Cardinals Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt

Post-Practice Press Conference – Wednesday – 9/8/10

Opening statement:
”Good Wednesday practice. We voted on the captains today. Our defensive captains were Adrian Wilson and Darnell Dockett. Our special teams captains were Jason Wright and Ben Graham. Our offensive captains were Larry Fitzgerald and Lyle Sendlein.”

On what it says about C Lyle Sendlein that he was named as a captain after joining the team as an undrafted free-agent:
“I think guys recognize what he’s done. He’s played a number of games, started a lot of games for us, hasn’t missed anything, played through injury, been consistent (and) is a good young player. I think that’s certainly recognition of that.”

On the status of WR Larry Fitzgerald’s injured knee:
“He is moving along just fine. He is progressing very well. I know he’s ready to play because it’s been tough for him to watch the last few weeks.”

On if it’s more Fitzgerald’s fitness that needs to improve:
“I think that’s probably the biggest thing, his conditioning. You can see that now just from getting out here. He runs a couple of routes and then you can see where he’s a little bit tired, but that will come. Larry has always been one that works very hard at that. He still has a few days to continue to improve in that area. I’m sure he’ll be fine for the game.”

On the status of RB Beanie Wells’ injury:
“Beanie (Wells) didn’t practice today. His knee is still not 100%. We’re just making sure that we’re cautious with that. He’s improving rapidly. We’ll see how the week progresses.”

On the importance of this game being that it’s a divisional road game:
“Anytime it’s a division game it is an important game for you, especially on the road. We’ve tried to become a better road team. We had success with that last year. This is doubly important because it’s a division game on the road and it’s starting out. We know it’s going to be tough. This is a much improved team that we’re facing. There’s going to be a lot of enthusiasm and energy coming out for their first game. We just have to make sure we take care of our business and try to continue with our good play on the road and hopefully get a division win.”

On what makes him confident that the run game will be successful this year:
“I’m confident the run game is going to be effective every season. It just hasn’t been as effective as we’d liked the last couple. I like the way our line has worked together, the chemistry they developed. I like the fact that we got running backs that have been in this system and understand the type of runs that we’re trying to get established. I think also, we have a better feel for what's good, what our guys do well. That’s probably the most important thing as far as trying to incorporate the run. Hopefully we’ll be more efficient running the football and it will help us be a more balanced offense.”

On if he attributes the team’s success on the road last season to leadership, preparation, or the overall mentality:
“I think a little bit is mentality. I definitely think leadership plays a part in it, but if there’s a mindset that you have to have when you get on the road, I think some of that was aided by the fact that nobody expected us to do well in the playoffs. It was kind of an us against the world mentality back in the ’08 season. That made us better. That made us understand how we have to take care of our own business and focus together to go out and beat the odds. That helps you play better on the road and gives you a chance to win. I think that contributed a lot to that.”

On if he’s worried that he may be limited with the running backs with RBs Beanie Wells and Jason Wright recovering from injuries:
“No. We didn’t get to see enough of LaRod (Stephens-Howling) in the preseason. From what little bit I saw of him, I was very excited about it. If Beanie (Wells) and Jason (Wright) aren’t able to go, which I don’t anticipate, then I’m very comfortable with Tim (Hightower) and LaRod. They have both shown me, especially LaRod has shown me some great things in the preseason.”

On if you throw more blitzes against a rookie quarterback like Rams QB Sam Bradford:
“I think we can’t try to do too much. For us, we have to eliminate our mistakes. If you think back to our first preseason game where we were most disappointed was not from the effort standpoint, it was because we made too many mistakes. You have to be careful, especially going into the first game that you try to do too much because you don’t want to get out of position, you don’t want to give up plays. We have to try to find a combination of doing a few things more to try to confuse the young guy, but also not trying to do so much that we confuse ourselves.”

On if you have to expect mistakes from rookies and be somewhat accepting when mistakes happen with young players:
“It’s tough anytime, even veteran players when they make mistakes. Even though I understand what you’re saying as rookies making mistakes and having to live with it. I don’t think you can ever accept that and say it’s okay. I think you’re expectations are these guys, if they’re going to get in the game, if they’re going to play, then they have to be held accountable for those mistakes. You understand it’s going to happen, the logical side of you does, and you know that to some degree that’s part of it. I don’t think you can say, that’s okay, and excuse it because that’s not what our goal is.”

On how excited he is to see the entire offense on the field together for the first time all season:
“I’m excited because even though we have some new faces, I’m excited about the talent that we have and getting a chance to see it gel. It’s a little bit like when you get a new car, you don’t know a lot about it. It’s supposed to do this or it’s supposed to do that, but it’s always fun to get it out on the road and see exactly what it does. By in large, you’re usually pleased with it. Hopefully, that will be the case this weekend.”

On if he could see DE Calais Campbell and WR Early Doucet making drastic improvements like WR Steve Breaston made from 2007 to 2008:
“Absolutely. I think there are a lot of young guys that you can see that. LaRod Stephens-Howling as far as what he can do for us offensively I see a lot of that. Greg Toler, another guy that you maybe you can see that. Rashad Johnson based on what he’s done through training camp. I think there’s a number of young guys that you’re anticipating some positive things from, some contributions, some big time contributions. Hopefully that’s what we’ll see.”

On what the biggest jump that DE Calais Campbell has made this year is:
“I think it’s consistency of his play and that is being low, playing with technique. Calais (Campbell) is such a tall man that a lot of times when he stands up, he has a tendency to get knocked out of there by those offensive lineman. He’s done a much better job of playing with technique. I think he’s very athletic. He has a unique ability to contort his body to get off of blocks or get through small gaps. Staying low, playing with technique is probably where he’s made the biggest jump.”

On what the biggest jump that WR Early Doucet has made this year is:
“I think his offseason kind of mirrored what he did at the end of the season for us. Worked hard, made plays (and) understands what he’s trying to do. I think Early (Doucet) now has just such a better feel for our offense and what his role is in it. He plays so much faster. He’s always been a guy that has good hands, that can make big plays, but he has a lot more confidence now. I think a great indication of that was the Washington Redskins game when he made that tight window catch down the middle of the field. That’s a big time play. It’s a great throw, but those are not always easy catches to make. To see him do that after he did those kinds of things last year just makes you know that there’s a little bit of consistency there, which is a good thing.”

On what he is pleased about after seeing the remodeled defense this preseason:
“I think consistency of play, communication. I see a chemistry with our team that a lot of times our guys aren’t out of position as much as they have been maybe in the past. Not to criticize the way they played in the past. I think it’s more of a function now of our guys having a better feel for each other. There’s a lot more trust about the schemes and what we’re trying to get done as a unit. That’s what I’m most excited about. In competing against them, the offense versus the defense, a lot of times it was tightly contested. There weren’t as many big plays that were given up that maybe had happened before. To me, that’s a good sign of our defense playing the scheme, playing team defense better.”

On the fact that the defense seems modest despite how well they’ve played in the preseason:
“I sense that we’re excited. Our defense is excited about playing but I think we also understand that it doesn’t mean anything until you’ve done it on the field together. Most veteran guys, which we have a few veteran guys, understand that. I think that’s their demeanor. You know, it helps us as a unit be more focused. Be better about being calm. Understanding what we’re trying to do. Playing with maturity. To me, that’s a good sign.”

On what he sees and expects from G Alan Faneca:
“I’ve been very pleased, not just from a leadership standpoint, but from the way he has played. There were a lot of questions early about his pass protection, but it’s funny how that kind of dried up towards the end of camp. Obviously, that improved. That’s what his history has been with me. When it’s time to play, he plays very well. His level of play increases during the entire preseason. I’m excited to see what he does.”

On if he feels that DE Kenny Iwebema is finally healthy and playing up to form after his surgery last year:
“I’m excited about him. He gives us so much. Where he really stood out in the preseason was in his defensive play, but where he really makes a significant contribution for us is in special teams. It was close. He was one of the guys who had a number of votes for captain at that position. I think that’s remarkable for Kenny (Iwebema) from where he has come from. Not many times do you see a defensive end who gets those votes in that area. That’s a great sign for him. I think he has confidence. Obviously, he feels better now after not having just come off the surgery like he did last year.”