Friday, September 26 Practice Report
Former St. Louis Rams FB James Hodgins Clears the Way For Emmitt Smith
The Arizona Cardinals held their last practice on Friday at the Cardinals Training Facility before facing the Rams this weekend on the road in St. Louis.
Linebacker Levar Fisher (knee), offensive lineman Leonard Davis (ankle), wide receivers Kevin Kasper (back) and Jason McAddley (hamstring), and defensive linemen Wendell Bryant (ankle) and Kenny King (toe) did not practice.
“He is going to be able to play,” said Head Coach Dave McGinnis of Fisher. “I am going to take Larry Foster on the trip. He’s been practicing better. We’ll see. We might suit up five wide outs, we might have some five receiver sets.”
“It has been really frustrating,” said Foster of his ankle injury. “I targeted this week to come back and I am not quite a 100% but I hope I can go out there on Sunday and be able to contribute. We’ll see how things go.”
From Friends to Foes
Offensive lineman Cameron Spikes and fullback James Hodgins will be facing their former teammates on Sunday. Spikes spent his first three seasons in the NFL with the Rams before playing for the Texans last season, while Hodgins spent the first four years of his career with the Rams before signing with the Cards as an unrestricted free-agent this off-season.
“It is going to be fun,” said Spikes of playing his former team. “Obviously I still have some friends on the team. There were some good times as that was my first team in the league. I am looking really forward to this one, I marked it on the calendar a long time ago. I think it is a big game for me. You always want to play well against your friends, and your ex-employers, you want to play well against them too. I am looking forward to seeing what it is like to play on the opposite sidelines. The atmosphere is always great in that place and the crowd is always a fun crowd so I am really excited about it.”
Unlike Spikes who admittedly marked this game on his calendar, Hodgins has downplayed the significance of his return to St. Louis.
“I am just trying in my mind to think of it as a normal game even though there are going to be emotions and feelings out there,” said Hodgins. “Those guys are my friends, but I am going to do my job and then afterwards I can talk to them and all of that stuff.”
Hodgins did admit that he’ll look forward to the opportunity to take on some of the Rams defenders full speed, although he did confess that more than a few of them probably already know what to expect saying, “I hit some of them the way I wanted to in practice anyway, so some of them already know.”
Hodgins also has the advantage of knowing what to expect from most of their personnel.
“They look a little different on film than last year but I know a lot of what they do and that will probably help me adjust better,” he offered. “I know a lot of the personnel and I think that is the biggest thing as far as advantages go. I feel like when I take a guy on, I pretty much know what he is going to do based off of playing against them the last four years.”
The Cardinals are certainly glad to have a skilled-player like Hodgins on their sidelines this year, and are confident they gained an advantage by swaying him to Arizona.
“He is the best blocking fullback in the league and he’s even more than that,” expressed McGinnis. “He’s a big back that has got athletic ability and that can move. We’ll continue to do some more things with him. Jerry Sullivan knows he’s got an offensive weapon to use. He’s a big plus on this football team. I could not be more pleased in him and his total contribution on this football team.”
“The running backs love him,” added quarterback Jeff Blake. “He’s a great run blocker and he can catch the ball too and I think we’ll start utilizing him more in play action like you saw on Sunday. He’s great in there in the backfield. I like having all the blockers I can have.”
No one has more to gain from Hodgins arrival in Arizona than Cards running back Emmitt Smith.
“I think Hodgins has a big impact on our offense,” observed Smith. “He’s a great blocking fullback. He does some of the little things to make some of the bigger things happen. He’s a hard worker and his attitude is perfect.”
To watch video of Marcel Shipp and James Hodgins "Foes to Friends,"Click Here!
Something to prove…
Wide receiver Bryan Gilmore will play on Sunday after sitting out the last two weeks with a sprained MCL.
“It feels good to get back out there,” said Gilmore. “I have to get my technique back down and get my body back in shape. I am real close to 100%. I can cut and I can run and do everything it takes to be a receiver. You can talk about it all day, but I am really focused on getting out there and just proving myself right now.”
Eating up the clock
“It is very important, even more so with an offense that is as explosive as the Rams,” said running back Emmitt Smith of being able to eat up the clock. “As you saw last week, we were able to sustain long drives and eat up the clock to keep Green Bay’s offense on the bench. Then when they came out, they had to press some and if we can keep that same spirit and kind of performance going this weekend hopefully we can do the same thing to neutralize some of their explosiveness. That is the goal, to be well balanced.”
“We’ve got to be able to control the football, move the chains, and not turn the ball over,” also said McGinnis. “We’ve got to be able to play good field position with our kicking game and then defensively, we are going to have to take advantage of field position. Also if our offense will keep the ball, I think we are 3rd or 4th in the league right now in times of possession. That is our game. That is the game we have to play with this football team and we have to continue to perfect it and improve on it.”
Special Guests
Cliff Weston, a senior football player at Valley Christian High School paid a visit to the Cards practice. Weston, a linebacker and running back for the Trojans, suffered fractures to two vertebrae while making an overtime tackle in VCHS’s victory over Sedona Red Rocks High School in the first game of the season. Weston underwent surgery at Barrow’s Neurological Institute the following Monday and is still recovering from his injury.
Cliff Weston poses for a photo with Bill Gramatica
Keegan Herring, a running back at Peoria High School also attended Friday’s practice. Herring was presented with a football plaque for the Cardinals “High School Player-of-the-Week” as a result of his six touchdown, 158-yard rushing performance Thursday night in a victory over North Canyon 48-28. Herring’s five rushing touchdowns featured runs of 44 and 42 yards. His other score came on a 79-yard kick return for a touchdown.
Peoria's Keegan Herring receives an autographed ball from Marcel Shipp and Coach Mac
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Former St. Louis Rams FB James Hodgins Clears the Way For Emmitt Smith
The Arizona Cardinals held their last practice on Friday at the Cardinals Training Facility before facing the Rams this weekend on the road in St. Louis.
Linebacker Levar Fisher (knee), offensive lineman Leonard Davis (ankle), wide receivers Kevin Kasper (back) and Jason McAddley (hamstring), and defensive linemen Wendell Bryant (ankle) and Kenny King (toe) did not practice.
“He is going to be able to play,” said Head Coach Dave McGinnis of Fisher. “I am going to take Larry Foster on the trip. He’s been practicing better. We’ll see. We might suit up five wide outs, we might have some five receiver sets.”
“It has been really frustrating,” said Foster of his ankle injury. “I targeted this week to come back and I am not quite a 100% but I hope I can go out there on Sunday and be able to contribute. We’ll see how things go.”
From Friends to Foes
Offensive lineman Cameron Spikes and fullback James Hodgins will be facing their former teammates on Sunday. Spikes spent his first three seasons in the NFL with the Rams before playing for the Texans last season, while Hodgins spent the first four years of his career with the Rams before signing with the Cards as an unrestricted free-agent this off-season.
“It is going to be fun,” said Spikes of playing his former team. “Obviously I still have some friends on the team. There were some good times as that was my first team in the league. I am looking really forward to this one, I marked it on the calendar a long time ago. I think it is a big game for me. You always want to play well against your friends, and your ex-employers, you want to play well against them too. I am looking forward to seeing what it is like to play on the opposite sidelines. The atmosphere is always great in that place and the crowd is always a fun crowd so I am really excited about it.”
Unlike Spikes who admittedly marked this game on his calendar, Hodgins has downplayed the significance of his return to St. Louis.
“I am just trying in my mind to think of it as a normal game even though there are going to be emotions and feelings out there,” said Hodgins. “Those guys are my friends, but I am going to do my job and then afterwards I can talk to them and all of that stuff.”
Hodgins did admit that he’ll look forward to the opportunity to take on some of the Rams defenders full speed, although he did confess that more than a few of them probably already know what to expect saying, “I hit some of them the way I wanted to in practice anyway, so some of them already know.”
Hodgins also has the advantage of knowing what to expect from most of their personnel.
“They look a little different on film than last year but I know a lot of what they do and that will probably help me adjust better,” he offered. “I know a lot of the personnel and I think that is the biggest thing as far as advantages go. I feel like when I take a guy on, I pretty much know what he is going to do based off of playing against them the last four years.”
The Cardinals are certainly glad to have a skilled-player like Hodgins on their sidelines this year, and are confident they gained an advantage by swaying him to Arizona.
“He is the best blocking fullback in the league and he’s even more than that,” expressed McGinnis. “He’s a big back that has got athletic ability and that can move. We’ll continue to do some more things with him. Jerry Sullivan knows he’s got an offensive weapon to use. He’s a big plus on this football team. I could not be more pleased in him and his total contribution on this football team.”
“The running backs love him,” added quarterback Jeff Blake. “He’s a great run blocker and he can catch the ball too and I think we’ll start utilizing him more in play action like you saw on Sunday. He’s great in there in the backfield. I like having all the blockers I can have.”
No one has more to gain from Hodgins arrival in Arizona than Cards running back Emmitt Smith.
“I think Hodgins has a big impact on our offense,” observed Smith. “He’s a great blocking fullback. He does some of the little things to make some of the bigger things happen. He’s a hard worker and his attitude is perfect.”
To watch video of Marcel Shipp and James Hodgins "Foes to Friends,"Click Here!
Something to prove…
Wide receiver Bryan Gilmore will play on Sunday after sitting out the last two weeks with a sprained MCL.
“It feels good to get back out there,” said Gilmore. “I have to get my technique back down and get my body back in shape. I am real close to 100%. I can cut and I can run and do everything it takes to be a receiver. You can talk about it all day, but I am really focused on getting out there and just proving myself right now.”
Eating up the clock
“It is very important, even more so with an offense that is as explosive as the Rams,” said running back Emmitt Smith of being able to eat up the clock. “As you saw last week, we were able to sustain long drives and eat up the clock to keep Green Bay’s offense on the bench. Then when they came out, they had to press some and if we can keep that same spirit and kind of performance going this weekend hopefully we can do the same thing to neutralize some of their explosiveness. That is the goal, to be well balanced.”
“We’ve got to be able to control the football, move the chains, and not turn the ball over,” also said McGinnis. “We’ve got to be able to play good field position with our kicking game and then defensively, we are going to have to take advantage of field position. Also if our offense will keep the ball, I think we are 3rd or 4th in the league right now in times of possession. That is our game. That is the game we have to play with this football team and we have to continue to perfect it and improve on it.”
Special Guests
Cliff Weston, a senior football player at Valley Christian High School paid a visit to the Cards practice. Weston, a linebacker and running back for the Trojans, suffered fractures to two vertebrae while making an overtime tackle in VCHS’s victory over Sedona Red Rocks High School in the first game of the season. Weston underwent surgery at Barrow’s Neurological Institute the following Monday and is still recovering from his injury.
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Cliff Weston poses for a photo with Bill Gramatica
Keegan Herring, a running back at Peoria High School also attended Friday’s practice. Herring was presented with a football plaque for the Cardinals “High School Player-of-the-Week” as a result of his six touchdown, 158-yard rushing performance Thursday night in a victory over North Canyon 48-28. Herring’s five rushing touchdowns featured runs of 44 and 42 yards. His other score came on a 79-yard kick return for a touchdown.
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Peoria's Keegan Herring receives an autographed ball from Marcel Shipp and Coach Mac
