Arizona Cardinals' Ellington content with new role

Normally, if a star tailback had only 17 total carries over a five-game stretch, he’d be brooding and complaining to anyone who would listen.

So why is Andre Ellington so happy?

“Because I’m able to be myself now,” the Cardinals running back said Friday after the team’s final practice in preparation for Sunday night’s prime-time matchup against the visiting Cincinnati Bengals. “I’m not dealing with a banged up knee or anything like that. It feels good.

“It’s been a while since I’ve been feeling this way.”

Ellington said this is the freshest and fittest he’s felt since he entered the NFL and he added that he’s perfectly content with his reduced role now that veteran Chris Johnson has established himself as the team’s primary ball carrier.

Even with his limited touches, Ellington is returning huge dividends. He gives the Cardinals a set of fresh legs in the second half and he’s been able to rattle off a few huge, game-turning plays such as last week’s 48-yard touchdown run on a sprint draw during Arizona’s 39-32 victory.

“I have that capability, but it’s really about (coach Bruce Arians) and what type of guy he is,” Ellington said. “He understands his players and understands how to coach. He puts us in great positions to be successful and he knows what assets we bring.”

All three of the Cardinals’ top three running backs bring a little something different, and Ellington said he’s just happy to be a part of the trio, which also includes rookie David Johnson.

“Oh, I love it,” he said. “We still really haven’t unleashed Dave yet. We’ve shown him a little bit here and there, but once we start unleashing him it’s really going to be a sight to see. It’s going to be amazing. … He’s going to be a freak player, man. Right now, he’s still kind of a young guy, but he’s a special rookie. For a guy to come in and look the way he does and do the things he can do, you don’t see that too often.”

“Oh there’s no doubt,” Arians said. “He always has his package for a game and he’s capable of handling either guy’s (game-day) package. That’s the beauty of his skill set; he can do both. He’s got a great future.”

Injury update

The only player the Cardinals have ruled out of Sunday’s game is defensive tackle Cory Redding because of an ankle injury. Left guard Mike Iuptati (neck/concussion) will be back in the starting lineup a week after being carted off the field in an ambulance at Seattle.

Receiver Michael Floyd (hamstring) and right guard Jonathan Cooper (knee) did not practice on Friday, but Arians said both could be available and will be game-time decisions.

Normally if a player doesn’t practice all week, Arians won’t play him. He said he’ll make an exception for Floyd because “he’s not a rookie anymore.”

“I know he knows what he’s doing and if he can run, we can use him,” Arians said.

Cooper, Arians said, will serve in a backup role Sunday if the Cardinals need him. Taking his place in the starting lineup will be Ted Larsen or Earl Watford. Receiver John Brown is still dealing with a tight hamstring and is listed as questionable, but he said he fully expects to play. Linebacker Markus Golden (ankle) is also questionable.

The Bengals list three players as doubtful: cornerback Adam Jones (foot), defensive end Michael Johnson (back) and defensive tackle Pat Sims (knee). Linebacker Vontaze Burfict (knee), defensive end Carlos Dunlap (shoulder), tackle Andre Smith (concussion) and safety Shawn Williams (ankle) are all probable.

Warner breaks jaw

Former Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner tweeted on Friday that he suffered a broken jaw in two places while playing basketball with some friends. The accident will knock him off the NFL Network set for an undetermined length of time.

“It doesn’t surprise me,” Cardinals center Lyle Sendlein said. “I feel for him, but he’s always been that kind of competitor. I actually know a few of the guys that go out there to play pick-up games at his house and I hope it’s not one of my buddies from high school that did it.”

Fitz reflects on 100

Larry Fitzgerald is the longest-tenured Cardinals player on the roster and Sunday night, when the team celebrates its 100th consecutive sellout at University of Phoenix Stadium, he will tie Larry Stallings (1963-76) for seventh on the franchise’s all-time games-played list (180).

He was asked if it feels like it’s been 100 games.

“The way I feel right now? Yeah, it feels like that,” he said. “The time flies. One-hundred straight sellouts. That says something pretty special about what we’ve been able to accomplish here. I remember back in the days playing in Sun Devil Stadium where you couldn’t pay somebody to come watch us play out there. Now you can’t get a seat in the building. It’s great to see that turnaround.”

As for the importance of Sunday’s game and what beating a team like the 8-1 Bengals could do for the Cardinals, Fitzgerald spun some of his veteran savviness.

“It’s the NFL, man,” he said. “One week the narrative is ‘Are the Cardinals good enough to win?’ And now it’s ‘Are you good enough to sustain winning?’ It’s always something, but the guys in this locker room understand what we need to do – take it one week at a time.

“It’s the next game on our schedule. It’s an important one, just like San Francisco is going to be important, just like St. Louis will be important, just like Minnesota. I mean every game is important. You can’t put any more emphasis on one games than the next.”

Helping hands

Cardinals players, front office personnel and family members will serve Thanksgiving dinner at the Phoenix Rescue Mission on Monday during the 14th annual “Help Feed the Hungry” program.

Team President Michael Bidwill, Nicole Bidwill and players including Sendlein, Iupati, long snapper Mike Leach and punter Drew Butler are scheduled to join members from the Arizona Cardinals Women’s Club, Cardinals cheerleaders, team mascot Big Red and team employees to serve dinner at the Rescue Mission to help celebrate Thanksgiving.

You got fined

The NFL announced that the Seahawks’ K.J. Wright was fined $23,152 for his helmet-to-helmet hit last Sunday night on Fitzgerald.

Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer, meanwhile, was fined $11,576 for a gesture he made toward the end of the game.

(azcentral sports’ Kent Somers contributed to this report).