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Associated Press 8y

Bruce Arians hospitalized as Chargers, Cardinals work out

NFL, San Diego Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, Tennessee Titans, Oakland Raiders

SAN DIEGO -- The San Diego Chargers and Arizona Cardinals broke up the training camp monotony by practicing at Qualcomm Stadium on Tuesday night.

The teams will also have a joint workout on Wednesday at Chargers Park leading up to Friday's preseason game.

"It's like playing two little mini games," Chargers coach Mike McCoy said.

However the Cardinals were missing coach Bruce Arians, who was hospitalized before the practice with stomach pains.

Cardinals spokesman Mark Dalton said that, after arriving for the team's joint practice, Arians told his medical staff he was not feeling well and had stomach pain.

Dalton said later that Arians had undergone tests and would remain hospitalized overnight. Dalton said there would be no further updates until Wednesday.

"I hope he is fine," Cardinals tackle D.J. Humphries said. "B.A. is a big deal in my life. He's helped me out a lot through the whole process and I just want to make sure he is all right. And from what they told us, he is."

The Chargers' goal on Tuesday was to work on their run defense which struggled last season.

San Diego allowed 288 rushing yards in its preseason-opening loss to the Tennessee Titans last week.

By going against the Cardinals, the Chargers had to contend with a top-10 running game.

"It's a great measuring stick for us against a very good football team," McCoy said.

The Cardinals also need to work on their run defense after the Raiders rushed for 166 yards in last week's win over Arizona.

But the Cardinals continue to fine-tune the group without first-round pick Robert Nkemdiche. The former Ole Miss star sprained an ankle early in camp and wasn't cleared for Tuesday's practice.

Both teams worked without incidents.

"I had the `Hard Knocks' image in my head where everyone fights so we were on alert," Humphries said. "But everybody was professional and worked hard."

The Chargers' Philip Rivers agreed.

"I thought we got done what we needed to," he said. "We got to go against another team and get some different looks. It allows us to see some things in a practice setting.

"How many times are we going to get down in the red zone in the preseason with us all in there? So it allows you to see four or five plays in a row against a defense we haven't been practicing against all the time. It feels game-like."

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