Robert Nkemdiche’s new coach: ‘I had to slow him down’ at walk through
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Robert Nkemdiche appears eager to make a good impression with his new team – maybe a little too eager.
Contact is not allowed in NFL rookie camp, and that’s been a problem for Nkemdiche as Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians recently relayed to reporters.
BA On Nkemdiche “He was killing people in walk through. I had to slow him down. It’s a walk through, and he bench-pressed a lineman already”
— Mike Jurecki (@mikejurecki) May 7, 2016
Arians has a good sense of humor about the situation, telling Nkemdiche if he gets fined, it’s coming out of the rookie’s paycheck. Nkemdiche signed a four-year deal Friday with the Cardinals, worth $8.8 million, including a signing bonus of $4.4 million.
While Arians doesn’t want to break the non-contact rule or see one of his linemen get hurt, it’s likely he appreciates the enthusiasm from a player who was criticized for lack of effort in the past.
If Nkemdiche is focused and giving it his all, NFL quarterbacks are in big trouble.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.