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As we are now at the slowest part of the offseason, the Arizona Cardinals players have their time off as well.
Entering 2014, there are big goals for the team and defensive lineman Calais Campbell is expecting big things. He has lofty goals for the defense this season.
Campbell used some of his time not too long ago to promote healthy habits for kids with Gatorade in their 10th annual "Beat the Heat" campaign. He talked to Phoenix kids at hte Eastlake Community Center about the need to study, hydrate (before, during and after working out) and take care of their body. Kids and parents can find the Gatorade heat kit on their website.
In his media availability during the campaign, Campbell spoke of the goals he has this season. When asked about his personal goals, he said he "(tries) to keep (his) goals team-oriented."
"As a team, if we can be the best defense, I want to be the number one defense overall in points, in yardage, especially in running yardage," he explained about what he wants the team to achieve. "We were last year.
"I want to make sure we keep that, but then bring everything else up. I want to be the number one overall defense both in points and yardage. And if we do that, I think we’ll be very, very successful. Seattle had the number one defense last year and you can see what they did."
He is eyeing that Super Bowl championship the Seahawks won. And if the Cardinals can have the number one overall defense in yards and points, being very, very successful is an understatement. Combining that with what is expected to be an improved offense, and you have exactly what you want.
His goal is a lofty one, especially losing both Daryl Washington and Karlos Dansby. But the added depth on the defensive line, the return of some edge players from injury, the development of young players and the addition of Antonio Cromartie should offset in some way the absence of Washington and Dansby.
Campbell said that the addition of Cromartie "alone makes us a way better defense," pairing him up with Patrick Peterson, whom Campbell calls "the best inthe game."
The addition of Cromartie, according to Campbell, "allows us to blitz more because we can play press and they (the defensive backs) only have to guard guys for two or three seconds because the blitz is coming."
Is Campbell setting the bar too highly? Can he realistically expect the team to have the league's number one defense in both points and yards? They were seventh and sixth last season in those categories, respectively. Can they improve upon that even with the loss of players like Washington and Dansby?
