A crowd of reporters around his locker Cole Beasley Jersey , Robert Nkemdiche was asked what he learned the first two years in the NFL.

¡±I learned I was terrible,¡± he said.

He was joking. Everyone laughed.

But, with a new coaching staff giving the big defensive tackle a clean slate, this is a big season for the former first-round draft pick to prove to the Cardinals that they were right to select him 29th overall out of Mississippi in 2017.

There have been no breakout performances, just a big play here and there ¨C he returned an Eli Manning fumble for a TD last season ¨C and there have been too many mistakes, including way too many offside penalties. In 17 career games, he has 12 tackles, four of them solo, and zero sacks.

He knows it is time to show he¡¯s better than that or risk forever being saddled as a ¡±draft bust.¡±

If the mammoth player ¨C 6-foot-4, 296 pounds ¨C harnesses his raw skills and attends to the little things, maybe he¡¯ll even find himself starting up front.

¡±I try to stay away from the analogies of guys who are busts because everybody has their own projection of how they see guys,¡± Cardinals first-year head coach Steve Wilks said after Monday¡¯s practice, the team¡¯s first in pads. ¡±In a short period of time of being around Robert, I think he¡¯s a tremendous player. I think he¡¯s locked in, he¡¯s focused. I think he¡¯s doing well and I think he¡¯s going to be a good player for us this year.¡±

Nkemdiche won¡¯t call this a make-or-break season, but he has learned a lot about what it takes to succeed in the trenches at the game¡¯s highest level.

¡±It¡¯s a big step,¡± he said of this coming season. ¡±It¡¯s not really technically pressure. It¡¯s just me wanting to be good LeSean McCoy Bills Jersey , me wanting to give back to these guys, and all the guys who put in work for me, and give back to the coaches, people who believe in me and really just resting that case and being the player I know I can be.

¡±There¡¯s really no pressure, just `come on, take a step forward.¡±¡¯

Nkemdiche has his quirks, including colorfully braided hair and a nose ring. He likes shopping at Goodwill.

Nkemdiche is not that stereotypical growling monster of a human that people believe play defensive tackle in this violent game. But he wants to be good and insists he is a severe critic of himself.

He blames his two unproductive seasons on injuries and ¡±some things I could have did better.¡±

¡±Just being a more polished player, as in the whole perspective and really just growing as a dude, as a person,¡± he said. ¡±It¡¯s cool. Things have slowed down a little bit and it¡¯s fun. I can actually see what¡¯s going on. It¡¯s not like a blur.¡±

He should take some solace in the case of Arizona teammate D.J. Humphries. The Cardinals drafted the big tackle out of Florida in the first round (24th overall) in 2015 but he didn¡¯t even suit up for a game as a rookie- the Cardinals coaches were convinced he didn¡¯t have the maturity yet to play in the league. But the next season he was the starter at right tackle and eventually was moved to the left side. Injuries limited him to five games last year, but he has evolved into the Cardinals¡¯ best offensive lineman and anchors that unit at left tackle this year.

Wilks has said he doesn¡¯t mind players with a few quirks, that he would ¡±let Robert be Robert¡± as long as he continues to work hard to get better. So far, so good.

The coach said after Monday¡¯s workout that he¡¯s encouraged.

¡±His commitment,¡± Wilks said. ¡±He¡¯s trying to do it our way. Change sometimes is hard for everyone and I think he¡¯s embraced that. He meets a lot with coach (Don) Johnson. His energy on the football field is phenomenal and he¡¯s trying to pay attention to details. You just got to make sure he¡¯s consistent and concentrates and doesn¡¯t jump offside. That¡¯s one of the concerns.¡±

So it¡¯s details, details, details for Nkemdiche, and Josh Gordon Jersey Elite , most importantly, some production when he¡¯s on the field.

¡±Do it on Sunday,¡± he said. ¡±When it¡¯s game time, show up and play ball. It¡¯s a very simple concept, just go out there and be a dog, be a disruptive force, play every play at extreme capacity.¡±

And don¡¯t jump offside.

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With no deadlines to meet and a monthlong summer break coming up, NFL teams are in no hurry to formulate a policy on demonstrations during the national anthem.

One day after league owners mandated that players must stand for the ¡±Star-Spangled Banner¡± ¨C they now have the option of remaining in the locker room for the playing of the anthem ¨C few of the 32 teams had done more than preliminary work on the issue.

The NFL gave teams the option of developing their own workplace rules, which many players interpreted as a backhanded way of subjecting them to fines, suspensions or loss of jobs should they carry on with the protests.

For now, other than New York Jets owner Christopher Johnson¡¯s decision to pay any fines doled out by the league without passing punishment to the players, each franchise¡¯s approach is uncertain.

After all, once mandatory minicamps end in mid-June, teams don¡¯t get together again until training camps open in late July. The opening preseason game ¨C the first time the anthem would be played before an NFL match ¨C is Aug. 2 when Baltimore and Chicago face off in the Hall of Fame game.

¡±I¡¯m sure it¡¯s something that will be addressed, by the players and by the coaches, collectively,¡± Lions receiver Golden Tate said Thursday. ¡±But right now Cheap Vita Vea Jersey , we don¡¯t play a game until August, and that¡¯s when it¡¯s going to be applicable in football stadiums. So we¡¯ve got time to kind of brainstorm some ideas on how we could stand for justice and what we can do.¡±

What some teams have done in the past likely indicates how they will handle disciplining players for demonstrations during the anthem ¨C regardless of the intent. Owners Jerry Jones of the Cowboys and Robert McNair of the Texans have been among the staunchest advocates of no exceptions to standing during the anthem.

Others have taken a less stringent stance, emphasizing working together with the players in their communities rather than focusing on how the message about social injustice is being delivered.

¡±I have always believed it is the responsibility of sports teams to be very proactive in our communities,¡± says Jeffrey Lurie, owner of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles.

¡±In this great country of ours, there are so many people who are hurting and marginalized, which is why I am proud of our players for continuously working to influence positive change. Their words and actions have demonstrated not only that they have a great deal of respect for our country, but also that they are committed to finding productive ways to fight social injustice, poverty and other societal issues that are important to all of us.

¡±We must continue to work together in creative and dynamic ways to make our communities stronger and better, with equal opportunities for all.¡±

One certain thing: The uncertainty about how each team will deal with players who defy the NFL¡¯s mandate will last for weeks.

Not so for any league personnel such as game officials, sideline crews, et al. They will be disciplined for any violations of the anthem policy, though the exact punishments have not yet been determined by the NFL.

One organization, the National Action Network, will march on league headquarters Friday to ¡±advocate for players¡¯ right to kneel and call on NFL owners to reverse (the) dangerous decision violating players¡¯ First Amendment rights by imposing fines for not standing during the national anthem.¡±

Such protests could become more prevalent if teams decide to strongly discipline players who demonstrate during the anthem. But some franchises aren¡¯t sure they need their own policy. Or if that is even the proper description.

The Falcons¡® position is any players on the field will stand, so no need to make plans for any other outcome.

Team spokesman Brian Cearns suggested it¡¯s too strong to say they have a team policy: ¡±The word policy sounds like it was mandated. It was discussed as a team and agreed upon as a team,¡± Cearns said in an email to The Associated Press.

Defensive linemen Dontari Poe and Grady Jarrett knelt during an early season game at Detroit last year.

Coach Dan Quinn said that was a ¡±one-off¡± and Cheap Derrius Guice Jersey , sure enough, after that game all players stood together on the sideline, with arms interlocked, the remainder of the season.

¡±Was every player who stood last year against social justice?¡± Lions guard T.J. Lang tweeted ¡±Or just the guys who do it this year because there is now a rule? Asking for a friend.¡±

Buffalo linebacker Lorenzo Alexander doesn¡¯t expect his team ¡±to do anything.¡±

¡±I understand where they¡¯re at. And it¡¯s hard,¡± Alexander said. ¡±And I understand that from a business perspective trying to be socially responsible. And people can act like it¡¯s in a vacuum and say you have to pick a side. But it¡¯s not that simple. It¡¯s a very complex situation.

¡±And so I respect them, because I was a business owner and I understand it. It makes a big impact. I¡¯m in this to grow the business, grow their brand, and us doing this does have an impact, whether we say it or not. That¡¯s what we want, because we¡¯re trying to bring attention to it. But they have to have a foot over here, a foot over here. It¡¯s hard.¡±

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AP Pro Football Writer Arnie Stapleton and Sports Writers Charles Odum, Paul Newberry, John Wawrow and Noah Trister contributed.

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