ARIZONA CARDINALS

Dockett: Now is time to improve selves, chemistry

Apr 16, 2012, 9:53 PM | Updated: 11:16 pm

TEMPE, Ariz. — For Darnell Dockett, the chance to get
together with his
teammates for workouts is a chance to get better.

“The biggest thing for us right now is to try to build
some
chemistry in this offseason,” Dockett said after working
out
at the team’s facility Monday. “Football is going to come
regardless, but if we don’t have chemistry it really won’t
mean nothing.

“Each day is very important to us, whether we sit in the
locker room for an hour and talk before, after, or go get
something to eat; I think that’s the biggest thing to us
is
the communication and just developing a friendship with a
lot of new guys and a lot of old guys.”

One of the team’s leaders, Dockett is about to enter his
ninth NFL season — all with the Cardinals — and he does
so with confidence that the team’s defense can build off
the success it had in 2011.

“I think we kind of got the concepts of what our coach was
trying to do for us last year,” he said. “Are we at where
we need to be? No, not by far. But we are still learning
it, and with a year under our belt seeing the good things
that can happen is huge for us.”

So, he said, now is about just getting in shape and
learning as they go.

“We’re going to be a defense that’s very exciting this
year,” he said, adding that the big thing will be just
staying healthy and being stronger than their opponents.

That process, in a way, started Monday.

“The divisions that we play this year are much tougher so
we’ve got to really take a counter to that and really
give it extra effort.”

Arizona Cardinals

Darius Robinson...

Alex Weiner

Cardinals took trade calls at NFL Draft, stood pat for Marvin Harrison Jr. and Darius Robinson

The Cardinals stood pat with their first-round picks at the NFL Draft, a difference from general manager Monti Ossenfort's strategy in 2023.

22 minutes ago

...

Arizona Sports Video

Video: Marvin Harrison Jr. checked all the extra boxes when he met with the Cardinals at the combine

Marvin Harrison Jr. checked all the extra boxes when he met with the Cardinals at the combine and then when he visited Arizona, GM Monti Ossenfort said.

57 minutes ago

Marvin Harrison Jr. speaks with reporters after getting drafted at No. 4 overall by the Arizona Car...

Tyler Drake

Marvin Harrison ecstatic to be a Cardinal, Kyler Murray’s newest WR1

Marvin Harrison Jr. is ready to follow in former Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald's footsteps.

1 hour ago

Marvin Harrison Jr. arrives to the 2024 NFL Draft...

Dan Bickley

Marvin Harrison Jr. gets the Larry Fitzgerald seal of approval

The entire state of Arizona was cheering loudly when the Cardinals selected Marvin Harrison Jr., including the great Larry Fitzgerald.

2 hours ago

Darius Robinson...

Arizona Sports

Arizona Cardinals take DL Darius Robinson with No. 27 pick in 1st round of NFL Draft

The Arizona Cardinals selected Darius Robinson out of Missouri with the No. 27 pick of the NFL Draft during the first round on Thursday.

3 hours ago

Marvin Harrison Jr. after being selected fourth overall by the Arizona Cardinals at the 2024 NFL Dr...

Alex Weiner

Cardinals’ Marvin Harrison Jr. at NFL Draft: ‘I’m gonna work as hard as I can to earn trust’

Marvin Harrison Jr. said he could not be more excited to be an Arizona Cardinal after getting pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

3 hours ago

Dockett: Now is time to improve selves, chemistry