Arizona Cardinals players go back to school, begin offseason workouts
Apr 18, 2016, 12:44 PM | Updated: 2:00 pm
Welcome back, Palmerđđ˝
"It's good to be back!"#BeRedSeeRed pic.twitter.com/xb3Q8eA0H3— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) April 18, 2016
TEMPE, Ariz. â Four days after the release of the schedule and 145 days head of Week 1, the Arizona Cardinals began their offseason strength and conditioning program, marking the unofficial start to the 2016 season.
And further distancing them from the NFC Championship Game.
âWe still have that chip on our shoulder because we know how close we got last year,â defensive tackle Calais Campbell said, referring to the highly disappointing 49-15 loss at Carolina. âItâs a new year; a new opportunity. Going forward, everybodyâs goal is to win the Super Bowl, so this is just the beginning. The first step, right here.â
Call it Phase 1 of the offseason program.
For two weeks Cardinals players will work with strength and conditioning coach Buddy Morris and his assistant, two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Roger Kingdom, in the weight room and out on the practice fields.
Coaches are not allowed to be present.
And itâs voluntary; though it was hard to point out any absences during the 90-minute media availability Monday morning.
âGreat, 100 percent,â Morris said of the attendance. âThis is by far the best year in three years.â
Having that many players aroundâespecially early onâis important, according to guard Evan Mathis, one of the many new faces signed this offseason.
âIt shows that camaraderie, the willingness to all get together and win,â he said. âA lot goes into developing those relationships off the field and in these workouts. Learning how to communicate with each other, hang out with each other, getting to know one another. That really does translate over to the field.â
The workouts are tailor-made to each specific player.
âEverybody gets a different program based on position because there are positional requirements,â Morris said. âObviously by default the closer you get to the ball, the stronger you need to be; further away from the ball you get, the faster you need to be. That doesnât mean our big guys donât run. That doesnât mean our skill guys, our fast guys donât lift weights. The programs are written based on position requirements. Theyâre also based on individuals. Iâve got a 36-year-old quarterback. I canât train him like a train a 22-year-old. Itâs impossible.â
Speaking of Carson Palmer, there he was with fellow quarterbacks Drew Stanton and Matt Barkley working out together.
Palmer called the offseason long, though it hadnât even been three months since he and the Cardinals walked off the field in Carolina, falling one game short of the Super Bowl.
âThe guys that were here last year and being close and the guys that are coming into this team and seeing how good we were last year realize that we have an opportunity and thereâs something special going on here,â Palmer said after throwing a medicine ball up against a wall several times.
That desire to get back to the title game and go even further is one of the reasons Mathis decided to join the defending NFC West Division champions.
âFor this team, going all the way to the NFC Championship last yearâŚhaving been that far and falling short and that experience, it does wonders for the team,â he said. âIâm looking forward to working with a bunch of guys who are hungry to make it happen.â
Several Cardinals players had already been making good use of the facility, but seeing everyone together again Monday brought a big smile to Campbell’s face.
âItâs like that first day of school,â he said, sweat dripping off his nose. âEverybody is saying âWhatâs up?â to each other, âWhere youâve been at?â, âHow youâve been?â The only thing thatâs different is nobody has their back-to-school outfits. Everybody is in shorts and t-shirts still. Itâs a good time, though.â
2016 starts now! #BeRedSeeRed
đˇ https://t.co/cVWeJXEYI1 pic.twitter.com/PAejuXtyoD— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) April 18, 2016
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