Chemistry matters. Two parts hydrogen and one part oxygen make water, which is pretty significant. Pass-first point guards like Steve Nash and Tyrese Haliburton elevate their basketball teams through their generosity, also extremely powerful.<\/p>\n
But can there be great chemistry in the NFL, a league where teams are small armies? Where the offense and defense are rarely equals? Where position groups are segregated into separate meeting rooms?<\/p>\n
The 2025 Cardinals might test that theory.<\/p>\n
\u201cA connected team is important,\u201d Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort said. \u201cIt\u2019s about the right type of people working for a common goal. And it\u2019s great to see our players out there supporting each other, and they\u2019re doing a lot of great stuff in the community. I think that can only help us on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
The 2025 Cardinals have our attention. They have regained their credibility in the NFL as a team to be taken seriously. During mandatory minicamp, I watched Kyler Murray lob long passes that dropped into the hands of sprinting receivers. I watched the defensive linemen go through drills and marveled at the change in this unit. From Dalvin Tomlinson to Calais Campbell, from Darius Robinson to Walter Nolen III, this defense might be incredibly disruptive upfront, in the trenches, where games are declared and decided.<\/p>\n
But what first grabbed my attention was the NFLPA report card, where head coach Jonathan Gannon received an \u201cA\u201d from his players despite winning only 12 games in his first two years. That means there is a lot of trust and belief inside the locker room that was not spawned from success. That is rare.<\/p>\n
The other was the amount of offseason events hosted by Cardinals players, and how willingly teammates are to support one another. This was true of Kyler Murray\u2019s softball game, Mack Wilson Sr.\u2019s basketball game, and a bowling event hosted by Budda Baker.<\/p>\n
So, are we looking at elite chemistry in Arizona?<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cYeah,\u201d linebacker Zaven Collins said. \u201cBecause I can confront one of the guys about something without it (being perceived) as hostile or being degrading as man and a player. And it\u2019s because we\u2019re good friends, too, because (many of us) have been together a long time. We can have a sense of accountability where guys are not feeling threatened. So it\u2019s been really good for us, and I haven\u2019t felt that in a long time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s something that\u2019s hard to see unless you\u2019re inside the locker room. But it\u2019s something that pushes the team in the right direction. It leads to practices that are really good, which leads to games and situations where everyone is executing, and that\u2019s a huge carryover.\u201d<\/p>\n
Obviously, Gannon deserves credit for the internal vibe. So does Ossenfort for selecting the right kind of players, men who are self-motivated and violent and professional. But in sports, great chemistry cannot be drafted or drawn up on a whiteboard. It happens organically, an internal combustion of fellowship and cohesiveness that comes with the right mix of player.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve seen it with the Suns following the arrivals of Nash and Chris Paul. We\u2019ve seen it on the Diamondbacks when Torey Lovullo screamed that \u201ca connected teams is a dangerous team! Now let\u2019s (bleeping) party!\u201d And the other day, Campbell said<\/a> the Cardinals have a chance to be special in his storybook return to Arizona, capable of a playoff run.<\/p>\n
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