The home opener is upon the Cardinals, and they own a 1-0 record for the first time since 2021. They must deal with the Panthers, who for whatever reason have long been a thorn to the Cardinals, regardless of how good either team is at the time. Questions have been edited for length and clarity. Don't forget to send a question for a future mailbag with at least a first name and last initial.

From Zim Miller:

"Hi Darren, a win is a win. I will say this: Our points differential was among the top in the NFL for opening weekend. Meaning most games in the NFL are close. We like to think good teams stomp out bad teams, but most of the time every game is a slog, and that's why football is the best game there ever was.

1. We don't have the snap counts yet, but I feel like CC played more than ideal. Old man is still a gamewrecker but he was brought in to be a rotational piece. He was huffin' and puffin' at the end of game. Do you think CC gets a break when the injured DL return?
2. How did you feel Max Melton played overall?
3. What position does Darius Robinson play? Is it DT or DE? If he's a DT, I'm starting to think that's a mistake. He's a pass rushing 4-3 DE. Guy has all the talent in the world but I worry he's getting Haason Reddick'd.
4. I'll be blunt. Do we have the worst scramble-drill WRs in the NFL? Honestly. The number of times the play broke down, and Kyler escaped the pocket and STILL couldn't find a WR?"

Here are some answers.

1. Campbell played 33 snaps, so he was within the 30-35 he said he'd be best suited. I don't know what the defensive line rotation will look like when guys come back; they won't all be active on game days. But I am guessing Campbell is going to be in that snap range regardless.
2. I thought Melton was solid. He played every snap, and the Saints -- while able to move the ball -- didn't really do major damage in the passing game.
3. Robinson plays all of the above. The packages on a given play make a difference. If they are in base, he's going to be a DE in a 3-4 alignment (so not on the edge). But there will be times when he lines up as a DT to press the pocket on a pass play, and I'm sure there are times (although more infrequent) that he will come off the edge. He's not going to be Josh Sweat. That's not why they drafted him and that's not where he will be.
4. I'd have to go back and look at some of the plays. A broken play isn't a spot where I'm comfortable making blanket analysis. But I'll effort the question.

From James B:

"I am watching the beginning of the fourth quarter of the Saints game, and as much as we've talked about our revamped D-line, it has been clear that we are giving up a lot more yardage than I expected. I understand it's the first game. And our O-line has left me doubting our run game other that the two long runs. So my question is, do you believe like I do that these are coaching corrections that will be implemented to push us to a more dominant spot on both side of the ball?"

Defensively, multiple people -- including Gannon -- noted how the Saints had a gameplan to slow down the pass rush. As for the run game, Calais Campbell said the Saints definitely broke out some things unexpected given it was the first game of the year. The Cardinals only gave up 315 yards. Last season, if they gave up 315 yards a game, that would've tied them for the sixth-best defense in the league in that category, and they only gave up 13 points. I have a hard time complaining about the output (which is only done against the backdrop that people assumed -- and that's all it was -- that the Saints would be wretched offensively, which they are clearly not.)

As for the offensive line, I don't doubt that the line had moments they want to be better. The offense overall will need to be more productive in both points and yards. I expect practice tweaks to help. And it's fair to wonder if Will Hernandez has a chance to be back in the lineup when ready.

From Matthew Stroh:

"Hey Darren, I'm not going to say I loved how we played. I want to see how the next few weeks go before I worry. Week 1 was not easy, but we won, that's the bottom line. I do feel as the game went on we got better. Do you believe it was more that Cardinals struggled or Saints aren't as bad as everyone says? Everyone says the Saints worst in the NFL. I don't believe they are."

Here's my take on the first game: Teams aren't what they are going to be. There are going to be some curveballs thrown in. Spencer Rattler, for instance, played better than I expected he would. I thought the Cardinals would score more points. But other than forcing a turnover or two, the defense played pretty well. The offense needs to produce more, but I think they will. It's one game. I can't feel to much one way or the other.

From Raine Voigts:

"Why do we always play so conservative on offense instead of being aggressive? Does Petzing not trust Kyler?"

I suppose it depends on what specific plays you are talking about when it comes to being conservative. If the Cardinals are sitting on second- or third-and-long, this isn't a team that's gonna go shotgun and run four verts. I think generally Gannon is a conservative coach, looking to mitigate mistakes. They upgraded their defense, that's when this comes into play. An old football adage is "a punt is not a bad play." You don't want to take that to extremes, but you don't want to do dumb stuff. And frankly, when they did try to make a couple things happen in New Orleans -- like that late pass that turned into a Murray sack before the last punt -- that doesn't help the argument. I am sure Kyler would like to be a little more gunslinger. But B.A. ain't running the team anymore. This isn't a no risk-it, no biscuit approach.

From Drew Happ:

"Great CC article you wrote. I noticed he spoke a lot about how important it was for him to play DE in Jacksonville, since he'd never gotten the opportunity here, and how he thrived in the DE role. Did he comment on how he currently feels about his position? The depth chart says he's back to DT, not the 4-3 DE position he was so dominant in. Obviously he would've accepted that concession to come back here, but is there any lingering desire to play DE still?"

I appreciate the kind words on the story; I thought it turned out well and I hope for those who like Campbell -- especially those who were fans the first time around -- they check it out. As far as Calais is concerned, had he stayed in Arizona his whole career I think would've been content even if he hadn't been a 4-3 DE. So I think Calais is fine. He's been there, done that. He wants to be an impact player, on and off the field, for a team that has a chance. He has that here. The rest are just details.

From Greg Danielson:

"Hi Darren. How concerned are you, if at all, with Calais Campbell's age to perform at a high level for the entire season?"

I suppose it'd be foolish not to at least give a thought to a 39-year-old's ability to hold up. But he did it at 36, 37 and 38. I believe Calais when he says, as long as he plays a limited amount of snaps, he can be dominant. Some guys are just built different.

From Joe Rubino:

"I'm a long-time Cardinals fan going back to their time in St. Louis. We'll be making our annual trip from New Jersey to Arizona next month to see our Cards play the Titans. We've made this trip 14 out of the past 15 years. The last several years we sat in the Club section. It's a great place to watch the game. I especially enjoyed meeting former players in this section who interact with fans. I've met David Johnson, Markus Golden and Frank Sanders. Is a list available of those former players who will be available for each game this season?"

I have checked into this -- the list is not confirmed yet.

From Garrett B:

"Hi Darren. What has stood out to you the most (in a positive way) about this team during the preseason? I know the expectations are high and we made improvements across the roster, but what are you most excited to see?"

For those out there reading this, this came in before the first game. I would've said before the first game -- and I actually said this on my pregame radio show -- wanting to see the front seven and the pass rush. There were some moments. I think the defense played pretty well. I know there are people who wanted, I suppose, dominance. And I wanted to see what Marvin Harrison Jr. looked like. And I think he played pretty well, and well enough to have better stats than he ended up with.

From Will K:

"I was curious about the progress on the new practice facility. Is it still set to open in 2027? What about the new facility will be an improvement on the current facility? How have players and coaches been consulted on what needs to be part of the new space? Thanks, as always, for the mailbag."

I am sure this will shock you, but I am not privy to that kind of information. I would guess at some point as things proceed there will be some kind of update, but I don't have anything at the moment.

From Zach Kahn:

"This is Zach from Darin Gantt’s Panthers mailbag here again. Convince me why the Cardinals won't lose to the Panthers for the 8th time in 9 tries. Also, what is one unique thing about State Farm Stadium that no other stadium in the world has?"

Man, Zach, you come in here ready to troll. You're lucky Darin speaks highly of you. James Conner is going to be healthy this entire game, that's why the Cardinals will win, just like they would've last year had JC not gotten banged up.

If it wasn't for Vegas stealing the idea, I would've said the rollout grass field. But no. So the answer, Zach, is me. State Farm Stadium has me. Now please, before I have to get DG get on you, get back to class.