Last season did not go the way Blake Gillikin had anticipated.
"That's the most obvious statement of the century," the punter said.
Gillikin had back surgery and missed the final 12 games of the season. It marked the second time in his career that a back issue derailed a season, but this time, it required a procedure.
"It was a more complicated situation than that," Gillikin said. "This was really my first significant back injury in my career, but I had a good surgeon in L.A. and took care of the issue and it's not an issue anymore."
Because the Cardinals offense has been pretty efficient during the first two preseason games, Gillikin hasn't been called on much. His three punts have averaged 52.7 yards and two have landed inside the 20. In the Hall of Fame game, Gillikin pinned the Panthers at the 3-yard line.
At the time of his injury last year, Gillikin was the only punter to be in the top five in punting average and net punting average. All but one of those games were played inside a dome, which can certainly help a specialist.
For Gillikin, it took some time during this training camp to get used to kicking indoors.
"The first day of training camp, it was a bit strange," Gillikin said. "It's been a long time since I've gone that long of a period without punting in a stadium. It was great being back out there. You anticipate it all off season and just try your best to get back physically and mentally. I feel like I'm in a great spot, so that's all you can do and then go lay it on the line."
The Cardinals host the Cowboys on Saturday in their lone home preseason game. During the regular season, 13 of the 17 games will be played inside. It's an element of the game that special teams coordinator Michael Ghobrial is looking forward to capitalizing on after coaching the previous five years in New York with both the Jets and Giants.
"It allows you to do a little bit more, but now with that being said, because it's a controlled environment, the expectation is that we're dialed in with our kick locations," Ghobrial said. "It's a great opportunity for our guys to showcase why they're the best in the world. I've said it before that we don't get four downs to get it right. We get one down. I know Blake and (Chad Ryland) do a great job of understanding the important of that."
Ghobrial is a change for Gillikin and Ryland after spending the previous seasons with Jeff Rodgers. There's also a new long snapper with Casey Kreiter taking over for longtime Cardinal Aaron Brewer.
No matter who is out there, there's a sense of joy from Gillikin that he's back.
"Having a guy like Chad back, who I've played with before and adding a guy like Casey who been the ultimate vet and has dealt with every single situation, it's been seamless," Gillikin said. "It's a league of change and you kind of learn how to adapt. The biggest thing for a coach and player relationship is figuring out how to communicate and what you need from and what he needs from you."
