Notes from the Nest: Arizona Cardinals practice Nov. 4

TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Cardinals returned to the practice field Monday after their bye week, and they did so with an eye on finishing the season strong.

Of Note:

– Defensive back Patrick Peterson spent some of his time throwing with the team’s quarterbacks.

– Linebackers John Abraham and Daryl Washington played catch. Safe to say, none of the team’s QBs (or Peterson, for that matter) have anything to worry about.

– Speaking of Abraham, he appeared to have a good conversation with Assistant Head Coach/Offense Tom Moore. No idea what was discussed, but you have to imagine those two have A LOT of information to share and a good idea of what they’re talking about.

– Running back Rashard Mendenhall was out on the field with the team. He missed the team’s last game against Atlanta with a toe issue, and the Cardinals were hoping the rest provided by the week off would help him get back on the field.

Stat of the Day

At 31.6 percent, the Cardinals are second-to-last in the NFL in third down conversion percentage, ahead of only the Jacksonville Jaguars (29.5 percent).

Quote of the Day

“No, it was pretty much what I thought it was — a conglomeration of mistakes,” Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said when asked if the coaches learned anything new about the team’s struggles on third downs. “Overthrows, bad balls, dropped passes, guys running wrong routes, not knowing each other quite well enough under some coverages, sacks, pressure.

“It would’ve been a lot easier had I been able to put my finger on one or two things and just say, ‘OK, this is what it is to fix.’ But knowing that it’s a problem is one thing — identifying it — and then emphasizing every practice when there’s third down reps.”

This Day in Arizona Cardinals history

On November 4, 2001, the Arizona Cardinals hosted the Philadelphia Eagles in a game most Valley fans probably don’t remember. Though the home team lost by a score of 21-7, the big sports story that day was Game 7 of the World Series, which saw the Arizona Diamondbacks defeat the New York Yankees 3-2 in thrilling fashion.

Over in Tempe, though, Jake Plummer completed 24-of-41 passes for 293 yards with one touchdown and one interception. David Boston caught eight of those passes for 138 yards, but the duo was no match for Donovan McNabb and the balanced Eagles offense.

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