At the start of some practices Arizona Cardinals coach Steve Wilks
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(AP)calls out the name of one defensive player and one offensive player to go at it one-on-one in front of everyone else.Once it was left tackle D.J. Humphries against defensive end Chandler Jones. Another time defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche took on right guard Justin Pugh.”I like it a lot,” Humphries said. ”It’s like old school, Pop Warner stuff.”A week into Wilks’ first training camp as an NFL head coach, an overriding theme has been tough, physical play, especially on the offensive line.”Really it comes back to my defensive background,” Wilks said before the team took the field for another practice in pads Thursday. ”There’s nothing more demoralizing than having an offense just run the ball. Coming off the ball up front, being physical, it just really takes the air out of you.”While most of the training camp takes place in the air-conditioned comfort of University of Phoenix Stadium – the Cardinals’ regular- season home – Wilks moved the team outside into the desert heat for practice on Tuesday. They’ll be outdoors again Friday.”Hopefully it’s a little hot out there so we can make sure we’re locked in and focused,” he said.Wilks believes battling the heat helps build mental toughness.”It’s all about mental with me. These guys have the skill set. They’re physical. They work out all the time. They train their bodies. It’s about this here,” he said, pointing to his head http://www.packerscheapstore.com/rashan-gary-jersey-cheap , ”and being outside creates that element, particularly in the heat.”Wilks has spent his NFL coaching career on defense, with stints as secondary coach for the Chicago Bears, San Diego Chargers and Carolina Panthers. Last year, he was promoted to defensive coordinator in Carolina and, after just one season, was hired to replace the retired Bruce Arians in Arizona.Arians was all about offense, the big-play ”no risk it, no biscuit” approach. Wilks, by contrast, wants a team that runs the ball with authority and a defense that just as naturally stops the run up front.”We get pretty physical out there,” Humphries said. ”Our defensive line, both of us know what we’re trying to at we’re soaking up and buying into for sure. Most of us it’s second nature. We don’t have no softies on the O-line. Most of us, it ain’t hard to get us going, so it’s good fun.”Defensive players appreciate a coach with roots on that side of the ball.”It’s great,” said safety Antoine Bethea, a 13-year NFL veteran. ”He gets it. Not saying other coaches don’t, but him being on the defensive side of the ball the majority of his career, he just gets what it means to be a defensive player, coming downhill, attacking.”But it’s the offensive line that’s been singled out for praise by Wilks for its physical approach early in camp.And the line loves the idea of blowing open holes for David Johnson, one of the NFL’s best running backs who returns after missing virtually all of last season with a fractured wrist.Offensive linemen, in general, love to run block.”It’s different when you’re locking a guy up in pass (blocking). You get them frustrated,” Humphries said. ”But when you block a dude pound on him during the run game, you demoralize them. You take their heart. `’— DAVIE, Fla. (AP) — As he embraced a fresh start Monday, Josh Rosen said all the right things, smiled a lot and even cracked a couple of jokes, such as when he noted the phalanx of photographers nearly drowning out his first news conference with the Miami Dolphins .“These clicks,” he said with a chuckle, “are loud.”Rosen does attract clicks, which is a big change for a Dolphins team low on star power. It has been so long since they had a Pro Bowl quarterback that Rosen referred to him as “Mr. Marino.”Despite a rough rookie season that prompted the Arizona Cardinals to discard him, Rosen still believes he can be a Dan Marino-type franchise quarterback. And he’s glad to get an opportunity with the Dolphins, who are eager to stop a revolving door at the position that has gone through 19 starters since Marino’s last game 20 years ago.“I couldn’t be more excited to be here,” Rosen said. “Very rarely do you get a second chance to make a first impression.”As for motivation, Rosen’s crooked grin grew wider when he was asked about any chip on his shoulder.“I don’t think my chip has to grow any m the Dolphins acquired him for two draft picks to become part of their rebuilding effort under first-year coach Brian Flores.“I felt like I got drafted twice,” he said.Rosen took no direct jabs at the Cardinals and acknowledged that in Miami he faces a one-year tryout . If he doesn’t play well this season, the Dolphins will likely have a poor record and be well-positioned to take a QB early in the first round in 2020.Rosen also acknowledged his image needs work. Doubts about his leadership and personality linger despite efforts by Arizona teammates and coaches to dispel them.He said the issue dates to his years at UCLA.“I didn’t have all my answers as perfectly crafted as I do now,” he said. “I said some things off the cuff, and people misconstrued them. …“I think I’m a really good teammate. What I’ve tried to do is not say or do anything extra, just kind of be me and keep my head down, and eventually the story will straighten out. I think it has for the most part. Time and consistency are the best medicine to cure the narrative.”With that in mind, Rosen had answers ready when asked about:— competing for the starting job with another Dolphins newcomer, veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick. “The timing on whether I play or not is not up to me.”— Pro Football Hall of Famer Marino. “Hopefully I can follow in some semblance of his massive footsteps.”— his belief that he can become a franchise QB. “I think I’m a good quarterback, and I think I’m a good leader.”The Dolphins hope he’s right.