Arians likes what he sees from rookies on 1st day as Cards hope to uncover diamonds
There was a lot of rough out at the Cardinals practice facility on Friday. The Cardinals are hoping they’ll be able to locate a few diamonds.
The team opened rookie minicamp with nearly a full roster’s worth of players at the Tempe facility, with recent draft picks and signed and unsigned free agents making up a group of 50 players all hoping to make an impression and ultimately latch on in the NFL.
After about two hours of drills, exercises and simulated game action made even more chaotic by a sudden rainstorm that briefly forced the Cardinals into their indoor practice bubble, coach Bruce Arians liked what he saw despite the green nature of the participants.
“Obviously there’s a lot of anxiety with guys getting out there for the first time and going through the meetings for the first time,” Arians said. “But I thought it was an excellent day.”
While players like first-round pick D.J. Humphries are virtually guaranteed to make the team’s Week 1 roster, others – later-round picks and the several dozen players at camp solely on a tryout basis – are just trying to stand out enough to catch the right person’s eye.
And though mistakes are bound to happen, Arians didn’t mince words when asked about his tolerance for them.
“None,” he said. “It’s either perfect or you’re getting coached, which isn’t real pretty.”
That doesn’t make it easy on a young player fresh out of college, trying to adapt to the NFL while playing errorfree football from the start. But they never expected it to be easy. “It’s tough, but it’s football,” said receiver J.J. Nelson, a fifth-round pick. “You’ve been doing this your whole life. This is a dream you’ve been dreaming since you were a kid, so it’s really just embracing the moment and coming out each and every day and trying to get better.”
Arians made note of Nelson’s length and hands Friday, and he also brought up the play of cornerback Jimmy Legree, who is participating in his second camp after spending time on the Cardinals’ practice squad last season.
The untested players encountered all sorts of surprises Friday, like the rain that swept in and caught many, like fifthround linebacker Shaq Riddick, off guard.
“I was so surprised. I was feeling it on my hand like, ‘Is it raining right now?’ ” Riddick said. “I was told it doesn’t rain out here. But it’s raining and it’s cold out here, below 90 degrees. I’m like, ‘This is crazy!’ ”
He knows things are about to heat up soon. But he’ll adapt, because he has to. Both on and off the field.
“I know it’s coming,” he said. “I’ll just cope with it the best I can.”