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The Arizona Cardinals are well-represented at this year’s NFL Combine in Indianapolis. At the Combine, 319 players are in attendance. In addition to players being interviewed by NFL clubs, team head coaches and GMs are also interviewed. And a bevy of questions is always asked.
Newly-minted head coach Mike LaFleur had his first press conference as the head man with Arizona. GM Monti Ossenfort also held a press conference before LaFleur’s.
Here are the takeaways from LaFleur’s presser with the reporters on scene:
Player interviews
Part of the allure of the Senior Bowl and now the Combine, is the setup for teams to interview draft prospects, commonly called “formals” for “formal interview,” and get to know the players a bit in person. In the past, this meant evenings, usually after the evening meal and into the early morning hours.
“The collaboration is the whole point of this. We had our first formals yesterday and have a handful of them today. Wednesday, Thursday we have the early formals and then the late ones. Usually, it was just seven (P.M.) to what feels like one AM. So, it’ll be nice to hammer some out in the morning. Any time you get to be face-to-face with potential guys that are going to be on your team, we have 45 formals. How many of those guys are going to be on your team? A lot of decisions have to be made to see which guys are good fits.”
Kyler
It’s the same question, just asked a different way. Basically, what is happening, or will happen, with Kyler Murray? Both the coach and GM know this is going to be asked – again – but aren’t going to tell anyone at any time what is truly going on. They can’t. They won’t. They aren’t. You don’t hit a single and then tell the pitcher that you are going to try to steal second base on his third pitch. You don’t tell everyone at the table that you have a pair of jacks with your down cards.
“Yeah, we reached out. I’m not going to get into the specifics of it. But he reached back out to me, and we’ll keep it at that. I’m going to keep all the conversations with everyone on our team between him and us.”
Okay, did that answer shock anyone? Did the coach, like the GM, say anything at all, really? No. They just aren’t. It could jeopardize their intentions. Do LaFleur and Ossenfort have a plan for Kyler? Of course they do. They know exactly what their plan is. No team is going to leak any pertinent information. Yet, the question always comes up. Again. “Um, honey, I am thinking about asking for a divorce in three weeks.” Guess whose bank account would suddenly show a zero balance? Later, LaFleur did say some other stuff when asked basically the same question, just with different words:
“I’ve been in this division for seven years. Three with the Rams, four with the Niners. Two of those years, he wasn’t there yet cause obviously he got there in ’19. But really good football player. He was always a problem. I know this: I’m on the offensive side, when I was an offensive coordinator. But I know the defensive coordinators I worked with; it wasn’t a fun week for them. So, a lot of respect for them as a player. Getting to know all these guys, not just him, as people a little bit more now that I’ve only been in it for three weeks here as an Arizona Cardinals.”
What LaFleur looks for in any football player
“Tough, smart, and loves the game. They have to have a baseline of talent, depending on the position, but are they tough? Are they smart? Can they handle what we’re asking them to do? And do they absolutely love it? I think the tape is their resume. Those three things are fundamental.”
Should the team pursue a high-end running back?
“I do think through experience, they come in all shapes and sizes. You try to pigeonhole yourself into you need this slash guy, certain size, certain speed, and all that. It’s that one particular position, and really, if the tape speaks for itself and the guy is producing, you’ve got to compare it to the competition. Whether they’re a free agent in the league, or on your team, or in college, that’s part of the evaluation process. Try to keep an open mind and get the best football players. That’s why there are quite a few people involved. And then ultimately, it’s up to the powers that be to make the decision to see what’s going to fit for the 90 you’re bringing in.”
QB options
“I am open and embracing playing the best quarterback possible for the Arizona Cardinals. We’re working through that process right now. There’s going to be a lot of factors that’s going to lead to that.”
The Marvin Harrison situation
“What a stud of a human, first and foremost. I didn’t get a chance when he was coming out, obviously, we knew he was going to be a Top-10 pick, and we didn’t have one of those when I was in LA. So, didn’t really get a chance to get to know him. Just saw the player, and obviously the traits are the traits. You saw all the good stuff that we all saw. What’s been really cool is getting to know the human. It’s hard for me to put into words, other than just really excited to work with the guy. It was really cool when I came in for the first in-person interview; the first three people I saw were him, Michael Wilson, and Trey McBride.
And they were, literally, right when I walked in past security, the first three at the breakfast table getting ready to go work out. And I basically gave all three of them a hug and said, this is a good omen right here. And it doesn’t mean much except for man, they want to put in the work and they love this game. So excited to work with them. I know he’s excited to get going with this thing. It’ll be cool.”
What he has accomplished outside of football
“I have been in this for three weeks as a head coach, and obviously been a coach in this league for some time. My focus has been getting this staff together, getting to know this roster, getting to know free agents, getting to know this draft, and getting a scheme together. There’s no time to selfishly try to get a house so I can get my wife and two kids out here because that’s an important piece of it as well.”
Finding ways to build a good offensive line
“I’ve been part of one of the better lines toward the end of the year. They stayed healthy. They were coached really well. I thought they bought into stuff and were talented. That kind of built organically. Some guys develop, and some guys you paid. There are so many factors in where you are going to pour those resources. We’ve got to figure out how to put the best 22 out there on the field, where that money is going to get allocated, where those draft picks are going to get allocated, and then whatever we deem as the best, then we make it work.”
The hiring of college coaches
“Interviewed a lot of guys, talked to a lot of guys, whether it be directly or indirectly through people that we know. And again, I just kept going back to this: Do they have great character, do they have great capacity? The college game is a little bit different, obviously, than the NFL game. But when you really boil it down, positionally, and you’re not talking schematics, because we’re talking more position coaches, can you coach one-on-one DB to receiver technique? Can you coach one-on-one D-line to offensive line technique? And the answer that I had was yes with these guys.”