Whisenhunt pleased with offseason and direction

Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt is happy with what team president Michael Bidwill has accomplished this off-season.

“What Michael did as far as setting the tone for us this off-season goes a long way,” Whisenhunt told reporters in Flagstaff Monday. “He said he was going to be aggressive this off-season and there is no question that is what he did.”

A few of the moves Bidwill made this off-season were bringing in QB Kevin Kolb from Philadelphia, signing free agent tight end Todd Heap and, most recently, inking wideout Larry Fitzgerald to an 8-year $120 million extension.

“You can say what you want to say the deal is done,” Whisenhunt said. “Larry is a great player, there is a lot of teams that would’ve liked to have an opportunity at him and they didn’t get because the ownership stepped up and got the deal done. That means a lot to our team, to the stability of our team and players recognize that.”

Whisenhunt believes the additions to the team will have a significant long term effect on the perception of the Cardinals.

That perception could help the team in free agency, as Arizona has become a good place to play, according to Whisenhunt.

“Some of the moves we’ve made this off-season show that we’re serious about competing for our division and trying to be a Super Bowl contender,” he said.

The head coach also thinks that since many players workout in Arizona during the off-season they will feel comfortable joining the team.

Whisenhunt also pointed to the way the organization has treated players as a factor in recruiting.

“We’ve always tried to be fair with our players,” Whisenhunt said. “We believe in competition, we believe in guys having to perform and that’s the way we operate. I think that means something with the players and they have been very complimentary of that.”

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