— It has been noted that former first-round pick Darius Robinson is listed as a backup on the depth chart, and noted that all those defensive linemen are going to rotate into the game – meaning the starting spot in that unit especially doesn’t mean as much.
But Dante Stills, the former sixth-round pick who is listed as the starter ahead of Robinson, still feels blessed to have that honor.
“At the same time I have to go out there and show why I belong up there,” Stills said. “It’s all great before the season, ‘Oh, look, he’s the starter!’ But I have to produce on how I know I can.”
The defensive line is under a white-hot spotlight. There is Stills and Roy Lopez, back after a year away, and Walter Nolen III as starters, with Robinson, Andrew Billings and L.J. Collier part of the crew.
“A lot of people don’t think we’re capable of being a high-level D-line,” Stills said. “The past years, I don’t think we produced as much as we should, but this year I think we’re all on the same page. I feel like we all have a chip on our shoulder that we didn’t have. For me, it’s Year 4. It’s either go or be gone.”
Stills called it the most important year of his career as he heads into the final season of his rookie contract. But in a lot of ways it’s a crucial year for many on the unit.
— The whole defense will be interesting to watch. The Chargers now have Mike McDaniel calling plays for QB Justin Herbert, so the look from L.A. will be different from “normal” Jim Harbaugh teams.
— LaFleur has called plays before, but obviously not as a head coach. There are other parts of the game that touch the top guy during a game – challenges, for instance – but LaFleur noted a coach will “lean on a team” of others to help guide him through.
One person in particular is Kenny Bell, the team’s director of football strategy. Bell came to the Cardinals in 2019 with Kliff Kingsbury after serving as Kingsbury’s right-hand man at Texas Tech. But when Kingsbury was fired in Arizona, Bell remained, finding an important role with new coach Jonathan Gannon and staying in place with LaFleur.
LaFleur said there was a specific situation that played out in Week 18 at Los Angeles with LaFleur on the other sideline that impressed him how Bell operated. After minicamp and before camp, Bell texted LaFleur with one situation per day to talk out how the head coach wanted to operate in-game.
“I aways respected the process how Arizona did things,” LaFleur said.
— For the first time since 2016, the Cardinals have a new long snapper. Casey Kreiter made an impact early too, being named a captain representing special teams.
“It means everything,” Kreiter said. “It’s probably the greatest honor I’ve ever had as a football player.”
Kreiter has been in the league since 2016 – he replaced Aaron Brewer for the Broncos, and coincidentally is doing the same thing for the Cardinals – having never missed a game in a decade. He made a Pro Bowl in 2018. That kind of track record can provide a comfortable living in the league. Kind of.
“Um, I don’t know if comfort is the right word,” Kreiter said with a smile. “I’ve signed 11 one-year contracts. If you are competent in the position and not a liability and are proficient in the areas teams value, you can have comfort there will be value for you. But the best thing you can do to have comfort is help the team win.”
— Random drive-by good vibes tweet this week from Chargers safety and former No Fly Zone OG Tony Jefferson, who responded to a complimentary tweet about how the Cardinals fan base is “chill.”
“They’re a dope ass fan base – underrated too. Loved my first 4 years there, always respect there (sic),” Jefferson wrote.
Love Tony. But he’s on the other side this week.
— OK, that was a long post to start the season. That just tells me it’s time to finally play.