There’s been a lot of talk about the advantages that a second year under the same coaching staff might afford the Arizona Cardinals, but when an amped-up coach Jonathan Gannon reached the podium to address local media for the first time at training camp on Wednesday, he offered up another bonus.
The Cardinals are almost fully healthy and nobody is on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list, not even offensive lineman Jon Gaines, who missed his entire rookie season after sustaining a knee injury in the final preseason game and is still rehabbing.
“We understand that part of the unknown that’s known is injuries during camp and the season so you’ve got to be ready to deal with that,” Gannon said, “but as a whole, we’re really healthy.”
Gannon said every player was on his own health plan and he lauded everyone for being ready to go. Full health allows the Cardinals to do everything they want to do at camp.
“Jon Gaines is going to start a little bit limited,” Gannon said. “He’s coming back from the knee but he’s doing a great job. Our athletic training staff did a great job with him. Our performance staff did a great job with him. He’s champing 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 and they were in here every day with him when I was soaking up sun so credit to all those people to get him ready to be at this point where he’s not on PUP.”
Momentum: Is it real?
One of the most entertaining portions of Day 1 at Cards camp came when Gannon was asked if the late-season momentum the Cardinals had in 2023 could carry over to 2024. Gannon revealed that Cardinals Director of Football Strategy Kenny Bell conducted a deep dive on the concept of momentum.
Gannon said the research examined historical data that included the “1800s of war,” extended to the Olympics and then into all walks of sport. They studied individual sports such as tennis and golf.
“Why does Xander [Schauffele] go bogey, par, bogey and then birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie, birdie? Is that momentum? I don’t know. Maybe he just just hit some good wedge shots and made some putts.”
Gannon said the staff conducted the research because he always wondered if momentum was real.
“Maybe you can feel it, or it’s an instinct that you’re thinking, ‘Oh, man, you’re on your heels’ or, ‘Oh, man, you’re on the attack.’ What do you have to do to gain momentum? To stop momentum? All those things. So we just wanted to make sure we were versed on what that is and what it means.”
Gannon was finally pressed for his own answer to the question: Is momentum real?
“Perhaps… I have no idea,” he said.
Max Melton’s tattoos
Rookie cornerback Max Melton is not short on personality.
Melton is in a heated battle for the No. 2 cornerback position opposite Sean Murphy-Bunting, but it is not stopping him from pursuing other interests.
On Wednesday, he revealed that he got new tattoos on his sleeve and chest. The process required him to go under anesthesia for eight hours while five tattoo artists worked on him at once.
Melton said he was very groggy when he finally woke up; unaware of what he was doing.
“You want your phone away from you because you will grab your phone and start texting people,” he said. “I called my mom at like 2:30 in the morning, 5:30 her time.”
Budda’s speech to the Cardinals
Veteran safety Budda Baker addressed the team on Tuesday night after the first day of training camp. Gannon called it an “off-the-cuff,” show-stealing speech.
“He’s everything that we’re about,” Gannon said. “He practices the right way. He prepares the right way. You should hear him in meetings. He asks a ton of questions when he probably knows the answer but he’s probably asking the question because his buddy doesn’t want to ask the question.
“He’s a phenomenal person and he’s a phenomenal player. I’m glad [No.] 3 is with us and he’s going to play a big part in what we do this year.”
Gannon said he likes it when players speak up. Baker was a captain last season. The Cardinals have not named captains yet, but “when I ask if players want to be captains, there’s responsibility that comes with that. Some guys don’t want that and that’s fine, but one of the responsibilities is to lead vocally at times. He has a unique gift to do that.”
James Conner’s goals
If he had to pick one player from the offense and one from the defense who set the standard for how to approach the game, Gannon might pick Baker and running back James Conner. The two players embody the team-first, all-in mentality that Gannon preaches.
Conner knows that he has competition this season with third-round pick Trey Benson and veteran Michael Carter champing at the bit for more reps. He also knows that at age 29, he is not viewed as a long-term option in the NFL.
He’s happy to help the players behind because “there’s strength in numbers,” but he has lofty goals for himself this season, including topping the career-high 1,040 rushing yards that he had last season.
“The goal is to win but I know that if I stay healthy and do what I do [1,000 yards is] definitely the floor,” he said. “I’ve always believed in my talent and so I’m confident. I think we’re going to hit that again for sure.”
Extra points
Gannon said that offensive lineman Carter O’Donnell, whom the Cardinals injured/waived on Tuesday, will “get another chance.” … Gannon broke down the goal of camp down into this succinct summary: “keep ’em healthy, develop ’em, evaluate ’em.”
Top photo via PHNX Sports’ Bo Brack: CB Max Melton shows off his new tattoos.
