Cardinals president Michael Bidwill very comfortable with lofty expectations for 2016

Entering the first full day of training camp in Glendale, the Arizona Cardinals are in an unfamiliar position.

They are among the NFL’s hunted.

The Cardinals’ 2015 campaign ended on a sour note — a 49-15 shellacking at the hands of the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship Game — but that hasn’t lessened expectations for this season.

In fact, due to general manager Steve Keim’s offseason moves, those expectations are only increased. The Cardinals want to win the Super Bowl, and maybe more importantly, they believe they are in position to do just that.

Cardinals president Michael Bidwill says the organization wasted no time in ramping up for 2016.

“Steve and the scouts were out (at the Senior Bowl) in Mobile literally the day after Charlotte, working on identifying the kind of players we wanted to draft,” Bidwill told Doug and Wolf Friday on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “And then we were able to put together the trade with the New England Patriots to land Chandler Jones, so we think we’ve bolstered our pass rush, for sure.

“And there’s been other signings — Tyvon Branch, as well as others that are going to help us.”

Jones came to the desert from the Patriots in exchange for disappointing 2013 first-round pick Jonathan Cooper and a second-round pick. Branch, a veteran who spent last season with the Kansas City Chiefs, adds depth, speed and athleticism to a talented secondary which lost veterans Rashad Johnson and Jerraud Powers in free agency.

Bidwill is very comfortable with the target that is squarely on the Cardinals this season.

“There is only one goal,” he said. “Expectations are high. They’re high within our organization. They’re high with our fan base. They’re high across the country, and that’s where we want them. We have very high expectations of ourselves.”

Expectations are sometimes met with disappointment. Bidwill believes the Cardinals have a weapon on their side that will help the team accomplish their lofty goals.

“Two words: Bruce Arians,” Bidwill said. “His leadership and the leadership of our coaching staff — and it’s the mindset of our entire organization. Everybody is committed to doing what they can do to make sure we meet our goals.

“It’s truly the mindset of our organization, to take this day-by-day, week-by-week, practice-by-practice and play-by-play.”

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