Calais Campbell will play in the 263rd game of his NFL career Sunday against Carolina, remaining atop the active player list. Playing in his 262nd game Sunday, against the Cardinals, will be Panthers long snapper J.J. Jansen.
"It's pretty cool to kind of still be doing it and from afar, our careers are sort of mirroring each other, at least in terms of games," Jansen said in an interview with Panthers.com.
"You realize like the guys that get to play into their late 30s like me, like Calais, like Aaron Rodgers, Marcedes Lewis, like there's these guys that are out there that are doing it and you just have all the more respect when it's not a quarterback or a kicker or a snapper because of the physical toll."
Campbell and Jansen, who is from Arizona and attended Phoenix Brophy Prep, both entered the NFL in 2008. Jansen lost his rookie season to injury, but since then, his position has allowed him to stay on the field. Campbell has only missed 15 games in his career, remarkable for a guy playing in the trenches.
"He has a big advantage," Campbell said with a smile. "The fact it's even interesting is interesting."
Campbell said he doesn't focus on the games played list, although he knew he was at 262 coming into this game. (He will tie Larry Fitzgerald with 263 games played, a nice coincidence.)
"That's cool. Someone sent to me that I have the most starts of all active players, and that's cool too. My family and friends usually keep me informed for the most part. You don't really pay attention to it. I'm just out here trying to play the game I love."
Assuming health, Jansen will tie Campbell when the Cardinals have their Week 8 bye, although Campbell would retake the lead when the Panthers have a Week 14 bye. Again, assuming both play every game.
The two have interacted a few times over the years with their work within the NFL Players Association. And there is one other bond. Jansen obviously makes his living on special teams, and Campbell has always played on special teams, including now – he played five special teams snaps in New Orleans, all on XP/FG block.
"I was great on special teams," Campbell said, and he does have nine blocked field goals in his career.
"A lot of these times you lose track of guys and they become sort of nameless, faceless, you know, images on a screen," Jansen said. "But I was very aware my early years of career playing in Arizona, like you had to know where Calais Campbell was on field-goal block."
"No disrespect to any kicker or snapper or quarterback," Jansen added, "but the physical demands are just so different, and that's why I have so much respect for Calais."
-- It is rare for Jonathan Gannon to talk much about the past but he did a little about last year's crushing loss in Carolina (more on that Saturday in a Zach Gershman story). Bottom line, the Cardinals know they need to get this one against the Panthers. They are home, they presumably have the better team, and these are the games you've got to get. My first thought: The Jaguars ran well against the Panthers last week and James Conner was on his way to a monster game last year in Carolina before he got hurt. Conner had limited success last week. I think he changes that in Week 2.
-- With blocking tight end Tip Reiman (foot) out, it'll be interesting to see how that might impact the gameplan. Fourth tight end Travis Vokolek is a blocker first like Reiman, but could the Cardinals lean more on Elijah Higgins more often in two tight-end sets?
-- Rookie cornerback Will Johnson, coming off an impressive debut against the Saints, said he became close with Panthers rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan when the two trained at EXOS in Phoenix before the draft. Not that Johnson is going to be traveling with McMillian, but it will be fun to see the two tangle on pass plays.
-- Johnson had a good first game and so did fellow cornerback Max Melton for that matter. The back end was solid, although DC Nick Rallis wants some turnovers. The Cardinals would like to force Panthers QB Bryce Young to oblige.
"It wasn't a perfect performance last week," cornerbacks coach Ryan Smith said. "That's what we talk about in the cornerback room, consistency. We've got talent. Can we be consistent with that?"
On Johnson, "Playing corner, you can't read your own press clippings. The next week, you don't know what can happen."
(Props to Smith with the mention of press clippings, now that we have moved pretty much beyond any actual press clippings existing in this digital world.)
-- Safety Jalen Thompson got more credit as the week went on for his work in the important end zone pass breakup at the end of the Saints game. He and fellow safety Budda Baker worked the play to perfection even as the Saints did a nice job to nearly score. Good offense, better defense.
"It's a chemistry thing," Thompson said. "Me and Budda have been playing together for seven years. It's kind of natural now."
I'll admit … it's been seven years for those two already?
-- The spotlight is going to be on pass rusher Josh Sweat all season. But he did have four pressures against the Saints – three that were called "quick" pressures of less than 2.5 seconds – and now he'll have to deal with the mobile Young.
-- Kyler Murray will play his fifth game against the Panthers, more than any opponent that isn't in the NFC West and a lot for a guy who is only in Year 7.
-- Marvin Harrison Jr. not only had five catches for 71 yards in the opener, but the only miss was that much-talked-about near-explosive off the Cardinals’ own 3-yard line. Eventually, there will be plenty of games in which Harrison gets more than six targets, but 5-of-6, an 83 percent connection rate between he and Murray, is a marked improvement (one game sample size, yes but still) from the 53 percent they were at last season.
-- Rubber, meet road. The Panthers, yes, have beaten the Cardinals seven of their last eight meetings, including the postseason. The Cardinals are also 12-6-1 all-time at home openers in their current building. One of those was a win over the Panthers in 2011.
-- There seems to be a lot of chatter often about the Cardinals offense and their lack of aggression on third-and-long. And to be fair, third-and-10 or more was a problem for the Cardinals last season, going 5 for 44.
In such situations last season Murray completed 16 of 23 passes but only picked up four first downs in 17 games. Against the Saints in Week 1, Murray completed 4-of-5 passes on third-and-10 or more, but more importantly, picked up three first downs.
-- The last word belongs to Gannon.
"We need to take a jump this week. … We have to do a better job. The rust is kind of off now. Let's get going."
See you Sunday.
