Wilks pleased with outdoor practice
Cards coach happy with 21⁄2-hour workout in heat
In the days leading up to the Cardinals’ first outdoor practice of training camp, there were the usual grumblings and smirks you’d expect from some veteran players. Many players remembered the fallout from last year’s outdoor workout, when a handful of players were so physically drained that it left them aching for days.
The Cardinals, though, caught a break on Tuesday morning.
Yes, they still had to practice outdoors on the fields just south of University of Phoenix Stadium. But this time, the weather cooperated. It was a balmy 87 degrees and cloudy when the team assembled for a prolonged stretch and new coach Steve Wilks ran them through a second straight day of invigorating one-on-one drills to start the day.
The temperature rose to 97 by the time the Cardinals wrapped things up 21⁄2 hours later.
“It was a pretty good practice today outside in the elements,” Wilks said after the Cardinals’ second straight day of full-padded workouts. “It started off a little slow, but we picked it up as we went on and I think the tempo and the sense of urgency was there at the end of practice.”
Wilks said his idea for practicing outdoors was made to establish a tone. He wants his team to be as physically rugged as possible and you can’t do that, he said, just by talking about it, adding, “You’ve got to go out and try and create that mindset and what you’re going to be about.”
Practicing outside in the heat, Wilks said, can also help prepare the Cardinals for stoppages in games such as overtimes and potential weather delays. Practicing early will also help get them ready for their East Coast road trips, he said.
“It was little bit of a different experience for some of the guys today, but we got better, the guys fought through it and we’ll just continue pushing on one another,” said cornerback Patrick Peterson, who joked he probably lost about six pounds. “I think we need that because when we go out on the East Coast to have those (early games), it’s good to get our bodies acclimated.”
Tuesday’s outdoor practice was a lot more palatable than the one last year, according to linebacker Haason Reddick.
“It was a little humid, but if you’ve got the right mindset, you go out there and take it as conditioning,” he said. “It wasn’t too bad. And I definitely saw a lot of the physical stuff Coach was looking for. There were some big hits out there today. You could hear the pads thumping, you heard the pads rattling. It got pretty good out there.”
Gerald Hodges visits
Seeking additional depth at linebacker just as they were last week at safety and defensive end, the Cardinals on Tuesday were scheduled to work out free-agent linebacker Gerald Hodges, formerly of the Saints.
“We’re just going to continue to try and build the back end of the roster in everything that we’re doing,” Wilks said. “We’re going to consistently try to bring guys in and create a short list and if things happen, we’ll be ready to move on it.”
Hodges, 27, has played five NFL seasons since being drafted out of Penn State in the fourth round by the Vikings in 2013. He played three seasons for Minnesota, two for the 49ers and spent last season with New Orleans. His best season to date came in 2016 with San Francisco, where he totaled 83 tackles and had three sacks and two interceptions.
The depth at linebacker isn’t overflowing behind projected starters Deone Bucannon, Josh Bynes and Reddick. Hodges is being considered for an inside linebacker spot to either push Bynes for playing time or serve as a backup.
Last week, the Cardinals signed three free agents: safety Tre Boston and defensive ends Arthur Moats and Jacquies Smith. All three received one-year deals, which is probably what Hodges would be offered.
Chandler Jones’ sled hammer
Cardinals defensive end Chandler Jones went viral on social media Monday when the team released a video of him breaking a tackling sled with a vicious forearm shiver.
The padded, upper portion of the sled broke away from its steel support structure and as Jones plowed through it, a roar erupted from the rest of the team and the crowd that had assembled for Monday’s practice.
“You can sort of thank (left tackle) D.J. Humphries for that,” Wilks said. “I think Chandler got a little upset … and he probably wasn’t pleased with how he performed (against Humphries) right there at the beginning of practice and he went down and took it out on the sled. We’ve got to replace that, but it was exciting to see.”