Cardinals’ canceled minicamp practice came down to 4 factors

TEMPE — It’s still very early in the process when it comes to what makes Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur tick.

But if there was anything learned in that department this offseason, it’s that he is not a fan whatsoever of the final minicamp practice before the long layoff until training camp next month.

So, while many may have taken exception to the team cutting out early despite having a first-year head coach at the helm, a steep uphill climb back into divisional relevance and roster questions aplenty, LaFleur explained his thought process behind canceling Wednesday’s work.

 

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“I absolutely hate this practice. The last day before they go off for 40 days. One, you can’t watch it with them, because they’re off and it’s the end of camp,” LaFleur said.

“Everywhere I’ve been, I have never liked this. I’ve been scared to death of it and the fact that we got out 100% clean yesterday was first and foremost a priority.”

Health remains the biggest priority for LaFleur, who added that many of the team’s injured players from last year are trending in the right direction and could see returns by training camp, barring setbacks. Not adding to that list is key.

As the saying goes, it’s about controlling what you can control. Eliminating the potential for injury by canceling practice is a good way to follow that philosophy.

Not every injury could be avoided, however, with rookie defensive lineman Kaleb Proctor suffering a torn meniscus during organized team activities.

There’s also the work that was put in throughout both organized team activities and Tuesday’s minicamp for LaFleur to consider.

“We got 10 quality days of practice in. When you look at the amount of reps and what these guys are used to … these guys got quite a bit more reps in terms of team compared to what they’re used to during this time,” LaFleur said.

Can’t forget about the Hall of Fame Game and the added week of preseason work piled onto the Cardinals’ schedule, either.

They may be cutting out early now, but it’ll be made up closer to the season, when players are much more in tune with how things operate under LaFleur.

As for when things ramp back up? Arizona’s reporting date for training camp is July 22.

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