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I was back out at University of Phoenix Stadium on Friday afternoon to cover the afternoon practice the Arizona Cardinals held. They had a couple of roster changes, with kicker Danny Hrapmann and tackle Corey Brandon being released earlier in the day, while tackle Max Starks and linebacker Derrell Johnson were added. Starks was suited up and practiced with the second team.
What happened?
1. There were some absences. Receiver John Brown sat out with a sore hamstring. It was initially thought to be a cramp, but he was still sore today. He might return Saturday. Dan Williams returned and was padded up, but he did not practice in any drills that I saw. He might have done position drills. Darnell Dockett also didn't practice. There was no word as to why. He was in shorts and was not in pads.
What that meant is that there was a different look on the defensive line. There were some four-man looks, with Calais Campbell, undrafted rookie Bruce Gaston, fifth round pick Ed Stinson and veteran Frostee Rucker. In some sub packages, it was Campbell, Rucker and third round pick Kareem Martin.
Justin Bethel played a lot, as Antonio Cromartie is recovering from a pectoral injury.
2. There was a new look on the offensive line for the Cardinals. Part is because of the injury to Lyle Sendlein and part was the addition of Max Starks.
Starks was at right tackle with the "twos" and Bradley Sowell was moved to third team at right tackle. With Ted Larsen now at center, the second team line had two other changes. Earl Watford moved from right guard to left guard and Philip Blake, who had been playing left guard, moved to the right side.
3. What about the kickers? You could say that Jay Feely "won" Friday. He was 5/6 on field goals and made a 33-yard extra point after a touchdown (that's where extra points will be kicked from during the first two weeks of the preseason). He connected from 33, 37, 39, 43 and 46 yards. He missed from 45. Chandler Catanzaro was 4/6 on field goals and hit his 3-yard extra point. He made it from 33, 37, 39 and 45 yards. He missed from 43 and 46 yards.
4. In the two-minute drill, the first team offense failed to score. On their first drive, the defense forced a turnover on downs. On the second drive, Carson Palmer was intercepted by Jerraud Powers on a throw intended for Larry Fitzgerald. It was a good play by Powers.
The second team offense turned the ball over in their first drive. Drew Stanton threw the ball to Rob Housler, and the ball tipped up in the air after it him. It was intercepted by -- I think -- safety Curtis Taylor. in their second drive, Stanton connected with Walt Powell for a long pass and then, on a pass that was deflected by a defender, Jaron Brown caught it and ran in for the score.
5. Jaron Brown also made a great leaping catch on a slightly underthrown ball by Stanton.
6. Rob Housler dropped a couple and also made a really nice catch. Typical Housler.
7. Patrick Peterson and Justin Bethel had interceptions. Bethel did so in one-on-one drills and Peterson in 7-on-7.
8. Logan Thomas showed why the team drafted him. He was able to zip several throws into very small windows perfectly. He also threw a couple of really nice deep balls. He also tossed a screen pass to no one and had a few errant throws.
That will be it for now. I'll have a story on Drew Stanton later as I spoke to him after practice and there are some interviews from the morning I would like to write, but it might not be until tomorrow.
I'll be out tomorrow for the last time. Will you be there for Fan Fest?
