Cardinals Fail in Recent NFLPA Survey

Several weeks of talk suddenly erupts with release of NFLPA survey – Jackie Samaniego

What makes Arizona a great destination for players?  Well, it’s safe to say it’s not the state-of-the-art facilities.

In a recent report from the NFLPA, the Cardinals ranked almost last (31st in the league) in facilities, weight room, health, and treatment of players’ families. The report card-styled grading system gave the team nearly all F’s in every category.  The consensus is that team owner Michael Bidwill does not have the desire to upgrade the facilities.  

This isn’t the first time Bidwill came under fire about the facilities. Ian Rapaport reported that the facilities and upgrades would be a factor in Sean Payton’s decision for his next coaching destination.  Payton has an idea of what a good NFL team facility should look like and the Cardinals were not on par. Former Cardinals center AQ Shipley took shots at the Cardinals organization on the Pat McAfee show.  Shipley stated the facilities have not been updated in 25 years.  He also said the best part about being in Arizona were the things outside of the facility.  They questioned whether that was the reason the Cardinals did not land Payton and called it, “ineptitude”. 

Now enter the NFLPA.  In a survey of 1,300 players, the results for the Cardinals are damning.  The flooring in the weight room was reported to be uneven and peeling.  The Cardinals do not offer daycare or a family room, which us parents know can be frustrating. Even player meals come out of their paycheck.  These seem like simple and inexpensive fixes to a team that’s worth millions.  To be quite honest, it’s embarrassing how cheap it makes the organization look. 

A Strength and Conditioning Coach Take on the Cardinals Facilities – Aarron Van Buren,NSCA-CSCS,*D,CPT,*D

As someone who is a part of the strength and conditioning field (I hold the NSCA-CSCS and CPT certifications), let me begin by saying this is not a bashing or whatever word one wants to use towards the strength and conditioning staff of the Arizona Cardinals, or the equipment manufacturers.

Looking at some of the most recent videos I could find on the team’s website and a local TV station, I can understand why the Cardinals players gave the rating to the equipment that they did. In this 2013 video, we can see Cardinals legends like Darnell Dockett and Larry Fitzgerald working out in the original weight room. Looking at some of the equipment (especially the shot of the neck machines) show just how dated this equipment is.

Before these videos, I had never heard of Body Masters (BM) as an exercise equipment manufacturer. For those old-school lifters who may remember lifting on Nautilus equipment, that’s exactly what BM looks like. 

In this second video in 2016, Michael Bidwill gives a tour of the new, updated weight room. It’s a much shorter glimpse of the weight room, but all they did was drop the floor “four steps”. I’m not sure what that translates into feet-wise, but what’s important to note is that it’s more of the same equipment. 

That could be all that they could do with the space that they have. When the facility was finished in 2006, the field of Strength and Conditioning still looked radically different. One thing that is hardly ever seen in more modern spaces today are the raised platforms used for Olympic lifts and deadlifts. They are now “inlaid”, or built into the flooring of each facility. If you want to get lost in an extremely interesting niche of the Strength and Conditioning world, go look up what goes into modern weight room flooring options.

Compare BM to that of a facility designed by Sorinex, PowerLift, or Life Fitness, and this is a very outdated look. The others mentioned are more modern, and give off that sleek feel. Now that’s not to say that BM’s equipment doesn’t or can’t get the job done, but in the NFL ( a level I have not worked at, so I am just making an educated guess here) things move very quickly. 

Now, the Bidwill family has come under fire for not being willing to spend on many things, but when a new facility can cost hundreds, if not millions of dollars, I don’t necessarily blame him for not doing so. These spaces are meant to be an investment piece that lasts 15-20 years, and ironically this weight room may be reaching the end of its current life span.

Of course, there could be a ton of updates that we don’t get to see. Finding an extended view of this area is difficult. Despite all of this, they have one of the best to ever do it as their head Strength Coach. Buddy Morris is an absolute legend in the Strength and Conditioning field, and he is an inspiration to me as a professional as well. 

The equipment could be a reason why a ton of players don’t want to work out at the facility in the offseason, especially as sports science is getting exponentially better seemingly every month. I guess the only way to go is up, and a call to either BM or some company to help get the job done.

A Sociologist’s Take on Responding to Public Perceptions – Joe Comeau

The Bidwill family has always had a reputation as a frugal ownership group, with peculiar business practices – a reputation similar to that of the Brown family which owns the Cincinnati Bengals. Michael Bidwill has defended his father over the years, citing how the lack of the revenue streams associated with a state-of-the-art stadium, handcuffed the elder Bidwill. 

And, while some things have changed since Michael Bidwill has become the face of the family business, many things have not. The NFLPA report reinforces the longstanding public perceptions of an organization hamstrung by a propensity to nickel and dime at every conceivable opportunity.

Now, in all fairness, this is in part a function of being an ownership group that is not bankrolled by a large corporation, as is the case with teams like the Rams and Broncos. That Walmart money is no joke, and it is not realistic to expect the Cardinals ownership group to keep pace with organizations with such staggering resources.

But that doesn’t excuse being so egregiously outmoded. They don’t need to have the absolute best facilities in the league – at least regress to the mean. Upgrading the facilities to the point of being “average” would go a long way.

If you’re looking for a glimmer of hope, it is this: Michael Bidwill has a history of being acutely aware of public perceptions. He pays attention. Remember that independent study clause? Remember how quickly it was removed from Murray’s contract after hitting the news cycle?

If you pay attention to the things Michael Bidwill does and says in interviews – something I make a point of doing – you will note that he responds to public perceptions and the news cycle. Sometimes he responds with action, like removing the independent study clause. Sometimes he responds by making statements that are attempts to deflect the criticism. But he almost always responds in some way.

The facilities issue is no different. If you listened to some of Michael Bidwill’s interviews in recent weeks – following the criticisms levied by former players – you may have noticed Bidwill emphasizing all of the upgrades the organization has made to the stadium and its surrounding campus.

Bidwill was attempting to deflect the criticism that had been circulating in the media and among fans.

The problem is that these don’t address the issues that had been identified – these are all fan-facing upgrades. The issues addressed in the NFLPA report are player-facing issues. And Bidwill’s attempts to deflect the criticisms by pointing to fan-facing upgrades is not going to make the report go away.

And Bidwill won’t ignore that. He will see that his attempt to deflect this issue with public relations isn’t working, and he is going to shift to making actual changes. Don’t get me wrong – I expect that the changes will probably be half-measures and not nearly enough. But he’s going to do something.