Cardinals Cover 2

Ep. 688 - Five games. That’s how long it’s been since Budda Baker has played. The expectation, at least from Craig Grialou and Zach Gershman, is that Baker will return on Sunday, when the Cardinals visit the Seattle Seahawks, which just happens to be Baker’s hometown team. That, plus knowing how much Baker hates to be on the sideline, is what has led the guys to make that conclusion. Also, they ge...

Ep. 687 - A two-word tweet just before 10 a.m. was what Cardinals fans had been waiting for. “Practicing today,” Kyler Murray wrote. And true to his word(s), Murray was in his No. 1 practice jersey with the rest of his teammates on Wednesday; for the first time in more than 10 months. Craig Grialou and Dani Sureck react to what they saw -- as limited as it may have been -- as well as what the day’...

Ep. 686 - Too bad Sunday’s game didn’t end at halftime. The Cardinals played decent football in the first half and went into the locker room with a 9-6 lead. Coming out of the locker room, however, things changed. Craig Grialou and Paul Calvisi discuss what happened, or better said, what didn’t happen. The Cardinals couldn’t take care of the football; they couldn’t stop the run; and, ultimately, t...

Ep. 685 - The Arizona Diamondbacks beat L.A., swept the Dodgers out of the playoffs. Can the Cardinals follow the D-backs lead? Can they beat L.A. and hand the Rams their second straight loss? That’s the goal. Craig Grialou and Zach Gershman breakdown the Week 6 matchup between NFC West rivals. Also, they get the L.A. perspective. Stu Jackson, senior staff writer for the Rams, joins the show. The...

Ep. 684 - Without James Conner for at least the next four games, who do the Cardinals turn to at running back? Keaontay Ingram? Emari Demercado? Or, perhaps some combination of both? Craig Grialou and Dani Sureck give their two cents. Whichever direction the Cardinals go in - they also have Tony Jones Jr. on the active roster plus veterans Corey Clement and Damien Williams on the practice squad -...

Ep. 683 - Of course, this had to be the week the Cincinnati Bengals offense figured things out. And boy did they ever. The Cardinals had no answer for wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, who had himself a career day at the expense of the home team. Craig Grialou and Paul Calvisi discuss what happened on Sunday. The 34-20 loss was punctuated by a poor defensive performance - to which Jonathan Gannon took...

Ep. 682 - To repeat the popular Bill Belichick response, the Cardinals are moving past the loss at the San Francisco 49ers, and they are now focused on the Bengals. It is a matchup of a pair of 1-3 teams seemingly heading in opposite directions in terms of the expectations each had going into the season. Craig Grialou and Zach Gershman breakdown the game here in Week 5. Also, they get the Cincinna...

Ep. 681 - On Wednesday, cornerback Garrett Williams and offensive lineman Dennis Daley were designated to return, meaning they could begin practicing, which they both did. That’s good news. Especially Williams, the team’s third-round pick last April. The Cardinals could use some help at the position. Craig Grialou and Dani Sureck discuss when Williams may be available to play, while at the same ti...

Ep. 680 - Give the Cardinals credit. Down 18 in the first half, the team pulled to within one score late in the third quarter. The 49ers, though, just had too much talent on the field and pulled away for a 35-16 win in San Francisco. Craig Grialou and Paul Calvisi look back at Sunday’s game; how encouraged both are despite the outcome and a defense missing so many players. At 1-3, the Cardinals ap...

Ep. 679 - For the second week in a row, the Cardinals face an undefeated opponent. Can they, for the second week in a row, put a dent in that opponent’s record? It won’t be easy, and maybe more difficult than last week’s assignment. Craig Grialou and Zach Gershman preview Sunday’s game against the 49ers. Also, they get the San Francisco perspective. Lindsey Pallares, team reporter for the 49ers, j...

Ep. 678 - Each of the Cardinals’ first four opponents are teams the Philadelphia Eagles played last season. What does that matter? Well, head coach Jonathan Gannon and defensive coordinator Nick Rallis were both with the Eagles in 2022. So, too, was linebacker Kyzir White. That’s big, especially going into this week’s matchup at San Francisco, one of the three remaining undefeated teams. Craig Gri...

Ep. 677 - And that, football fans, is why you play the game. So what, no one picked the Cardinals to win, or maybe even be competitive on Sunday. The front office believed. The coaches believed. The players believed. And the result was validation of a week’s worth of work. Craig Grialou and Paul Calvisi look back at the 28-16 win - the first of the season - against the Dallas Cowboys. So many star...

Ep. 676 - It is going to be a challenge. There is no question about that. But that is what players like Joshua Dobbs embrace. They embrace the challenge. The Cowboys enter this week with the No. 1 defense in the league. It is a unit that ranks first in 11 different statistical categories and arguably has the best player in the game in linebacker Micah Parsons. Again, it will be a challenge. Craig...

Ep. 675 - When is Kyler Murray returning? Soon, he said in a social media post on Wednesday. So, what does that mean exactly? Great question. Craig Grialou and Dani Sureck do their best to read into Murray’s message. Other topics discussed by the two: the defensive line suffers another blow, and it’s another biceps injury; with a full week of practice, the Cardinals should be better prepared for p...

Ep. 674 - What happened? Yeah, it’s a question all of us are asking on this Monday morning. The Cardinals led by 20 at halftime and 21 points five minutes into the third quarter, yet Craig Grialou and Paul Calvisi are talking about a 31-28 loss to the New York Giants in Week 2. Was it the offense? Was it the defense? Was it coaching? Or maybe it was a combination of all the above. The Cardinals pl...

Ep. 673 - Running the football is key. And sure, that can be said each week, but perhaps more so this week. The expectation is James Conner needs to have a big day in order for the Cardinals to get a win. Craig Grialou and Zach Gershman discuss Sunday’s matchup against the Giants. Both want to see Conner get more touches than he did in Week 1. Obviously, that’s easier said than done. Stopping the...

Ep. 672 - Can one week make that much of a difference? Joshua Dobbs believes so. And hopefully he’s right. Dobbs and the offense need to be much better than they were in Week 1 if the Cardinals have a chance at winning on Sunday. Craig Grialou and Dani Sureck discuss what they’d like to see out of the offense, i.e., Dobbs targeting his wide receivers and doing so more downfield. There was a lack o...

Ep. 671 - Three takeaways. Six sacks. Seven passes defensed. The Cardinals defense - on all three levels - excelled in Week 1. The offense, though, did not. It was a struggle a lot of the time for quarterback Joshua Dobbs and company. And that has led many to ask should a change be made? Should Clayton Tune be the starter this week? Craig Grialou and Paul Calvisi debate the idea. There was no deba...

Ep. 670 - Seven months after he was hired, Jonathan Gannon makes his head coaching debut when the Cardinals play at the Washington Commanders on Sunday. It is Week 1 of Year 1 for Gannon and his staff. Craig Grialou and Zach Gershman look ahead to the game. And, no, there still has not been an official announcement about who will be the starting quarterback. What about Zach Ertz? Will he play? He’...

Ep. 669 - Nothing is official. And there won’t be anything official, according to head coach Jonathan Gannon; though a report surfaced Wednesday saying Joshua Dobbs is expected to be the team’s starting quarterback Week 1 at Washington. Craig Grialou and Dani Sureck discuss the news of the day. Neither are surprised. Dobbs had been trending to be QB1 since his arrival. What would surprise Grialou...

Ep. 668 - The 53-man roster is set, for now anyway. What isn’t set yet, and likely won’t be until gameday, according to Jonathan Gannon, is who will be the team’s starting quarterback Week 1 at Washington. The expectation, though, is that it will be Joshua Dobbs, who only joined the team earlier this week. Craig Grialou and Dani Sureck discuss their first impressions of the newcomer. How realistic...

Ep. 667 - And now there are five quarterbacks on the roster, though one is not yet healthy enough to play so really, it’s four. Craig Grialou is back, and this time he’s joined by Paul Calvisi – Darren Urban was a bit busy due to the breaking news – to discuss all things quarterback. Kyler Murray will remain on the physically unable to perform list, which is not a surprise, and Colt McCoy has been...

Ep. 666 - Six quarterbacks on the roster. Which two, or three, make the 53-man roster? And this is assuming Kyler Murray opens the season on the physically unable to perform list, where he’s been since the start of training camp. Craig Grialou and Darren Urban try to reach a consensus ahead of Tuesday, the day when teams must reduce their rosters. Also, who maybe played their way on to the roster...

Ep. 665 - First, Isaiah Simmons was traded. Later, Josh Jones was dealt. And then, Joshua Dobbs was acquired. In between, the Cardinals held their second of two joint practices with the Vikings. In other words, it was a busy - very busy - Thursday in Minnesota for GM Monti Ossenfort and his team, both on and off the field. Craig Grialou and Zach Gershman react to it all. They’re joined by Paul Cal...

Ep. 664 - Explosive plays. Missed tackles. Penalties. The Cardinals allowed or committed too many in Saturday’s preseason loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. The good news is, according to head coach Jonathan Gannon, all are correctable. Craig Grialou and Dani Sureck look back at the 38-10 loss. What did they see? And did it look any better from Sureck’s view from the sideline? There’s discussion on I...