The NFL offseason means projections of signings and selections in the NFL draft and then projections about what positions players will play and who will start. It is no different for the Arizona Cardinals.
Writers, analysts and fans want to get a glimpse of what could be.
But Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon isn’t having any of it. He will not even give a guess or vision.
When he and general manager Monti Ossenfort spoke with reporters this week, he tried to preemptively quash any present and future questions about starters, roles and position. He gave an answer, knowing he would get asked about it “132 times” over the course of the offseason.
“We will know who’s playing where the Friday before we play Week 1,” he said.
In other words, don’t ask about Jonah Williams and Paris Johnson and who will be the left and right tackles. Don’t ask about what Mack Wilson will play. Don’t ask what roles or positions players will be asked to have.
It won’t stop the questions, of course, but it shows that Gannon isn’t into sharing what expectations might be. After all, that might mean a player might be seen in a negative light when expectations don’t match reality.
He prefers a more deliberate approach.
“We’ve got to them on the grass,” he explained, referring to actually having practices and drills.
“When you watch the tape, there is a role and a vision for each player that we sign up, and then it’s up to us to integrate them, catch them up to speed, how we do things all those things like that and then ultimately and then go out and it’s a production business to help us win,” he explained.
We all have questions. We want to know what the team thinks they have in certain players. Who are the guys they envision starting? Yes, competition will play out, but we all want to know something.
It is understandable what Gannon is doing.
It just isn’t any fun.
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