Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon knew it was time. After a dispiriting 34-13 loss to the Packers in Week 6, it wasn’t a stretch to say the season hung in the balance.
A win would push the Cardinals to 3-4 and revive hope. Lose and be 2-5, doubt can creep in.
So it was that Gannon approached running back James Conner early in the week said, “We’re 2-4 and I think they need to hear from you, captain.”
Consider the message delivered, loud and clear on Sunday night.
“I was just telling them to push all their chips in for this week,” he said. “That we’re still on a mission. Just tell the guys don’t take anything for granted and just play good football. Push all your chips into this week, give it all you got.
“We have some guys on the team who are out for the season, who wish they could be out there. Just play hard. I just told them to play hard and push all their chips in and just get a victory for this week.”
Of course, he backed up his own words with 152 yards from scrimmage that was made up of 101 rushing (5.3 average) and two receptions for 51 yards that included a monster 33-yard gain on a checkdown in the game-winning drive that moved the ball from the Arizona 45-yard line to the Chargers 22. He then added 11 yards on two runs to reach the 11-yard line and lead to the winning field goal that was one yard shorter than an extra point.
Consider that in the three Cardinals wins, Conner has totaled 376 yards from scrimmage with 309 rushing while having only 243 from scrimmage with 171 rushing in the four losses.
Linebacker Kyzir White said, “I love watching James. He’s a great player, a workhorse. I was joking with him after and I told him, ‘Man, it looks like you’re getting younger out there. You don’t get tired, no nothing.’ It’s definitely great to see and watch all his hard work pay off.”
Asked if he’s not amazed anymore by what Conner does on the field, quarterback Kyler Murray said, “No, he’s a safety valve. I’ve been telling people since I’ve been playing with James: I’ve known what type of back he is. Obviously, he’s underrated around the world in the league and how he’s viewed, but I know there’s nothing he can’t do in my eyes.”
Said Gannon, “I thought he was lights out. I mean there were a lot of times he’s getting four yards and it should be probably one or two. Obviously, some explosives he had. The way he was running the football forced them out of shell, which no one’s really been able to do that truthfully on tape at least, so I thought that was good. That opened up some things in the pass game, I thought. He put the team on his back today and carried us home.”
When told the Chargers had 11 missed tackles on him, Conner said, “That’s got to be me week after week. Just week after week.”
Younger players notice how Conner carries himself. Second-year cornerback Garrett Williams first was told on the postgame radio show that tackle Kelvin Beachum described Conner as “the lifeblood and heartbeat of the team” and Williams was asked what it’s like watching what he does to defensive players.
He said, “It doesn’t surprise me because everything you see in the game, James works so hard during the week. That’s somebody I try to watch every single day and model myself after him, seeing all the things he does to take care of his body preparing for the game and then you see how he produces on the field. Definitely the heartbeat of the team and somebody that everybody respects on the team.”
But back to his passionate words.
Murray: “I just think any time a guy that doesn’t say too much; when he gets up there and speaks, it means something. Not a lot of volume, but the substance behind it and what he’s preaching. When you get up there and you pour your heart out, guys feel it.”
White: “It was great. He had a great message. I feel like it touched everybody in the room and it translated to the field and we came out here and got a W.”
Gannon: “It was really good. It was (to) maximize your opportunity. You’re 2-4, that’s a moment in time that passes. You know his story (and) it hits home with me. Maximize your opportunity, (and put) all our effort and energy in the 60 minutes of this game. No external factors. Together on all three phases and that’s what happened, man.
“His message was fantastic. He’s a pro, man. He has so much energy and juice and positivity that he injects into the whole team. Him as a player was on display tonight. It always is.”
When asked about this being the right moment for his talk, Conner said, “It’s just the way the season has been going. As a captain on this team, that’s the job description and that’s to battle the truths. It’s just that time for it.”
Finally, he voiced the team message inherent in his spirit when he reflected when asked on how his life and career has inspired what he communicates to the team.
“I hope it inspires them,” he said, but then added, “We all got journeys, and we all got different stories. Mine was cancer and all that type of stuff. But just because mine was that, doesn’t mean it’s more significant than somebody else’s story. Everybody on our team has a story. We’re all an inspiration to each other.”
Amen to that.
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