It’s common for workers to have higher opinions of themselves than their bosses do, and it’s the rule, not the exception in professional sports, especially the NFL.
After a poor season a few years ago, a Cardinals defensive assistant coach shook his head after completing exit interviews with players.
“I didn’t know we had 14 guys who should have been in the Pro Bowl,” he said.
In 2015, the secondary was the strength of the Cardinals defense, which ranked fifth in yardage allowed and tied for seventh in scoring.
Yet, the team’s actions this offseason have indicated two things: General Manager Steve Keim and coach Bruce Arians believed the Cardinals needed to improve in the secondary, and that Cardinals players entering free agency had a higher opinion of themselves than coaches and management did.