ARIZONA CARDINALS

Arizona’s Jedd Fisch: Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort will bring an ‘unbelievable attention to detail’

Jan 24, 2023, 7:00 PM | Updated: Jan 25, 2023, 9:41 am

Arizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort speaks with reporters during his introductory press conference...

Arizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort speaks with reporters during his introductory press conference on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, in Tempe. (Tyler Drake/Arizona Sports)

(Tyler Drake/Arizona Sports)

Arizona Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort and Arizona Wildcats football head coach Jedd Fisch go back over 20 years.

The duo first met ahead of the Houston Texans’ inaugural season in 2002 when Ossenfort was a pro personnel intern and Fisch was a defensive quality control coach.

And even though they would go in different career paths within football, the two remained in contact both as friends and football minds.

“He would always reach out, we would see each other at the Senior Bowl, we’d spend time together at the combine,” Fisch told Arizona Sports’ Burns & Gambo on Tuesday. “If I was coaching college football, I would be able to share with him anything I knew about the athletes that we had on our team. Just always remained very, very close, good friends, really always rooted for him.

“When I saw that he was hired in Arizona, I thought that was just an awesome way to once again reconnect, open up our doors in Tucson to him and let him know that, ‘Hey, you have a home away from home, you want a Pac-12 school to hang out at, hang out here. You want games to go to, come here,'” he added. “And we want to make sure that we’re open with everybody there at the Cardinals organization.”

Both Ossenfort and Fisch also spent time in the New England Patriots organization, with the former spending a total of 15 years working his way up from personnel assistant to director of college scouting while the latter was a quarterbacks coach in 2020.

Ossenfort’s 15 years in New England came out in his introductory press conference last week when he announced that the Cardinals would be taking a we-not-me approach.

“We’re going to turn over every stone to find the right players for this team,” Ossenfort said Jan. 17. “We are not just collecting talent. We’re going to build a team. We’re going to look for the right type of players. Ego will not be tolerated in this organization. We are going to look for focused, driven … people who are going to put team first every step of the way.

“There’s one goal here: to win,” the GM added. “There’s no putting personal interests in front of the team. I was told once that the definition of mental toughness is putting the team in front of something that maybe would have been personally better for me. That to me, that’s the type of players we’re looking for.”

Sound familiar to what we’ve heard Bill Belichick say for the last two decades-plus?

And after Fisch spent his lone year with the future Hall of Fame head coach, he instilled his own version in Tucson of “be a pro.”

“Be a professional in how you act, be a professional in what you do, be a pro in how you speak to others, be a pro in if this is your responsibility, do it,” Fisch said.

“And I think that’s what fit for us. But clearly, I’m sure Monti is going to bring in an unbelievable attention to detail on how to build a roster and really he’s gonna do a fantastic job in Arizona.”

Arizona Cardinals

DeAndre Hopkins, Cardinals vs. Titans...

Arizona Sports

Titans reportedly hosting former Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins on free-agent visit

Former Arizona Cardinals WR DeAndre Hopkins is visiting the Tennessee Titans for a free-agent visit this coming Sunday, reports Tom Pelissero.

18 hours ago

Garrett Williams introductory press conference...

Delaney Penn

Arizona Cardinals CB Garrett Williams’ 1st priority is to get healthy

Cardinals cornerback Garrett Williams discussed his love for making game-changing plays and his initial struggles with the Arizona heat. 

18 hours ago

Aaron Brewer...

Tyler Drake

Arizona Cardinals re-sign LS Aaron Brewer, release Joe Fortunato

The Arizona Cardinals re-signed long snapper Aaron Brewer and released Joe Fortunato on Tuesday, the team announced.

2 days ago

Carlos Watkins...

Tyler Drake

Carlos Watkins ‘sees vision’ the Cardinals are aiming to achieve

After meeting with head coach Jonathan Gannon and DC Nick Rallis during free agency, Carlos Watkins knew his future was in the desert.

2 days ago

Colt McCoy, Arizona Cardinals QB...

Haboob Blog

Why Colt McCoy’s kids may want him to retire

Arizona Cardinals QB Colt McCoy told his kids that the family can get a furry friend when he retires, which isn't happening yet. 

2 days ago

Zaven Collins during OTAs...

Tyler Drake

Cardinals LB Zaven Collins embracing life on the edge

Cardinals linebacker Zaven Collins is getting more work on the outside than ever before since arriving to the desert in 2020.

3 days ago

Arizona’s Jedd Fisch: Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort will bring an ‘unbelievable attention to detail’