Cards' Rodgers-Cromartie sustains ankle injury

FLAGSTAFF - Rookie cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was carted off the field during Tuesday afternoon’s practice after injuring his right ankle.

Rodgers-Cromartie, the Cardinals’ top draft pick, rolled his right ankle during drills halfway through practice and did not return to the field.

“He tried to go, but it’s a little sore,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “We’ll know more (today).”

The Cardinals’ depth in the secondary could be tested this week as safety Antrel Rolle continues to sit out with a sore foot. Cornerback Rod Hood also sat out Tuesday with a sore foot but Whisenhunt described this as “nothing more than precautionary.”

Also, receiver Early Doucet, who missed the first preseason game — and much of training camp — with a sore hamstring will try to practice by Thursday.

But his status for Saturday’s game at Kansas City is “undetermined,” Whisenhunt said.

Doucet, the team’s third-round draft pick, would like to be battling Steve Breaston and others for the No. 3 receiver spot.

LOVE THOSE DRILLS

One of the crowd-pleasers at training camp is to watch the quarterbacks’ throwing drills.

They usually try to hit one of a set of flags (a coach tells them which flag to aim at just as he’s dropping back to pass) or throw more of a lob pass in a can.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Whisenhunt said. “But you’re working on technique.”

In a pass play near the opponent’s goal line, there are touch passes involved.

“That means you have to throw them over defenders. Throw them to spots in corners of end zones,” Whisenhunt said. “How many times have you seen Larry (Fitzgerald) go up and make a catch? But part of that is putting the ball in the right spot.”

Said quarterback Matt Leinart, “It’s fun. The biggest thing is it gets the crowd fired up.”

“The funniest thing,” though, is that the coach may be telling them to hit one target and they might nail another one.

“They (fans) think we’re the greatest quarterbacks ever. Little do they know we’re sometimes missing pretty bad.”

In any case, “It creates a nice little competition and it keeps us busy.”

BETTER COMMUNICATION

Guard Deuce Lutui, who was born in Tonga, explained why the communication on the right side of the offensive line wasn’t so great last year:

“I used to speak Tongan to (tackle) Levi Brown. All this time I didn’t know he didn’t speak Tongan.

“I’ve learned English in the off-season.” Now, “I’m able to catch up with him.”

Lutui was joking, of course.

PRESEASON TV SET

Cardinals’ preseason games, including Saturday’s 5 p.m. kickoff at Kansas City, can be seen on ABC Ch. 15.

Mike Goldberg will be the play-by-play voice while Bill Lewis will be the color announcer with Jody Jackson reporting from the sidelines.

Each game will be preceded by a half-hour pregame show.