It’s been a season of ups and downs for the Arizona Cardinals and starting defensive end Calais Campbell.
Mired in a seven-game losing streak which stretches back to late September the Red Birds will look to return to the win column Sunday against the Jets and hope to have Campbell back on the field after missing the last two games with a calf injury.
“[Playing Sunday] is definitely in my plans,” Campbell told Brad Cesmat Tuesday during his weekly segment ‘Crunch Time with Calais’ on ‘Big Guy on Sports.’ “Coach [Whisenhunt] is on board now. I think I gave him enough last week to prove I’m ready. Just need to perform well in practice and prepare the right way.”
Campbell said although the Red Birds defense has played well over the past couple months, it can improve in certain areas and needs to if the Cards want to finish the season on a high note. The offense has been working with a patchwork offense line and the news got worse Monday with the announcement starting center Lyle Sendlein will miss the remainder of the season with a torn MCL in his left knee.
Whisenhunt announced rookie quarterback Ryan Lindley will start against New York unless Kevin Kolb shows enough progress over the course of the week to warrant a change. Kolb has missed the past several weeks with a rib injury.
A recurring storyline coinciding with the back half of the losing streak has been Whisenhunt’s job status. The Red Birds are in danger of missing the playoffs for the third consecutive season.
“He’s a good coach,” Campbell explained to Cesmat. “I love playing for him. As a team I feel like we need to come together to find a way to win some games. I don’t want to play for anybody else. It’s a business and I understand how it works, but Coach Whisenhunt is a great coach.”
Campbell said the players are more concerned at this point about trying to beat the Jets rather than the future of their head coach.
Kickoff Sunday is set for 11:00 a.m. with television coverage on FOX.
