Notes from the Nest: Arizona Cardinals training camp – Aug. 4
GLENDALE, Ariz. — Tuesday’s afternoon practice had a different feel to it because Arizona’s most important player, Carson Palmer, did not participate.
Fear not, though, as he was on the field walking around and chatting it up with coaches and teammates. The veteran QB was given a scheduled afternoon off by head coach Bruce Arians in order to get backup QB Drew Stanton more reps with the first team as well as rest his legs. Arians said Stanton will have Wednesday afternoon’s practice off, by the way.
As for the practice itself, the thought here is Palmer’s absence played a pretty big role. The offense made some plays, no doubt, but overall I’d say the defense got the better of this one. Such is life with the backup quarterbacks.
The Good
Practice ended about 25 minutes early. You won’t find a single player or media member complain about that.
Receiver Jaron Brown, who is fighting to make the roster, made the catch of the day when he made a leaping one-handed grab in traffic to snare a bullet from QB Logan Thomas. The wideout was shaken up a bit on the play, but returned to practice not long after. Also, earlier in the practice he picked up good yardage running an end-around.
Undrafted rookie free agent receiver Jaxon Shipley came down with a real nice catch on a deep ball near the sideline in the second part of practice.
Logan Thomas appeared to make some pretty solid throws, threading the ball into some tight windows.
Calais Campbell came up with an interception of Stanton during 11-on-11. The ball was batted in the air and the massive defensive lineman came down with it. Fortunately for Campbell, Peyton Manning was not in the building to tackle him.
Kerwynn Williams is taking advantage of the first-team reps he’s getting, as he made a couple of nice runs and has been solid as a receiver, too.
The Bad
More than a few times it seemed as though pressure would have gotten to Arizona’s QBs if defenders were actually allowed to tackle them. Granted this seemed to be more of an issue with the backups, but still not a particularly good thing to see.
Another handful of Cardinals left practice early with injuries. This time it was offensive linemen Earl Watford, D.J. Humphries and Rob Crisp as well as running back Marion Grice. No word on what actually happened, though you can expect Arians to give some detail Wednesday morning.
Way too many passes fell incomplete, but then again, when using QBs two through five that can in part be expected.
Of Note
Receiver Michael Floyd could be seen blocking down the field on a few plays.
Glenn Carson lined up next to Kevin Minter with the first-team defense. Rodney Gunter and Josh Mauro also got some reps with the first-team.
Of Quote
“Really just try to improve from last year. Be more consistent. Try to eliminate the mental errors. Just little things like that I’ve got to improve on, and hopefully I make the 53.” – Jaron Brown on what he has to do to stick with the team
“You can’t stretch a cold muscle, all right. So they’re in here riding bicycles, they got rubber bands, they got trainers, they got everything. They know their body to start practice. They’re out there running, they’re backpedaling so they’ve worked out and warmed up for at least 20 to 25 minutes. We’re not going to waste 25 minutes on the practice field to stretch somebody that scientifically already figured out it isn’t worth a (expletive). Jumping jacks and touching your toes, that ain’t getting (expletive) done.” – Bruce Arians on his philosophy of not having player stretch before practice
A highlight for your viewing pleasure
Big man got HANDS! @Campbell93 with the pick!#CardsCamp https://t.co/1vno8RIMfw
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) August 5, 2015
A video worth watching
You may have heard the Cardinals have invested in a virtual reality system to aid in their preparation. AZCardinals.com has video from NFL Network of team president Michael Bidwill explaining what it is and why the team invested in it.
Up Next
The usual. The Cardinals have a walkthrough Wednesday morning before hitting the field again at 2 p.m. for their regularly scheduled practice. As always, fans are welcome to attend.
