The first-week vibes were real when the Arizona Cardinals reported for what was an extra day of practice before the season opener in Buffalo on Sunday. The energy was elevated.
“Preseason is a little long winded, so it felt good to get out there and it counts,” linebacker Kyzir White said.
Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon liked the energy, but he put a cap on it.
“I actually told them that energy in the building is really good, but we’ve got to focus our energy the right way,” he said. “If you don’t do that then you might not maximize what you need that energy for.”
To that end, Gannon said Monday’s practice would be “a little bit” focused on the Bills, “but not a ton. We’ll save that for Wednesday. Just get back in the lab and you’re working on your own technique and operation and breaking a sweat again. The [players] were off three days so we’ll be smart with it.”
Cardinals name captains
Gannon announced the captains for the 2024 season on Monday. They are quarterback Kyler Murray, running back James Conner, White and safety Budda Baker.
Gannon said the players voted on the captains this season. Last season, he chose the captains. The players will also select game captains on the Saturday before games.
“Every team, every year is kind of a year-to-year deal, but I felt really good about the players picking them this year,” Gannon said when asked about the change in approach. “There’s a lot of good guys in that locker room, and a lot of guys got votes. [There’s] a lot of positive leadership in there with a bunch of different guys so I feel really good about health and the state of where we are as a team.”
Murray, Baker, White and Conner were captains last season in Gannon’s first year as Arizona’s coach. Offensive tackle D.J. Humphries and linebacker Dennis Gardeck were also captains.
White backed Gannon’s assertion that there are plenty of leaders in the room. White even admitted that he voted for defensive lineman Justin Jones and he also views Gardeck as captain material, but he was proud to be thought of as a leader by both his coach and his teammates.
“It feels good to get the respect from your peers,” White said. “I feel like it means you’re doing the right things. I talk when I need to talk. I don’t try to do too much. I really just try to lead by example so it definitely feels good to know that my teammates see me as a captain. It’s something I don’t take lightly.”
Injury updates
Wide receiver and return man Xavier Weaver missed Monday’s practice with what Gannon called “a little bit of nick in his oblique.” Gannon added that Weaver “should be ramping up here as we get going.”
Tight end Tip Reiman was supposed to miss Monday’s practice, per Gannon, but he was out on the field on Monday, warming up on the side during the open portion of practice.
“He’s one of the bumps and bruises guys,” Gannon said. “Just being safe with him; make sure he can practice fully Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and play on Sunday.”
The first official injury report will be released on Wednesday.
Game planning for Josh Allen
Gannon was asked what adjustments a defense has to make for Bills QB Josh Allen’s mobility and elite ability.
“The first thing is you’ve got to be very aware of your rush mechanics because of his ability to extend plays and get out of the pocket,” Gannon said. “Whether you’re [a] three-man, four-man, five-man, six-man or seven-man [rush], you’ve got to be detailed out with who’s doing what, who’s responsible for what, and you’ve got to rush together very well because it does you no good for one guy to win a one-on-one and then [have] him escape through a B gap or an A gap or out the other back door.
“It’s kind of wasting the rush. You’ve got to be coordinated with that. Anytime you’re playing a mobile quarterback, that’s always the first thing that comes to my mind is rush mechanics.”
Quotable
“I see they got us like we gonna be ranked last in the NFL, all that. That’s just motivation for us; fuel to the fire.”
— Kyzir White on the unflattering preseason media predictions for the Cardinals defense.
Top photo of Cardinals linebacker Kyzir White via Getty Images
