ARIZONA - Arizona's quietest position battle is one that may never actually be won or lost.
The Cardinals have various spots undergoing battles, whether it be for starting opportunities or simply backup positions. Positions such as receiver and cornerback have awfully deep rooms that will require massive decisions before the start of the regular season.
With Mack Wilson Sr. anchoring one of two inside linebacker spots, the Cardinals are keeping a close watch on the second interior slot with Cody Simon and Jack Gibbens rotating in Arizona's base 3-4 defense.
"I think they're just steady players. I think they understand what's going on. Ball matters to them," LaFleur said of Simon/Gibbens.
"... They take a lot of pride in that, whether they [have the] green dot or not. Again, steady players that just are understand football, understand scheme. Still room to improve for both those guys, but pleased with where they're at."
Simon, a second-year player drafted by the Cardinals, took over green dot duties for Arizona last season when Wilson went to injured reserve. Gibbens was a free agent signing from the New England Patriots this offseason.
Simon took majority of first-team reps with the Cardinals' defense through OTAs and training camp, though the pendulum has swing toward Gibbens as of late.
Typically roles are defined by Week 1 of the regular season, though the Cardinals believe both Simon and Gibbens are good enough to be deployed on a weekly basis.
"I don't think there's a right or wrong answer for that. It's just like a starting five in basketball. Some weeks it just makes sense to go with a little bit more length, or some weeks it may make more sense to have the shooters out there, just depending on the team," LaFleur said.
"So, I think those are going to be good problems to discuss going into each week."
It's becoming clear the Cardinals' inside linebacker spot isn't quite a position battle, but more so tweaking where the team believes Simon and Gibbens can make the best impact.
"I love the room that we got. Those guys, Mack, Cody, everybody in there has been awesome," Gibbens told reporters this week.
"Just feel like we got a great room. We all support each other. We're competing with each other, not necessarily against each other. Everybody's trying to get better. Everybody's trying to help the team win."
Gibbens' profile suits more of a nickel linebacker on obvious passing downs with speed to play a quarterback spy if needed. Simon better fits a prototypical smart/tough linebacker to hold down the interior while Wilson's versatility can be deployed across the front seven.
"I think everybody has unique skill sets," added Gibbens. "No two players play the same way. We're doing the same jobs, but everybody does it in their own unique way."
The Cardinals will likely use a rotation of their top three inside linebackers through the season, or at least until one player can clearly establish themselves over another in the pecking order. Arizona doesn't seem set on declaring one player a starter next to Wilson, however.
That's been the plan all along.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/cardinals/onsi as Cardinals' Quietest Position Battle May Not Have a Winner .
