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The Arizona Cardinals spent a lot of money so that the players could practice indoors with the Arizona heat. The rookies practiced there last weekend. But the whole team was back at OTAs on Tuesday and they were under the sun.
The media asked head coach Bruce Arians about it after practice.
“Too many guys," Arians explained, when asked about practicing in the bubble. "You can’t get in there with 90 guys, you’d get people hurt running into each other. It’s more for September/October when we’re down to 52 and there’s room for all of us. But right now we need the heat to get in shape. We’ve got way too many young guys getting tissue injuries an hour and a half in to practice. That just tells you they’re not in shape. It’s good for them conditioning-wise, mentally to fight the heat.”
The size of the team is an issue. They run two fields right now so that everyone gets enough reps to be evaluated fairly.
Does the team need the heat? No, but it does help them prepare for the long NFL season. Arians does want the team to be the best conditioned team in the division. The first step is to test their mental toughness. If they can fight through the heat of late May, they can also fight fatigue and soreness.
Do you think that it will make a difference later on?
