Sunday could be emotional for Arizona Cardinals' Zach Ertz as he faces former team the Philadelphia Eagles

It’s almost a year to the day that in his eighth season with the Philadelphia Eagles, tight end Zach Ertz was suddenly traded to the Cardinals.

Sunday, just six days short of the anniversary of the Oct. 15 deal, Ertz will be facing his former teammates for the first time when the undefeated Eagles visit State Farm Stadium.

Surely, it could be an emotional afternoon.

“I don’t think the emotion has hit me,” Ertz said Thursday. “It’s been a lot of just viewing them as the next opponent. I’ve got a lot of good relationships still back there. Lane Johnson, Jason Kelce, Fletch (Fletcher Cox), BG (Brandon Graham). Played a lot of football together, eight-plus years together, so when you’re with people that long it becomes more than just football. It becomes more caring about them and their families. From that perspective, it’s going to be good to see those guys. But on the field, it’s going to be me vs. their defense; it’s not going to be Zach vs. the Eagles.”

Ertz did have a message to Cardinals fans when he was asked if he’s glad the game will be in Arizona.

He said, “No, there’s going to be a lot of Philly fans; I know that. Hopefully the Cardinals (fans) don’t sell their tickets or anything like that to those guys. But it doesn’t matter where the game is. It could be played in a parking lot and I’d be looking forward to the game either way.”

Coach Kliff Kingsbury knows what Ertz has meant to the Cardinals and that he will be motivated Sunday.

“He’s been tremendous,” Kingsbury said. “One of the most cerebral players I’ve been around. Just his understanding of each and every concept, what everybody has to do , why we’re running it, what it’s trying to attack and where the ball’s going. What he’s brought from a work ethic and leadership standpoint into this locker room can’t be overstated.

“He takes a lot of pride in his route-running and he’s an Eagles legend. He caught the game-winning touchdown in the Super Bowl, so he has a lot of love and pride for that organization; you can tell. He’ll want to play well. He’s been fantastic since he’s been here. I think he’s going to have a really productive season as this thing goes on and he’ll definitely be fired up Sunday.”

Kingsbury said he isn’t concerned that Ertz will be too amped up for the game.

“I think if anything, with the focus and intensity of practice all week, he’ll help lift other guys up,” the head coach explained. “He’s been doing this a long time, won a Super Bowl, so he’s been in big games and I don’t think it’ll be any sort of issue. I just know that you’ll feel his intensity throughout the week.”

Quarterback Kyler Murray was asked if Ertz might ask for some extra targets Sunday.

“Nah. I actually thought about that. It’d probably be a little weird for him maybe. I don’t know. He had such a great career there,” the quarterback shared. “To go against them for the first time since being traded, he’ll probably have some emotions, I’m sure. He’s an emotional guy, but I’m sure he’s looking forward to playing them.”

However, Murray threw some shade Ertz’s way when asked about him being emotional on the field.

“I wouldn’t say emotional,” Murray said. “Tight ends just want the ball a lot. They get sensitive if they don’t get the ball. You can watch him on Sundays. If he’s open and he doesn’t get the ball, he’s throwing his arms down doing theatrics and stuff like that, but he has a good reason. Most of the time he’s open so that’s fine. I’m good with it.”

When told about Murray’s comments, Ertz smiled and said, “I just kinda give him a look. See me, I’ll be there.”

He then added, “I know he has so many things going on back there, so many things that are way out of my thought process. I’m just focused on my singular job. He’s got to worry about 10 other guys, so no matter what decision he makes, I’m never going to be the guy that’s chirping relentlessly at him. I just try and get open the best I can.”

As for getting open, Ertz didn’t deny that he gets open a lot.

“I try,” he said. “I feel if my body’s in front of the DB I’m always open. But I put a lot of time and work into my route-running. I feel like it’s a point of emphasis for me to work on my feet consistently. I feel like no one really runs routes like me. So I just try and go out there and get open and do my best and if the ball comes, great. If it doesn’t, great.

“There were times when I was younger, I’d get frustrated if I had separation and I wasn’t getting the ball. But I just came up with a mantra that I was going to put wins on tape. It didn’t matter if I was going to get the ball or not; the quarterbacks will eventually see it. We got a lot of good playmakers on this team, so I don’t need to get the ball 150 targets a year. I just need to do my job every play.”

Murray is effusive in his praise for what Ertz means to the offense.

“Literally most of the time, he’s always open,” he said. “Even if he’s not open, he’s good at being friendly to the quarterback. He’s a savvy vet, a safety blanket; all those things. I’ve never had that. Playing with him is definitely showing me that the tight end is very important for a young quarterback and any quarterback really.”

Ertz is equally appreciative of having Murray as his quarterback.

“When I was figuring out where I might get traded, Kyler was a guy I was eager to play with if that was a possibility that presented itself,” he said. “You see the ridiculous plays, but this is a guy that can make all the throws from the pocket. He can extend plays with his legs, he can turn plays that really should have no shot at being successful like the 2-point plays against the Raiders or the fourth-down plays that week and give us an opportunity to win no matter what the situation we’re up against. So it’s a lot of fun playing with a guy like him.

“He’s super, super smart; super, super cerebral. We see the game extremely similarly. I tell people all the time: It doesn’t matter how I view things when I run routes; it’s all about does the quarterback see it the same way and is the timing going to match up to his drop. Because if I do my own thing and he’s not expecting it, it doesn’t matter how open I am. So I just try to get as open as I can where he wants me to be and I feel like I’ve done that for a long time.”

Ertz receives equal admiration and respect from Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, who was with Ertz only in 2021 until the trade. But he saw how Ertz tirelessly worked at his craft on a daily basis and how that work ethic helped Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert, who is now in his fifth season.

“Zach is a really classy guy,” Sirianni said. “My memories of Zach is the hard work he put in every single day to be at his best. I thought that you saw that every day at practice. You saw that every day at a game; that he worked his butt off to maximize his potential. Obviously, he’s still playing at a very high level.

“When guys work like that, that’s contagious and other guys see it, and obviously Dallas was able to see that. I was only with the two of them for about five months, but I know that Dallas obviously saw the great playmaking ability that Zach has made in the past and how Zach’s an all-time Eagle, and I think Dallas saw the way Zach worked. I’m sure he still works his butt off, and that’s why he’s still playing at a high level.”

Joseph not concerned about sacks

The Cardinals have only four sacks in the first four games of the season and they rank last in the NFL in sacks per pass play.

However, defensive coordinator Vance Joseph says he doesn’t care.

If fact, he chuckled when asked Thursday how the sack total could improve. He repeated the question, saying, “How do we improve sack numbers?” and was adamant in what he said next.

“That’s not important. It’s not,” he claimed. “Obviously, sacks over the years have led to defenses having success, but it’s about winning the game. I think our win rate as far as rushing has been high. The history of our system; people don’t hold the ball. The ball’s out fast. Sacks aren’t concerning.

“One number concerns me and that’s winning the football game. And that comes down to playing good solid football and winning third downs and winning red zone and not giving up big plays. If sacks fall in there, I’ll take ‘em, but outside of that, that doesn’t bother me at all.”

Might Hamilton not be activated?

Cornerback Antonio Hamilton is back practicing this week and is eligible to be activated from reserve/injured. However, reading between the lines, it sounds as if it might not happen his week.

Joseph likes how Marco Wilson is producing and believes Trayvon Mullen Jr. is progressing after playing 18 snaps (35 percent) against Carolina in what were his first defensive plays of the season.

When asked about Hamilton, Joseph first said, “Hopefully, he’s ready to go.”

He then followed that by saying, “Obviously, he’s been out for a month now. It takes time to get your timing back and obviously getting your wind back to play football. We’ll be patient there. Marco’s playing food football. Trayvon’s coming along fast, so we’ve got time to get him back and make sure he’s right to play.”

There was also similar patience shown with Mullen, who was acquired in a trade from the Raiders on Aug. 30.

Joseph said, “Trayvon was solid. He’s been solid in practice. He’s obviously coming along. As far as the scheme, it’s concerning, but he’s a tall guy who can make plays. He’s very smart, works hard. With time, he should get better for us. But I was pleased last week.”

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