Cardinals Embracing Doubt Heading Into 2023

Nobody believes in the Arizona Cardinals for this upcoming season - perhaps they embrace that.

TEMPE -- Nobody expects much out of the 2023 Arizona Cardinals. From an outsider's perspective, there's good reason. 

The 4-13 Cardinals only lost talent over the course of the offseason and are under new guidance in both the front office and coaching staff. Franchise quarterback Kyler Murray will return on anybody's best guess, and thus expectations can't be much lower. 

Cardinals RB James Conner loves it. 

"The past is the past, and that's the beautiful thing about it," Conner told reporters after practice today. 

"It's playing as one. That's what I love about it. It's our message. That's the mentality but it's our message and that's playing as one and [playing] unselfish football, being detail oriented. And just making the right plays routinely when they come up."

Conner is now one of the leaders in a Cardinals locker room that won't have many familiar, veteran faces on the field come Week 1. He's faced an awful lot of adversity dating back to his days in college, which has only helped forge his path to where he currently sits. 

It feels like everybody from Vegas (where many sportsbooks project the Cardinals to finish with the top pick in the NFL Draft next offseason) and even their own fans have low expectations. 

When asked if it was exciting to hit the field and prove those doubters wrong, Conner answered with the following:

"That's what they're gonna remember. If you think of anybody who done something great in the game of football there was probably time when their back was against the wall. Everybody was counting them out and it was just so unexpected for them to do something really big. So yeah, that's the position we're in right now, [the] position to do something great. Diversity - that's what makes a champion."

New Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon is about as positive and energetic as you'll find - if you had to choose an NFL mirror to famous fictional soccer coach Ted Lasso, Gannon would be quite high on that list. 

Gannon refutes anything close to the term rebuild here in the desert and has insisted on multiple occasions the Cardinals will win some games in 2023. That optimism has been passed down to the players:

"He's definitely establishing a culture and standard around here. Coach got a lot of energy but he's so passionate about the game," Conner said of his new coach. 

"I'm just loving it so far, the language and what he's trying to do what he is doing. [He's the] man for the job. We're gonna be special this year."

Cardinals fans sure hope he's right. 

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