As the Cardinals wrapped up their final practice Friday before taking off for Buffalo and Sunday’s regular season opener against the Bills, passing game coordinator Drew Terrell pondered the team’s identity.
“We’ve got to out hit people and out-think people, that’s our mantra for the team,” Terrell said. “Guys embrace that and there’s definitely a chippiness, an eagerness, a grittiness with the way that the guys practice and the way they bounce around.”
Year Two under coach Jonathan Gannon is about to begin. The Cardinals added pieces like wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting, and bulked up the defensive line room. They extended key players like center Hjalte Froholdt and linebacker Zaven Collins in an effort to build toward the future.
The goal is to contend for the postseason for the first time since 2021, but that’s not where the focus is heading into Sunday.
“I don’t want to think too product-related and want to think more process-related — not result,” wide receiver Michael Wilson said. “Obviously we want to win the week and obviously win the game. Right now, the expectation is just to win each day, prepare the best we can to put ourselves in the best position possible to win game.
“Coming from JG, coming from Kyler Murray, we expect to win every single time we’re on the field. Whether that’s a one-on-one with (tackle) Paris (Johnson Jr.), a ball thrown my way, every time I have an opportunity to make a play, I want to win. That exudes to the whole team any time we touch a field, we expect to win.”
