Cardinals’ Mike Iupati motivated this preseason
TEMPE, Ariz. — Even stronger than usual and in the best of health, Arizona Cardinals guard Mike Iupati is mowing down everything in front of him this preseason.
“I’m just playing ball,” the 6-foot-5, 331-pound left guard said after the team practiced in the heat Monday. “Taking that year off makes you appreciate football, made my body feel young again.”
A triceps injury in the opener wiped out the rest of the 2017 season for Iupati. In the offseason, as he entered the fourth year of a five-year, $40 million contract he signed with Arizona, Iupati agreed to a $3 million pay cut to come back for what under the new deal could be his final season in the desert. He will earn $5 million this year.
“I just figured it was better than going somewhere else to start new,” he said. “I’m starting new here.”
And so far Iupati seems to love the physical, runoriented offense installed by new coach Steve Wilks and offensive coordinator Mike McCoy.
Pro Football Focus gave Iupati a 97.2 rating for his 31 snaps in Arizona’s two preseasons game. That made him the NFL’s highest-rated player this preseason.
“The man is playing about as good as anyone I’ve seen play up front,” quarterback Sam Bradford said. “This camp, just watching him play, it’s been pretty impressive both in the run game and the pass game. He just seems to be kind of swallowing guys up out there.”
Left tackle D.J. Humphries sees Iupati