Giants' Isaiah Simmons not letting revenge come in the way of the game vs. Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals will be running into an old friend Sunday when they host the New York Giants at State Farm Stadium. There will be plenty of pregame and postgame handshakes, fist bumps and casual conversations. Once the whistle blows, however, all the pleasantries will be tossed out the window.

Isaiah Simmons isn’t one of them anymore.

“That’s little bro, of course,” Cardinals safety Budda Baker said. “He’s not really a teammate of ours this week so it won’t be much of anything until after the game. Love ’em, but at the end of the day he’s a Giant and that’s who we’re going against. There won’t be many words until after the game.”

Last month while Arizona was in Minnesota for joint training camp practices with the Vikings, the Cardinals traded Simmons, their first-round pick in 2020 to the Giants for a seventh-round pick in next year’s draft. They had moved him from linebacker to safety this offseason, but for whatever reasons, things weren’t working, and the decision was made to move on without him.

Simmons is playing linebacker again, although he only got in on 15 defensive snaps in the Giants’ 40-0 loss to the Cowboys. His role will expand, defensive coordinator Wink Martindale told reporters this week, because “he’s that good of a player.”

New York area reporters asked Simmons if there is any animosity on his part about returning to Arizona and playing against the team that gave up on him.

“No, not really,” he said. “The main goal is just to win the game and beat whoever’s across from us and this week it just so happens to be Arizona. I’m not letting any external factors come in the way of what my responsibility is going to be out there on Sunday because ultimately, I feel like that’s going to do nothing but just limit my production and how I play out there. Like I said, not letting any external factors of like revenge or anything like that come in the way of the game.”

Certainly, though, some extra juices will be building up as the game draws near?

“I’m not an emotionless person so I’m sure there will be some emotions flowing through me but nothing that’s going to affect me and make me do anything crazy,” Simmons said. “I’m not a person to go out there and be like, ‘rah, rah, rah,’ so I’m not going to go out there doing that or try to make an extra play because then that’s when you end up hurting yourself in the long run.”

New York Giants vs. Arizona Cardinals: What to know about the NFL Week 2 game Sunday

Another reunion awaits

Cardinals outside linebacker BJ Ojulari considered making airport runs to pick up visiting family members this weekend but rideshare with large vehicles seemed like a better choice.

The Ojulari contingent, some 15 strong, is coming to town from Marietta, Georgia to see brothers BJ, a Cardinals rookie, and Azeez, a third-year linebacker for the Giants, in BJ’s home debut. The group should be easy to spot with their custom print T-shirts.

“We got some shirts made for the game. But they're going to be on the Arizona side because I'm getting the tickets," BJ said. "They're gonna be on my side, and we're at home. They're gonna support both of us, but they're gonna be sitting on the Arizona side."

BJ, a second-round pick drafted 41st overall, said Azeez, the 50th overall pick by the Giants in 2021, advised him throughout the draft process and was a wealthy source of information.

"He's meant a lot to me, especially on draft day just talking me through the whole process through Day 1, you know, early Day 2 to keep me motivated, keeping me positive until I got the call," Ojulari said of his older brother. "And it was especially nice to have him on my side and be the most ecstatic, most excited for me, especially looking up to my big bro. So for him just to be right there it was very special."

Azeez is listed as doubtful to play on Sunday with a hamstring injury he dealt with this week. That might only slightly take away from the brothers' moment.

"I'm so happy for him. It's like a dream come true for both of us. Two brothers in the NFL. We've been watching the NFL since we were little, so it's like a dream come true, now it's happening. I'm so happy," Azeez told the Giants website in August.

Not long after BJ was drafted and the NFL schedule came out, the family started booking flights to Phoenix.

“Everything was planned in advance, especially when we found out the schedule, found out we're playing in Week 2. It couldn't come fast enough," Ojulari said. "And now that it's here, it's really like, ‘Wow, we're gonna see them on Sunday.’ ”

Cardinals-Giants injury report

The Cardinals have ruled out defensive end L.J. Collier (biceps) and linebacker Josh Woods (ankle) for Sunday’s game against the Giants after neither practiced for a third straight day on Friday.

Baker showed up on the injury report Friday with a hamstring issue and he is listed as questionable after being limited in practice. Tackle Kelvin Beachum (hand) and nose tackle Leki Fotu (shoulder) are questionable but running back James Conner (calf) was a full participant Friday and is set to play.

For the Giants, receiver Wan’Dale Robinson (knee) is listed as doubtful along with Ojulari (hamstring). Starting left tackle Andrew Thomas (hamstring) was limited Friday and is listed as questionable.

Night and day

When Cardinals quarterback Josh Dobbs met with reporters this week, he said he already felt as if he’d made tremendous progress by tightening some things up with the offense from his Week 1 practice time to now.

“Just being able to get on the same page, talk ball, pick each other’s mind, I know where we’re going to be whether its on time or we have to go out and make off-schedule plays,” he said. “It just continues to grow each and every day.

“… From where we were last Wednesday to this Wednesday, it’s like night and day just understanding each other, understanding the flow and rhythm of the offense, so just continuing to grow as we get more times on task on the field.”

Coach Jonathan Gannon was asked if he’s seen noticeable progress out of Dobbs.

“Yeah, he’s had a good week of practice,” Gannon said Friday, adding, “I thought he’s practiced extremely well.”

Reporter Jose M. Romero contributed to this report.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Former Cardinals defender Isaiah Simmons returns with NY Giants