LB Kyzir White says Cardinals must tackle and get takeaways to beat Bengals
Oct 6, 2023, 4:53 PM
Kyzir White #7 of the Arizona Cardinals celebrates with Head coach Jonathan Gannon following a win against the Dallas Cowboys at State Farm Stadium on September 24, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images)
(Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images)
The Arizona Cardinals may have slew of injuries – especially along the defensive front — but LB Kyzir White says embracing the challenge will help them earn a win this week against the Cincinnati Bengals at home.
Better tackling and creating turnovers would help, too.
The first-year Cardinals player said the “next man up” philosophy is always in effect. Injuries happen. But when guys get on the field they have to perform.
“Nobody is looking at it like there is going to be drop off, or he’s new, or he hasn’t been starting. Everybody is looking at you to perform at the level those guys were performing at,” White said Friday on Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke.
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Going into the Bengals matchup this week, the Cardinals don’t just need to replace performance, White said, but improve tackling and create turnovers, elements of the game they struggled with last week against the 49ers.
“Didn’t play hard enough. Didn’t create any turnovers and didn’t stop them. Coming out this week, we obviously want some get back. We want to show ourselves and everybody else that the team they seen last week is not our identity. Sometimes that happens but obviously we want to limit that as much as possible,” he said.
Improving tackling has been the subject of a lot of discussion this week at practice, he said, and especially focusing on fundamentals, such as keeping eyes on hips in the open field. Since contact is limited during the week, it has to be a game-day commitment to being physical.
“Even though you are working on it, it is still not real life,” he said.
The Bengals might not have the record of last week’s opponent, but they are talented, White said, and compete at all positions offensively.
“Definitely not going to take them lightly. They have a hell of a quarterback in (Joe) Burrow. (Ja’Marr) Chase is a great receiver,” White said. “They are dangerous. They have playmakers across the board. They were in the AFC championship last year and the Super Bowl the year before.”
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