ARIZONA CARDINALS
Doug and Wolf give out their 2017 Cards Camp Awards
Though the preseason lives on, 2017 Cardinals training camp is officially over. So, Arizona Sports’ Doug Franz and Ron Wolfley handed out the hardware.
Well, “The Academy” technically selected the winners of each award.
Nonetheless, the hosts ran through a list of awards for the Arizona Cardinals, with subjects ranging from Chick-Fil-A to Bruce Arians poking fun at our own Mike Jurecki. The coveted awards were selected carefully, but Doug and Wolf certainly had fun with it.
Without further ado, here is each award, with the nominees and winners listed below:
Best Rookie:
Budda Baker
T.J. Logan
Haason Reddick
Winner: Budda Baker
Bloody Knuckles Award (toughest player):
Elijhaa Penny
Josh Mauro
Tyrann Mathieu
“I’m going to say it was Robert Nkemdiche,” Wolf said. But the Academy selected an actual nominee.
Winner: Josh Mauro
Best Blow-up (biggest hit in camp):
Scooby Wright hits David Johnson
Tyvon Branch throws down Fitz
Haason Reddick hits Elijhaa Penny
Winner: Scooby Wright hits David Johnson (Wolf again wrote-in Robert Nkemdiche for hitting Dorian Johnson in one-on-ones)
Scooby vs. David Johnson. pic.twitter.com/KdY62i8oQf
— Adam Green (@theAdamGreen) August 15, 2017
Most Amazing Play:
Tyrann Mathieu interception – “Badger’s Back”
Phil Dawson kick-six
One-handed catch by Fitz late in camp
“I don’t know if I’ve ever seen anything like that. Larry Fitzgerald caught the ball one handed,” Wolf said. “He was probably a foot off the ground when he caught it, full-extension, one hand, rolled over and the feet were in (bounds).”
Winner: Larry Fitzgerald’s one-handed snag
Best sound:
–Bruce Arians frustrated with WRs: “I’m not very pleased with our wide receivers room. I must have been seeing things back in the spring when I said we have 12 guys that could play in the NFL. I think we have two.”
–Harold Goodwin to the O-Line: “Either protect (Carson Palmer) or I’m not going to protect you. We’ve got to do a better job because he makes us go. Without him, it’s an uphill battle. With him, the sky’s the limit.”
–Brandon Williams on listening to critics: “Good or bad, I don’t hear the noise. I stay in my own lane. If it’s towards me, whatever you all say, it’s like you’re talking to yourselves because I don’t get into all that kind of stuff. I just focus on me.”
–Cole Toner on Wolf: “I saw a picture of Wolf in a suit and I have not seen a man so uncomfortable in a suit, it seemed, in a while.”
–Karlos Dansby on the Chik-Fil-A in the Falcons’ stadium: “How do you even do something like that? You put a Chick-Fil-A in a stadium and you play on Sundays. It just doesn’t add up. Everybody’s going to be expecting Chick-Fil-A to be open on Sundays at the game. That’s tough man, I feel sorry for the people down there. That’s embarrassing.”
–B.A. on Mike Jurecki: “You guys keep asking about individual guys and they keep getting hurt. You and Josh are two-for-two. So if you get this one, you’re done. … Of course Jurecki didn’t show up today, he’s scared.”
Winner: Harold Goodwin on the O-Line
Best Fight:
“We have a no-fighting policy,” Arians said.
Winner: None
House of Cards MVP:
Tyrann Mathieu
Jaron Brown
Phil Dawson
Robert Nkemdiche
Blaine Gabbert
Winner: Robert Nkemdiche
“Nobody has performed like Robert Nkemdiche these last four or five weeks when it comes to training camp,” Doug said. “Phil Dawson had a great camp, Blaine Gabbert had a great camp.”
Next Man Up:
Jaron Brown
John Wetzel
Kerwynn Williams
Winner: Kerwynn Williams
Biggest Surprise:
Brandon Williams
Blaine Gabbert
Olsen Pierre
John Brown
“Unfortunately, you’ve got to cover all the bases and John Brown is included in biggest surprise because all of us were extremely excited about what John Brown was going to be able to bring to the table in training camp,” Doug said. “We thought a lot of his ailments were gone. We’re all surprised that they’re not.”
Winner: Blaine Gabbert
Biggest Story:
Mathieu returning as vocal leader
Jared Veldheer and D.J. Humphries trade positions
Blaine Gabbert’s emergence
Robert Nkemdiche’s production
The second cornerback position
Winner: Robert Nkemdiche’s production
The Rocky Award (best underdog):
Kareem Martin
Josh Bynes
Scooby Wright
Krishawn Hogan
Winner: Scooby Wright
Best newcomer:
Antoine Bethea
Karlos Dansby
Phil Dawson
Blaine Gabbert
Mike Jurecki
Winner: Phil Dawson
Painted Face and Dark Heart:
(No nominees)
Winner: Tyrann Mathieu
“There’s a little bit of sentiment involved with this, and a lot of hope as well,” Wolf said. “Tyrann Mathieu being the badger is the key to the Arizona Cardinals’ season, defensively. It might even be the entire team. He’s that much of a difference-maker.”
