Three Takeaways From Monti Ossenfort's First Day
We've begun a new era in Arizona Cardinals football.
Tuesday marked the beginning of the Monti Ossenfort regime as the Cardinals look to rebound from a 4-13 season.
There's plenty to help them turn the tide: Cap space, talented players already on the roster and a top-three pick in the upcoming draft just to name a few.
Yet there's also some roadblocks: A new head coach needs to be hired, you have 30+ players set to hit free agency and franchise quarterback Kyler Murray is rehabbing a torn ACL that will very likely not be ready for Week 1 of the 2023 season.
This is Ossenfort's first rodeo as a general manager, and sitting roughly 30 feet from him and owner Michael Bidwill at their press conference, you could feel a bit of nervous energy.
That's fine - and somewhat expected - out of a guy who knows exactly what's at stake here in the desert.
From his roughly 30 minutes of speaking in front of cameras to our small group interview with him (which you can find on our YouTube channel by clicking here), here's three takeaways from the first official day of Monti Ossenfort in Arizona:
No Bull
Ossenfort was adamant from the start that things will be level with a "complete organizational alignment" from top to bottom. That message was clear: From the long-snapper to Ossenfort, everybody will understand exactly what is expected and required in order to turn the Cardinals around.
Ossenfort very much carried a no-nonsense aura when speaking, both at the podium and with reporters after the fact. One particular comment stuck out, however:
"Ego will not be tolerated in this organization."
Whew, the amount of people that have directly assumed this was about Kyler Murray or DeAndre Hopkins has been overwhelming, but understandable. Ossenfort said he's yet to speak with Murray but is looking forward to seeing where his rehab is at. Bidwill said they would evaluate the Hopkins situation in the coming weeks.
4-13 isn't acceptable for this team and Ossenfort acknowledged that. It's clear he has his work cut out for him, but the business-like approach let everybody in the room understand that changes were coming.
Nobody is Reinventing the Wheel
Ossenfort comes from a Tennessee Titans team that won the division twice in the three-year span after he was named the director of player personnel with 11-5 and 12-5 records respectively in those years.
Prior to joining the Titans in 2020, he spent years within a New England Patriots organization that won four Super Bowls while worked his way up from a scout to director of college scouting from 2006-19.
He's helped multiple organizations find success. Now, he looks to do the same in Arizona.
"I will take pieces from each of those organizations of things that I've learned, things that I liked. But I will also put my own spin on it. This is not some wash-rinse-repeat of someplace else. What works in one building is not just easily transferable to another building," said Ossenfort.
There's been plenty of former New England personnel leaders that have failed to carry and successfully implement the "Patriot Way" in other places. It was nice to hear that although those experiences have shaped him, he won't try and reinvent the wheel here.
Emphasis on Strong Scouting, Building Through Draft
Great teams are built through the NFL Draft, something the Cardinals have been very hit-or-miss with under former general manager Steve Keim.
There's been attempts to lure outside talent in, with names such as A.J. Green, Rodney Hudson, DeAndre Hopkins, J.J. Watt, etc. coming from outside the organization via trade or free agency.
Those have worked, but Arizona hasn't really nailed a draft class that has helped form cornerstones for the present and upcoming future.
Ossenfort is set to bring in a different (and hopefully more efficient) way of scouting future players, as he mentioned their process for the draft would start over a year prior to when it actually happens. So yes, while the Cardinals are set to utilize their No. 3 pick in some form or fashion, preparation for the 2024 NFL Draft will soon commence.
When asked what the approach will be with the third pick, Ossenfort offered the following:
"Well, it's an exciting [approach]. I hope we don't pick third overall again, that's for one. The benefit is that we're going to be ready to pick a premium player that's going to be able to come in here and have an impact on our team. That's the benefit," he said.
"The other benefit is that there'll be calls on that pick. We're going to operate at every step along the way and we're going to do what's best for the team. So if we get a chance to drop back and pick up additional picks and that will help build the team, we're going to entertain that. But we're in a great position and I would say the same for every pick of that round. There's going to be action, the phone rings at the draft. The phone will ring and we'll be ready to take a good player, and we'll be ready to listen offers too, so we're in a great position with that."
The vision is for the Cardinals to be a strong team that can draft, develop and mold their own talent. We'll see if that comes to fruition.
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