MINNEAPOLIS — It’s weird hearing a team from the desert complain about the heat, but the players know this heat hits differently.
“I got a good sweat in for sure,” said running back James Conner.
Record highs and humidity in Minneapolis forced the first joint practice between the Cardinals and Vikings to be moved up an hour.
Multiple players told 12Sports that after practice they could tell the heat and humidity were affecting practice. The Vikings seem to have more energy and make more plays.
“It was good for us honestly,” said receiver Zach Pascal. “We need a little adversity, battle through some things, get a little mentally tough, and continue to work. We can definitely do a lot better.”
“I probably lost about 8 or 9 pounds,” said linebacker Josh Woods. “Air is thick. Soon as you walk outside you just start sweating. Clothes sticking to you. It’s just bad. I’ll take 110 in Arizona over this any day.”
Speaking of being back in Arizona, starting center Hjalte Froholdt and left tackle D.J. Humphries didn’t travel with the team to Minnesota yet. Head Coach Jonathan Gannon announced and welcomed new additions to their respective families on Monday.
“Baby duty. Congrats to both those guys,” Gannon said. “They’ll be here as the week keeps progressing. There’s a time to be a dad and a husband. They’ll join us when they can. Dad and husband duty is real and we planned it accordingly.”
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Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made the State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers also play at the Footprint. Phoenix has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Cactus Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall; and Cactus League Spring Training.