The current four-game winning streak by the Arizona Cardinals not only has put them in first place in the NFC West but also as one of only 14 teams in the NFL (seven in the NFC) entering Week 12 with winning records.
Even more important is the fact that they will be playing meaningful games in November and December, which is new ground for the players on the roster who have been with the team since 2022. A startling 44 of the current 53-man roster has been in Arizona beginning with that year.
One of those is 2023 third-round pick, wide receiver Michael Wilson, who didn’t experience much winning during his college career at Stanford.
After returning from the bye earlier this week, Wilson talked about how important that it is to him, especially after experiencing a 4-13 season last year.
“It feels great. It’s a breath of fresh air,” he said. “For me, this is my first time since 2018 playing meaningful games in November. I keep saying breath of fresh air, but it’s exciting ball because when I was in college, I would love, dream of playing on a team that’s winning and has an opportunity to win a championship, win playoff games and just playing really good football.
“So it’s exciting for me. I haven’t had this experience in six years. So, I could not be more enthusiastic and just really grateful for the position that I am in, but also that our team is in right now.”
Wilson’s confidence is based on how the entire team has come together and the complementary football they play.
He said, “I love the makeup of our team because it’s refreshing when you play with a group of guys that leave their egos at the door regardless of who has a big game. I played with guys or teams in the past where we could have won by 20 points and this receiver had 100 yards, but this receiver had five yards or this running back only rushed for 20 yards and they’d be sour after the game and we don’t have any of that on the team. So, it’s nice to play with a group of guys where the only result that matters; our singular focus is winning the game regardless of how that looks, and that’s all parties involved.
“It’s just refreshing playing with guys who are selfless and just care about winning the game. And I think when you watch us on tape, you see that. You see guys running to the ball 50 yards away from the play, helping guys up like those little things add up and show the physical representation of our care for one another and how much we want to win.”
Head coach Jonathan Gannon always stresses paying attention to the details and Wilson verbalized that by talking more about the all-important “little things” that make a big difference.
He said, “There’s a quote that I’m probably paraphrasing, but it said, when you start to look at the little things, or the impact of the little things, you realize there are no little things and that applies to the NFL. And I think our team is playing the game of football the right way.”
Wilson is only one example of the type of player the Cardinals have made efforts to add since Monti Ossenfort became general manager and hired Gannon.
It’s not surprising that Wilson realizes how much there is to learn in the NFL about being a professional. How often does that happen?
“All the time. All the time,” said. “I definitely have not arrived and have a lot of knowledge to learn. Every single day I find myself finding something new. That’s why we watch so much tape and meet all the time is because you never have all the answers. You might think you do. But something shows up every single day and I think our job is to try and stay ahead of that curve and at least give ourselves the confidence to feel like we know everything. But every game something comes up. Every practice something comes up.
“So, you’re constantly learning and evolving and growing. And that’s why we all love sports and why I love to play it because you’re always chasing your shadow. You’re never gonna reach your full potential, but as long as you continue to put your best foot forward, you’ll get closer and closer to that every single day.”
Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.
