Feely cut by Cardinals, Mathieu close to playing

BOB BAUM
AP Sports Writer

TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) — Kicker Jay Feely is gone after four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals, and safety Tyrann Mathieu is close to making a quicker-than-expected return to the team.

Feely, quarterback Ryan Lindley and tackle Max Starks were among 13 players released by the Cardinals on Monday.

Coach Bruce Arians said kickoff ability was the reason he chose rookie Chandler Catanzaro to replace the 38-year-old Feely. Feely missed a 48-yard attempt in Sunday night’s preseason loss to Cincinnati.

“They were both about the same field-goal wise,” Arians said. “Kickoffs obviously were a huge difference, although Jay really improved his. I just liked the strength of his (Catanzaro’s) leg for a young guy. He has a very good demeanor about him.”

Arians said he released Feely with one preseason game to go to give the veteran a chance to find another team.

As for placing a game-winning kick in the hands of a rookie, Arians said, “Any position they’re all the same. Either you can or you can’t.”

Mathieu and inside linebacker Kevin Minter were optimistic about being ready for Arizona’s season opener against San Diego on Sept. 8.

Both might play in Thursday night’s preseason finale, also against the Chargers. Other than those two, Arians said no other starters will play Thursday night.

“I know it’s a great possibility,” Mathieu said.

The popular player, better known as the “Honey Badger,” has recovered in just 8½ months from a severe knee injury sustained in the 13th game last season. He tore his ACL and MCL.

“I just want to get my eyes right,” Mathieu said. “I’ve been looking from the sidelines the last couple of months, just to get out there and get my eyes in the right place. Once I can do that I can be able to fly around and make plays.”

Minter is a second-year player who, like Mathieu, played at LSU. Minter had been counted on to help ease the impact of losing Karlos Dansby and Daryl Washington. He had been sidelined since the preseason opener with a pectoral muscle injury.

“It was like watching paint dry,” he said. “It was so boring, just rehabbing and just watching. You obviously want to be out there, especially with the camp I was having. I was having a real good camp. I’m excited, though. I’m back and ready to get this show on the road.”

Lindley, who started four games two years ago, lost his job as the No. 3 quarterback to rookie Logan Thomas, a fourth-round draft pick out of Virginia Tech. Thomas, who will play the entire game Thursday night, was asked if he ever had doubt he would make the team.

“There for a while there was,” Thomas said. “But once I started picking it up, started understanding it, it got a lot better.”

Arians called Sunday night’s 19-13 loss to Cincinnati at home “an OK game.”

He was most critical of the passing game, the bread-and-butter of Arians’ offense.

Arians said the blame lies with “a little bit everybody.”

“Dropping balls. We haven’t many third-down balls that hit you in the chest, especially No. 12 (rookie John Brown). That was unusual to see him drop one down there in the red zone, which would have kept the drive alive, then we missed the field goal.”

Arians said there were “some red zone things that the quarterbacks didn’t see very well and didn’t point out to the receivers.”

On one play, Michael Floyd broke wide open deep down the field but eased up running just as Carson Palmer threw the ball.

“Michael slowed down then took off,” Arians said. “The ball still ended out of bounds. It was a bad throw.”

Larry Fitzgerald took the blame for Terence Newman’s 54-yard interception return for the Bengals’ only touchdown. He said he was supposed to break inside of the cornerback but went outside instead. Palmer threw the ball right into Newman’s hands.

But all was not awful. Fitzgerald caught three passes for 71 yards, including one of his trademark one-handed grabs. And Brown made a diving grab, horizontal to the ground, of Drew Stanton’s pass for a 30-yard touchdown. Brown had four catches for 56 yards.

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AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL

Copyright 2014 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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