Not a great week for the draft class, with injuries cropping up for the guys in the first three rounds. Still, almost a month before games that count. Don't forget to send a question for a future mailbag with at least a first name and last initial. One quick emphasis: Need that name and initial. Don't understand, if you have a question, why someone can't do at least that, or go fake. What are people afraid of?
On to the mailbag.
From Greg H:
"I know there is a long time to go, but jeez I don't like the idea of a lingering ankle sprain for Jeremiyah Love. I may have to panic if he isn't practicing next week."
Well, far be it for me to say whether you should panic or not, Greg. I am assuming this concern is all Cardinals-related and not fantasy football worry, although I am sure there is some of that too around the country.
It looks like it's a high-ankle sprain. That's not great. I thought anyway we had seen the last of Love in preseason games. At this point, you want him ready for the regular season. Will he be? No way for us to know right now. But we are nearly a month away from the first game that counts. He has time to heal.
From Matthew S:
"Is Monti looking to extend Paris Johnson sooner or later? Our right tackle spot seems to be the weakest on our line, and we cannot afford to lose him, which means we will be extending him in most reasonable scenarios. Wouldn't it be smart to do it ASAP before he actually makes a Pro Bowl and/or the market goes up again?"
If I had to guess, Michael Wilson is more pressing at this point than Johnson, given that Johnson is under contract through 2027. But with Johnson specifically, you want to have that left tackle in place for sure. Anytime a deal isn't done yet, it's a risk for both sides. Does the price go up if PJJ makes the Pro Bowl or the market moves? Sure. But if he doesn't make the Pro Bowl, where does he fit on that salary scale? All the other positions are a little different than quarterback, which seems to go up with each contract regardless.
From Patrick C:
"I've noticed a recent trend of players asking Hall of Famers if they can have their retired number. Maybe this is a new thing, maybe I never noticed it, but either way I'm not a fond of the practice. Do you think Larry Fitzgerald is the kind of guy to let a kid have his number in the future? He's mighty generous, but I think that would piss off most fans regardless."
Here's my personal stance with retired numbers. For one, I don't think they should retire numbers unless it is a very specific/select circumstance. Fitz fits. Second, once a number is retired, I think the team should take a role in which, no matter what the player who once wore it says, the retired number cannot be used. Then the pressure is off the player himself to say yes or no.
I understood when J.J. Watt asked the family of Marshall Goldberg to wear No. 99, and it is entirely possible the Goldberg family loved the idea of their loved one back in the headlines. But I didn't think it should've happened. My opinion. And there is no worry about 11 being worn again with the Cardinals. It won't happen.
From Libby Garrison:
"Hi Darren, I noticed during the J.P. Shadrick presser (seems like a good dude) that you got the first question. I've noticed it seems Darren always gets the first question. Why is that? Is there an unwritten rule that Darren gets the first question, or is it just that 'the Cardinals beat writer' gets the first question? Furthermore, as the designated first question guy does the pressure to address the occasional elephant fall on you?"
It isn't for the "Cardinals beat writer." I usually go first -- and most defer to that -- in part because I am the veteran of 27 seasons and also because sometimes, no one wants to go first and it's just easier for me to start things.
As for the elephant situation, it's about what the elephant might be and the vibe in the room whether I would go there first (I asked about Chase Saturday, for instance) or whether it's more of an all-encompassing question to let whomever is behind the mic settle in first.
Just call me the Helen Thomas of the Cardinals press corps. (Google her.)
From Chris Sanderson:
"Darren, you've been covering this team for an eternity, I understand that the modern day NFL is much softer than the old school two-a-day NFL. To your recollection, when was the last time practice resembled a game in terms of physicality? I went down the google rabbit hole trying to find it myself, and found that specifically regarding the 'don't touch QBs in practice' rule, it actually dates back to the 1970s. But everyone else on the team was open season. Also, what's the hardest hit you've ever seen in practice? A little friendly fire that obliterated a guy?"
I mean, an eternity? It's been a long time, but let's not make me immortal. Far from that. That said, once we had the CBA update following the lockout in 2011, the chances of real physical practices all but disappeared. They were already headed that way. No one benefits, really, from teammates beating up on each other before games that count.
That doesn't even include the strides in sports science, which has teams monitoring how many steps each guy gets as to not burn them out, or travel habits (like go in the night before a game regardless of how far/how many time zones the road game might be.) The game evolved, and so did practice.
Korey Stringer's death in 2000 from heat exhaustion in training camp with the Vikings also played a role.
I don't recall any specific practice hit, but I do know that Fitz just told me a story of his first practice where Adrian Wilson laid him out (after Fitz's brief rookie holdout) and the ball wasn't even thrown Fitz's way. Not sure if that's apocryphal, but I'll take Fitz at his word. And Pat Tillman was famous for lighting up teammates in practice and forcing coaches to tell him to chill.
From Garth Short:
"I thought that our head coach did not do a good job, when calling plays, of covering his mouth. As a fan, when I saw him talking a lot, I figured he was calling in a pass play. Is this a concern?"
It isn't for me. My guess is that if you noticed and it could be an issue, someone will broach it with him. The reality is that LaFleur has spent the vast majority of his playcalling life in the booth, so if there are some mechanics to the job when doing it on the sideline, he might need to make sure it's a focus. In the end, though, I do not think it's a big deal.
From Stevie Henderson:
"Was it my imagination, Darren, or did Jeremiyah Love experience a lot of ankle tackles in the Oakland game? Is so, it makes me wonder if his ankle injury, supposedly suffered on his last play, was aggravated by a number of earlier ankle twists. Wasn't there a rule change some years ago to limit low tackles between the knees and ankles to avoid joint injuries?"
I feel confident in saying the Love ankle injury was a one-off just on the final (borderline illegal) takedown. There is no rule about low tackles; there is one for hip-drop tackles in which a player is grabbed around the torso and then the defender goes deadweight, potentially trapping feet and ankles in bad positions.
From Ken Mead:
"Hi Darren, I have a trifecta: comment, question and suggestion. Firstly, heartbroken for Chase Bisontis. He was looking terrific in his preseason reps and showed he has a bright future ahead of him. News said Chase tore his MCL but all else remains intact. That's great news. In medical terms, the MCL gets a lot of blood supply and generally heals extremely well long term. My question/suggestion is why don't NFL OL seem to wear knee cages anymore? I know there are some college teams that require OL to wear them. They protect from exactly the type of injury Chase sustained."
I thought knee cages were mandatory in college these days. Regardless, these guys are pros, and at some point, you have to let them make their own decisions on whether they use some of this stuff. Similar to the guardian caps. Most players aren't going to use them in games, even though it might help.
From Tyler Eby:
"Hi Darren, I'm a longtime Cardinals fan from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. I've followed the team from afar for years, and I'm finally making my first trip out to Arizona for a Cardinals game when they take on the Raiders in January. I wanted to reach out because I've been reading your work on AZCardinals.com for years and am also an avid listener of Cardinals Underground. Since this will be our first time in Arizona, I figured there probably isn't a better person to ask for a little local advice.
I'd love any recommendations for restaurants, bars, or hidden gems that you think are worth checking out, especially places that might not necessarily show up on the typical tourist lists. We'll have a few days to explore, so we'd definitely like to experience a little more of the area than just the stadium."
I am terrible at this sort of thing, to be completely honest. Partly because other than games, I am rarely out to the west side. But Tyler, I shall open it up to the gallery, if they want to shoot me suggestions in the mailbag link above, I will make sure they are posted for the world.
If you are on Twitter, I would also highly suggest you reach out to my man @ClueHeywood, who is a master at making such recommendations. (And I'll say, I never thought Clue would make it into one of my articles. But here we are.)
From Reo Hays:
"Who is No. 31? Saw him sticking some solid tackles in the Hall of Fame game. Williams Jr. Used to play at Ole Miss. Yes, I get that from Google, but does he have a shot?"
That's Wydett Williams Jr., undrafted. I don't see him making the 53-man roster, but could he end up on the practice squad? Absolutely.
From Ray S:
"Do you have any insight into the dynamics of a coaching staff and how much coordination and overlap there is between offensive and defensive coordinator game planning? What I am ultimately getting at, for instance, if the defense design or playcalling for Rallis is lacking, could a LaFleur or staff easily identify where some adjustments could be made?"
Do offensive coaches help the defense by point out things here and there, and vice versa? Absolutely. But there is a reason you have an army of coaches on each side of the ball. There might be one particular thing that could be flagged for change, but generally, no, you're not goin to get what would essentially be defensive gameplanning from offensive coaches, or offense from defense. It's too complex and there is too much to do on each side of the ball for the coaches to worry about their own things.
From Ray Martin:
"Darren, thanks for the insight you gave on my comment about Larry having multiple QBs during his career. Good to know he was content with his career. I read Michael Wilson is an unrestricted free agent after this season. Drafted in 2023. Does this mean the Cardinals will not be able to place a transition tag on him? Any update on Tip Reiman rehab?
Also, cookie dough is not a bad pick for favorite ice cream. Mine is vanilla (vanilla bean not vanilla flavor) but will add chocolate syrup sometimes. DQ soft service is good too."
I'll start with the Tip Reiman question. He's rehabbing, but remains on PUP and I'm not sure how close he might be to returning to practice. We are nearing the time where a decision will have to be made. If he is on PUP to start the regular season, he's out for at least the first month.
As for Wilson, they could use either a franchise or transition tag on him if they do not reach a deal. But the franchise tag for a wide receiver this year was more than $27 million. And that would mean he'd be a free agent against next year. If you are going to give him that, you might as well get a contract done.
From Rolgor:
"Hi Darren. First want to say how happy I was to hear comments were coming back. There are other sites that allow comments but I didn't realize just how much I valued the interactions I have had for years with guys here. Any idea how long till they are back?
"Another question. I feel like we have the makings of a top offense regardless of if Brissett is our QB or Beck can win the job as long as our OL can be at least average. I know it's early days but from what you have observed do you think our OL has improved over last year?"
Quick primer on the comment issue: The league doesn't use that platform anymore. We wanted to keep it. The league changed the base coding on articles so it didn't work anymore. We are trying to find a way to have the coding be automatically available on azcardinals.com when we write a story. We have been trying to find workarounds in the meantime, but we have up until this point run into roadblocks each time.
As for offensive line, they need to stay healthy. Losing Bisontis is no bueno, even if he was going to be the top backup guard. I believe, however, that with health, this offensive line can be solid within the new LaFleur offense.
