Mike LaFleur called his practice on Tuesday “pretty loaded.”
The Cardinals coach built a difficult day both mentally and physically, for the “last of the heavy practices” this season. The players will gear down some the next two days, before an NFL-mandated long weekend.
When Labor Day arrives Monday, the Cardinals will be back for a bonus day as Week 1 of the season will begin and LaFleur gets to lay out what he believes is the best way to prep a team on a weekly basis.
“You love routine, we got routine,” LaFleur said. “We play 17 Sundays in the daytime. We all understand why. If we want to play in those primetime slots, on Wednesdays and Thursdays and Netflix and those kinds of things, we have to go earn those spots.”
Next week will be all about the Chargers, whom the Cardinals visit on Sept. 13.
There are still things to be sorted.
A handful of “starting” jobs still are undecided, LaFleur said, without specifically saying which ones. Some are moot; whether Andrew Billings or Roy Lopez starts at nose tackle, for instance, they will rotate playing time.
But it’s still important to talk to everyone involved. LaFleur brought up a saying he has used often, “where communication lacks, negativity fills the void.”