Cardinals' Brotherhood under Mike LaFleur: "Dudes. are Playing for The Boys"
graphic courtesy of Arizona SportsBy Walter Mitchell
What you may have noticed most about the Cardinals' convincing 26-14 win over the Chargers at So-Fi Stadium is that it was the consummate team victory, where all three phases accomplished what is called "complimentary football."
The last time we Cardinals' fans saw such complimentary football in all three phases was in their 27-17 upset win over the Cowboys on Monday Night Football in Week 9 last season. It was a similar game in that the Cardinals' offense under QB Jacoby Brissett jumped out to an early lead and was able to sustain the lead throughout the rest of the contest.
Cardinals' Team Rankings Per PFF in their Week 1 Win:
Defense --- 65.2 --- #12
Offense --- 75.9 --- #8
Special Teams --- 81.6 --- #2
Huge credit goes to the Cardinals' new head coach Mike LaFleur and his staff for having the team mentally and physically ready to play as 10.5-point underdogs.
Mike LaFleur did not hold anything back in how he coached and played his offense during the pre-season --- something Kliff Kingsbury wished he had done more of during his first pre-season as the Cardinals' new head coach --- and something that during the post-game interviews Chargers' new OC Mike McDaniel wished he had done more of.
The major surprise was seeing the Cardinals' defense administer a much improved and more aggressively adjusted game plan that, after a poor first drive that looked very similar to the Swiss cheese shell coverages the Cardinals ran for much of the past three seasons and throughout much of this year's pre-season, thanks in large part to Nick Rallis applying much stickier pass coverage out of his new and upgraded Cover 6 scheme.
Either tomorrow or Friday, Red Rain will provide you with a close study of the major principles of Cover 6 and how the Cardinals made it work, but what was very cool to learn after the game was that the two teams to employ the most Cover 6 schemes during Week 1 were the Seahawks and Cardinals. Which likely means that this week's game, Seahawks at Cardinals, may be a bonanza of Cover 6 employments.
Blaming Jacoby For Losing Games in 2025
All off-season, the fans' and pundits' number one critique of Jacoby Brissett was his 1-11 record versus what was as difficult a schedule as there is in the NFL, while, mind you, that he was playing on the side of the ball that was by far the most decimated by injuries.
While I was continuing to defend and praise the high level of Jacoby's play under the circumstances two days before the Chargers game, here is one of the tweets that once again came my way:
I’m good with it as long as he starts winning games.
My reply:
Takes an entire team to win. So many Cardinals' fans refuse to understand this. Jacoby and his boys were the only side of the ball that didn't quit. The side of the ball that played hard all 60 minutes every game out of pride and the love of the game. That kind of effort, physical and mental sacrifice are what makes winning possible, especially when it carries over to the rest of the team.
Quote
Replying to @WBJMItch
I’m good with it as long as he starts winning games.
Monti Ossenfort Bringing in Much-Needed Help
Other than the dreadful irony of how Monti played things coy with Jacoby Brissett's contract during the off-season, here are the number of significant moves he made to provide the team with positional boosts and added leadership.
Monti brought in a host of veteran free agents, many of whom came from playoff teams in 2025:
QB Jacoby Brissett (re-signed)
G Isaace Seumalo
T Elijah Wilkinson
WR Kendrick Bourne
WR Simi Fehoko (re-signed)
TE Hunter Long (via trade)
RB Tyler Allgeier
NT Roy Lopez
LB Jack Gibbens
FA Andrew Wingard
QB Gardner Minshew
Look at the positive impact that so many of these players had in the Week 1 win.
All three of Red Rain's Week 1 MVPs are on this list:
Defense: Andrew Wingard
Offense: Jacoby Brissett
Special Teams: Simi Fehoko
The Epitome of the Change in the Locker Room Mindset is manifested here by Kendrick Bourne:
Kendrick Bourne spoke on the vibes and optimism the Cardinals were bringing into the season ahead of their Week 1 win over the Chargers.
“This group has the competitive spirit and urge to be great.”
Both of those traits were on display in L.A. on Sunday.
Listen to all that Kendrick Bourne said here:
Add what Kendrick Bourne said to the tone that Cardinals' captain Hjalte Froholt said about how Jacoby Brissett "plays for the boys" and voila this is now a team that is developing the kind of brotherhood it takes to tackle the team's difficult schedule (thanks to Tyler Drake):
The coaches and players have said repeatedly that they have been blocking out all of the "negative noise" about the team and the team's quarterback. And boy oh boys do the Cardinals' players have each other's backs.
Here is Garnder Michshew's response to Hjalte Froholdt's statement that the Cardinals' QB play this year has been "a reverse shit show":
What these clips demonstrate is how supportive the players are of each other.
Let's not forget how Budda Baker took it upon himself to tweet this on July 9th:
Budda Baker @buddabaker3
“Just want bro to get his (expletive) done… he is not asking for what you think. Bro is asking for below the bare minimum. Let’s just get it done!!!”
Budda here defending his tweet while Jacoby was still un-signed:
Return of the Mack
Listen to Budda's co-captain on the defense, Mack Wilson Sr. and what he said about finally getting Jacoby signed on the opening day of training camp:
While giving Jacoby Brissett their genuine support, the Cardinals players have been developing a true brotherhood:
Mike LaFleur is bringing back the brotherhood to the Arizona Cardinals! Dudes are playing now “for the boys”! 🔥🏈
Cardinals' New Look Defense: A Wingard and a Prayer
"I love all these guys."
That's what dudes feel, when they are "playing for the boys."
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