There must have been some significant exhaling throughout the Arizona Cardinals facility over the last three weeks when the team reached agreements on contract extensions with safety Budda Baker and running back James Conner.
The word culture gets thrown around a lot in sports and especially the NFL. It can almost sound like a cliché at times.
However, the importance of a consistent approach in team building can’t be overstated. With it, there surely is no guarantee of success. But without it, there is little chance, at least for it to be sustainable.
The reality is that when general manager Monti Ossenfort was hired 23 months ago, he put in place a plan from which he hasn’t wavered.
The addition of Jonathan Gannon as head coach was the first step, and then Gannon set about to hire a young and hungry staff that could teach while relating to today’s players.
After he signed his three-year extension this week, Baker made sure to thank owner Michael Bidwill because “he’s the guy that’s saying yes and no on these things.”
He then said, “And Monti and JG and the coaching staff. Just me being here for however many years (eight) I’ve been here, it’s just been great to have these guys come in and show true leadership and try to just build something special here. Ultimately, it’s all about winning games, but you’ve got to have a great head coach in order to have those building blocks in order to win. So just having the opportunity to be a part of this is definitely a special blessing. Very glad to be here.”
Among the many words Gannon has said about Baker and then said some more this week were these: “What was really cool through the process because I wasn’t too involved in that. I knew what was going on obviously, but Budda wanted to be here.”
Budda wanted to be here.
There were those that wondered about that in the early days of 2023. There was speculation about a trade request.
However, it’s obvious Baker was astutely watching and listening one day at a time ever since Ossenfort and Gannon walked in the door that year.
If he didn’t like what he heard or didn’t begin to see the progress being made, this day might not have come.
That was glaring judging by what Baker said about building a winning culture. Asked when he had the sense that there was something special going on, he said, “Just hearing him (Gannon) talk and the first time he came in and talked to the team and just hearing him talk and the way he carried himself as a head coach. The way Monti spoke about how he’s trying to build certain things here.”
Baker then revealed, “I had a lunch with those guys in the very beginning and for me, it was at that time I kind of knew the team we kind of had and I just wanted to see what we were going to do. And they did a good job of understanding the players and personnel we had and to try and help certain positions. And just the way the communication was. We talked about our winning edge and how we’re going to win games. And the mentality of going into work and preparing ourselves each and every day and living in the present.
“All those things stood out with me because that’s how I’ve done it throughout my whole life. So it started very early and as the time went on, it felt better and better and as the days have gone on and we’re here now.”
While not being satisfied with a 7-7 record, he said, “Although we could have a better record and better season and all those things, we’re still in it, we’re still in the mix and we’re just continuing to take it one day at a time and he preaches that all the time. And I truly respect that because that’s how I go about my day.”
“Like I tell y’all, all the time: I have a tattoo on my right shoulder that says, ‘Each day is not promised.’ So, that’s how I go about each and every day because at the end of the day, you don’t know which day’s you’re last. So just having that faith and having that mentality of just trying to take one day at a time and let everything else take care of itself. That’s what I try to do.”
Noting that he got that tattoo in high school, Baker reflected on his brother (“rest in peace”) and said, “He was put into jail when I was in middle school. So just understanding to do the right thing and to have good grades and to be a good person. All that stuff matters. And that’s how I’ve always felt since then.”
Baker also made sure to mention that since he came to Arizona, he’s had four head coaches (Bruce Arians, Steve Wilks, Kliff Kingsbury and Gannon) and two general managers. The four head coaches also means he has had four defensive coordinators (James Bettcher, Al Holcomb, Vance Joseph and Nick Rallis) and four position coaches (Nick Rapone, David Merritt Sr., Marcus Robertson and Patrick Toney).
Stability isn’t a word to describe the constant change. As Gannon noted when he was asked about the impact of all the extensions achieved already, “(We’ve got) really good players with a lot of leadership with those guys, which is huge to me because I think they help keep everybody in alignment. They’re premier players and they’re good people, so that’s who we want to build the team around.
“I think that the value of continuity, especially in today’s NFL, it might be undervalued by some people. Not this building.”
The goal is to keep that going and not continue the never-ending carousel of change that has been present with the Cardinals and is prevalent in the league.
Quarterback Kyler Murray addressed that Wednesday when asked what Baker’s re-signing says about the culture that is building.
“I think it says a lot,” Murray said. “I think, for me, being around young guys, being one of the older guys, Budda is one of the oldest, and he’s not even old. I think we’re on the right track. Having the young guys play longer here, building through the draft and having guys that are invested in the organization growing up, playing well, hopefully sticking here and continuing to keep that trend going.”
Finally, Gannon sounded off on the “Budda wanted to be here” theme when he was asked if that can impact other players.
He said, “It’s important to me that guys like walking into the building and they like what’s going on. They feel like they have a chance to win. They like the people that they’re surrounded with. In essence, that’s all of our roles.
“Anyone that doesn’t have a jersey, your role is to serve the player. Everyone’s role’s different, but it’s all the same. Their directive by me and Monti is ‘serve the players.’ I think the players see value in that, and it’s cool that they wanted to be here.”
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