Fasten your seat belts. We are now less than 72 hours away from the beginning of the negotiating period (9 am Arizona time Monday) for NFL potential free agents in advance of the start of the 2023 league year at 1 pm (Arizona time) Wednesday. It’s obviously not “legal tampering” because since it’s allowed, it can’t be tampering. Having said that we all know there won’t be any tampering prior to Monday. Right. The bottom line is that numerous agreements will be leaked by agents prior to 1 pm Wednesday, but contracts can’t be signed and become official until then. Aside from trying to re-sign some of their own free agents, the Cardinals should be busy simply because they have…

With the Scouting Combine history, the next month will be filled with NFL personnel executives and coaches fanning out around the country for Pro Days. For the Arizona colleges, Arizona State has its Pro Day scheduled for March 27, which is also the first day of the NFL annual meeting that this year returns to the Arizona Biltmore. Arizona had a Pro Day for rising seniors on February 10 and the one for this year’s draft-eligible players will be March 16. On March 28, the day after Arizona State’s Pro Day, Northern Arizona will host its Pro Day. The 22 inches of snow still on the ground is expected to be mostly gone by then. Below is a comprehensive list…

The last two Scouting Combines have not been good ones for the Cardinals. One year ago, the opening of the Combine was highlighted by the all-caps manifesto from Erik Burkhardt, the agent for quarterback Kyler Murray. Burkhardt’s over-the-top approach came a few days after owner Michael Bidwill publicly stated the team was committed to signing Murray to a new contract, but emphasized it likely wouldn’t happen until summer. That wasn’t good enough for Burkhardt, who followed his diatribe with a handful of shots at Bidwill on social media questioning his commitment to winning. Of course, Bidwill stunned the football world within 48 hours of Burkhardt’s post by announcing general manager Steve Keim and coach Kliff Kingsbury had been signed to…

To say the Cardinals coaching staff as it stands now is young and inexperienced is a massive understatement. However, coach Jonathan Gannon not only isn’t bothered by it, he embraces it with confidence and belief. Of course, that’s what he has to do, jumping in feet first while knowing these decisions will be crucial in how the team performs in his first opportunity as a head coach. Still, the numbers jump off the page when realizing how green the coaches are on offense and defense. After officially announcing  numerous additions to the staff this week, the nine offensive coaches total 34 seasons of NFL coaching experience while five are younger than 40 years old. On defense, eight coaches total a…

If it were only that easy. That’s the takeaway from Jonathan Gannon’s introduction to the Phoenix area Thursday morning as Cardinals coach. There’s no doubt that Gannon “won” the press conference with his energy and “JG-isms” that owner Michael Bidwill referred to. The reality, of course, is that there’s never been a game won in a press conference. Words can motivate, but they don’t win games, especially in the 17-game intense grind of an NFL season where a play here, a play there along with untimely injuries can blow up a season. Gannon arrives in the desert from Philadelphia after losing in the Super Bowl four days ago, which was the culmination of a season in which the Eagles (and Chiefs)…

History will be made Sunday when Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts become the first Black quarterbacks to face each other in the Super Bowl. Those two are among the 13 minority signal-callers, including Kyler Murray of the Cardinals, who opened the season as starters. During the week, Mahomes and Hurts addressed the significance of what will transpire in Super Bowl LVII. “To be on the world stage and have two Black quarterbacks start in the Super Bowl – I think it’s special and I’ve learned more and more about the history of the Black quarterback since I’ve been in this league,” Mahomes said. “And the guys that came before me and Jalen set the stage for this and now I’m…

The narratives surrounding quarterback Kyler Murray have been constant since he was selected first overall by the Cardinals in 2019. The skill set heads the list when things are going well. And there have been electric stretches of eye-opening football. However, when the inevitable valleys occur, it can get ugly. Questions about demeanor. About leadership. About his approach to the job as the face of the franchise. The opening of training camp last summer was dominated by the independent study clause in his contract that was eventually removed. That discussion was overshadowed by the fact that also included in his $230 million deal are over $6 million in bonuses linked to his presence during voluntary offseason workouts. Think of that.…

If I’ve heard it once, I’ve heard at least a thousand times. And there’s nothing that makes me cringe more than hearing those singular words cascade out of someone’s mouth. Heck, I sometimes catch myself saying it when the subject is a quarterback, and it results in an immediate mea culpa. You know what I’m talking about . . . I hope. It’s this: “He won” or “he lost” as if said quarterback was on the field alone and there were no other reasons why his team won or lost. So, here we all are extolling the remarkable career of Tom Brady since he announced his retirement Wednesday. All deserved. Yet, it’s not enough to simply chronicle the achievements. There…

As we wait with bated breath for the Cardinals to decide on their next head coach, it’s significant to look at the teams that will be arriving in Arizona to compete in Super Bowl LVII. There will be reams of words written and said about the usual noteworthy suspects: Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Chris Jones and Frank Clark on the Kansas City side to go with Jalen Hurts, A.J. Brown, DeVonta Smith, Haason Reddick and Fletcher Cox from Philadelphia. Of course, many other players had key roles. However, you can take this to the bank: There won’t be much time devoted to the unit on each team that is as much responsible for their team’s success as any other. The…