f you?ve ever seen the movie ?Jaws,? you know what it feels like to hear the words ?Just when you thought it was safe to go in the water ??
Sorry, but Cardinals quarterback Sam Bradford and his surgically-repaired left knee want to get wet Sunday night when Arizona meets the Cowboys here at AT&T Stadium. Bradford knows full well he has to test his knee at some point, and the Cardinals? third game of the preseason schedule is the perfect place to dive in and do it.
If he gets bit, so be it. Bradford is brave enough to wade through the waters and see how he and his knee respond to a fuller plate of action in what amounts to the Cardinals? final dress rehearsal before the team opens the regular season Sept. 9 against the Redskins.
?I think anytime you can get out there and just feel the speed of the game,? Bradford said, asked about the importance of this particular game. ?It?s just hard to really simulate the game speed in practice. After having the injury last year and not playing a ton of football, just feeling bodies in the pocket, feeling people around my legs and being able to move around, that?s really what I?m looking to get out of it and just get comfortable with that feeling.?
It?s got to happen at some point, doesn?t it?
How will Sam Bradford hold up?
So far, the Arizona Cardinals? starting quarterback has been protected and held up well, but the Cardinals have also managed to isolate him from any sort of serious pass rush and danger. They?ve done this by limiting his snaps in passing situations and limiting his play overall. This game is a clear-cut opportunity to give him some real extended time and yet what we?re hearing out of Cardinals? headquarters is that they?ll likely pull Bradford earlier than other starting quarterbacks would in the third preseason game. It?s not a bad idea, but eventually, Bradford is going to have to handle a regular pass rush and get used to taking hits. That just might not come until the season opener on Sept. 9 against the visiting Washington Redskins.
Who grabs the No. 2 and No. 3 wide receiver spots?
That?s really a tricky question. Entering this game, it?s fairly clear that youngsters Christian Kirk and Chad Williams have caught the eyes of the coaching staff as the top two targets behind the venerable Larry Fitzgerald. But veterans such as J.J. Nelson, Greg Little and Brice Butler are still very much in the mix. They each will get a chance to gain some separation like the two younger ones did last week in New Orleans and they?ll have to make their mark in this game to close the gap. Those three are also battling for roster spots, however, which is important to keep in mind. Nelson has an edge because of his sheer speed and with NFL referees acknowledging they?ll be reemphasizing pass-interference penalties this season, a pass-interference call on a long throw is just as important as a 40-yard completion.
