I hope …

General manager Steve Keim lives up to the words he said when reflecting on the selection of wide receiver Andy Isabella in the second round of the 2019 draft. He spoke on Arizona Sports 98.7 a few days after Isabella was waived.

Keim admitted to some of the misses he’s had in his draft history, especially when it comes to the receiver position.

“When you look back at the mistakes, more than anything that’s what you have to do,” the GM explained. “You have to acknowledge mistakes. Sometimes in this business, we grasp and we get excited about potential and projections instead of realizing that guys are highly productive, good football players at the time. Whether it’s someone like Deebo (Samuel) at South Carolina or it could be Cooper Kupp in L.A. Guys who may not have all the bells and whistles. Deebo reminds me a lot of Anquan Boldin, a guy that didn’t run fast coming out, but was a hell of a football player and highly productive and great after the catch.

“To me, it just reminds you and the scouting department and our coaching evaluations to make sure that we concentrate on guys who can actually play on Sundays and not just run fast 40s and run quick three-cones.”

Isabella was finally signed to the Ravens practice squad Monday after it had been reported it would happen the day after he was waived.

“I think he just needed a fresh start,” Keim added. “We thought he was a tremendous slot-type that could create separation with exceptional speed and quickness that just really never got his niche here.

“Not to his defense, but we have had some good receivers with Fitz and Hop and now Hollywood and some of these other players that have been on this roster. So it’s been hard to crack the lineup for him. But no excuses. Bottom line is we needed a little bit more production out of him and we wish him well in Baltimore.”

I truly wonder …

How quickly it will be before wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins makes an impact on the team’s offense.

Hopkins can be reinstated next Monday and the Cardinals will be able to request a roster exemption. The immediate issue is that there is a quick turnaround for the Thursday night game against New Orleans and teams usually have glorified walkthroughs before playing again four days after their previous game. Expectations are often unfair, believing that a player will immediately return to what he was before being out.

Hopkins was seen in the locker room last Wednesday, which is permitted within league rules for those suspended under the policy for performance-enhancing substances.

Appendix J of the 2022 policy states:

For the first half of any suspension period, Players suspended under this Policy will be prohibited from attending the club facility, engaging in any club activities, or having any contact with club personnel. During the remainder of the suspension period, suspended Players will be permitted to engage in the following activities:

▪ Receive on-site rehabilitation and treatment with medical and athletic training staff.

▪ Meet with player engagement staff, mental health consultants, team chaplain, treating clinicians, and other professional resources.

▪ Attend team meetings.

▪ Meet individually with the head coach, coordinator and position coach.

▪ Participate in individual workouts with the strength and conditioning coach.

▪ Take meals in the cafeteria and use team facilities on an individual basis.

While suspended, Players will continue to be prohibited from: attending or participating in group workouts; attending, observing, or participating in practices; attending home or away games; and attending club sponsored community events, press conferences or other media appearances.

Coach Kliff Kingsbury was pleased that Hopkins was present.

“It’s been good. He brings juice,” Kingsbury said. “He’s champing at the bit to get out there. I think he really has a great appreciation now for missing time last year with an injury and then these six games having to watch from afar.

“I got a feeling he’s going to show up and be on edge, which will be good for us. The timing will be really good regardless of what our record is at that point, to get him back and get him in the mix and see what we can be as a team.”

When asked how Hopkins’ presence affects opposing defenses, the coach said, “He’s one of the top guys, has been in the league for the last eight-nine years and so when he’s out there, they definitely have to have a more concentrated effort towards him, whether it’s bracketing him or doubling, which opens up other people and opens up the run game and all sorts of things. He’s that type of impact player for us.”

The obvious question is how long it will take to get in football shape after being on reserve for seven weeks and then being careful not to experience the soft-tissue injuries that are prone to happen when a player has been away from the game for a period of time.

I know …

That Monday was one of the most eye-opening media availabilities I’ve experienced in 40-plus years covering the NFL.

Cardinals cornerback Antonio Hamilton spoke to the media for the first time since he suffered second-degree burns in August.

At the beginning, he was asked, “Well, where are you gonna start?” He said, “I’m gonna go ahead and address the elephant (in the room).”

Hamilton then bared his soul for 23 minutes, spoke about his faith and was thankful to his wife Tiara for helping him get through and emerge from the “dark hole and dark space” he was in during the early aftermath of the incident. That is only the tip of the iceberg in describing the impact of his story.

Tuesday, Hamilton and Cardinals defensive backs Byron Murphy Jr., Jalen Thompson, Christian Matthew and Charles Washington visited the Arizona Burn Center to interact with children who have recovered or are recovering from severe burn injuries.

I will have a more in the coming days, but his words gave everyone in the room a needed perspective on what’s truly important in our lives beyond what happens on the football field.

As Kingsbury said Monday after Hamilton returned to the field the day before, “As you all see when he speaks, he’s a passionate guy. He’s fun to be around. Just knowing his story, all the different teams he’s been on, where he comes from. I remember last year when we got him, he was on his couch. He’d be screaming on the sideline, ‘Y’all had me on the couch’ to nobody but himself I think, but he motivates himself.

“Really, really impressed by the type of person and player he is. So to have him back around the team was good. We eased him back in yesterday. Hopefully, he can get more snaps this week.”

For Hamilton, everything is a bonus after what happened and what the result might have been.

I hope (just a little bit) …

That one of the team’s running backs won’t be available in Seattle because that could mean we get a good look at rookie Keaontay Ingram for the first time.

With James Conner and Darrel Williams injured against the Eagles, along with Jonathan Ward, it was a one-man show with Eno Benjamin who was experiencing cramps in his calf throughout the second half.

Kingsbury said, “There were certain things we couldn’t get into and couldn’t do, but at that point, once we got into the two-minute drill, it was just him (Benjamin) trying to catch his breath really. It was what it was, but there were a few things we couldn’t get into once Darrel ended up going down as well.”

Kingsbury said they won’t have much of an idea on the injury status until at least Wednesday.

As for Ingram, Kingsbury said, “He’s very talented. That’s why we kept five. You don’t see that a lot, but he was really impressive in preseason, has been impressive on scout team and now it’s just about making sure he understands the game plan and executing at a high level if he gets called upon. But his natural gifts are pretty special, we think.”

On Tuesday, the Cardinals had tryouts with running backs Devontae Booker, Corey Clement, Trey Edmunds, T.J. Pledger and Ty’Son Williams. After waiving wide receiver Andre Baccellia and releasing guard Danny Isidora from the practice squad, the Cardinals are said to be signing Clement to the practice squad and Williams possibly to the roster as Ward appears headed to reserve/injured.

The team has been so banged up that instead of a regular practice Wednesday, they will conduct a walkthrough.

Kingsbury also confirmed that wide receiver Antoine Wesley, who had been designated for return from reserve/injured last week, suffered a season-ending injury in practice last Thursday that is reportedly a torn quadriceps. Wesley will simply remain on reserve/injured and have his 21-day practice period end, which hasn’t officially happened yet.

I wonder …

If the offensive line can hold up for the entire 17 games. The unit missed a bunch of games last season and it affected the play of the offense down the stretch.

This season, left guard Justin Pugh and center Rodney Hudson have missed time, and guard Cody Ford has been on reserve/injured since the opening of the season.

Kingsbury liked what he saw from the line against Philadelphia with Pugh playing every snap despite an elbow injury and Sean Harlow replacing Rodney Hudson at center.

“I’m really impressed by that group,” Kingsbury said. “That’s as good a front as you’ll see across the board. They’ve got great rushers and great interior pieces. I thought we battled the entire game and gave ourselves a chance, so I couldn’t be more impressed by how they stuck together, especially with Rodney being out. I thought the communication was really good. I don’t know if we had many pre-snap penalties—maybe one there late. Not many penalties overall so that was good to play clean with that group.”

As for the return of Ford, he said, “We’re gonna get him out, move him around. Conditioning will come into play. Hasn’t practiced football in a while, so we’ll see how he feels, but I think he’s getting close.

I know …

That the Cardinals’ offensive futility in the first quarter has to end at some point. Doesn’it it?

If we’ve heard it once, we’ve heard it who knows how many times that the Cardinals are the only NFL team without a point in the first quarter.

Only two other teams, New England with nine and Carolina with seven, have scored fewer than 10. The Patriots have allowed only 10. There are 12 teams that have scored from 10-19, 10 from 20-29, five from 30-39 and two with 40 or more.

The last time the Cardinals scored an offensive touchdown in the first quarter was in Game 15 last season against the Colts on Christmas Day.

It’s also important to note that while the Cardinals’ defense has improved, the 38 points allowed is also the most in the league. Only three other teams have allowed 30 or more.

The Cardinals have also been outscored 42-26 in the second quarter for an 80-26 count at halftime. In the third quarter it’s 27-17 against, but in the fourth quarter and overtime, the Cardinals hold a 62-16 lead.

In the first quarter, the most yards the offense gained was 50 against Kansas City in Week 1. After that, it was 19 against Las Vegas, 26 against the Rams, 45 against the Panthers and 47 against the Eagles.

Overall, the offense has run 53 plays for 187 yards (3.53 per play) and managed 10 first downs. Four of those were against the Eagles. Their opponents have combined for 38 first downs in the first quarter. In the other 15 quarters, the Cardinals have 102 first downs to 65 for their opponents. They also have run 308 plays (20.5 average) for 1,574 yards (104.9 average) after the first quarter including overtime against the Raiders.

Finally, the Cardinals are a combined 3-for-11 on third downs in the first quarter.

In perspective, it is important to note that the NFL is as competitive as it’s ever been. Back in the day, it was referred to as Pete’s Parity, in honor of former commissioner Pete Rozelle.

The reality is that the difference in talent from team to team is razor thin and is unduly affected by injuries that always have a major impact. Quarterback play is surely a major differentiator between teams.

In Week 5, there were 11 games decided by one score and five by three points or less. For the season, after 80 games, 62 have been one-score games in the fourth quarter, the most ever after five weeks.

Also the most ever are the 49 one-score games and 39 decided by six points or fewer. The 28 games with margins of three points or less is tied with 1999 for the most.

Three of the Cardinals games have been decided by one score and they are 1-2.

The Cardinals are one of 11 teams in the NFL and six in the NFC that are 2-3. The Eagles are the only 5-0 team. There are eight teams in the NFL and three in the NFC at 3-2. Five teams that include three in the NFC are 4-1. There is one team (Indianapolis) in the AFC at 2-2-1 and one AFC team (Houston) 1-3-1. Finally, there are five teams including three in the NFC that are 1-4.

In the NFC West, the 49ers are 3-2 and the other three teams are 2-3. Which means, everything is wide open with 12 games remaining.

The quotebook

Kingsbury on if he’s ever thought about switching up the routine during home weeks to resemble road games: “Yesterday (thanks to the Eagles fans in attendance) was about as close to a road game as you can get, so that didn’t work. We can scratch that off the list.”

Keim on the first-quarter issues, “When we’re jumping offside, or we have receivers running routes that are too shallow, or the wrong routes, or the ball’s snapped over Kyler’s head. That’s just inexcusable football. It’s Bad News Bears stuff. We have to clean that up.”

Don’t hesitate to comment or ask questions on Twitter @hbalzer721 or email me: howard@gophnx.com