Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon Carries Culture, Change Into Year 2

Jonathan Gannon hopes his adjustments from last season can pay off.

Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon speaks to the media during a news conference at the / Megan Mendoza/The Republic / USA TODAY

ARIZONA -- Arizona Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon enters year two of his tenure in the desert a little wiser. A little more experienced. A little amped up to be back with the players.

This week marked the beginning of voluntary workouts for the Cardinals, who look to improve on their 4-13 record from last season. They'll have the next eight weeks to fine-tune themselves before a small break, which leads into training camp beginning in mid-late July.

Arizona surprised many people with their play despite winning just four games on the year, though Gannon knows last season's growing pains will only do good if they learn from it.

That begins in settings like this week, where the early foundation for 2024 is laid:

"Experience is good if you take from it and learn from it. [I] think with how we set up everything, it was just a little quicker and easier from what we did last year with how we wanted to structure this thing. And that's not just me, that's everybody in that building. So we take input from everybody," Gannon told reporters.

"There's a board, kind of, of thoughts and ideas and likes and dislikes. Communication is open. We talk about all those things but ultimately, what we decided, I like where we're at."

The Cardinals seem to like where they're at too in terms of culture, as the organization is night and day different from when figures such as Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort inherited it.

"We've got a bunch of guys that are team-first guys in there that are competitive and want to improve their games. That's what the culture is. I think you have to work on that daily because your actions go into culture on a daily basis. So we all got to be aligned, and we got to be on it. And when we get out of alignment, that's okay, you gotta get back in alignment quick. So that's what wins. And our guys understand that and I'm happy where it's at day one," said Gannon.

Super Bowls aren't won in April. The Cardinals aren't going to magically transform into a playoff team. There likely exists another long road ahead before Arizona fights for a postseason spot - though Gannon knows the "one day at a time" mantra is tried and true with his players upholding the culture themselves:

"I think they know how we want to operate on a daily basis with our process. And then in turn, they did it last year but they take it over. So the new guys, I don't have to tell Mack [Wilson] what's expected - Kyzir [White] tells him. And that's a cool thing because then you see kind of the connection with the players go on. They kind of take the team over. So we'll lay out the blueprint for them, show them the good and the bad, and keep them aligned but ultimately, the team is going to take it over," said Gannon, who said he implemented a lot of player feedback into the tweaks and changes made from 2023.

"If you want to know something ask the players. You guys know I value their opinion. What they need, what they think in their mind that can help everybody. I try to listen to all that and implement a lot of those things, but a lot of player input."

It's early. Very early.

And there's no telling where this ships sails in 2024, but its second-year captain is confident in his adjustments - and everybody beneath him - to continue moving in the right direction.