Exactly one month ago, on Oct. 13, after what could have been a dispiriting loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Arizona Cardinals were sitting at 2-4 and the critics were baying at the moon.
It didn’t matter that the four losses were to teams that are currently 29-9. This was the same ‘ol Cardinals in their mind.
The rebuild obviously wasn’t working, many roared. Others claimed general manager Monti Ossenfort wasn’t up to the task after an offseason without any “splash” moves in free agency.
What a difference four games can make. Inside the building, the team ignored the noise and stayed true to the mantra of head coach Jonathan Gannon, who continually emphasizes the process, while Ossenfort simply stuck to the plan he hatched after taking the job 22 months ago.
What followed were two games won on time-expiring field goals over the Chargers and Dolphins and then two by a combined 45 points over the Bears and Jets.
Who cares that those four victories are over teams with a combined record of 16-21?
All that matters now is the Cardinals sit atop the NFC West with a 6—4 record at the bye, one-half game ahead of the 49ers and 1.5 games ahead of the Rams and Seahawks. Deep down, as good as everyone feels, it’s the NFL and things can easily flip the other way. Avoiding that and not losing their mojo will be the challenge in the final seven weeks, which feature two games in three weeks against the Seahawks and then finish with meetings against the Rams and 49ers.
When left tackle Paris Johnson Jr. was asked Sunday if the bye is coming at a bad time, he said, “I kinda wish we could keep going. Because you’re already in a rhythm, you’re in your routine. But I know we’ll be able to come back together and be able to get back into our process and we’ll be able to pick up where we left off, starting with how we come back to practice when we all come back together.”
Asked if a part of him wishes the team could continue playing rather than having a bye, head coach Jonathan Gannon said, “I know a lot of people got different views on that. To me, when the schedule comes out, (it’s) ‘Here’s where the bye is, this is how we’re going to handle it.’ You just make the adaptation, and you try to go as best as you can. ‘Oh, you guys are on a roll.’
“I don’t look at it like that. What did we do today? We’re going to take a little time off. Monday, what are we going to do? It just happens to fall where it fell. Every team’s a little bit different. I learned this a long time ago from (Eagles head) Coach (Nick) Sirianni: This is a good one now. Whoever thinks it’s an advantage, it’ll be an advantage. Whoever thinks it’s a disadvantage, it’ll be a disadvantage. I think it’s an advantage.”
Tight end Trey McBride echoed Johnson’s thoughts, saying, “I can almost double down now. When you’re in a rhythm, you’re playing good football as a team, you don’t want to stop and we’ve won four in a row now and it’s fun. I just want to keep this thing going. You don’t want to take this break.
“But at the same time, on the other hand, we’re a little banged up. We played 10 games now and just have four or five days off to just kind of relax, recharge, get your body back under you. I’m also excited for that because I feel like we’re right there and coming back a little healthier. We can be a very tough team to beat.”
As for the message to the team, safety Budda Baker said, “We understand, we are professionals. So those guys understand to stay safe and don’t get in trouble. We got some young guys on the team and they understand and have great heads on their shoulders. Take a break from football if you want to take a break, but most importantly rest and recover. Be ready for the next week. That’s the goal. We continue throughout the process through the working weeks and have fun on Sundays.”
Also asked if he wished this wasn’t the bye week, quarterback Kyler Murray emphatically said, “No. It doesn’t really affect me or what we have going on. I think we continue to keep the main thing the main thing. If anything, I think it gives us a little time to rest and come back ready to go.”
Murray’s message?
“I would say we can’t let this sink in. We have to stay healthy. I would say keep the game on your mind. I know the bye week can feel like a getaway, but I wouldn’t get too far away from it. I know I’m not, mentally. You just have to stay locked in. I know we don’t have a game this week, but football will be on my mind.”
He concluded, “If you do get away, you have to be smart, put the team first and understand we do this for a living. I know the guys are always on my mind. Whatever I do, I put them first.”
Meanwhile, it was running back James Conner who put to rest any thoughts about when the bye happened to fall.
“No. No, no, no,” he said about not wanting the bye now. “This is the perfect time.”
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