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Every year leading up to 2019 B.C. (Before COVID), the Cardinals would typically spend this week preparing for one last preseason game before getting ready for the start of the real thing. It would be a quick turnaround, too, making final roster cuts, scurrying to add players off the waiver wire and building a practice squad between games.
There was barely any time to breathe.
Last year, teams had all kinds of time on their hands when the decision was made to scrap all preseason games due to the pandemic. This year, preseason games returned, but with the advent of a 17-game regular-season schedule, the preseason was reduced from four games to three.
In the case of the Cardinals and the Saints, the preseason was cut to just two games when their exhibition finale Saturday in New Orleans was cancelled due to Hurricane Ida. Coach Kliff Kingsbury had his team participate in a wall-through practice on Sunday at the team’s Tempe training facility and then tried to simulate a normal game week with workouts Monday through Wednesday.
Now, like the rest of the league, the Cardinals enter a strange, four-day break where players aren’t required to be at team headquarters from Thursday through Sunday.
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“This four-day break is going to be new for all of us,” Kingsbury said. “All the NFL teams have to go through it and I’m not sure how we feel about it just yet. I know as a coach, you ramp up and you really don’t want to have four days to kind of ramp back down, but it is what it is, so we’ll deal with it.”
For some Cardinals players, it will be a chance to take a short visit to reunite with family and friends. Others will use the time to rest up a bit before getting back after it on Monday when the team readies itself for the season opener Sept. 12 at the Titans.
There can be a real danger in doing nothing and just sacking out on the couch for four straight days after five to six weeks of heavy conditioning, wide receiver Christian Kirk warned.
“Yeah, Buddy Morris (the Cardinals’ strength and conditioning coach) always uses the example that it’s like running your car through a wall,” Kirk said. “Your body is trained for the days we have here on the schedule and right now it’s all muscle memory so that’s how your body is calculated. If you stop and you do nothing, you really have some negative benefits on your preparation.”
Kirk plans to take one full day to rest and recharge and then resume workouts on his own. Tennessee is humid, he said, so it will be important to try and keep his legs fresh “so when Monday comes around, I’m able to hit the ground running and not worry about any speed bumps.”
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Left tackle D.J. Humphries said he plans on “getting a little sweaty” during his time off.
“You know, just making sure I’m not getting too lackadaisical, too lazy, too much laying around to where I’ve got to pull myself together on Monday,” he said. “I want to feel fiery on Monday, so I think that’s what I’m going to do.
“I don’t see myself taking this like a Cabo vacation. I’m past that and my wife knows I’m past that at this point in the year. We’re locked in at that point. The furthest you’re going to get out of me at this point is Sedona and I don’t think I’m going to Sedona right now.”
Outside linebacker Markus Golden isn’t going to deviate from his regular schedule during the break. He’ll regularly hop on his stationary bike, review the playbook, study film and scout the opposing linemen he’ll be facing in Nashville a week from Sunday. Golden said he will also drop by the team facility.
“A lot of guys, from talking to them, are still going to be here coming in every day so it’s the same thing,” he said. “Not many guys will be leaving, so we’ll still be putting the work in and be able work out and stay in shape and just be ready for Week 1.”
Kingsbury said he and the coaches will work though Friday before taking a couple days off. He planned to address the entire team Wednesday and lecture them on the importance of being smart during this “mini-bye.” That message probably included a friendly, but stern reminder to stay out of trouble. Veteran team leaders likely echoed those sentiments to the troops.
“That conversation definitely will be had,” Kirk said, emphasizing that the Cardinals needed to finish the week off strong in Wednesday’s final practice. “It’s a big day just because it’s easy to skip over and say, ‘I just wanna get to the break. We’ve got one more day’ and guys just trying to get by. We’ve got to emphasize that it’s the most important day because we want to leave on a good note, on a good foot, and leave with a good taste in our mouth coming back in our Game 1 preparation week.”
With COVID-19 still swirling around, Golden said he hoped his teammates will continue to follow all protocols if they decide to leave the state.
“If they want to see their family a little bit before the season starts, I trust the guys we’ve got to be safe,” he said. “With the COVID, of course you’re going to be even more nervous, but I think it’s a good thing as long as you just make sure you take that responsibility.”
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Have an opinion on the Arizona Cardinals? Reach McManaman at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @azbobbymac. Listen to him live on Fox Sports 910-AM every Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 on Calling All Sports with Roc and Manuch.
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