Cardinals top defensive coach offers thoughts on players

Nick Rallis, father of a 2-year-old and NFL defensive coordinator, had some advice this week for the new fathers who are Arizona Cardinals players.

"Enjoy these first two years because your life will be hell after that," Rallis said with a wry smile. "Try to watch tape at home, good luck. Maybe get five plays in before he's asking for the cowboy and banging on the laptop. Tough life, yeah."

Life for everyone with the Cardinals is about to get tougher with the daily grind of training camp less than two weeks away.

Rallis seeks the kind of consistency from week to week in the regular season that allows for him to not add much to what he wants to do on defense. The identity of his defense going into his second season as defensive coordinator is motor and violence, and Rallis says they go hand in hand.

"It's always win the takeaway battle, limit the explosives (plays)," Rallis said. "We do practice motor and we have our designations on the practice field for how we can measure that, and what's the expectation and what's not acceptable. Violence is something you have to bring on game day. We have ways we can measure the physicality of our play, but you can't practice that. Boxers and MMA fighters, they can't go full bore every day in training. So that is something you have to show up on game day with that mentality."

Arizona Cardinals' competition at cornerback

The Cardinals loaded up on cornerbacks through free agency and the draft.

"I think it's pretty simple. It's highly competitive and it's up for grabs for guys to go and earn spots, which is a great problem to have," Rallis said. "I'm excited. It's going to be really good competition. I want to see guys take strides in training camp and I want there to be tough decisions on who's going to earn certain roles."

Second-year pro Garrett Williams can play safety and slot cornerback. Rallis said it's possible he can be an every-down player because he can play all of the defensive back positions.

"He can do any technique in the secondary," Rallis said. "It provides value in a lot of different ways."

Arizona Cardinals' Zaven Collins 'has to take strides'

Rallis said Zaven Collins, an outside linebacker and pass rusher, has to take his game to the next level.

"As a coach, I absolutely love the guy and I Iove the play and versatility that he brings," Rallis said of Collins.

Keeping the Arizona Cardinals coaching staff together

The Cardinals kept their coaching staff largely intact from last season.

"I'm very excited to be working with the same guys," Rallis said.

Arizona Cardinals' BJ Ojulari can be a breakout player

BJ Ojulari got a late start to last season, his rookie year, but he got progressively better once he got playing time and made strides in run defense this offseason.

"I want him to continue to build on that. I'm excited about where he's going," Rallis said.

Arizona Cardinals rookie Darius Robinson is 'serious about his job'

Rallis looks forward to working with Darius Robinson, another edge rusher.

"He loves his job, he enjoys it. I think he's a real teammate, a real competitor," Rallis said. "He's going to give it his all."

On Arizona Cardinals linebackers Mack Wilson Sr. and Kyzir White

Rallis said new arrival Mack Wilson Sr. shows up very early in the morning ready to go, and he "fits the mold of where we want to go."

Wilson and Kyzir White are "both violent," Rallis added.

"They both have a very natural feel, specifically in the run game, of there's just something about guys that just hit the ball. Like that wasn't his fit, that wasn't where he needed to be per se, that was someone else's play," Rallis said. "I think both those guys do that fairly well."

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Excited for Arizona Cardinals training camp

Rallis said he's excited for the meetings, practices and walk-throughs of training camp.

"What I want to see throughout that is us improving and executing at a high level, all 11 guys. Along with playing with high motor, and when it's game time, it's playing with that violence," Rallis said.