{"id":860085,"date":"2026-04-08T02:36:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T02:36:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/860085\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T02:36:26","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T02:36:26","slug":"back-to-the-basics-cardinals-begin-life-under-mike-lafleur","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/860085\/","title":{"rendered":"Back to the basics: Cardinals begin life under Mike LaFleur"},"content":{"rendered":"

TEMPE \u2014 It\u2019s been a little more than two months since the Mike LaFleur era officially began<\/a> in Arizona.<\/p>\n

And although there\u2019s been plenty of prep leading up to the beginning of the offseason program, Tuesday\u2019s strength and conditioning work felt more like the true kickoff to LaFleur\u2019s Cardinals tenure.<\/p>\n

An otherwise small offseason to-do list item, it\u2019s much more about setting the tone and getting a good idea of what LaFleur and his newly formed coaching staff demand from their players.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving our first team meeting with him today, how he wants things, what he expects out of us, he\u2019s very clear on that. There\u2019s no confusion whatsoever,\u201d pass rusher Zaven Collins said. \u201cIt\u2019s really nice. You can tell how he wants his ship ran and it\u2019s a really good starting point to see how it\u2019s all going to go.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s clear and correct and very to the point on how he wants things done and what he expects from us when we\u2019re in the building. What he allows, what he doesn\u2019t allow, stuff like that. You can kind of tell he\u2019s a no-BS guy. He\u2019s going to tell you what he wants, what he thinks and just be up front.\u201d<\/p>\n

Zaven Collins\u2019 early impressions of new Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur \u2b07\ufe0f pic.twitter.com\/f9WUIHerD4<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) April 7, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

According to Collins, everyone was present for the voluntary work on Tuesday. It\u2019s a small note, but a good sign of the early buy-in.<\/p>\n

Aside from setting the standard, the beginning of Phase 1 focused more on the little things from an operation standpoint.<\/p>\n

Teams have to start somewhere before diving into full-blown installs later on this offseason.<\/p>\n

And it should come as no surprise the emphasis \u2014 at least from an offensive perspective \u2014 started with the basics of breaking the huddle.<\/p>\n

If the Cardinals are hoping to be \u201cclean and sharp\u201d like LaFleur mentioned during his introductory press conference, it starts pre-snap.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s interesting having a head coach in the offensive meeting room,\u201d offensive lineman Hjalte Froholdt said. \u201cI haven\u2019t had that for a while, but a lot of enthusiasm around there about the scheme, what we got to set up and stuff like that. But truly just the basics today. Simple stuff \u2026 but that\u2019s how you got to start. So, it\u2019s good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Follow @Tdrake4sports<\/a><\/p>\n

\t
\n<\/a><\/p>\n