Arizona
Cardinals’ Devon Kennard: Arizona should have an edge after playoff loss
Arizona Cardinals linebacker Devon Kennard believes his workforce ought to have a chip on its shoulder after final season’s unraveling.
As Arizona strikes ahead this offseason, the veteran nonetheless feels the sting of final 12 months’s 34-11 playoff loss in opposition to the Los Angeles Rams.
Kennard mentioned the Cardinals are transferring ahead and that dwelling on the previous is not going to assist their win complete in 2022, however talked about that the workforce must be taught what it might from it.
“We don’t discuss it a lot,” Kennard instructed Arizona Sports activities’ Wolf & Luke this week. “Clearly, it must. It must be addressed. However you bought to type of transfer on. Gotta have brief reminiscence on this league. ”
Kennard addressed that Arizona has a troublesome schedule this season, one with the vaunted AFC West on the slate.
He hopes final 12 months’s classes and the powerful street forward push the Cardinals to a different degree.
Kennard has been within the league for 9 years and, from that perspective, mentioned gifted groups win early. Groups that execute are profitable late within the season. The ten-2 begin for the Arizona proved to be futile.
“When you have a mix of each, these are the groups that ended up being actually particular,” Kennard mentioned. “I feel now we have numerous expertise on this workforce. Proper? Can we develop and construct the inspiration to the place our execution is so spot on that we are able to carry it all year long?”
Kennard dove into the protection, particularly noting that nobody participant will substitute edge rusher Chandler Jones however they’ve depth on the place. Arizona added three rookies to the place group, together with third-round picks Cameron Thomas and Myjai Sanders.
Defensive coordinator Vance Joseph retains a board up with milestones and performances from final 12 months, Kennard mentioned. It’s a fixed reminder of what enhancements should be made.
“From our perspective, we didn’t play properly sufficient late within the season and in that playoff recreation to get a number of the wins that we wanted,” Kennard mentioned. “I really feel like (Joseph) got here to us as a workforce defensively, he was like, ‘Let’s execute higher and let’s construct a basis of the place we’re additional alongside than we had been final 12 months.’”