Tag: Michael Wilson

Cardinals WR Michael Wilson is wise beyond his age

Wilson is playing in meaningful games in November for the first time in years.

The current four-game winning streak by the Arizona Cardinals not only has put them in first place in the NFC West but also as one of only 14 teams in the NFL (seven in the NFC) entering Week 12 with winning records.

Even more important is the fact that they will be playing meaningful games in November and December, which is new ground for the players on the roster who have been with the team since 2022. A startling 44 of the current 53-man roster has been in Arizona beginning with that year.

One of those is 2023 third-round pick, wide receiver Michael Wilson, who didn’t experience much winning during his college career at Stanford.

After returning from the bye earlier this week, Wilson talked about how important that it is to him, especially after experiencing a 4-13 season last year.

“It feels great. It’s a breath of fresh air,” he said. “For me, this is my first time since 2018 playing meaningful games in November. I keep saying breath of fresh air, but it’s exciting ball because when I was in college, I would love, dream of playing on a team that’s winning and has an opportunity to win a championship, win playoff games and just playing really good football.

“So it’s exciting for me. I haven’t had this experience in six years. So, I could not be more enthusiastic and just really grateful for the position that I am in, but also that our team is in right now.”

Wilson’s confidence is based on how the entire team has come together and the complementary football they play.

He said, “I love the makeup of our team because it’s refreshing when you play with a group of guys that leave their egos at the door regardless of who has a big game. I played with guys or teams in the past where we could have won by 20 points and this receiver had 100 yards, but this receiver had five yards or this running back only rushed for 20 yards and they’d be sour after the game and we don’t have any of that on the team. So, it’s nice to play with a group of guys where the only result that matters; our singular focus is winning the game regardless of how that looks, and that’s all parties involved.

“It’s just refreshing playing with guys who are selfless and just care about winning the game. And I think when you watch us on tape, you see that. You see guys running to the ball 50 yards away from the play, helping guys up like those little things add up and show the physical representation of our care for one another and how much we want to win.”

Head coach Jonathan Gannon always stresses paying attention to the details and Wilson verbalized that by talking more about the all-important “little things” that make a big difference.

He said, “There’s a quote that I’m probably paraphrasing, but it said, when you start to look at the little things, or the impact of the little things, you realize there are no little things and that applies to the NFL. And I think our team is playing the game of football the right way.”

Wilson is only one example of the type of player the Cardinals have made efforts to add since Monti Ossenfort became general manager and hired Gannon.

It’s not surprising that Wilson realizes how much there is to learn in the NFL about being a professional. How often does that happen?

“All the time. All the time,” said. “I definitely have not arrived and have a lot of knowledge to learn. Every single day I find myself finding something new. That’s why we watch so much tape and meet all the time is because you never have all the answers. You might think you do. But something shows up every single day and I think our job is to try and stay ahead of that curve and at least give ourselves the confidence to feel like we know everything. But every game something comes up. Every practice something comes up.

“So, you’re constantly learning and evolving and growing. And that’s why we all love sports and why I love to play it because you’re always chasing your shadow. You’re never gonna reach your full potential, but as long as you continue to put your best foot forward, you’ll get closer and closer to that every single day.”

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

WR Michael Wilson on consistency, contested catches and getting Zay Jones back

Wilson talks about a number of things leading up to the Cardinals’ game against the Chargers.

If the Arizona Cardinals are to reverse what’s happened in the last four games over the next 11 beginning Monday night against the L.A. Chargers, much of that will depend on a much more consistent offense.

A very self-aware Michael Wilson said this week, “I think I need to do a better job of finishing some plays. Do a better job of creating separation and just trusting my technique and when the play comes making the play. I think our group needs to bat at a higher percentage in contested catches. Once we can hit our stride and get in rhythm, those numbers will start to show up.”

When it was noted that rhythm is difficult to attain when there are issues on third down, Wilson was asked if the offense has focused on that in preparation for Monday’s game.

“Absolutely,” he said. “Hasn’t been good enough. I think a lot of our third-down plays have fallen on our room and not coming down with contested catches consistently. The game comes down to turnover battle, explosive plays and then how efficient you are on third down and in the red zone and we haven’t been great in any of those categories.

“So everyone’s taking a good hard look in the mirror and we’re still in a great spot even though we haven’t played up to par. I haven’t played up to par. We’re still in a great spot sitting at 2-4, 2-0 in the division, and we have a chance with 11 games remaining to reach our potential and I think Monday is a great opportunity to just go out and do it because I know we have the guys. It’s not a question of talent. We just have to go execute and perform.”

The numbers don’t lie.

In the Cardinals’ four losses, they have averaged only 5.1 yards per play and had 68 first downs. Their most total yards in a game is 303. On the first possession of those games, it’s 5.8 per play with 15 first downs (22.0 percent) of the total. The total yards of 191 is 16.7 percent of the 1,146 total yards and they have averaged 233.8 yards after the opening possession.

Overall, in the six games, the Cardinals have averaged 5.8 yards per play, while it’s 7.9 on the first possession. Their 20 first downs are 18.0 percent of the season total.

Wilson said the receivers have been spending time trying to get better on contested catches.

“You only get so many reps during practice,” he said. “The best way to get better at football is to play football. And to be intentional and deliberate when you’re at practice, when you’re put in those situations focusing on the ball and making up in your mind, ‘I’m not going to drop this ball.’ Other things you can do is catch Jugs after practice and then we implemented a session this week of about eight to 10 minutes before practice.

“We’re intentionally working on contested catches with our receivers coach (Drew Terrell) and having one of our assistants out there with a crayon, which is like a pad they have trying to pry the ball out. That’s an emphasis for us going through (because) if we’re going to reach the levels that we need to reach, then contested catches have to be 90-10 percent (complete/incomplete) in our room. We have the guys to do that and have the ball skills to do it. We just gotta execute it … internally, in our room and myself, we just have to play better and executing when the ball does come our way.”

Wilson and others believe the potential availability and return of wide receiver Zay Jones will help, although there has to be some caution and not raise expectations too high since he had been out since late August before his suspension ended Oct. 14.

“It’s gonna be huge,” Wilson said of the impact Jones can have. “I was saying that earlier in the season: We have a really, pretty much a young group of first- and second-year guys, maybe guys that don’t have a lot of experience playing and Zay’s been a prime-time player in parts of his career. So to have his leadership, have his maturity, have his playmaking ability; a guy that is great with contested catches, someone who’s an all-three position guy and just a good person is gonna bring energy, confidence and juice to the room.

“He’s someone who’s been through good games, bad games. He’s able to stay even keel so I think his experience and his mentorship for myself, Marvin (Harrison Jr.) and also his play-making, I think he’s going to be the player that takes our group to the top. His confidence and his belief in himself is only going to uplift our room.”

Quarterback Kyler Murray said Jones being back will “help tremendously. Zay is an underrated receiver in the league. I think he’s going to bring a lot of juice to that room. Veteran guy. Real contagious, his personality, just the way he talks to everybody, his positivity. Not only that, but his ability to play the game. I’m excited to have Zay back.”

What stands out about Jones, said head coach Jonathan Gannon, is “he’s a three-position guy. He’s very accountable. He makes plays, he’s a team-first guy. He’s a pro’s pro. He’s smart as they come. Consistent. We’re excited to get him back.”

Wilson said he’s looking forward to the bigger stage in the first prime-time game of his career.

“Players that I really liked always showed up big in those games,” he said. “The cliché says, ‘Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time games.’ Hoping that I can mark my stamp in my first Monday night game.”

Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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WR Michael Wilson will be important in Cardinals vs. Packers

The Green Bay Packers will need to stop Arizona Cardinals WR Wilson in NFL week 6, and that’s not easy thing to do.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson had five catches for 78 yards in a team win last Sunday. The Green Bay Packers will need to account for Wilson on intermediate routes, and that’s not easy thing to do.

At 6-foot-2 inches, Wilson is a tall target for quarterback Kyler Murray to locate outside the hashes. Wilson brings energy and talent and has been even more vital with wide receiver Zay Jones injured.

Three primary targets have been in rotation for Murray; Marvin Harrison Jr., Wilson, and tight-end Trey McBride. Murray is distributing the ball effortlessly, and Wilson is thriving under offensive coordinator Drew Petzing.

Wilson can expect additional targets in week six because the Packers’ secondary will be focused on Harrison Jr. If Wilson plays well tomorrow, it will definitely increase the chances of a Cardinals’ win.

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Get more Cardinals and NFL coverage from Cards Wire’s Jess Root and others by listening to the latest on the Rise Up, See Red podcast. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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Fantasy football outlook: Arizona Cardinals WR preview

A prized rookie headlines an unheralded receiving corps in the desert.

The Arizona Cardinals‘ wide receivers room has been a turnstile in recent years. Last year’s top two wide receivers both left – Marquise Brown (free agency) and Rondale Moore (trade). Entering 2024, the Cardinals have a new No. 1 wide receiver in fourth overall draft pick Marvin Harrison Jr., who is already being anointed as the ”next big thing” in Arizona.

Harrison joins a pair of in-house returnees – Michael Wilson and Greg Dortch. Arizona added a pair of veterans in free agency with low-investment signings of Zay Jones and Zach Pascal. There are some questions how the depth charter will play out for WR2 through WR5, but there’s no question that Harrison is the go-to guy.

‘Something big’ for Cardinals WR Michael Wilson involves a ring

The second-year Cardinals receiver and the professional soccer player heading to the Olympics are engaged to be married.

We now know what “something big” was when Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson talked to the media last Tuesday after the final practice of the offseason program.

Asked at the beginning of the session if he had any plans to get away during the summer and if it was something different, he said, “Uh … TBD. I got something big coming. You guys will probably find out in the next couple weeks.”

It turned out to be a few days when Wilson and girlfriend Sophia Smith became engaged.

On Saturday, Smith was the first to tweet photos of her and Wilson dressed in all white and the words, “Forever meant with you” along with a heart emoji.

A few hours later, Wilson also tweeted all-white photos, but with one showing him down on one knee. His tweet said “A forever thing” and included heart and ring emojis.

Smith is a forward for the Portland Thorns of the National Women’s Soccer League and is expected to be part of the United States team that will participate in the Summer Olympics beginning next month in Paris.

While talking about the extra work he did with quarterback Kyler Murray during the offseason, Wilson admitted that he told Smith early in the offseason he wouldn’t be seeing here every weekend because “I’m staying here so I can work on my relationship with Kyler. It’s really been amazing. I can’t articulate how awesome it’s been.”

When asked how she felt about that, Wilson elicited laughter when he said, “She’s a professional athlete, but she’s also a girlfriend at the same time. She understands from the athlete side, but as a girlfriend there was a little bit of bite-back on it.”

He did do his best, noting, “This has probably been the most games I’ve been able to go to this year because they had the Gold Cup in Los Angeles and that’s where I do my offseason training. So I saw all six of those games and I think I’ve been to two or three home games in Portland. It’s been pretty good so far.”

He admitted, “I earned some slack and then I’m going to go spend some time with her after these OTAs, too.”

The pictures confirm that story.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

 

Cardinals WR Michael Wilson puts in the time to get better in Year 2

Wilson on his work with Murray: :I feel like it’s been as seamless and as flawless of OTAs as I could have hoped for.”

The work done in the offseason with the Arizona Cardinals receivers and quarterback Kyler Murray away from the facility has been well-documented.

As the offseason program ended June 11, second-year wide receiver Michael Wilson noted how important the entire offseason was for the team’s offense and himself.

He explained, “Most of it comes from out here because we’re here four or five days a week, so we get most of the grunt work here. The weekends are just to work on some of the stuff that we may have missed, or things we need extra work on. Our offense is built off rhythm and timing. There’s not a whole bunch of feel that goes into our offense. It’s off steps. It’s off revolutions.

“When we run certain routes, it’s based off x step on your outside or inside foot. That takes time because his drop is predicated on our steps and our routes. Last year, we didn’t have enough time throughout the offseason to work on that timing; that chemistry. Now, I feel like it’s been as seamless and as flawless of OTAs as I could have hoped for. I think there’s been less than three balls on the ground between me and him this whole time.”

Wilson provided significant insight when he was asked to describe whether the rapport and growth was tangible or intangible.

“I would describe it as both,” he said. “Tangible because now he’s comfortable enough and we have a good enough relationship where we can go ahead and talk to each other and say, ‘Hey, what did I need to do on this? And I can go back and forth and say the same thing. I thought that ball could have been x place here or thought it could have been placed a little bit here. He can say, ‘Hey Mike, I want this route run like this.’ OK, boom, boom; it’s done. And so, tangible in that sense.

“Intangible because there’s sort of an unknown … I can’t quantify the feel that we both have for each other. He kind of knows how I run my routes now and knows the depth that I might come out of my route might be slightly different than Greg (Dortch) because my stride length as a taller guy is a little bit longer. Same thing holds true with Marvin (Harrison Jr.). His stride length is a little bit longer than mine. So we just understand like when I run a dig, my catch point might be at 20. Greg’s might be at 18, or 19. Those are subtle differences that maybe we can’t objectively state, but we can both feel; just the feel of the position from both sides. That’s the intangible part of that.”

Head coach Jonathan Gannon expects a lot of progress from Wilson this season.

“Where you’re ultimately evaluated is production on the grass, but how he gets to that production on the grass on a daily basis, I think he’ll take a jump with what he’s doing from all the standpoints of what that means — schematic, technique, physical, his health, what’s between his ears,” Gannon said. “He will take a jump in all those buckets as I call them.

“That will in turn give him a chance to increase his production and help us win. I really like where Mike is at. He’s as smart as they come, as competitive as they come, works on his craft, works on his game.”

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Kyler Murray, Cardinals WRs worked out together on weekends throughout the offseason

After no offseason reps for Murray and his receivers last year, he got a lot of extra work in with this year’s group this offseason.

It can’t be stressed enough how important it has been that Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray was on the field for the team’s entire offseason program that ended last Tuesday (June 11).

As second-year wide receiver Michael Wilson noted, “It’s been night and day from last year. He’s definitely the leader of this team and the one that makes this engine go. So to have your leader out there makes the world of a difference.”

That’s translated to numerous throwing sessions with the team’s receivers on weekends at local high schools during the offseason.

Wilson said, “The thing that I’m most excited for and most proud about was continuing to build my rapport with Kyler. I think that’s been amazing to do. We’ve been throwing every single weekend.”

Murray made a recent comment about sometimes texting Wilson at 3 a.m. Asked about that comment, Wilson said, “I told him, ‘I’m here for you. I wanna help turn this thing around and build this thing around you’ and so I’ll make myself available and I’ll put everything off to the side unless it’s something major to prioritize my relationship with him.

“He’d text me, ‘Mike, you here?’ Yeah, I’m here. ‘Let’s go.’ Sometimes he’d text me 8 o’clock the night before. ‘You want to go out tomorrow at 10?’ I’m like, ‘Shoot, man, you just let me know.’ Stayed here pretty much every single weekend throughout this whole OTAs specifically so I could train with K1.”

He added, “Pretty much every receiver has been out there consistently.”

Between now and training camp, there will be more workouts although Wilson said the specifics aren’t known yet.

Wilson and Murray had no time on the field together last year until October and then Wilson missed three games after Murray made his first start. However, things started to click during the final two games of the season, especially in the finale against the Seahawks.

As for how that helped continue the building process this offseason, Wilson said, “It really was just objective feedback. Confirming to myself and I think to Kyler what our relationship when it’s clicking can look like. That’s sort of the standard that I expect from myself and I think he obviously expects that from himself, too. I think we were 6-for-6; I think I had 95 yards. (He was exact with the targets, receptions and yards in the Seattle game.)

“That’s hopefully what I anticipate to be a game that’s very frequent and regularly occurring this year.”

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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Michael Wilson’s big thing was getting engaged to girlfriend Sophia Smith

Wilson hinted at something like this a few days ago.

Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson, who spent almost all offseason working with quarterback Kyler Murray, told reporters before the offseason program ended, that he had something big coming soon that we would find out about.

That big thing has happened.

He and his girlfriend, Sophia Smith, who plays professional soccer for the Portland Thorns FC, have gotten engaged.

Smith announced in on her social media platforms.

Congrats to both of them. Considering he passed on a few weekends up in Oregon with her during the offseason to work with Murray, this probably more than makes up for it!

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

 

USWNT star Sophia Smith announces engagement to NFL receiver Michael Wilson

The pair met while they were both starring at Stanford University

Sophia Smith is officially off the market.

The U.S. women’s national team star has announced her engagement to her longtime partner, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Michael Wilson.

Smith and Wilson made the announcement on social media on Saturday, posting a series of photos with the caption: “Forever always meant with you.”

The couple met at Stanford, where Smith starred for two seasons before leaving school early and becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NWSL draft.

Wilson was also a standout athlete at Stanford, playing five seasons for the Cardinal football team.

Since then, Smith has gone on to become one of the biggest stars in American soccer, becoming an MVP and NWSL champion with the Portland Thorns while also starring for the U.S. women’s national team.

Wilson just completed his rookie season with the Cardinals after he was picked in the third round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The 24-year-old had a productive debut season, catching 38 passes for 565 yards and three touchdowns.

Earlier this year, Smith talked about being in a long-distance relationship on the “The Women’s Game” podcast with former USWNT teammate Sam Mewis.

“It’s definitely hard and not ideal, because obviously when you’re with someone you want to see them all the time and be with them 24/7,” Smith said. “But that’s just not realistic for us because we’re both young in our careers and just kind of have to be where we play.

“But it’s been so cool to see him just kind of live his dream because he’s always wanted to do this, and I have seen him go through a lot of hard times in college. So just getting to see everything kind of work out for him and being able to live a little bit of a different life and be the girlfriend [while attending NFL games] is definitely super fun.”

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WR Michael Wilson pegged as potential breakout player in NFL in 2024

PFF has the Cardinals second-year WR as their top breakout player at the position for 2024 in their All-breakout team.

The Arizona Cardinals hope that receiver Michael Wilson can build on a solid but inconsistent rookie season in 2024. He spent a ton of time with quarterback Kyler Murray this offseason.

He is viewed as a potential breakout player in 2024 and is among PFF’s 2024 All-breakout team.

Wilson had a solid rookie season despite the Cardinals’ quarterback issues. Particularly appealing for his 2024 prospects is how he ended 2023: averaging 3.52 yards per route run in the season finale and catching all six targets thrown his way for 95 yards.

Wilson finished with 38 receptions for 565 yards and three scores. He missed four games with injuries, something to watch for him, as he has not had a fully healthy season dating to 2019.

He did have six games with more than 50 receiving yards and four games with four or more catches.

With consistency at quarterback and with an expected jump in consistency between Years 1 and 2 in the NFL, while no one is expecting a 1,000-yard season, he could be a very productive second option at receiver opposite rookie Marvin Harrison Jr.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Spotify, YouTube or Apple podcasts.

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