Arizona Cardinals training camp: All-Access with Bruce Arians
Aug 8, 2015, 2:15 PM | Updated: 7:54 pm
GLENDALE, Ariz. – Head coach Bruce Arians, now in his third year with the Arizona Cardinals, meets the media each day during training camp.
Here, in this space, we’ll highlight many of the key topics and personnel conversations he has with reporters following the morning walk-through.
“We look forward today. The only live contact, we’ll have short-yardage, goal-line and then our 3’s will scrimmage with each other. The quarterbacks will be live with the 3’s. Some of them need to learn how to throw the ball when they got blitzes on you. Looking forward to it. I think it should be high energy and a good practice. Yesterday was outstanding. Just a little bit of poor etiquette of tackling guys. Had to threaten some young defensive backs that they would leave the practice field today and they’d be gone if they keep tackling our starting receivers. But other than that, it’s been really good.”
Was Larry Fitzgerald OK yesterday
“Yeah, Larry has got a sore foot. It’s not really injury-related, but I don’t want it aggravated. He got stepped on.”
Is Sean Weatherspoon a guy that needs to establish himself or re-establish himself in the NFL
“Oh, I think re-establish. He was, obviously, one of the top players going before he got hurt and one of the top inside linebackers and a playmaker. It’s just a matter of re-establishing that he’s healthy and that he can stay out there.”
What’s his biggest strength in your eyes
“Passion. He brings a lot of energy. He’s an every-down backer.”
Who are some of the young guys who have flashed with Weatherspoon sidelined
“Well, Kevin Minter has done a really good job. Andre Kirk has stepped up. ‘Pound cake’ has stepped up, Edwin Jackson. He’s done a nice job on some things. And Alani Fua really flashes at times. He’s a big, long guy that inside, outside, nickel, dime; he’s a guy that could really have position flexibility that could do a lot of things.”
Is this a make-or-break season for Minter
“I don’t think so. In his package, when he’s healthy, he’s played really good. He played with one arm last year. But in his package — we didn’t bring him here to play dime. We brought him here for Seattle and San Francisco, to play the run. And in those games, he and Kenny Demens both have played good because they’re rock-‘em-sock-‘em football players. They’re not basketball players spread out all over the field.”
So, Jackson’s nickname is ‘pound cake’; is it because of his hair
“No, you have to get that story from (Larry) Foote and he’s been excused to go to Jerome’s (Bettis) hall of fame thing today. He named him ‘pound cake.’”
With Markus Golden, have you liked the kind of progress he’s made so far
“Yeah, if he just quit losing contain. I don’t think they had contain wherever he’s come from. I’ve got to talk to Coach, did they teach him how to stay up the field instead of keep going under and let the quarterback out of the pocket. But, he’s got high energy. Yeah, I really like what he’s doing.”
Why do you think GM Steve Keim has been so successful signing veterans late in the summer
“Steve does a great job and his department of knowing who’s available, what it’s going to take — preliminary talks —so that if and when we look at young players and they’re not coming like we hoped and there’s a John Abraham out there, alright, let’s bring John in and bring the young guy along slower because he wasn’t ready. We always know who’s out there and pretty much the price range of what they’re going to cost and then let our young guys go because most of these guys don’t want to come to camp anyway. They like to get in those last two weeks. Give them a little heads up, ‘hey, make sure you’re in shape and we’re thinking about you.’ And then pull the trigger when we have to.”
With a young guy like Ed Stinson, what does he have to do to make this squad
“Consistently get after the quarterback, and he’s been doing a really good job. Eddie has bounced back from his injury and has looked very, very solid.”
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