LB Simmons ‘becoming what we thought’ in ’20
Isaiah Simmons’ snap count is increasing, and his confidence is paralleling that. He feels it enough that he’s vocalizing it to his teammates.
“He had quite a few plays (Sunday), and I told him, ‘ Man, that’s what it’s about,’” linebacker Haason Reddick said on Simmons.
“And he looked at me and said, ‘(Haason), I can do this.’ And right then and there, I knew he was confident in himself.”
Simmons was on the field for 32 snaps on defense each of the last two games, good for 53% of snaps against Miami (a season high) and 44% against Buffalo.
The Cardinals’ plan from the start was to ease the rookie linebacker in. Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph has not wavered from this, even when expressing his own confidence in Simmons. He knew there were times where that plan wore on the No. 8 draft pick in the short term, but Joseph still sees it paying off down the road.
“He is definitely coming along fast,” Joseph said. “He has been frustrated, but now you can see the life come back in Isaiah, and he’s having fun playing football again, cause he’s back playing and helping us win.”
Simmons’ interception in overtime against Seattle did exactly that, giving the Cardinals the ball back once more, with a game-winning field goal to follow.
He was only on the field for five plays on defensive that game, a season low, but finished with that interception and a tackle as well.
He’s stayed steady leaning on advice from teammates like Reddick, Jordan Hicks and De’Vondre Campbell.
Joseph is now more comfortable mixing up assignments for Simmons, and he’s impressed, both with the way Simmons approaches practice and what he’s done in games. He’s playing faster, and his personality is coming out more, too.
“He’s becoming what we thought he was going to be when he was drafted in the top 10. And to his credit, he’s been patient — he’s been frustrated, but he’s been patient,” Joseph said.
“We’ve got to play him more, because he can help us win. And that’s what we want from Isaiah. He’s been patient enough to wait his turn, but it’s time.”
Video games with the fellas
Kyler Murray: He’s just like us.
Well, perhaps not really, but after a stunning Hail Mary to beat the Bills and move his team to 6-3, the former first pick spent his Sunday in more a relatable way: playing video games with his pals.
The Cardinals quarterback joined wide receiver Christian Kirk and running back Chase Edmonds on Twitch to play Call of Duty for a bit about four hours after sending shockwaves around the league.
From the roughly two minutes that I watched, the three friends did not talk about the game that everyone else was talking about at all. It was all Warzone. Life is about balance that way.
“That’s like a perfect day,” Murray said Tuesday.
“Winning a game, then getting on the game with your boys, it’s hard to beat that. Especially you’ve got your family in town, eating good— I don’t think I can draw it up much better.”
Injury report
Six players did not practice for the Cardinals Tuesday: linebacker De’Vondre Campbell (calf), tight end Darrell Daniels (ankle), offensive lineman Justin Murray (hand), defensive lineman Corey Peters (knee), safety Charles Washington (groin) and tight end Maxx Williams (ankle).
In addition, safety Budda Baker (groin/ankle), running back Kenyan Drake (ankle) and cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick (hamstring), defensive lineman Jordan Phillips (hamstring), linebacker Haason Reddick (neck), and safety Jalen Thompson (shoulder) were estimated as limited.