Cardinals GM Steve Keim happy with offensive line play vs. Bucs
Oct 16, 2017, 8:22 AM | Updated: 4:32 pm
Arizona Cardinals running back Adrian Peterson (23) runs the ball against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 15, 2017, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
(AP Photo/Ralph Freso)
The vast majority of talk surrounding the Arizona Cardinals’ 38-33 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has to do with Adrian Peterson’s electrifying debut.
Just five days after being acquired through a trade with the New Orleans Saints, Peterson rumbled for 134 yards on 26 carries and scored two touchdowns as Arizona scored a much-needed victory.
But the running back is only part of the story. A healthier, revamped offensive line was partly responsible as well. The return of left tackle D.J. Humphries and left guard Alex Boone from injuries gave the line a different look and certainly different results.
General manager Steve Keim, needless to say, was pretty happy with what he saw.
“For the first time this year, in my opinion, we saw five guys up front playing in unison,” Keim told Doug & Wolf Monday morning on 98.7 FM Arizona’s Sports Station. “Not only the combination blocks, the deuce blocks, passing off games and stunts, those guys played very, very well up front.”
The returns of Humphries and Boone allowed another move — shifting Earl Watford to right guard to spell second-year player Evan Boehm, who had struggled through the season’s first five weeks.
“I thought D.J. (Humphries) was excellent,” Keim said. “We’ve always known he can run block. His ability to roll his hips and finish at the point of attack is, to me, something that sets him apart from a lot of other tackles.”
But it wasn’t just Humphries paving the way. Boone, who was signed Sept. 5, worked with Humphries to help give the Cardinals offense life it has lacked so far.
“Him and Alex, on several of those deuce blocks, they created five or six yards of run lanes for Adrian just because of the point of attack movement that they created,” Keim said.
The results were evident to anyone watching the game. The Cardinals racked up 160 yards on the ground and quarterback Carson Palmer, who has been pounded all year by opposing pass rushers, had time to throw and was sacked only twice on the day.
