Arizona Cardinals QB David Blough knows the 'Hard Knocks' life well
It's August, and in the NFL that means the preseason and HBO's hit reality TV series, "Hard Knocks." David Blough has appeared in both.
A year ago at this time, Blough and his wife Melissa, an Olympic track athlete, were one of the storylines of "Hard Knocks," with Blough trying to make the Detroit Lions' regular-season roster. This year, he's working to earn a roster spot with the Arizona Cardinals.
No cameras are following him around this time, however. Blough was briefly part of the in-season "Hard Knocks" episodes when he signed with the Cardinals late last season.
"I had a little more familiarity already with Detroit, because I'd been there for three-and-a-half years. So yeah, you have Hard Knocks, and you kind of gotta watch what you say. And you never know what they're gonna use, because they have 1800 hours of footage and they only air five hours," Blough said. "And they featured my wife and I, which was really special. And then yeah, being here, I wouldn't say relaxed, but it's just the camera, the scrutiny, the 'Hey, we're tuning in every Tuesday night at 10 o'clock to watch you guys.' It's not there. So it's just a little bit different."
Blough was able to focus on football and his goals amid the distractions in Detroit, but ultimately didn't make the team. One of the more poignant moments of the show last year was when Blough fumbled a shotgun snap against the Atlanta Falcons in a preseason game, and the anguish he felt after the Lions lost a game they were leading at the time of the turnover.
Blough signed with the Minnesota Vikings right after being released by Detroit, and a few of his new teammates recognized him from the show. He went from Minnesota to Arizona in December and March of this year, re-signed with the Cardinals.
"Most guys, if they had that choice would choose not to be around the cameras. I think some guys really thrive with it. You see some guys and their personalities come out and shine, but it is hard," Blough said. "It's different because it's your livelihood, and people get a glimpse in and maybe you get cut, or maybe you get hurt. And they're right there on television for everybody to see. It's a hard reality that some guys have to live."
"Hard Knocks" has moved on, currently featuring the New York Jets and Aaron Rodgers this month. Blough is out of the circus of crews and cameras and microphones, though he said he felt he could still focus on football the way he wanted to despite the buzz.
"I've gotten to learn from a lot of great quarterbacks in my short career. Just seeing how they prepare and how they go about playing in a game and I think that's made me a better player," Blough said. "So yeah, I look forward to putting my best foot forward during the preseason and then you know, whatever comes after."
After a two-game run as Cardinals starter for the final two games of last season, Blough figured to compete for the job of stepping in for Kyler Murray at the outset of the 2023 season, until Murray is ready to return. But after training camp and in the preseason, Blough is operating as the No. 3 quarterback behind Colt McCoy, who is in line to start Week 1, and rookie Clayton Tune, who has been working with the second team offense and was the second quarterback to enter last Friday's game after McCoy.
It might not be how Blough envisioned the situation, but he made the most of the playing time he got against the Denver Broncos. Entering for Tune early in the fourth quarter, Blough was in the game with the Cardinals down 17-10 and 1:30 left to play.
Blough led the Cardinals on a game-winning drive that included his touchdown pass to Brian Cobbs and a two-point conversion for an 18-17 victory.
"It's always validating when you go out and can have a little bit of production. Sometimes self-doubt creeps in whenever you're the third guy or you're the second guy somewhere and you're not getting the chance to play," Blough said. "Every team needs one quarterback and that's just the truth behind the position, but when you get a chance to play and you go out and play, or you're a play here from winning the game or whatever it may be, you feel like, 'man, I can do this.'"
Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing said he was glad that the opportunity to run the two-minute offense presented itself late in the game.
"David, the offensive line, the receivers, tight ends, the backs, everyone was very involved in that drive, so really I was excited to go watch them have that success and be a part of it. Really enjoyed it," Petzing said.
Cardinals add safety
In addition to formally announcing that tight end Zach Ertz has been activated off the Physically Unable to Perform list, the Cardinals on Tuesday also announced the signing of safety Sean Chandler, who has appeared in 64 games the past five seasons with the Giants and Panthers. He appeared in all 17 games last season for Carolina.
Chandler, 27, entered the league with the Giants in 2018 as an undrafted rookie free agent out of Temple. His best season came in 2021 with the Panthers when he appeared in 15 games (seven starts) and had 42 tackles. He played all 17 games last season for Carolina.
Chandler is suspended for the first two games of the regular season for violating the NFL policy on performance-enhancing substances.
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Inside and out
The Cardinals started practice inside the team's inflatable "bubble" Tuesday, then moved it outside for a time and then finished the morning indoors again. It was the team's first full practice since last Wednesday.
Ertz took part in individual drills in his first practice since being injured nine months ago. Running back Keaontay Ingram returned to practice from a minor injury as did tight end Noah Togiai, and linebacker Cameron Thomas did not take part, watching in street clothes.
"We've got to be smart about it. I think a lot of that we're going to rely heavily on the training staff and his ability to tell us where he's at and how he feels and take it slowly," Petzing said of the plan to get Ertz back into a football routine and playing time.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: David Blough finds redemption in late TD drive for Arizona Cardinals
