Budda Baker embracing his role as a leader, vows Cardinals will be 'way better' in 2022

Budda Baker remembers exactly how last season ended for the Arizona Cardinals even though he missed the tail end of it, having suffered a concussion, getting knocked out and spending the night in a hospital for observation.

Arizona went 11-6 during the regular season, but it was marred by another second-half collapse in which the team lost five of its final six games, including a 34-11 thrashing by the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Wild Card round. For Baker, the Cardinals’ four-time Pro Bowl safety and two-time, first-team All-Pro, that stung far worse than the shot he took to his head.

Back for his sixth NFL season, Baker said he and the Cardinals are more motivated than ever and vows bigger and better things this upcoming season.

“For us, we’re trying to get back to way past what we did last year,” Baker said earlier this week during the Cardinals’ first round of voluntary organized team activities. “We’re taking it one day at a time, one week at a time, and if we can do that, we’ll win. You guys saw us do that the first eight, nine games last year and I felt like guys possibly might have gotten comfortable. A lot of headlines, a lot of wins, and all that type of stuff.

“But it’s up to us as professionals just to ignore the noise and just take it one week at a time. We believe we’re a great football team and this year I think we’re going to be a way better team than last year.”

For that to happen, the Cardinals are going to have to navigate their way through some legitimate concerns. For starters, they need to bite the bullet and fork over a fortune to franchise quarterback Kyler Murray. They’ll also have to weather the storm of being without star wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins for the first six games because of a suspension.

Beyond those two issues and others, there’s also the matter of Arizona’s defense. It’s young and unproven at both the inside linebacker and cornerback positions. It’s also continued to lose valuable veteran leaders, leaving even more on Baker’s plate.

Related: Is a Kyler Murray contract extension with Cardinals coming?

“Yeah, I definitely feel like it’s of course on my plate a lot,” he said. “A lot of guys feel that. Me being a defensive player, I definitely want to control what I can control and that’s the defense, that’s how they approach each and every play. Whether it’s a D-lineman, a linebacker or a DB, I’m getting on guys. Guys are able to get on me as well.”

Second-year pro Zaven Collins might sport the green decal on the back of his helmet, signifying the fact the starting Mike linebacker will be the only defensive player with a radio receiver in his helmet, but Baker clearly is the Cardinals’ quarterback of the defense. Collins might be charged with making the defensive calls, but it’s Baker who serves as the general, and the buck stops with him.

With the recent departures of players such as Patrick Peterson, Corey Peters and Chandler Jones, the Cardinals will be counting heavily on Baker’s skill and passion as both a playmaker and a leader.

“He’s played at a Pro Bowl, All-Pro level since I’ve been here and just watching him develop as a leader and emerge as that guy when you lose a Fitz (Larry Fitzgerald), you lose a Patrick Peterson and now you lose Chandler, he’s definitely embraced that role,” Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said.

“The way he works, the way he takes care of himself, the way he handles his business, for those young guys it’s a great role model for them to look to.”

Coach Kingsbury: Kyler Murray's absence from OTAs not unexpected

That’s one of the major reasons why Baker reported to the team’s Tempe training facility to report for voluntary OTA’s. It’s why he will continue to show up Wednesday through Friday for the next round of workouts and again June 6-9 for the last series of OTA’s leading up to mandatory mini-camp June 14-16.

“Me, personally, it makes it important just to be with the team,” Baker explained. “I’m a camaraderie guy type of person, understanding people’s personalities, what they like to do off the field, exchange numbers, talk a little football. Growing up that’s just how it was. Now that I’m one of the leaders of the team, I definitely want to do that because it just helps the younger guys kind of get a head start before training camp and all that stuff starts.

“What I tell the young guys is once training camp starts, positions are already set. You’re just going to have to do your job at that point in time and whatever your job is, you have to do it at a high level. There’s no slacking once we get to camp. I have to know this whole playbook and if I don’t, I’m wrong. I had the resources, I had the coaches, and I had the players to ask questions. You’re a professional at the end of the day.”

For subscribers: What Cardinals can expect during HBO's 'Hard Knocks in Season'

When it comes to the Cardinals’ defensive backs, Baker said he thinks it’s the best group he’s had in his career, which is interesting considering their overall youth. Nevertheless, he projects fellow safety Jalen Thompson, who led the team with 121 tackles last season, to make the Pro Bowl, adding, “We’ve got some guys you’ll be excited to see.”

Anything has got to be better than how things ended for the Cardinals last season. To that end, there’s only one thing that matters moving forward, according to Kingsbury.

“Finishing stronger, there’s no doubt,” he said. “At times the last couple years, we’ve looked really good and then faded late. You want to be healthy, obviously, and you want to be playing your best football late and that, to me, is the next step for us so we can actually have a chance to make a real run in the playoffs.”

Read more: Cards' tweet backfires, turns into call for new uniforms

This time, Baker plans to be there to see it through to the end, not from a hospital bed. Baker got knocked out of the Wild Card game in Los Angeles after a third-quarter collision with Rams running back Cam Akers. He called it “a crazy experience” that he “would never want anyone to be put through.”

“It was late in the game, we were losing, guys were trying to make players,” he recalled. “I was in the post, saw the running back break. Usually, I try to get my right shoulder and my head behind the ball, but he kind of saw me as well. … He got real low so his shoulder hit the back of my head and I was knocked out for a couple seconds.

“I remember everything about it, before and after. But most importantly, I’m fine with no restrictions.”

Have an opinion on the Arizona Cardinals? Reach McManaman at bob.mcmanaman@arizonarepublic.com and follow him on Twitter @azbobbymac. Listen to him live on Fox Sports 910-AM every Tuesday afternoon at 3:30 on Calling All Sports with Roc and Manuch. .

News and information you can trust. Start your online subscription.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals' Budda Baker says team will be 'way better' this season