Bruce Arians didn't have a lot of news speaking today since the Cardinals have yet to hold a practice -- "No one got hurt in the walkthrough," Arians deadpanned -- but there were still some tidbits. Among them, A.Q. Shipley's days as a fullback are probably done, since he's likely going to end up the starting center. So who would be the battering ram in the backfield instead of Shipley for those few times it's needed? How about rookie defensive lineman Robert Nkemdiche?
"He's done it before and he's been damn good at it," Arians said.
-- Speaking of Shipley, Arians said "in all fairness" Shipley didn't lose the starting center job last year, saying "I gave it to Lyle" Sendlein.
-- Andre Ellington will be among the players looked at on kickoff return. It's another chance to get Ellington, an explosive player, his hands on the ball. Arians said it wasn't about getting one of the running backs a spot on special teams, but if Ellington doesn't return kicks, it'd be hard to have three backs on game day and none playing any special teams. Chris Johnson isn't going to, and starter David Johnson likely wouldn't either.
-- Carson Palmer was asked about the possibility of retiring if the Cardinals won the Super Bowl. Thursday, Arians said if the Cards won, he'd likely want to try and coach the Cards to another one instead of retiring. Palmer said he'd probably feel the same, and noted that when he was younger, watching John Elway win back-to-back Super Bowls left a deep impression on him.
-- Along those lines, Arians was asked when he arrived in Arizona how long he thought his coaching window was, given his age. Arians said he never really thought about it. "That's up to God," Arians said. "The way I treat myself, not long."
