Bruce Arians walked into the Cardinals’ auditorium for a team meeting on Wednesday morning, knowing full well what had been said and written about his team the previous few days.
After a 2-0 start in which the Cardinals amassed the most points in the league (79) and the highest point-differential (plus-37), a previously-pessimistic national perception had changed. The Cardinals were legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Their offense was dynamite with a healthy Carson Palmer. The defense was adjusting fine to the loss of defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.
As his players sat down, Arians opened with his own message.