Unser Chat » Facing the final two games of a very bad sea

TEMPE Jordan Hicks Jersey 2019 , Ariz. (AP) —son, the Arizona Cardinals are saying all the right things.No one is giving up, they say, the effort is still there.“We’ve just been decimated by injuries, and our guys are fighting their butts off,” rookie quarterback Josh Rosen said after Wednesday’s practice. “You can’t really pick your circumstance, so you’ve just got to do the best with what we’ve all got. We’re all working hard. … Effort and commitment, that’s not even close to being a question for this team. We’ve got a really good group of guys.”There were suggestions from outside the organization that Rosen, who had had a tough time operating behind the ever-changing cast of characters on the injury-plagued offensive line, should sit the final two weeks of the season rather than take such a beating.Coach Steve Wilks adamantly said he was sticking with Rosen and the young quarterback balked at the idea of sitting out those last two games — Sunday at home against the Los Angeles Rams and the following week at Seattle.“I don’t really want to speak more on that because I want to play,” Rosen said. “I couldn’t make it any more clear. I would be very frustrated if they didn’t play me, but those are decisions above me. I’m glad, at least Black Terrell Suggs Jersey , from practice today, I’m playing. I’m very grateful for that. I would be very frustrated, but it’s out of my control.”Wilks benched Rosen in favor of backup Mike Glennon late in Sunday’s 40-14 blowout loss at Atlanta.Defensive lineman Corey Peters, in his ninth NFL season, said it’s a matter of pride now for the Cardinals.“This group of men, we really care about each other,” he said. “There’s a lot of pride in this room, so we’re not going to lay down for anybody.”If the Cardinals lose their final two games, their 3-13 record will match their worst since the franchise moved from St. Louis in 1988. It’s led to widespread speculation about whether Wilks will be let go after just one season as head coach.Wilks agreed with Rosen that the effort is still there, though. Both of them pointed to Larry Fitzgerald running over a would-be tackler after a catch late in the Atlanta loss.“Guys are still competing,” Wilks said. “You look at that last part of the game, regardless of the score on both sides, the defense getting an opportunity twice to get off the field Terrell Suggs Jersey 2019 , and the way the offense finished, particularly with Larry. Fifteen years (in the NFL), and the way that he performed in that last drive was outstanding. It’s just indicative of who we are and the character in that locker room.”Character hasn’t been enough for a team that has eight double-digit losses, four of them by 20 points or more. But Rosen said the team has done “a pretty good job” of rebounding from losses, even if it doesn’t show up on the scoreboard.“I know we’re not really bouncing off losses with resounding blowouts,” he said, “but I think we come back on Wednesdays like this and Monday reviewing the film, and guys still have energy. We’re still motivated and still working hard because with a lot of young guys on the team and so many rookies, guys are just excited to play in the NFL and are battling their butts off to keep a spot on the team.”The Cardinals are two-touchdown underdogs at home against the Rams.Notes: Arizona claimed WR Pharoh Cooper off waivers from the Rams. Cooper was a Pro Bowl selection as a kick return specialist last season. In addition to his kick and punt returns, Cooper has 25 career receptions for 190 yards over three seasons. … CB Patrick Peterson was Arizona’s only Pro Bowl selection. He’s made it each of his eight seasons in the NFL. I’ll admit, it was definitely a weird thing for me to be listening to Bruce Arians give his honest opinion of the Arizona Cardinals while the game was live instead of screaming at his players from the sideline. But with BA gone and now a member of the CBS Sports crew, Arians’ role did a reversal this past Sunday when the Cardinals visited the Kansas City Chiefs for what many thought would be a complete blowout. It ended up being a relatively competitive game and Arians was there to analyze and break it down for the viewers. So this week, I wanted to do something a bit different and analyze the analysis that Bruce Arians gave from the broadcast booth. One thing that I thought may have come up was how the coaching staff that is now in place for the Cardinals is one that does not have any direct ties to Arians Marcus Gilbert Jersey 2019 , outside of new offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich. Arians was definitely complimentary of Leftwich, stating that he knows “how to use David Johnson” for example, which was as much a compliment to Leftwich as it was a slight towards Mike McCoy. But for the most part, he was also complementary and gave high praise to the rest of the staff as well. In the 4th quarter, for example, defensive coordinator Al Holcomb drew up a great blitz that saw the play end with a Josh Bynes sack on Patrick Mahomes. Arians raved about how good of a call it was (we all know how much BA loves to blitz) by Holcomb. In terms of players, Arians showed a little bias towards some of his former guys, but it wasn’t overwhelming, in my eyes. Larry Fitzgerald, for example, was labeled as a “no doubt” Hall of Famer by Arians (which we already knew), but was later criticized by his former coach in the 3rd quarter when he didn’t run a route past the first down line, which caused him to be tackled short of the sticks and resulted in a punt. BA was never shy to criticize even the biggest of stars like Fitz when he was here and that didn’t change on Sunday either. It was nice to hear Arians confirm some things that we already knew as well. He is obviously a big fan of Josh Rosen and had him as the most NFL ready quarterback coming out of the draft. Arians mentioned that there’s no way anyone can question Rosen’s toughness after the beating he kept getting back up from on Sunday. Arians also mentioned that if the Cardinals want to set Rosen up for success Black Marcus Gilbert Jersey , they are going to need to work on that offensive line. Again, this is something that anyone with eyes already knew, but it was nice to hear BA acknowledge. When he was a coach, it’s something that he may have glossed over or sugarcoated a bit. The only thing I would have liked is for Arians to have actually talked a bit more. His analysis was often brief and in short sentences. I, like many other Cardinals fans, really value the opinion he has, especially of his former team. Now that he isn’t being paid by the Cards, I wanted to hear a bit more raw emotion from him. Overall, he did exactly what he said he would do, which was to call the game like he saw it. He was not overly critical of the Cards, nor was he a cheerleader disguised as a broadcaster. He was even-keeled and I definitely look forward to him calling another Cardinals game in the future.