Whiz rewards Arizona Cardinals with a flick

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. — Wednesday morning’s walk-through practice for the Arizona Cardinals was called off.

Not by Mother Nature, as is usually the case during training camp in Northern Arizona. No, head coach Ken Whisenhunt cut the walk-through short to take his team to the movies.

“It was something that had been planned a while in advance, I didn’t know for sure if I was even going to do it,” Whisenhunt said. “I guess I decided to do it at this last minute, obviously. But they weren’t expecting it.”

A lot has been made about the Cardinals’ lackluster play this preseason, which has included losses to the New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs and has yet to yield any solutions to the lingering quarterback questions. But Whiz says the team earned a break.

“It’s been a pretty tough week this week, as far as how I’ve been treating them, and they’ve practiced pretty well,” he said. “So, I thought it would be a good change in the routine. We’ll see.”

What movie did they see?

“Bourne (The Bourne Legacy). It was a pretty good movie.”

Notes

• Whisenhunt also talked about the development of rookie wide receiver Michael Floyd.

“I’ve seen progress, he’s done some good things,” he said. “I think the way he works on the field, he’s been consistent.”

Asked if Floyd has shown enough during camp to line up opposite of Larry Fitzgerald at the wide receiver spot, Whisenhunt was quick to respond.

“We still have three games left, we have a lot of time left and he’s competing and that’s really what’s important,” he said. “We’ll see how it all shakes out. He’ll be involved somehow. The degree of his involvement is up to him and what he does in the next couple weeks.”

Through two preseason games, Floyd has two catches for 18 yards.

• Whisenhunt said that inside linebacker Paris Lenon’s injured ankle is improving.

“The way he was running around on the field (Tuesday) during his rehab things, he looked pretty good,” he said. “He’s very close to being able to come back, so it’s not a concern from a health or injury standpoint moving forward.”

• Quarterback Richard Bartel was not at Tuesday’s practice as he was suffering from what Whisenhunt described as a stomach virus, but his participation is expected for Wednesday’s session.

Follow @Vincemarotta