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TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona rookie guard Jonathan Cooper rolled into the Cardinals’ locker room on a one-legged scooter with a look of eagerness and veiled frustration.

He began rehab on his broken left fibula Monday, the first step toward returning to football next season. He suffered the injury in a preseason game a little more than six weeks ago. On his first day, Cooper worked on the upper body bike to get his blood flowing and begin rebuilding his cardio.

Doctors removed the cast on his left leg Wednesday, which gave Cooper hope that he’d be able to start walking again, but doctors quickly told him that he’s at least a few weeks away from putting any weight on his leg. And that’s when the veiled frustration set in.

His scooter is the best way for Cooper to get around. He has a backpack hanging on the front to carry his belongings. He flies around on just one push off. But the novelty of it wore off quickly.

“It’s miserable now,” Cooper said. “My knee hurts. Everybody’s like, ‘Oh man, that’s awesome.’ It’s like yeah, for the first day.”

Cooper, who was drafted with the seventh overall pick in April’s draft, stayed in Arizona and joins his teammates in all their meetings. But just because he’s injured, doesn’t mean he’s excused from the rookie treatment.

It actually hasn’t stopped.

“They’ve embraced me,” Cooper said. “They still talk junk to me and treat me like I’m a normal guy. It’s been fine.”

All the support, all the teasing, all the rookie antics have helped, but in the end they can’t make up for Cooper not playing.

“It’s been tough,” Cooper said. “(You) come in and you want to leave your mark and I’m not able to play my rookie year but it’s OK. Now I’ve kinda accepted my role, just be around the guys and get as much film in as I can.”

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Following the final play of Arizona’s 13-10 win over Tampa Bay on Sunday, it was easy to tell Cardinals coach Bruce Arians wasn’t quite basking in the delight of evening his record at 2-2.

He had called the simplest -- and most gratifying -- of plays for a coach: the kneel down. Except it wasn’t simple against the Bucs and coach Greg Schiano. Tampa Bay rushed the Cards’ first kneel down, knocking down Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer on the play. And the Bucs rushed again on the second kneel down, which ran out the clock.

Arians wasn’t happy. He barely shook hands with Schiano and had some words for a Tampa Bay assistant coach, according to a replay of the game.

“That’s their style,” Arians said Monday. “I have no comment on it.”

But some Bucs fans did.

One fan called into Schiano’s radio show Monday and told him the move was “bush league,” according to JoeBucsFan.com.

Schiano, as expected, responded, saying he leaves the decision to rush the kneel down up to his players. He also admitted it’s never worked in the NFL. And he wants people to stop complaining.

Here’s Schiano’s entire response, per JoeBucsFan.com:

“I can say it’s misunderstood. Maybe I’m misunderstood. Who knows? But there’s a couple of things that I can tell you. No. 1, it’s an organized play. It isn’t just a mayhem of diving.

“Has it worked here yet in the NFL? No. Has it worked before? Sure. It’s worked or I wouldn’t do it. You know, we’ve caused several balls to be put on the ground in the past in doing this. And there’s a technique, a series of techniques that are involved.

“But most importantly, you know, I want everybody to know, our players, I ask our players, ‘If we don’t want to do this, we don’t do it.’ I mean, that’s where I am. I’m not going to force guys. Because is there always a risk involved? Sure. I mean there’s always a risk involved when you’re hitting other people. And I’m talking about a risk for our players.

“But, you know, when your players believe it can give you an opportunity, now why do they believe? Because they’ve seen the video. They’ve seen the ball on the ground in a situation that that shouldn’t happen. So I think that they understand if done correctly, there’s a good opportunity. …

“When it’s a one-score opportunity, and especially a field goal opportunity and there’s time left to do it, that’s part of our beliefs. And guys can disagree with it, call it, you know, there’s no bush league to it. You know it’s coming. And if anybody saw it, Gerald McCoy was shaking his head telling [Arizona], ‘We’re coming.’ So I mean, you know what, run the play. If there’s time on the clock, run the play. I’d like people to quit complaining, and that’s what we’re going to do, and get ready for it.”

Schiano said he won’t force his players to do it, but he’s not forcing them to stop, either. Arians is a veteran of this league. Schiano, well, is not. There are unwritten rules that are followed. This is another example of Schiano trying to bring a college gimmick to the NFL, and like mostly everything else, it doesn’t look like it’s working.

A weekly examination of the Cardinals' ESPN.com Power Ranking:

Preseason: 26 | Last Week: 22 | ESPN.com Power Ranking since 2002

So maybe Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians was on to something when he said it doesn’t matter how his team wins, as long as it wins. The Cardinals pulled off a fourth-quarter comeback in Tampa Bay to cap a 13-10 win in an ugly game. But style points don’t count in the NFL, and the win helped Arizona move up three places in this week’s ESPN.com Power Rankings. Last week in Sarasota, Fla., offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin talked about the offense showing flashes, but that’s all it’s done. But during those flashes, the Cardinals have displayed how powerful Arians’ new offense can be, which is not a secret around the NFL. The Cardinals moved the ball with ease on two drives in the third quarter, but they were derailed by Carson Palmer interceptions. This team has the pieces, it’s just a matter of the players figuring out how to make them work. Arians said Monday he has never seen a team take so long to figure out his offense, which he labeled as “putrid.” If “putrid” means a win, it can only go up from here.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- This is why Nate Potter was told to learn how to play guard.

When right guard Daryn Colledge went down with a leg injury late in the third quarter of Sunday's game at Tampa Bay, the Cardinals turned to Potter, a second-year lineman out of Boise State. He was thrown into the fire in his first significant action of the season in a position he only played very sporadically in college.

While he didn’t allow a sack, Potter did surrender two hurries, according to Pro Football Focus. But it’s a work in progress, he said. There’s a lot for him to learn after playing just 22 snaps at what’s basically a new position.

“There’s a couple technique things that I got to break, that I got to focus on, especially at guard in game situations and stuff like that,” Potter said. “Still a long ways to go.”

Potter called his transition to guard “interesting” but said the other offensive linemen were helping him on the field as much as they could.

“That’s my role now,” Potter said. “So I got to get better at it and keep working on it.”

Overall he held his own, and when he did make a mistake with his technique, he was able to recover quick enough to avoid a drastic blunder.

“He’s very athletic,” Arizona coach Bruce Arians said. “He overset the three technique two or three times, got beat back inside, but he’s athletic enough to get back and recover.

“He just has to get his guard sets better, especially when you’re going against someone like [Tampa Bay defensive tackle Gerald] McCoy. You can’t overset him and get your feet together.”

Flush the Pocket will be your daily morning dose of the Arizona Cardinals. It'll recap the top story line from the previous day and give you a look at what everyone is saying locally and nationally.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona coach Bruce Arians doesn't hide his candidness.

Early Monday afternoon he called the Cardinals' offense "putrid" -- and that was putting it nicely. So when Arians was a guest on NFL Network's The Coaches Show podcast hosted by former NFL coach Brian Billick, Arians' sincerity showed.

He compared getting Daryl Washington back after a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy to getting a Pro Bowler in a trade this early in the season.

For the next week, Washington will be the topic du jour until he makes his appearance Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.

However more bad news could be awaiting Washington, according to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter. Washington could be suspended against next season, sources told Schefter. The suspension would stem from charges of an alleged domestic incident with an ex-girlfriend last May in which he was accused of breaking her collarbone. The case still is in the courts and is not expected to be resolved this season, another source told Schefter. Washington's next court date is Oct. 9 for a pretrial conference.

For now, he's back on the field and everyone will be looking for No. 58.

Read my story here.

Bob McManaman of AZCentral.com writes about the Cardinals' offensive struggles.

Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes about Washington's return.

Arians talked with NFL Network's Brian Billick about the Cardinals' recent win.

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Arizona coach Bruce Arians didn’t need his notepad to evaluate the Cardinals’ offensive performance in their 13-10 win over Tampa Bay. In fact, he needed just one word: “Putrid.”

Here are a few notes from his Monday news conference:

• Arians said linebacker Daryl Washington will start immediately, most likely alongside Karlos Dansby.
• The defense played one of its best games this season, Arians said, especially the run stop.
• Adding to his “putrid” description of the offense, Arians said its troubles are starting to get repetitive.
• Arians hasn’t seen a team take this long to pick up his offense before.
• Dan Williams is expected to rejoin the team Tuesday night.
• Arians said Nate Potter looked “OK” at right guard taking over for an injured Daryn Colledge. The second-year player’s athleticism helped him.
• Arians also alluded to getting rookie linebacker Kevin Minter back this week.
• Arians didn’t have an update on the injured players who left Sunday’s game but said they were all minor.

A review of four hot issues from the Arizona Cardinals' 13-10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

Offense needs work: Arizona''s offense struggled to move the ball last season, and it seems to be carrying over into the Bruce Arians era. The offense seems to get stuck in the mud and spin its tires for most of the game until it gets a light nudge from the defense or one of its receivers. And, as much as the Cardinals have talked about fixing the problems, the same things keep happening. Arizona didn’t convert a third down in the first half and was 1-for-10 overall. Six of their 10 third downs, including the one conversion, were for 10 yards or less. The Cardinals managed just 87 yards of total offense in the first half, and they were lucky to win. Since 2001, the Cards are 20-47 when totaling less than 100 yards in either half, according to ESPN Stats & Information. There could be a simple fix, but it’s a matter of finding out exactly what’s wrong.

Run D showed up: No wonder the defensive line wanted to know how many rushing yards it allowed right after the game. The Cardinals held Bucs running back Doug Martin to 45 yards on 27 carries, his lowest total of the season and the lowest of his career when he has 27 or more carries. Martin is averaging 137 yards per game in the four contests in which he has 27 carries or more. According Mark Dalton, Arizona’s vice president of media relations, with information from the Elias Sports Bureau, Martin is the eighth player to have 45 or fewer yards on 25 or more carries since 1935.

Fitz needs to be fed: As Carson Palmer attempted each pass during the first half, none of which were intended for Larry Fitzgerald, the shock spread. Fitzgerald wasn’t targeted once in the first two quarters for the first time since Week 16 of 2010 against the Dallas Cowboys, when the Cardinals also squeezed out a win, 27-26, according to ESPN Stats & Information. As soon as Fitzgerald was worked into the game plan Sunday, Arizona moved the ball with ease because it put the Bucs on alert.

Injuries hurt defense: If the Cardinals weren’t decimated on defense already after New Orleans on Sept. 22, they might not want to go into the training room Monday. Arizona lost three more players to injuries, all at key positions. Linebacker Vic So'oto left the game with a possible concussion. Defensive tackle Darnell Dockett left with a groin injury, as did linebacker Jasper Brinkley. This is on top of the rash of injuries suffered two weekends ago and the loss of Dan Williams for the game. So’oto’s injury could be more serious than the others, but Dockett and Brinkley have until Wednesday to rest, otherwise it’s another run through the waiver wire.

TAMPA, Fla. -- It wasn’t Arizona running back Rashard Mendenhall’s fumble, dropped carry or bobbled pass that Cardinals coach Bruce Arians was unhappy about. Arians was not pleased with Mendenhall’s decision to try to run out of bounds with 1:43 left in the fourth quarter. Fortunately for the Cardinals, Mendenhall fumbled the ball out, allowing the clock to keep running and forcing Tampa Bay to call a timeout.

“Rashard had a very tough day and he can’t play that way,” Arians said. “He can’t run out of bounds. He’s a veteran. And to run out of bounds at the end of the game was ridiculous. That was probably the worst mistake he made all day.”

On the Cardinals’ second play of the game, Mendenhall missed an easy swing pass from quarterback Carson Palmer in the flat. Then on the team’s next drive, he dropped a ball but was ruled down. And on the very next play, Mendenhall fumbled and Tampa Bay recovered.

“It’s unlike him. He’s not a fumbler,” Arians said. “We need to practice him a little bit harder. I think we’ve been too easy on him in practice because of his injuries and we need to hone him up more because he’s not game ready.”

Moch produces in debut: He only saw the field for 25 plays, but recently promoted Dontay Moch made the most of them. Moch had a critical sack on third-and-10 with just under 3 minutes left that forced the Bucs to punt and allowed the Cardinals to hit a game-winning field goal.

“I saw it open up, I was rushing in and I kept baiting him the whole day, just showing the speed, just showing the speed and eventually it opened for me and I just took it,” Moch said. “I tried to get the safety but [mostly wanted] just to get the defense out.”

Arians talked all week about Moch’s speed and said after the game the linebacker proved himself.

“I had him on the table for two sacks going into the game,” Arians said, “and I knew he would show up.”

Arians finds success in Tampa: At least this time, the Cardinals won in Raymond James Stadium. Arians is used to leaving Tampa Bay a victor. He’s won his past three appearances in the home of the Bucs, culminating with Sunday’s 13-10 win as coach of the Cards.

His two previous wins in Tampa came as offensive coordinator of the Pittsburgh Steelers, once during the regular season in 2010 and another in Super Bowl XLIII in 2008 -- against the Cardinals.

“Wouldn’t have any other ending at Raymond James Stadium,” Arians said. “Kind of used to those kind [of endings]. Haven’t been on the losing end yet, for a while, at this place.”

TAMPA, Fla. -- If the Arizona Cardinals could fast-forward their games to about the middle of the fourth quarter, their offense would look like the well-oiled unit it was touted to be.

It’s those first three quarters that are catching them.

Something was off from Arizona’s first play Sunday at Tampa Bay. Carson Palmer was sacked when Gerald McCoy was given a clear path to the quarterback. A play later, Rashard Mendenhall dropped a pass that’s usually a gimme. And on the Cardinals' next drive Mendenhall dropped a carry and fumbled the ball away.

The offense's woes picked up where they left off in New Orleans and continued until the Cardinals’ defense willed this team to victory, 13-10, late in the fourth quarter at Raymond James Stadium. Before then, however, the defense was simply keeping the offense above water.

Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald wasn’t targeted once in the first half, which ended with Arizona totaling just 87 yards of offense, three first downs and an 0-for-6 on third down. The Cardinals punted on six of their seven possessions in the first half. Mendenhall’s fumble was on the other possession.

“That was some ugly ball … that was bad ball in the first half all around,” said Fitzgerald, who was visibly frustrated, hanging his head after some plays. “Our defense kept fighting for us, kept the game manageable for us. We’re so thankful those guys played their tail off.”

Fitzgerald said he didn’t demand the ball at halftime or draw plays in the sand that could get him open. But when the Cardinals took possession for the first time in the second half, Fitzgerald was Palmer’s first target for a 9-yard pass. Then Palmer hit Michael Floyd for 14 yards and Fitzgerald again for 21. Arians began moving Fitzgerald around, and it helped the All-Pro get open. The offense was finally showing those flashes that offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin talked about last week.

But even then, the Cardinals’ offense figured out ways to stall. They began the third quarter with two impressive drives, both of which were curtailed after Palmer threw interceptions from the Tampa Bay 15- and 33-yard lines, respectively.

Palmer said part of the offense's struggles come from playing only four games together.

“You got a new system, a lot of new players in new spots,” Palmer said. “There is not a lot of continuity really anywhere.”

Yet Arians appears to accept the offense’s flaws as long as the Cardinals win. But would Patrick Peterson have been able to intercept a veteran quarterback twice, as he did against Bucs rookie Mike Glennon? Or would a seasoned signal-caller have been able to stretch a lead during the second and third quarters? They’re questions to ponder with Carolina’s Cam Newton coming to town.

That is why they play 60 minutes, Arians said, and as long as the Cardinals hang around long enough to win, he’s OK with some bumps in the road.

“Just win the fourth quarter and we’ll be all right,” Arians said.

“I thought the fourth quarter was some of the best football we’ve played all year. It was just a matter of doing it. It was there to be done.”

TAMPA, Fla. -- The Arizona Cardinals grumbled about staying in Sarasota, Fla., for a week in between road games.

They wanted their normal routine -- sleeping in own their beds and seeing their families. They wanted home-cooked meals and their own cars. But boy were they glad Arizona coach Bruce Arians insisted on the layover in the Sunshine State. By time Sunday’s game against the Tampa Buccaneers kicked off, temperatures were at 84 degrees and according to the National Weather Service, the humidity was approaching 70 percent.

By the fourth quarter, the Cardinals likely would’ve been on their knees and dragging if they had returned to Arizona after last Sunday’s game in New Orleans.

“I’m just thankful we had the chance to stay here this week because we needed that extra energy at the end of the game,” quarterback Carson Palmer said. “It was very humid and we had a chance to prepare in the humidity.

“Had we gone to New Orleans, back home and then back out here, I don’t know if we would have had that same energy there in the fourth quarter and in the third quarter because it was an absolutely dog fight.”

After practicing in the brutal humidity at IMG Academy, it wasn’t rare for about 10 players to be given IV bags to rehydrate. It proved fruitful when the stakes were their highest on Sunday.

The Cardinals’ offense awoke in the fourth quarter of a 13-10 win, and began moving the ball down 10-0. Their comeback began with a 42-yard field goal by Jay Feely with 11:16 left, right around the time the Florida was at its hottest.

For the next eight minutes, the offense lagged again but was given an IV of its own when Patrick Peterson hauled in the first of two interceptions in the fourth quarter. One play later, with 3:12 left, Palmer hit Larry Fitzgerald for a touchdown and the Cardinals tied the game at 10.

“We had no excuses not to (do well),” Arians said. “The week helped us. I thought we were fresher. The heat didn’t bother us and then we couldn’t get our defense off the field, with our offense not helping them in the first half but they hung in there and crated turnovers.

“They didn’t look that tired in the fourth quarter so I think all that worked out for us.”

Peterson’s second pick came with 93 seconds left. It set up the Jay Feely’s game-winning field goal and the Cardinals went back to a humidity-less Arizona at .500 grateful they had a chance to adapt.

“Definitely staying here on the East Coast helped with this heat cause it was hot out there but we were used to it so it wasn’t as bad,” defensive end Calais Campbell said. “It’s the same heat we were in all week. I think that really helped us.

“I think that when you’re in the game like that, where at the end of the game you have to come back and find a way a way to win it, I think the (heat) would’ve normally bothered us.”

TAMPA, Fla. -- It’s a kicker's dream to hit a game-winning field goal in their home town.

The only part of Jay Feely's 27-yard field goal to give the Arizona Cardinals a 13-10 victory against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers that wasn’t out of a story book was that the kick didn’t happen as time expired. He lined up with 1 minute, 29 seconds left in a game that was as ugly as it was humid.

So it was fitting for the Tampa native who didn’t break a sweat in the first half to score the majority of the Cards’ points Sunday at Raymond James Stadium, including the final three.

“It was pretty cool,” said Feely, who finished with seven point in total.

Feely had a kicker’s hunch all week that the game would come down to his foot. That thought just lingered as he bounced around the Tampa area, visiting friends and family.

He visited Jesuit High School, his alma mater, where his father, Thomas, coaches. Then he spoke to the football team at Berkeley Prep, where his former coach, Dominick Ciao, coaches. And finally, on Friday, he attended the Plant High School football game because its coach, Robert Weiner, was Feely’s best man.

“Got to see everybody here in Tampa,” Feely said. “Had dinner with my family and my brothers and my dad and mom. It was pretty special to cap it with a game winner.”

Feely, who had played at Raymond James a few times before Sunday, had never attempted such a crucial kick in that stadium before. But there weren’t any extra nerves nagging at him when he lined up for the 27-yarder, which turned into the 10th game-winning kick of his career. It was short and easy, and cleared the goal posts as such. But he nailed a 42-yard field goal with 11:16 left in the fourth that put the Cardinals on the board for the first time Sunday, and that kick came with a little added weight.

“Obviously, that meant a lot to give us the opportunity [to kick the game winner]. I wasn’t very nervous at all,” Feely said. “It was little bit different in the second half but we found a way to win and that’s what good teams. When they don’t play well, somebody makes a play and finds a way to win. [Going home] 2-2 is a lot different than 1-3.”

TAMPA, Fla. -- Observed in the locker room after the Arizona Cardinals’ 13-10 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Pure exhaustion: One of the first things heard upon entering the Cardinals’ locker room was quarterback Carson Palmer asking a teammate if he was tired. Palmer then explained how exhausted he was. “It was a dogfight,” Palmer said during his news conference.

Stopping the run: The defensive line was extra curious about how many yards it allowed on the ground and began asking anyone who walked by. The answer was 80, the second most Arizona has allowed all season.

Waiting patiently: Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald wasn’t targeted once in the first half, but he’s not the type of person to say anything about it. At halftime, he didn’t voice his displeasure with not being involved, nor did he suggest ways to make that happen. “I’m not a complainer,” Fitzgerald said.

D-Wash on the mind: Sunday was the Cardinals’ last game without linebacker Daryl Washington, who will be reinstated Monday after a four-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. And the Cards let everyone know how excited they were to have him back. Both head coach Bruce Arians and cornerback Patrick Peterson referenced Washington and how the defense will change with when he returns.