Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon lays out expectations on the first day of training camp.
The Arizona Cardinals started their first practice of training camp on Wednesday, with full attendance. It was a chance to see the new-look Cardinals, who were busy adding players to their roster through both free agency and the draft, including top draft choice Marvin Harrison Jr.
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The 2024 season serves as an opportunity for the Cardinals to show they’re ready to start winning more games. That was the overarching theme in team meetings the night before.
“I want us to be a smart football team that we don’t beat ourselves,” said head coach Jonathan Gannon in his post-practice press conference, which was uploaded to the Cardinals YouTube channel. I want us to be a physical team that plays with great effort, great intensity, great violence, and let the chips fall where they fall. But that’s basically kind of our mode of play.”
This follows up on the type of identity that defensive coordinator Nick Rallis saws he wants to see from his defense.
The expectations in Year 2 is to be better than than they were last year. To do that, they need to improve each and every day. Gannon spoke on what they need to do.
“Keeping the main thing the main thing, holding the guys to that standard and accountability, which they’re doing an excellent job with it, and make sure we’re all improving on a daily basis. We’ve got to line up and win football games. That’s the expectation.”
The team believes the right culture is in place and they’re ready to take the next step. They’re coming off a 4-13 season, with three of those wins coming in their last eight games. Gannon was asked if there was any momentum carried over from that finish, but he believes that it comes from all 11 players on the field executing what they’re coached up to do.
In Gannon’s second year, things are a lot different. A year ago, starting quarterback Kyler Murray was rehabbing an ACL injury suffered late in the previous season. Now he’s fully healthy, and the Cardinals will have an opportunity to build the offense around him this year.
“Well, it feels significantly different where when you’re playing with Kyler, and he’s your franchise quarterback, and the impact that he can have on the game, yeah, I think it feels a little different.”
Arizona enters training camp in pretty good shape in terms of health. The only injury of note is second-year offensive lineman Jon Gaines II. Gaines is dressed and participating, albeit in a limited capacity, after spending most of the offseason as a bystander. Joining the team as a fourth rounder out of UCLA in 2023, he tore his ACL in the Cardinals’ final preseason game.
“He’s coming back from the knee, but he’s doing a great job. The staff, our athletic training staff, did a great job with him. Our performance staff did a great job with him. He’s chomping at the bit to get going. I think he took a little honeymoon with his wife this summer for not long, and he was in here every day. So credit to all those people to get him ready to be at this point where he’s not on P.U.P. (Physically Unable to Perform) and he’s not really limited as we get going here.”
The Cardinals will be back out there the next day. Fans will be able to attend the second day of camp, which will start at 1:15 P.M. at State Farm Stadium.
