Cardinals president Michael Bidwill: ‘We are going to get better’
Feb 18, 2016, 9:00 AM | Updated: 1:04 pm
Arizona Cardinals team president Michael Bidwill arrives at NFL offices for meetings, Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015, in New York. The NFL's expansion committee comprised of six powerful owners is hearing presentations from St. Louis, San Diego and Oakland on their stadium situations. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
(AP Photo/Mark Lennihan)
The most successful regular season in Arizona Cardinals franchise history ended with a resounding thud.
The Cardinals, playing in only their second NFC Championship Game ever, were routed 49-15 by the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Jan. 24.
It’s certainly a painful way to end a banner campaign, but the question exists: Are the Cardinals over it?
Team president Michael Bidwill joined Doug and Wolf Thursday morning as part of Newsmakers Week on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM and was asked that very question.
“It was obviously disappointing and I hate going back to think about it, I really want to keep my eyes looking out the front window, not the rear-view mirror,” Bidwill said. “But there were some lessons learned there and I think we’re taking those into the offseason to get better.”
That was about the extent of Bidwill’s glance backward. He remains, as he should, very proud of what the franchise accomplished.
“What we did on the field — (we went) 13-3 — the most wins in franchise history, it says a lot,” Bidwill said. “What happened in this town — you know, we already had a huge fan base, but it really exploded throughout 2015. It’s been growing each year, but it’s been a lot of fun.”
Bidwill applauded the “Red Sea” for not only their attendance and passion at home games in University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, but for their support on the road, which helped the Cardinals to tie for a league-best 7-1 away record.
Even with the bitter ending to the season, the fact remains the Cardinals were one of the last four teams playing in 2015, and future remains bright. Bidwill is confident that improvement will continue into 2016 and beyond.
“We’re going to better, there’s no doubt about that,” he said. “Next week, we’re sending about 50 people to Indianapolis for the Combine to get ready for the draft, which is in April. Then we’ve got free agency starting here in a couple of weeks. So we’re going to get better, both through free agency — and not just in the first two or three days, but as you’ve seen every year in August, we’re picking up people that help us win.”
