TEMPE, Ariz. -- It's never good when a coach tells reporters to keep their recorders on because they won't be able to keep up with the list of injuries he's about to announce.

That's what Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians did Wednesday.

"You'll need your tape recorders for this one," Arians said. "You can't write that fast."

Arians then proceeded to read the names of 11 injured Cardinals and two others -- wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and defensive tackle Frostee Rucker -- who were given veterans days off.

"That's why we walked through the second half of practice," Arians cracked.

It would've been easier to read off the names of those players who did practice, one questioner mentioned.

"It was about an equal amount," Arians responded.

The injury bug has hit the Cardinals hard with two games left in the season. Arians expects three or four players back Thursday and possibly four more back Friday -- but for some it'll be "touch and go," the coach said. In addition to the football injuries, Arians said the flu is making its way through the locker room.

Last week it hit tight end Jermaine Gresham. This week it has hit defensive tackle Olsen Pierre and wide receiver Chad Williams -- so far.

Having that many players banged up -- the Cards have 14 players on injured reserve at the moment -- has taken its toll on, well, everything. Instead of Arians evaluating young players as he brings them along, he’s now forced to play them.

"They're starters," Arians said. "They're playing because they're starters, not because we're putting them in there. They're the next man up, and I'd like to see more improvement out of a couple of them."

During Wednesday's practice, the offense ran a shift and a motion, and it took the offensive line three tries to get it.

"Yeah, he just got here two weeks ago," Arians said, referring to the turnstile of lineups Arizona has had to deal with because of injuries. That's OTAs and training camp stuff.

"You get pissed off, and then you're like, 'I'm sorry. You just got here. That's you we're talking to.' So those things you have to just … They're going to happen, and you just let them happen, and hopefully they happen on the practice field and not in the game."

But Arians is trying to stay patient with the young and inexperienced -- as patient as he can be.

"It's hard for me to be patient at any time, especially Week 17 or whatever it is, but then you've got to realize this is the second week of OTAs for about five of these guys," Arians said.

There have been a couple times when recently promoted starter Drew Stanton has looked around the huddle and was caught off guard by who was in there.

"I think that nobody's feeling sorry for us," he said. "I know the Giants aren't. They've been doing this since Week 5, have a revolving door of guys coming in, and Eli's been throwing to some of these guys.

"So that's the way that it goes. That's life in the NFL, and as the new guys come in, we'll introduce ourselves and try to get them on board."