Well, well, well. We have a winner. And yes, the Cardinals were a pretty decisive winner, all things considered. It's been a minute since we have seen a win in which all three phases outplay the competition. Always easier to do a mailbag after that. Don't forget to send a question for a future mailbag with at least a first name and last initial.
And yes, if you have not noticed, the new commenting platform has been up and running since Saturday. Sign up below under any article. It is pretty straightforward. Tell your friends.
Rivalry uniforms this week for Seattle everyone. Don't forget.
From Bobby Grove:
"Hi Darren! BIG W in L.A.! Absolutely stoked. I will present my thoughts in sandwich form: compliment, criticism, compliment:
I think we have a winner at head coach. Maybe not this year, or next, but I absolutely see Mike as being a long-time mostly-winning coach in AZ. Love his passion. Love his offense.
Defense played well overall, but it still felt like we had very little pass rush on a down-to-down basis. Much of the pass pressure came from the interior, from Dante Stills and Walter Nolen. Love to see it, but that also speaks to the lack of pressure from Sweat, Zaven, Browning, and Burch. We need more from them.
Dewey Wingard is phenomenal! Brings terrific energy, good tackling. I truly can't remember the last time I saw a deep safety interception like that. I've always liked the fact Arizona has consistently fielded good safeties for a long time, dating back decades, and it looks like we just added to the history.
I did have a question though, I was surprised we didn't throw the ball to Love more often. Maybe I got my hopes up, but I was expecting David Johnson-type usage (or even Bijan or McCaffrey for comparisons). Do you expect Love's playbook, and usage, to expand over time?"
I will present my thoughts in bulleted form.
- I have liked what LaFleur has brought since he showed up, but one game a sample size does not make. Even he would say that.
- Yes, they need more from the edge. I think Sweat will just get better. But I'm not expected a 10-sack guy other than Sweat; the pressure is going to have to come from a defensive-wide scheme.
- You are right, overall, safety is this team's position of all-timers. I think Wingard is going to leave a mark. (A good one, to clarify.)
- We are one game into the Love era. I was not expecting to blow up his usage this early and neither should you. McCaffrey averaged 12 touches a game as a rookie, Robinson 16. So a slower rollout isn't unprecedented. Yes, I do expect much more from him eventually. But he has barely practiced since mid-August. The injury plays into this.
From Elliot H:
"Hi Darren. Perhaps the recipients of the passing yards were unexpected but the variety of receivers tracked with expectations. I'm really excited for our offence and the 'choose your poison' attack. What surprises me is the expectations from pundits and fans that MHJ, Wilson, McBride, Love etc. will somehow all have 1000-yard seasons. Perhaps if any of those players were on a different team they might be the primary target but the strength of this team is the options. Last season the Seahawks and Rams had more than 4,000 yards receiving but both only had a single 1000-yard receiver. Do you think it's more likely that the team have multiple 1000-yard receivers this year or that we DON'T have a single 1000-yard receiver?"
I don't think there is any question that if I have to pick one, it would be that there are none. That said, McBride probably is going to get there. Does Wilson or Harrison? The thing about the NFL now is that if a guy plays 17 games, he only needs to average 59 receiving yards a game to get to 1,000. That ain't much. If he's healthy, I have a hard time thinking Wilson doesn't reach that number.
From Matt W:
"I feel like the stat line from the Cardinals' win was a first for the Cardinals. Have the Cardinals ever had a game where they: Scored first, held the lead the entire game, recovered a fumble, got an INT, had 2+ sacks, AND blocked a punt, while also committing zero turnovers. I almost wonder if any team has ever done that in the first game of the year, but what is the Cardinals track record with that for any game? Sorry for all the homework I just asked of you. Thanks!"
I appreciate the question, Matt, but I will be honest, I do not have the resources or the wherewithall to try and track this down. That's a lot of variables I am not sure even Elias would want to tackle.
To clarify, the Cardinals never trailed, but they didn't lead the whole game. It was 7-7 at one point. But those other numbers are impressive. I'd say they are so impressive than anyone putting them all together for a game is basically guaranteed to win.
But I will not be confirming that.
From Robert Malicki:
"Dear Darren,
Jacoby Brissett knows who his money players are. What's your take on him? Maybe he is the right QB for rookie head coach Mike LaFleur. No INT, no sacks and seemingly has a hold on the gameplan. And, I don't know what vitamins Rallis gave his defense but did they play with purpose. All I can say is that Victory Formation rules!"
I have been a Brissett fan. I had watched his career from afar and thought the same, that the Cardinals had gotten a really good backup last year. But he impressed me with how he handles himself and how he plays. I think he meshes well with LaFleur and the skill guys who can make it happen. I am fascinated to see how this season plays out for him.
From Jeremy Bird:
"Hi Darren. My question doesn't involve Cardinal players specifically, but the concept is applicable across the entire NFL. Brock Bowers had a small cleanup procedure on his knee the week before the season started. It was just announced Myles Garrett is going to have a knee procedure after reportedly having issues with it all camp (and openly in his Week 1 performance) and will miss several weeks going on IR. My question is: Why do NFL teams/players wait until five minutes before the season starts to THEN get these surgeries? You just had many months of offseason to deal with this. The time management boggles the mind."
I think there is (usually) a simple answer for this: Surgery sucks. I know if I could find a way to rehab an injury without surgery, that would be my choice. I don't know why pro athletes would be much different. Here is the other thing I believe: every time you cut on a knee, it takes a toll. When you are an athlete, that's something you fear.
Garrett said himself he was hoping regular rehab would get him better. I don't know any Bowers details. There have been instances, few as they are, where a player does wait on purpose because they are disgruntled in some way. Mostly though, it's just hoping that the injury can be rectified another way, and eventually, reality hits.
From Ian McMechan:
"Hello from rainy Wales. What single adjective would you choose to describe Kyler Murray's tenure in Arizona? On an unrelated note, it's almost time for the Sun Devils to play at Wembley - what a time to be alive!"
That is an excellent question. A couple of words pop into mind.
Volatile.
Inconsistent.
With the former, I don't mean Kyler himself was volatile. But the wild swings, the high highs, the low lows, I mean, I guess that's why the latter word also comes to mind. Kyler was electric at his best. That opener in 2021, when Chandler Jones had 5 sacks? Kyler was amazing that day, throwing four TD passes and running one in, doing it all in a way that, in the moment, didn't feel sustainable. Just a lot of Kyler talent. (His pass to Rondale Moore that day sticks with me.) But that didn't happen enough. And yes, the defense needed to play better, and yes, the offensive line wasn't always awesome. But one way to combat that is to have a bigger QB who will take the hits. Kyler isn't really that guy. So it wasn't always meshing. In the end, I think seven years with a franchise was what it was, and a fresh start was needed for both parties.
I hate that he got hurt this weekend. His season with the Vikings was always going to be one to watch. Tough start.
Send some (a lot?) of that rain this way. Could you?
From Mark Jennings:
"Gday, I love the podcast and I'm an avid listener from Australia. Right now the 49ers have taken over Melbourne for the upcoming round 1 match. There will be more than 100,000 people at the MCG on a workday. We love our sport. Anyway, I just heard the 49ers media (Grant Cohn) compare the different approaches to the upcoming game. The 49ers are here a week early, the rams are arriving less than a day out. Grant said, this is due to the Rams having a harder start to the season. With the 49ers having a really easy start, which includes the Cardinals in week 3. I was irate when I heard this. I don't think they understand the impact of the 17-hour difference! Anyways, I'm glad we have the 49ers early and I hope Grant eats his words."
Look at all these other-country fans! Love it. This obviously came in prior to Rams-Niners, which was more one-sided than anyone could've guessed.
I do appreciate your irate-ness. I am sure there are things I have said over the years that have also cause some irate in fans. OK, I know this for a fact, because they have told me. Opposing fans and Cardinals fans.
I look at this the same way I look at most of this stuff. The Cardinals have a chance to shut people up. They did it with oddsmakers in Week 1, and with plenty of national pundits. In a week-to-week league, however, they gotta keep doing it. If they beat the Seahawks, I promise you the 49ers will not be seeing that Week 3 game as easy.
From Rod S:
"I'm glad to see Garrett Williams back healthy but I'm curious why we cut Sean Murphy-Bunting if we are one injury away from needing a slot CB?"
Well, they don't see it that way. Denzel Burke did a nice job in the slot against the Chargers. They also have three cornerbacks on the practice squad that can be called up. Once Williams is playing, he and Burke will be nice options.
From Ken D:
"Since the Cardinals don't have any home games for six weeks what hoops would they have to go through to practice at State Farm Stadium until the hots go away? It seems it would be on grass and inside and would be a more productive environment. Mentally focus starts to wain after prolonged activity in the sun at 108 and above. Not to mention the physical hydration issues. Speaking of hydration what product (name of drink) do the Cardinals use to keep players hydrated?"
I mean, I assume Gatorade, given that is an NFL sponsor. As for practicing at the stadium, it's not gonna work. That's a haul for most players from where they live, all the other stuff they need daily is at the Dignity Health Training Center. Logistically it's just not possible.
From Ronald Hays:
"I feel the Cardinals strength and conditioning staff has been below average lately. When BA was here I don't remember all the rookies getting injured in preseason. I noticed some new strength staff, but still rookies getting injured in the preseason. Am I wrong or is there an issue?"
Well, first of all that's an interesting timeline since the Cardinals are on a fourth head coach since Arians left. That's a lot of change, even if the strength coaches haven't changed as much. And with all due respect, how would you judge that they are below average? How do you know what average is?
Rookies are getting injured because they are getting injured. Kaleb Proctor messed up his knee. So did Chase Bisontis. Those are football injuries, not "I'm not in shape" injuries.
From Rich:
"Hi Darren. I should preface my question by saying I worked many years for a man who owned about 16 percent of the Raiders for decades so I definitely have my own opinion on this but, in a league where the average career length is under 3.5 years and contracts are rarely fully guaranteed, 'pure' franchise loyalty is a luxury very few players can afford. Do you feel the Cardinals currently have any of this type of player?"
I guess I would need to know exactly what you are asking. If you are asking if the Cardinals have players who are due big contracts but would take less to stay in Arizona, generally, I'd say no. I don't think there are many players out there at all in the NFL. Will they stay if the Cardinals pony up? Sure.
Let's take the case of Michael Wilson, who may or may not of been able to get a better/bigger deal had he played out the season. I think in the end the Cardinals got Wilson with a reasonable pact, likely better for them than had he hit the open market. But Wilson gets security and a big paybump this season even if he cannot repeat what he did over the back half of last year (or had a major injury.) But that's usually how it always is for a player getting the deal "early."
Larry Fitzgerald was loyal definitely. But make no mistake, he got every single penny he had leverage for in his prime contract years. And those one-year deals he was signing at the end, he was being paid more than what he would've seen on the market. This is still a business, even for the "loyal."
From Andrew M:
"Hi Darren, can you kindly answer a question about public perception? There is a narrative played throughout the offseason that I still heard repeated after the Chargers game; the Cardinals level of player talent is inferior to most teams in the NFL. That was amended recently to the caveat that the Cardinals have solid offensive skill players. With the exception of McBride and Baker, who are plus/plus talents, there are no proven 'stars,' but I think there are 7-8 players on both offense and defense that are accomplished and/or highly talented. Is this oft-repeated bias against the Cardinals roster a kneejerk reaction to the disappointing 2025 season, a commentary on the 'depth' of the team, or a pervasive narrative the Cardinals will not overcome until more wins are achieved?"
This is going to sound like I'm being a homer, but I never believed this team had a 3-14 roster last season, even after Kyler got hurt. I think they have upgraded in places. Some of the narrative has to do with not having a long-term answer at QB (we think; let's see what Brissett does.) When you don't have that "guy" at QB, that's bad news for most who don't watch a team day-to-day.
I think there are places on the team that need roster help. But mostly, the way you change such talk is by winning games. On that you are correct. Look at what is being said already just after one game.
From Chris Minton:
"Something I've always wondered regarding the open vs. closed portion of practices. I know you guys can't report on anything from the closed portion, and if I'm not mistaken there's a light or something that is on for the open part. My question is, even though you don't report on it, how you do mentally separate what happened in the open part vs. the closed parts? For example if MHJ made a ridiculous catch in the closed portion, it seems like it would easy to let it slip into a conversation or podcast discussion. Maybe I'm overthinking it.
Also, do we know if the NFL's new comment platform designer has a house in Chandler?"
You usually can separate pretty easily because, frankly, they don't do much during the open part. None of the 11-on-11 is in open. It's stretching and individual drills.
Now, if MHJ made an unreal catch, might I mention on a podcast? Mayhaps. Teams don't want the critical stuff -- injuries, how rehabbing guys look, plays that are being run -- out there. If I mention Harrison had a highlight catch down the field, I don't think that's going to be a big deal. Now, if I said he made a highlight catch off of a play-action in 13 personnel, that would be an issue.
And I can say the comment platform designer probably doesn't live in Chandler. But a tip of the cap to the oldest of running jokes.
