Skip to main content
Animated graphic with dark background and information about Chargers @ Cardinals for Monday Night Football
Advertising

Arizona Cardinals Home: The official source of the latest Cardinals headlines, news, videos, photos, tickets, rosters and game day information

D.J. Humphries Ready And Realistic About Padded Practice

Notes: Preparing for 'crowd' noise; Hopkins rests hamstring

Cardinals left tackle D.J. Humphries takes a water break during a recent training camp practice.
Cardinals left tackle D.J. Humphries takes a water break during a recent training camp practice.

The smile crossed the face of D.J. Humphries when asked about the first padded practice of training camp coming this week.

What the Cardinals' left tackle doesn't have is any trepidation about the mass of bodies hitting each other, even in the coronavirus world everyone lives within.

"As a football player, I learned early, you say your prayers in the morning and you accept your fate and whatever comes with it comes with it," Humphries said. "I'm never going to go out and be hesitant, 'I don't want to hit my facemask into this guy because I don't want to get spit on my face.' The moment I do that is the moment I'm in the quarterback's lap.

"I know what comes with this game and I know what the possibilities are with what's going on in the world. I'm cognizant of it when I am off the field or on the sideline, making sure I have my mask on and doing what I am supposed to do. But when you're in those trenches, it's hard to be really worried about someone spitting on you or saliva on you from head-butting the guy."

Coach Kliff Kingsbury said the first padded day will be physical although there won't be any tackling to the ground. The team is only scheduled to be on the field 90 minutes, a shorter practice than what they will have going forward.

"It'll be here quick -- 28 days I think from today we will be in San Francisco," Kingsbury said of the season opener. "We have a lot of making up to do."

GETTING A SENSE OF THE "CROWD" NOISE AT GAMES

Kingsbury had "crowd noise" pumped in to practice Sunday during some of the work, although the coach said what the noise will ultimately sound like during games is a "work in progress."

"Uncharted territory for all of us, those guys at NFL headquarters included," Kingsbury said. "I think there will be some experimentation and it may go on into the season a little bit. But there will be some form of noise and we just want to be prepared for it and practice for it as much as we are able to."

HUMPHRIES AWARE OF FALSE-START ISSUES

Humphries was flagged 13 times last season, tied for sixth-most in the league for any one player. Eight of the flags came during the play, but five were false starts – something Humphries is working to fix.

"That was one of the biggest things I wanted to work on in the offseason was cutting down on the penalties," Humphries said. "Some of my penalties are never going to go away. I'm never going to get to the point where, I'm trying to figure out a way to grab this guy in a safe way, I'm getting to the point where I am trying to make plays. If they throw the flag, they throw the flag. I'm never going to be hesitant.

"Staying onsides is something I can control, and that's the main thing I am focusing on. The pre-snap penalties and self-inflicted penalties."

HOPKINS RESTS HAMSTRING

Wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins didn't practice Sunday, and Kingsbury said it was precautionary because of some left hamstring tightness.

Related Content

Advertising