Robert Griffin III on ESPN departure, NFL quarterbacks and more
Robert Griffin III is starting a new chapter in his media career. We talk with the former NFL quarterback about expectations for the upcoming season, and his partnership with Snickers.
Throughout training camp and preseason, Jonathan Gannon would walk into his news conferences and immediately double the room’s energy. Before appearing, he marked his presence with a boisterous greeting, wishing reporters a happy whatever-day it was.
This week began differently at the Cardinals facility in Tempe. A quiet, monotone “Happy Monday.” Then, when Gannon took his seat at the podium, a brief declaration: “All right, Buffalo week.” All business.
“I actually told (the players), the energy in the building’s really good but we’ve gotta focus our energy the right way,” Gannon said. “Because if you don’t do that, you might not maximize what you need that energy for.”
For the Cardinals, game week began with announcing a few important roles. Gannon officially declared the team’s four captains: Kyler Murray, James Conner, Kyzir White and Budda Baker. All four were captains last year, alongside D.J. Humphries and Dennis Gardeck.
Last year, Gannon decided the captains himself. This year, he had the players vote.
“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.
“It definitely feels good to know that my teammates see me as a captain. It’s something I don’t take lightly.”
Gannon also trimmed the overall number of captains from six to four. That leaves room for one or two rotating captains, which the team will decide each Saturday.
“A lot of good guys in that locker room, a lot of guys got votes,” Gannon said. “A lot of positive leadership in there with a bunch of different guys. So I feel really good about … the state of where we are as a team.”
Cardinals enter season mostly healthy
The Cardinals have a handful of players on injured reserve, including three rookies who are designated to return this season: Darius Robinson, Christian Jones and Elijah Jones. The rest of their roster is entering Week 1 at close to full health.
Rookie tight end Tip Reiman missed a few practices last week, but Gannon said Reiman would be ready to go Wednesday, after the players’ off day Tuesday. Reiman was also present at the open portion of practice Monday.
Rookie receiver Xavier Weaver’s status is in more question. The undrafted free agent impressed throughout training camp and earned a spot on the 53-man roster. He played a large role as a return man in preseason, which could be his path to the field in regular-season games.
Now, though, he’s dealing with a minor oblique injury.
“He’s not gonna be out there today,” Gannon said. “But he should be ramping up here as we get going.”
Cardinals preparing for unique Josh Allen challenges
The biggest challenge for the Cardinals this week is, of course, how they’ll fare against Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen. With receiver Stefon Diggs departed to Houston, the Bills lack offensive weapons, but their quarterback mitigates those concerns. Over the past three seasons, Allen added 2,049 rush yards and 28 rushing touchdowns to his formidable passing ability.
During the open portion of Monday’s practice, Gannon spent 20 minutes watching his edge rushers go to work. This week, he believes that group will be key to controlling Allen, whether the Cardinals are rushing three or seven.
“You’ve gotta be detailed out with who’s doing what, who’s responsible for what and you’ve gotta rush together very well,” Gannon said. “Because it does you no good to have one guy win a one-on-one and then he escapes through a B gap or an A gap or out the back door and it’s kind of wasting the rush if the other guys aren’t coordinated with that.
“So any time you’re playing a mobile quarterback, that’s always the first thing that comes to my mind is rush mechanics.”
The Bills also pose a challenge on the other side of the ball. Last year, they didn’t have a defensive coordinator, with head coach Sean McDermott running that operation. Now, Bobby Babich is stepping into that role after two years as linebackers coach.
In Week 1, that’s a problem for an opposing team, which doesn’t have film of what Babich’s defense will look like.
To prepare, Gannon has his coaching staff watching preseason video, but also trying to anticipate what the Bills’ tendencies could be based on Babich’s history as an assistant coach.
Bills’ offensive coordinator Joe Brady took over midway through last season and changed the team’s identity, leaning more on running back James Cook and less on the passing game. Studying those weeks, as well as how Brady has attacked Gannon’s defenses, will be a key part of the Cardinals’ prep.
“(Brady) is really good,” Gannon said. “He knows how to get his guys in spots to make plays for him. So you look at all of it. You look at the preseason, you look at last year and you go back and do deep dives on everybody.”
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Publish date : 2024-09-02 12:03:00
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