Plauderecke » Hopkins is running inside

Through two games, rookie linebacker ?Isaiah Simmons? has played just 25 snaps on defense -- seven last week -- in part because the Cardinals do have veterans who are doing the job ahead of him on the depth chart. But GM Steve Keim knows the Cards must walk a fine line when it comes to the No. 8 overall pick in the draft.
"We are fortunate enough to limit the snaps to some degree, but the only way for him to get better is to get out there and see things," Keim said Friday during an appearance on the "Doug and Wolf" show on 98.7, Arizona's Sports Station. "Love his attitude, works his tail off, he's in there studying film with Billy Davis and Vance Joseph. I feel like his future is certainly bright."
Among some of the other things Keim spoke about Friday:
Keim said he expects tight end ?Maxx Williams?, on IR with a bad ankle, to return "some point in the middle of the season." Williams had to be out at least three weeks after his IR designation.
The GM is happy with the play of veteran cornerback ?Dre Kirkpatrick?, who wasn't signed until Robert Alford suffered his season-ending pectoral injury. "We were extremely fortunate to be able to pull that off so late in the process," Keim said. Kirkpatrick's history with DC Vance Joseph has helped Kirkpatrick learn quickly what he needed to do.
His big praise of Kyler Murray has been his competitiveness and love of the game, which has been evident since they studied him coming into the draft. Players can grow their game, but loving the game and wanting to compete is inherent. "If they don't bite when they are puppies, they aren't going to bite," Keim said. "I think that's true when it comes to competitiveness."
How does Keim think the Cardinals don't get to full of themselves after a 2-0 start? It probably isn't that hard, in looking what needs to be better -- especially with the need to cut down on penalties. The Cardinals have the second-most penalties in the league (20, Jacksonville has 22) and the second-most penalty yards (199, the Saints have 248.)
Keim said he thinks the Cardinals' special teams units have been a strength, praising coach Jeff Rodgers and noting that the coverage teams have been "exceptional."
His biggest concern? Staying healthy. "We have stayed relatively healthy, but as you have seen early on, for whatever reason, and I can't put my finger on it, a number of teams have lost top players," Keim said. "There are certain players that, let's be honest, are not replaceable. The next man up is a real thing, but at the same time, there are game-changers that are awfully difficult to replace. Unfortunately, Deacon Jones and Brian Urlacher and all those great players that have played the game, are not sitting out, just hanging out waiting to be signed."
After his first two games following Mason Cole's injury, Keim said second-year center ?Lamont Gaillard? has been very good, giving him props with his mental toughness, physical toughness and awareness, the latter of which is important for a center. With Cole still dealing with a hamstring problem, Gaillard figures to play again Sunday.
Keim said the coronavirus and the pandemic has made things more difficult, but as a person who is a "creature of habit," he said it's taken him out of his comfort zone and he's used it as a positive and used it to grow and develop.
"I think it's made us all better as an organization," Keim said.
When DeAndre Hopkins brought up the interception Kyler Murray threw against Washington Sunday, he hadn't even been asked about it specifically. The wide receiver was just asked about what he needed to get better at, and clearly, the pick was on his mind.
"I think the interception that he threw was definitely my fault," Hopkins said. "I ran the wrong route, so the safety wouldn't have been there if it wasn't for me running the wrong route. I definitely hurt my team in that aspect. I definitely have to get better and play better."
This is about an interception, sure. On the play, Hopkins is running inside with Andy Isabella just beyond him, and Washington safety Landon Collins just waited back before jumping up to grab it. Murray clearly thought someone would be there from his own team (and it did look like Murray was very aware of the incoming pass rush).
But this is also about a vet stepping up and taking blame when he didn't need to. Because of the result of the game and the fact the Cards' defense got its own turnover soon after making Murray's pick moot, I'm not sure anyone was even going to bring it up as a question.
Yet Hopkins got specific and accountable.
"As a quarterback -- or a former quarterback -- you definitely appreciate owning that," coach Kliff Kingsbury said. "It shows (DeAndre's) security as a player and what he's accomplished.
"Honestly, it was more a miscommunication rather than a wrong route. It's going to happen as we build that bond with him and work through our signals. I appreciate that, and I know our quarterback does as well. It's just going to get better and better with (Hopkins). He's a guy who is open to learning, who is open to coaching, and he wants to be the best more than anything."
Murray, the last to weigh in on the subject, broke into a big smile when Hopkins' confession was brought up.
"I told him to say that, because he did run the wrong route, but nah, it's all good," Murray said. "That's something we both have to get on the same page about. It was frustrating at the time, but looking back on it, this is Week Two, we haven't had a lot of time together. We just have to be better and we will be better."
It's a trend many guys are taking part in these days -- the longer undershirt under their tight jerseys. Just take a look at the field on Sundays. But for the guys who carry and catch the ball, it can cost them.
Not monetarily (I am guessing the NFL uniform police are good with the look). But maybe a yard or two or five. The first week in San Francisco, quarterback Kyler Murray was scrambling and had nearly avoided pass rusher Kerry Hyder Jr. -- except Hyder snared Murray's undershirt and, despite a long stretch, ended up sacking Murray for a loss of five yards. If it weren't for the shirt, Murray certainly would have gotten loose for ... well, something better than a sack.
Against WFT, running back Kenyan Drake was the victim. Or maybe his shirt was. Drake gained eight yards on his play, and as my friend Kent Somers noted on Twitter, he probably could have gained another four or five yards without the shirt pull which ultimately just slowed Drake down as it ripped in the hands of linebacker Kevin Pierre-Louis but allowed an immediate tackle right after.
(Kent also wondered why Drake was shirt-free later in the game, but he was not -- the equipment staff saw the torn shirt and just trimmed it down for Drake, and made sure it was tucked in.)
The reality? The undershirts aren't going anywhere. The players like them, and coach Kliff Kingsbury is cool with that. There haven't been enough shirt-tackles to be any other way.
"Not yet," Kingsbury said. "They've got to keep their swag up. Look good, play good, for right now. We may get (to a ban) if we get another one."