It’s official, the Arizona Cardinals will be partaking in joint practices in the preseason when they travel to Minnesota in late August
While these joint practices are still a good three months away, actually a little less, I always cringe when I hear that the Arizona Cardinals will be taking part in them. Not that such practices don’t have their benefits, as it gives players a chance to compete against those they are not familiar with in camp. But there is also a dark side to them.
Joint practices are often charged with tension, and it’s not uncommon to see at least one fight breaking out. And it makes you wonder whether players are actually prepping correctly and learning what coaches are trying to teach them, or if they are more interested in trying to outmuscle and get the best of their opponent.
Should the Arizona Cardinals be excited about joint practices?
While the aura of mystery is great surrounding joint sessions, the challenge, especially regarding a young team, is for head coach Jonathan Gannon and Company to keep the players on task of what these practices are intended to accomplish. Hopefully, that will be the case here, but we can all agree that these teams will start taking verbal jabs at one another once the first whistle blows.
Further, the likelihood of injuries also increases thanks to the increased tensions and overall more aggressive play that they bring. That said, I’m not the biggest fan of joint sessions thanks to the sometimes NHL-style of play you see so early in the season.
This article isn’t bashing joint sessions, however, as despite their drawbacks, competing against unfamiliar faces and different styles of play can only help a young team like the Arizona Cardinals. So while joint sessions are more than cringe-worthy, they also hold immense value.
Let’s just hope the Cards get through the sessions with Minnesota without serious incident. If that’s the case, then the team will benefit.
Source: Vikings hosting joint practices with Cardinals ahead of preseason matchup by Tyler Drake, ArizonaSports.com