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Cardinals Cover 2
Ep. 759 - It's out. The Arizona Cardinals schedule has been released. The who and the where have been known for months, but now we know the order in which the Cardinals will play their 17 regular-season games. Craig Grialou, Dani Sureck and Paul Calvisi have their thoughts, i.e., the tough stretch to begin the season, three straight weeks with a home game, no back-to-back east coast trips, and division matchups in four of the final seven games. Plus, the Cardinals received one primetime game; their bye week is Week 11 – a little earlier than the previous two seasons; and they have five early kickoffs, including three at 10 a.m. There is no international game as well as no game on Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas. So, who's ready for the season?
NOW PLAYING audio Cardinals Cover 2 – Rapid Reaction: 2024 Schedule Released Ep. 759 - It's out. The Arizona Cardinals schedule has been released. The who and the where have been known for months, but now we know the order in which the Cardinals will play their 17 regular-season games. Craig Grialou, Dani Sureck and Paul Calvisi have their thoughts, i.e., the tough stretch to begin the season, three straight weeks with a home game, no back-to-back east coast trips, and division matchups in four of the final seven games. Plus, the Cardinals received one primetime game; their bye week is Week 11 – a little earlier than the previous two seasons; and they have five early kickoffs, including three at 10 a.m. There is no international game as well as no game on Halloween, Thanksgiving or Christmas. So, who's ready for the season?
NOW PLAYING audio Cardinals Cover 2 - Hopping Around With Rabbit, aka Dadrion Taylor-Demerson Ep. 758 - People call him Rabbit, so Rabbit it is. A nickname he earned as a kid, Rabbit – given name Dadrion Taylor-Demerson – was the Cardinals' fourth-round draft pick. He's got a lot of personality which was on full display when he joined Craig Grialou and Dani Sureck following rookie minicamp. Rabbit talked about his name, his position versatility, being teammates with Budda Baker, what he hopes to accomplish in his first season and so much more. It is easy to see why the Cardinals selected the former Texas Tech safety early in Day 3 of the NFL Draft. But before that conversation, Craig and Dani discussed the newest addition to the team, wide receiver Zay Jones. He signed a one-year contract, providing another veteran presence in what is now a very crowded position room.
NOW PLAYING audio Cardinals Cover 2 - Marvin Harrison Jr., Rookies On The Field Ep. 757 - And now the work begins. Rookies arrived on Thursday. They practiced on Friday. Minicamp is underway for the 12-member draft class, three undrafted free agents and one tryout player – welcome former Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. So, how did everyone look in their first on-field work in the NFL? Good question. Craig Grialou and Dani Sureck discuss what they saw; and to be honest, it wasn't much; practice – the portion that was opened to the media – was more of a walk-through. Still, Marvin Harrison Jr. looked good, rocking his No. 18 uniform, and Darius Robinson looked every bit of 6-5, 285. Plus, Kyler Murray and several of his teammates are in Oklahoma, bonding over playoff basketball, Sooners baseball and Murray's on-campus statue.
NOW PLAYING audio Cardinals Cover 2 - Darius Robinson 'Obsessed' With Football, Calls Himself 'A Technician' Reading about and listening to Darius Robinson, it's very clear the man loves the game of football. The second of the Cardinals' two first-round draft picks, Robinson and the rest of the 2024 draft class arrive this week and they will be on the field on Friday for the start of rookie minicamp. Craig Grialou and Zach Gershman discuss where Robinson will play, or at least where he will initially line up along the defensive line. They then hear from Robinson, who joined Grialou and Paul Calvisi following his introductory press conference. Plus, news on what numbers some of these rookies like Robinson and Marvin Harrison Jr., will be wearing and the first roster addition post-draft is a special teams standout who adds depth at linebacker.
NOW PLAYING audio Cardinals Cover 2 - Marvin Harrison Jr. 'Ready' But Knows He Must 'Prove It' Ep. 755 - Expectations are high for Marvin Harrison Jr., but not any higher than the expectations he has for himself. As he told Craig Grialou and Paul Calvisi, when you have the name 'Harrison Jr.' on the back of your uniform, expectations will always be high. Hear the full interview with the Cardinals' first-round draft pick as he joined the guys following his introductory press conference. Harrison Jr. and the rest of the 12-player draft class will be on the field later this week for rookie minicamp. And Harrison Jr. won't be the only new wide receiver in action for the first time. The Cardinals selected Tejhaun Palmer out of Alabama-Birmingham in the sixth round and added Colorado's Xavier Weaver as an undrafted free agent; a pair of intriguing prospects who will be given every opportunity to earn a spot in what is a crowded wide receiver room.
NOW PLAYING audio Cardinals Cover 2 - New Faces Excite Coordinators Ep. 754 - After hearing from both the GM and the head coach, it's now time to hear from the coordinators. Drew Petzing and Nick Rallis, the offensive and defensive coordinators, respectively, addressed the media over the past two days. Their thoughts on not only the 12 draft picks but also the players added in free agency. Craig Grialou and Dani Sureck discuss what stood out; from Rallis' excitement about cornerback Elijah Jones, linebacker Mack Wilson and the veteran leadership in defensive linemen Justin Jones and Bilal Nichols to Petzing looking forward to seeing wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., running back Trey Benson and tight end Tip Reiman on the field to really get a sense of what they can do. Also, some Zaven Collins talk; his fifth-year option was not exercised.
NOW PLAYING audio Cardinals Cover 2 - NFL Draft Grades Ep. 753 - With apologies to the Masters, post-draft grades are "a tradition unlike any other." Which team did well? Which team didn't? Who might be a sleeper pick? Craig Grialou and Zach Gershman react to what the experts are saying about GM Monti Ossenfort's second draft class. Spoiler alert: Monti did very well. The 12 new players won't be on the field for another week - rookie minicamp begins May 10 - so right now everything is a projection. In fact, Zach projects Darius Robinson to begin his pro career as an edge rusher out of the outside linebacker room not the defensive line room. Interesting. Other draft prospects highlighted on the show included offensive lineman Christian Jones (Can he be the team's swing tackle?) and tight end Tip Reiman (Zach shared a funny moment from Reiman's conference call with reporters).
NOW PLAYING audio Cardinals Cover 2 - Draft Day Three Adds Depth, Competition Ep. 752 - Five picks on Saturday. An NFL-high 12 picks over the three days of the 2024 NFL Draft. GM Monti Ossenfort did not mess around. The 12 picks, by the way, were split evenly between offense and defense. So, what do we think? Craig Grialou is joined once again by both Dani Sureck and Paul Calvisi to discuss Day 3 as well as the draft in general. This much is clear, cornerback was prioritized; or so it seemed. One was selected on each day, with Jaden Davis out of Miami hearing his name called with the Cardinals' final pick, 226th overall in the seventh round. Other positions of note addressed on Saturday were safety (Texas Tech's Dadrion Taylor-Emerson), edge rusher (Clemson' Xavier Thomas), offensive tackle (Texas' Christian Jones) and wide receiver (UAB's Tejhaun Palmer).
