Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury first was hopeful about starting left guard Justin Pugh and his availability for the team’s third preseason game this coming Saturday against the Minnesota Vikings. Then he was more unsure.
After a couple of days of practice, though, Pugh seems sure. He talks like a man who fully intends on playing. He had been sidelined with a shoulder injury he suffered during the Red & White practice. He has not yet played in the preseason.
“I feel great,” he told reporters on Wednesday. “Actually, the guys are giving me a little slack because I probably feel better than at the beginning of camp.”
He said the injury was minor but the plan was to take it slow because it is the preseason.
That said, he is ready to play.
“I want to get out there, get some live reps, go against an opposing defense,” he said. “(I want to) go through a game week of planning, so this third preseason game was the perfect time for that.”
He wants the reps next to D.J. Humphries and A.Q. Shipley and to have gone through a run-through of getting ready for a game.
“O-linemen are creatures of habit,” he said.
Pugh will be needed. The offensive line has veteran talent but also durability questions. Getting him some live reps during a game will help the continuity of the line but also get his body ready for Week 1.
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