As AZSU’s resident strength and conditioning coach on staff, it’s only fitting that when the Arizona Cardinals make a move related to my profession that I write about it. When the team announced the changes to the department, I audibly gasped. Buddy Morris has been one of the best in the field, and for him to become anything but the main leader on the floor for the Cardinals is nothing close to a shocker. Even more shocking when the Cardinals players rated the Strength Staff with an “A” on the team’s NFLPA report card.
The Cardinals have actually had two of the more well-known strength coaches in recent memory, with Morris and John Lott back in the day. Lott gained a lot of attention as he used to run the bench press at the NFL Scouting Combine. Lott’s fiery performance earned him a following on top of his knowledge and skills.
Morris is staying, but moving to a “Senior Reconditioning Coordinator”, role and he is retaining one of his own assistants in Mark Naylor. As for Morris’ role, it’s quite an interesting title- without having an actual description of his roles. it’s hard to explain his new role in a way. This can go either one of two ways; 1) This could be applied in a sense that Morris is working specifically with the players coming into training camp, and making sure those who don’t pass the conditioning test (That’s depending on what new Strength Coach Evan Marcus has them doing). You can find more on what the conditioning test has been recently for other teams here.
Secondly, this could be a transition from the S&C side into a hybrid role that includes more work with what Athletic Trainers do. Strength coaches are often included in the injury recovery process, as they are usually the secondary (sometimes the final step as well) step in return to play protocol. Morris’ expertise would be beneficial here, especially since former head Athletic Trainer (abbreviated as AT from henceforth) Tom Reed was not retained after the NFLPA’s report cards came out. This would make a little more since the Cardinals hired Texas Tech’s head AT, Drew Krueger to take over.
It may take some time for Krueger to get up to speed, so Morris could be there to work on the reconditioning/ rehab aspect part of it, while still staying within his professional scope of practice. These could just be two of the ways the role could end up benefitting the Cardinals, with Morris having an impact on both sides of the sports performance for the Cardinals. I also realize that I could be terribly wrong, and I still have a lot to learn myself in this field- something that Morris has made a priority and it is mine too.
As for the new staff members, I wish them the best of luck and I hope this is a move that ends up flourishing in the desert. I am specifically looking into what Kyle Sammons, the team’s new Sports Science/ S&C coach) will bring to the table. What systems will be used in tracking players during practice and games? Will more players wear the Q-Collar (the device seen on player’s necks just above their shoulder pads) like Budda Baker and former Cardinal Byron Murphy did last season?
For what it’s worth, back when the L.A. Rams won the Super Bowl, their performance staff was monitoring so many metrics (ex: calories burned, heart rate during/after practice, etc) towards the end of the season. The one that got most people talking was how the Rams’ monitored the number of steps players took in practice.
Just because one team has success with its specific system doesn’t mean it will work for another. These intricate, yet important metrics will be figured out, and the data gathered will be able to help drive decisions going forward. Additionally, what changes will the new staff have with the nutrition and dining aspect of the team environment? Strength Coaches usually aren’t Registered Dieticians, but it’s not unheard of to see an S&C coach with an RD certificate or something similar. Another thing to look forward to is the (hopeful) redevelopment of the weight room, specifically the floor. You can see glimpses of the weight room in a previous article published on AZSU right here.
It’s a year of change, and we’re not even close to being done yet. I wish nothing but success to the new staff and everyone involved with the organization.
