After the Arizona Cardinals came within a game of Super Bowl 50, nothing less than a championship will be viewed as a success in 2016.
A month out from training camp, coach Bruce Arians likes what he sees so far from this year's roster.
"We just probably finished up the best 13 practices I've ever been around in the NFL," Arians told NFL Media's Dan Hellie on Thursday during an event to celebrate All or Nothing: A Season with the Arizona Cardinals, an eight-episode series from NFL Films that tells the story of last year's journey to the playoffs.
"This is my 22nd year (in the NFL) and our last two days, it scared me how hard we were competing against each other," Arians said. "I thought somebody was going to get hurt, so I cancelled the third day. The practices were that good. If they bring that attitude to camp, which I know that they will, this team will be better than last year's."
That's a troubling thought for the rest of the conference. The Cardinals looked like the best team in football for much of last season until crumbling against Carolina in the NFC title game.
Arians has an outstanding reputation for milking the most from his players. With an offense that scores points in bunches and a defense now laced with pass rusher Chandler Jones and defensive backs Patrick Peterson and Tyrann Mathieu, Arizona speeds toward September as a ready-for-business juggernaut.
