Cards DL Robert Nkemdiche impresses in pads

The Cardinals spent their first two days of training camp in helmets and shorts. Second-year defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche looks so big and bad, it almost made you think he was wearing full pads when you watched him practice.

Nkemdiche hasn’t disappointed during the team’s first day in full pads. He’s been getting constant pressures into the backfield no matter who he has lined up against so far on Monday. That’s a very encouraging sign considering the Cardinals are counting on him to replace Calais Campbell, who left as a free agent to Jacksonville.

“He has been disruptive,” coach Bruce Arians said.

Here’s the deal with Nkemdiche, according to Arians: He never had to work hard enough. Nkemdiche, he said, was so blessed with talent and raw athletic ability, that he didn’t spend enough time honing his craft and learning the nuances of the game. As a result, it set him back last season as a rookie when he fell behind in film study, classroom work and practices.

Nkemdiche only appeared in five games and finished with just three tackles on the year.

“He just had to learn what pro football is all about,” Arians said. “When you’re the No.1 high school recruit in the country and you kicked everybody’s ass in high school, and you did it in college, you just showed up and did it.

“That doesn’t work here, especially when you’ve got guys that have children and are paying bill. This is a whole different level here. … Guys that were highly recruited sometimes have such an entitlement that it doesn’t work here.”

To be fair, Arians insists Nkemdiche has been making big strides and is doing everything he’s been asked. His study habits have improved and it’s looking more and more like he will be the fearsome starter up front the team had hoped he always would be.

Oh, and by the way, Nkemdiche may never have the same type of career that Campbell has had. But that’s OK. He resembles another former Cardinals player far better. Remember Darnell Dockett? Nkemdiche even wears Dockett’s old jersey number – 90.

Mathieu knows pressure is on

Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said a couple of profound things about safety Tyrann Mathieu on Monday.

“The one thing I’ve never had to worry about him is his focus,” Arians said. “Especially when he’s in our locker room or out there on that field. And I don’t have to worry about him off the field anymore, either.”

Both comments resonate as to just how far the Honey Badger has come since his college days at Louisiana State and making an even bigger name for himself in the NFL. The fact Arians is no longer concerned about Mathieu’s past addiction problems speaks volumes in terms of far Mathieu has come in five short years.

But given Mathieu’s injury history and his inability to finish an entire season, Arians’ kind words also included a challenge. And the coach didn’t sugarcoat the message.

“It’s a big year for Ty,” Arians said. “He’s got to stay healthy and get back to being the player we all recognize.”

Mathieu played in a career-low 10 games last season, finishing with a career-low 36 tackles. A shoulder injury was mostly to blame this time. Previously, it was a pair of torn knee ligaments that needed major constructive surgery.

“I guess I’m becoming a patient guy,” he said.

Physically, Mathieu said he is perfectly fine. But it’s early in camp and the vast majority of the team will tell you that. It’s where Mathieu goes from here that everyone will be watching and waiting to know.

“I feel good,” he said. “Just easing back into it, working back into it. Just gaining that confidence back, which is extremely important for me. Obviously, it’s a real important camp for me. Expectations are high for myself, so really I’m just going to take this time to work on fundamentals and like I said, get that confidence back.”

It’s getting closer with every yard the Badger gets closer to the line of scrimmage. Yes, he’s been lining up more frequently in blitz packages and if the first few days of camp are any indication, it looks obvious that the Cardinals are ready to unleash Mathieu into opponents’ backfields to get after the quarterback and cause his usual amount of disruption.

“It’s exciting,” Mathieu said. “Obviously getting back to blitzing, being back in the box. … I think it plays a big part in me gaining that confidence back as well, so I’m excited about it as well.”

The confidence is almost entirely back.

“It’ll come,” Mathieu said. “Making the plays, all that will come. Just really trying to take this time to work on my fundamentals, work on my technique and work on things that I may have lacked on last season. That’s what training camp is for, so that’s what I’m going to take this time to work on.”

Camping out

Camp confidential: The Cardinals practiced in full pads Monday for the first time in camp and although there was contact, there wasn’t any real tackling. That was by design, as coach Bruce Arians said the hitting will come soon enough. He was plenty anxious for the afternoon practice sessions to begiin, however, saying, “Because it’s finally football. The game is won in the trenches and I want to find out what we have. And not just the veteran guys. I want to see some of these young guys that don’t look good in shorts but they’re damn good football players and this is when you get to evaluate them.” … Arians has previously referred to some of his camps with the Cardinals as “Camp Cupcake” because of the lack of time he has to work with his players. This year’s camp probably won’t be much different, he said. “You practice once a day, you stay in a five-star hotel. That ain’t camp. A (expletive) dorm room and practices twice a day? Now that’s camp.” … Scheduled days off on Monday went to backup quarterback Drew Stanton and wide receiver Jaron Brown. … Arians was asked to give the depth chart of his wide receivers: “I know who No.1 is,” he said, obviously referring to Larry Fitzgerald. “Two, three, four, five and six are working at it every day. It’s really a good competition, as are the last five guys.”

Injury report: Not practicing Monday were CBs Elie Bouka (ankle) and Jumal Rolle (hamstring). ILB Deone Bucannon (ankle) is on the Physically Unable to Perform list. OLB Jarvis Jones (vessel injury in his quad) is on the active/non-football injury list and is considered day-to-day.

Quote: “Throw ’em off the field. And if it’s the wrong guys, I’ll cut ’em. Rank has privilege.” –Arians when asked what he would do if two of his players were to get into a fight during Monday’s practice.

Up next: Practice Tuesday from 2-4:30 p.m. at University of Phoenix Stadium. Gates open at 1:30.

–Bob McManaman

Veteran help on way?

During his daily news conference, Arians touched on the annual tradition of General Manager Steve Keim bringing in a veteran free agent right at the start of camp to help seal a position or two that may be in need of some help.

“We’re always looking,” he said. “Do we need a third this? A fifth that? And finding a veteran player who can come in and knows how to play football that you’re not teaching how to play football at this level. Were always looking for that – the (Dwight) Freeneys, the (John) Abrahams, those types of guys.

“But I like where this team is at and I really like the work ethic they’ve had since February, even before the coaches got involved. They’ve been doing that on their own.”

Though Arians may like the roster at the moment, Keim plans to bring in veteran free-agent cornerback Brandon Flowers for a workout on Wednesday, which is a day off for the Cardinals. Flowers, 31, has played for the Chargers and the Chiefs and missed most of last season with concussion-related issues. He also plans to visit the Patriots.

QB depth chart

On Sunday, Arians raised a few eyebrows when he said Blaine Gabbert is capable of challenging Drew Stanton for the backup job to starting quarterback Carson Palmer. It was the first time the coach implied that Stanton wasn’t his clear-cut, No. 2 man.

Stanton was asked about the comment and handled it with class.

“I’ve got goals for myself that have allowed me to get to the position I’m in now,” he said Monday. “I’m trying to evaluate and get better every year, so that’s what I’ve done. Really at this point, I’m working with Blaine and trying to help him out. I was fortunate to have older guys that took me under their wing and I’ll be a resource for him and (rookie) Trevor (Knight) and anyone else.”

Practicing on a wet field

Early morning showers soaked the field tray before the turf could be rolled inside at University of Phoenix Stadium on Monday, which initially sparked some concerns for e Arians as his team prepared to practice in pads for the first time in training camp.

“I’m a little concerned obviously about the field,” he said, “but hopefully it will dry out and we’ll have a decent surface to practice on and won’t tear it up too bad.”

Would he have to scale back some of the contact if players started sliding around too much?

“No,” Arians said. “We’ve got to play on that field anyway. You better learn how to play on it quick.”

The team had motorized dryers roll up and down the field to suck up most of the wetness and recent reports from the coaching staff indicated the grass looks as though it will hold up well.

RELATED: What to know when you’re heading to Cardinals training camp

What to watch for on Monday

When/Where: Practice Monday from 2-4:30 p.m. at University of Phoenix Stadium. Gates open at 1:30.

The Cardinals will practice in pads for the first time on Monday and the intensity of practice will likely ratchet up significantly. “We’ll see what we’ve got as a football team,” coach Bruce Arians said. Asked which position groups he’s most excited to see in full pads, the coach added, “Every one of those offensive and defensive linemen, for sure. Couple young tight ends, outside ’backers. We’ll see how that goes. Even the running backs in blitz pick-up, see where they’re at. Their technique is usually bad, but the courage factor is the thing we want to see.”

Highlights from Sunday

Quarterback Blaine Gabbert threw a beautiful long pass to wide receiver Aaron Dobson in the afternoon practice. Earlier in the day Arians said he was impressed with how quickly Gabbert had learned the playbook and also intimated there was competition at the backup quarterback spot between Drew Stanton and Gabbert … Rookie safety Budda Baker had a heads-up interception in the afternoon workout but rookie wide receiver Chad Williams, the team’s third-round pick, dropped a pass that hit him right in the hands.

RELATED: Three new Cardinals to watch during training camp

Cardinals have simple plan to keep Palmer healthy

If it’s true that the playoff window is shutting fast on the Cardinals, then it never made more sense than now to rely on Carson Palmer as little as possible until the start of the regular season on Sept. 10 at the Detroit Lions.

Why throw him to the wolves – or the Cowboys, Raiders, Bears, Falcons or Broncos in the preseason, for that matter – when the veteran of 15 NFL seasons clearly doesn’t need the extra work or needless potential to get hurt and therefore possibly derail the entire 2017 season?

Use him very sparingly early, the astute school of thought should be, and entrust the bulk of the prolonged preseason to the three quarterbacks behind him on the depth chart – Drew Stanton, Blaine Gabbert and undrafted rookie free agent Trevor Knight.

That’s exactly what Bruce Arians intends to do. The Cardinals head coach announced on Saturday before the team’s first official workout of training camp that Palmer won’t play at all in the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 3 against the Cowboys in Canton, Ohio. Palmer, he said, also won’t play in the Cardinals’ final preseason game Aug. 31 at the Broncos.

READ THE STORY: Cards plan to keep Palmer safe, healthy by resting him