Arizona Cardinals head coach apologized for confronting Demercado
Gannon said he woke up and “didn’t feel great about it.” He later apologized to Demercado and the team for a heated sideline exchange Sunday, Oct. 5.
Before the Tennessee Titans came to town, Michael Carter offered up the week’s crucial piece of information, labelling himself the Arizona Cardinals‘ “starting” running back.
Clearly, someone with the Cardinals — whether in the coaching staff or public relations department — wasn’t a fan of that transparency. This time around, Carter, typically an open book, was far more cloistered when asked about his role.
“I don’t know,” Carter said. “I can’t even speak to that.”
All indications, though, are that Carter will once again lead the Cardinals backfield.
He has continued to take the first snaps at running back during the open portions of practice, with Emari Demercado going second and Bam Knight third — the same order as a week ago. And earlier in the week, head coach Jonathan Gannon offered a vote of confidence in Carter.
“I thought he had some good runs in there,” Gannon said. “Some good, positive yardage. I thought our run efficiency was actually better this week. I thought him and Bam did a good job. Emari obviously had the home run that wasn’t. I have full confidence in all three of those guys.”
Despite Demercado’s goal-line fumble, Gannon said that he will not be punished, saying that is “the best thing for the team.” That likely means Demercado will again serve as the Cardinals’ third-down back, a role he mostly filled in Week 5.
It was Carter, though, who took 72% of the Cardinals’ running back carries, rushing for 51 yards and a touchdown on 18 attempts. He played 75% of their first and second down snaps, the highest mark for any Arizona running back this season.
Carter offered a mixed review of his own performance, saying that he wants to be more patient waiting for holes to open this week.
“There’s stuff where sometimes I feel I can just take a risk and take my one-on-one vs. stay in the confines of the play,” Carter said. “And I look forward to doing it this week.”
Carter also made more of an impact than expected as a receiver, catching all five of his targets for 22 yards.
“I feel I did pretty good,” Carter said. “I would love to get a little bit more (run after catch).”