Cardinals to start Batiste, Massie at tackle spots Thursday
Aug 27, 2012, 6:37 PM | Updated: 8:42 pm
Coach Ken Whisenhunt has announced that his starting tackles for Thursday’s preseason finale against the Denver Broncos will be Bobby Massie and D’Anthony Batiste.
The rookie, Massie will start at right tackle, and the veteran Batiste will be at left tackle.
“That seemed to be what worked best for us as the game progressed last week,” Whisenhunt said.
This is the last preseason game of the year and will give both players a chance to solidify their place on the line.
Batiste is a journeyman tackle who is getting the opportunity after Whisenhunt praised his performance last week against Tennessee.
“Not only did he play good on the right side, he played well on the left side,” Whisenhunt. “He looked comfortable and he did a nice job there.”
The Cardinals selected Massie in the fourth round of the 2012 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-6, 315-pound tackle started in all three years while playing college ball at Ole Miss.
“Bobby at times has looked very good as a right tackle, at times he has looked very bad as a right tackle,” Whisenhunt said. “He goes into this game as the guy who is going to start, and it’s up to him if he wants to grab that and hold onto it.”
The offensive tackle position has been one of the biggest concerns for the Cardinals since left tackle Levi Brown tore his triceps in a preseason game against the Raiders.
Whisenhunt is hopeful that this pair can build off the success they had against Titans last week.
“The line did a nice job once we got stabilized after the start in Tennessee, ran the ball very well, protected very well,” Whisenhunt said. “We got to see if we can carry that forward.”
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