Cardinals' 35th season in Arizona: Former LB Eric Hill offers advice to young NFL players

When asked about his second career after his NFL playing days had ended, former Arizona Cardinals linebacker Eric Hill said he's on a third career.

The New Orleans resident and the Cardinals' first-round draft pick in 1989, now 55, spent nine of his 11 NFL seasons in Arizona, first as a Phoenix and then an Arizona Cardinal. Then he went to work in auto sales in Avondale, and in 2008 moved out of the Phoenix area to Louisiana, where he ran his own Nissan car dealership.

After selling the dealership in 2015 and focusing on more time with his wife and three children, Hill found a third career —  running the business development department for an offshore vessel company that services deepwater drilling. That's big business around the Gulf of Mexico, not far from where Hill lives.

This NFL season, which ends with Super Bowl 57 in Glendale, The Republic visits with some of the names and faces from the Cardinals' 35 seasons in Arizona.

This week it's Hill, who started 128 of the 133 games he played with the Cardinals. His shoulders, he said, are "gone," but Hill feels glad to be in good health thanks to continued exercise and the regenerative treatment he chose.

Q: What were the early years of the Arizona Cardinals like?

A: "It was different, coming from a program like LSU, where winning was everything and winning was the only thing. Coming to a team like the Cardinals, you couldn't tell then because I was so young, and just trying to find your fit. But when you look back on it, you realize it was an organization that was in constant transition, constant change, just trying to find something that worked, you know, be it from a head coaching standpoint to a front office standpoint. You look back on it, you realize that it was an organization that was in flux and I think because of that, very little success in the late 80s, and 90s. Once you're removed away from it, and you can see the forest for the trees, you just realize a lot of times it just felt like they were just winging it."

Q: You spent nine seasons here, made a ton of tackles, you started and played almost every game. What was the key to your career longevity?

A: "The key was, I mean, just taking care of your body, and look, call it what it is. I mean, just being lucky. People don't understand, you could be the greatest athlete in the world and big, strong and fast. But if you can't stay healthy, you're not going to have a long career. So I was blessed in the sense where at any level I've ever played, I've always had availability. Being blessed not having major injuries early in my career, and just the fortitude to fight through certain things. Some guys don't know how to play with pain. I think I grew up in an era, came up through certain coaching, where I was coached pretty hard and it was just certain things you had to fight through. And I think that was the mentality. And I think that kept me on the field."

Q: Is there a play, a tackle or a hit, or someone you went up against, that stands out to you from your playing days?

A: "One of the toughest individuals I've ever played against, and I've gotten consensus with a lot of other guys who played my position on defense, is offensive lineman from Dallas, Larry Allen. He's a Hall of Famer. He and I had some wars, we had some battles over the years playing each other twice a year. And I'm pretty good friends with Emmitt Smith. We're all retired now, but when we talk and catch up he would always say, 'Man, Larry Allen dreaded playing against you.' And I say, 'Well let him know the feeling is mutual.' As I always say, he was a grown man. They broke the mold when they made him."

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Q: What would you tell the young guys today about coming into the NFL and what to expect when you are being paid a lot for the very first time and how to deal with that?

A: "Going to Phoenix, you know, a place that I've never been, it was a lot of trial and error, and there was a lot of error there, too. I think the best advice that I could give young kids is, you know, just truly understand and embrace why you're there. If you could do that your first year, and you put football first ... everything else will come into place. Yes, it's a new beginning of your life. And yes, you're exploring a new city and yes, you have the money to do things that you never thought you'd ever be able to do. But please do not allow yourself to forget why you're there."

Q: How do this year's Cardinals look, in your opinion?

A: I'm looking at the Cardinals and I think, 'talented team.' Kyler Murray ...  I mean, I look at the kid, he can play football. Obviously, you get (DeAndre) Hopkins back this week. Hopefully, that'll make a difference. But it may take a little while. I am shocked that they're sitting at 2-4. I didn't see that happening. I thought they'd at least be at the middle of the pack, you know what I mean? But the good news is, it's early enough that they can correct it, but I watched the game in its entirety the other day and I didn't think that Seattle was that good to keep these guys out of the end zone. As I saw it, it was a lot of self-inflicted wounds. So they've still got a chance, but obviously, you know, they've got to push the reset button and start putting some victories on the board. Because if you fall back any further, it's hard to dig out of that cellar. I've been there many times."

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Get in touch with Jose Romero at Jose.Romero@gannett.com. Find him on Twitter at @RomeroJoseM. 

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals' 35th season in Arizona: Eric Hill recalls team's early days