ESPN NFL

FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. -- The Arizona Cardinals were taped, dressed and ready for practice Wednesday morning at Northern Arizona University.

Then coach Ken Whisenhunt called the players together and told them he was taking them to the movies instead.

Most had no idea what was coming, although a few suspected something was up when the coaching staff announced that the workout would be closed to the public. Whisenhunt's practices are typically open, but he didn't want fans showing up for what turned out to be a 10-minute walkthrough.

"It's a change-up, that's for sure," Whisenhunt said. "I think they were excited about it. It was exciting for me because I surprised most of them. I was afraid some of it would get out. There was a couple of players who had a pretty good idea, most noticeably our two knucklehead quarterbacks (Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner)."

Buses took the squad to a nearby multiplex, where players chose among three films -- "Transformers," "The Bourne Ultimatum," and "I pronounce you Chuck and Larry."

"You've seen how hard they've been working," said Whisenhunt, who also took the team bowling during summer drills in Tempe. "It builds team, but it's a small reward for that hard work."

Practice resumed on Wednesday night under the Lumberjack Stadium lights.

Arizona opens its preseason Saturday night at Oakland.

Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press

This story is from ESPN.com's automated news wire. Wire index