part of that, but it wouldn’t have mattered. Chad Williams is going to get his shot. He’s been practicing really, really well, just like Ricky (Seals-Jones). Those guys have been practicing really well, and it’s time for them to get a look.”

On QB Blaine Gabbert’s performance:

“I thought Blaine was really hitting the ball. He saw the field extremely well. The ball was where it was supposed to be. Every throw wasn’t perfect. There was some pressure, but he stood in the face of it and delivered it. You get to the end of the game, throwing to a couple of guys that you haven’t ever thrown to before. They’re this far behind them, instead of that far in front of them just because of the lack of reps with that guy, but it was to the right guy. Those were probably on me, but he played really, really well.”

On Gabbert’s role as QB Drew Stanton continues to heal:

“Well, Drew’s going to be healthier. He’s still not as healthy as he was before. We’ll stick with Blaine and watch Drew get healthy and then make a decision as we go forward. But we’ll stick with the way it is right now.”

On if the decision to stick with Gabbert will hold all week:

“Yes.”

On how he would assess the situation with the team’s receivers:

“Yeah, I watch J.J. (Nelson), and he makes two of the toughest catches that you could possibly make and then drop an easy one. It’s all eye position. He’s looking out. Jaron Brown, who has been as steady as anyone we have, peeked up going over the middle, which probably was a field goal. He might have split them, but that was at least a field goal, that drop. John Brown was just – you’ve got to make a low catch. That was an easy catch. It’s hard to describe, because there’s so much talent in that room, and the way they went through OTAs (organized team activities) and all of camp, I really thought it was a strength of our team, and it’s now become our weakness.”

On if he needs to find out what he has in Gabbert:

“I think I know. I think I’ve known that all along. I don’t think I have to find out anything else. (Reporter: “Even in game situations?”) What I saw is exactly what I thought I’d see, and I just think it’ll get better the more he throws to Larry (Fitzgerald). He’s someone who’s never thrown to Larry and those starting guys. So, as he gets a little more timing with them, I think he’ll just get better.”

On how much it helped Gabbert to throw to TE Ricky Seals-Jones when both were on the scout team:

“A bunch. He has a lot of chemistry with Ricky and Chad because that’s who he threw to every single day. So yeah, there’s a lot of chemistry there.”

On if there’s been a trend when RB Adrian Peterson rushes for fewer than 100 yards and his decreased yards before contact:

“Yeah, we’re not blocking anybody. The big thing is that 74 (left tackle D.J. Humphries) is not out there, and the guys who have stepped in aren’t stepping up. It’s as simple as that. We didn’t block very well. Again, we were turning guys loose downhill on him on miscommunications that just shouldn’t happen. We’re not that complicated in our running game that we should have linebackers running through free.”

On the status of QB Carson Palmer and RB David Johnson:

“No. Carson has no cast on. That’s a good sign. David’s in great condition, but I don’t know about his wrist, and T.J. (Logan), (the wrist is) not loosening up.”

On if the current issues with the receivers are the same as last year’s:

“It’s different. This group is too old now for that. They’ve been in too many battles to be dropping easy balls and not making plays.”

On the play of Jaguars DL Calais Campbell:

“The little bit that I’ve seen of him, he’s playing really solid. He’s got his sacks, playing a lot of different positions, and he fits pretty well in that defense.”

On S Budda Baker continuing to excel and what he has seen from the rookie:

“Just great growth every week, and he’ll just get better. He misfit that run for the touchdown, and he’ll learn from it. He had an all-star game week if we win the game, he and Ricky Seals-(Jones).”

On if he’s disappointed by the Cardinals pass rush:

“Yeah, other than Chandler (Jones). Chandler got real close a few times, but somebody else has got to step up. Haason (Reddick) got real close again twice, and just not finishing it.”

On who will step in for DL Josh Mauro:

“That’s yet to be determined, to see who’s available. We’ve got a few bumps and bruises. So, we’ll see who’s available Wednesday.”

On if DL Corey Peters is expected to miss another game this week of if he’ll be ready to play:

“We hope. He’s getting a lot better. We hope he’s back this, but it’ll be close.”

On if the special teams penalties were disturbing:

“Yeah, for Justin (Bethel). Two of them, I’ve got to question them. The one on our snapper, that was … I don’t even know how the guy saw it. But Justin’s was bad – two weeks in a row.”

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