Zach Ertz: Arizona Cardinals getting 'unbelievable leader' in head coach Jonathan Gannon

Jonathan Gannon knows how to make friends fast and leave a lasting impression. Arizona Cardinals tight end Zach Ertz learned that right away during his final year in Philadelphia with the Eagles in 2021 before being traded to Arizona at midseason.

Ertz knew his days with the Eagles were numbered because of an ongoing contract dispute and the rising emergence of a younger tight end, Dallas Goedert. Gannon, in his first year with the team as defensive coordinator, quickly turned out to become one of Ertz’s biggest allies and confidants.

“The situation in Philly at the time was difficult for me,” Ertz said Thursday after attending Gannon’s introductory news conference as the Cardinals’ head coach. “He was a guy that was consistently reaching out to me, connecting with me. He truly cares about the person.”

In addition to spending an entire offseason, training camp and half of the regular season together in Philadelphia, Ertz became familiar with Gannon by playing against his defenses. He’s done it four times now, twice when Gannon was a defensive backs coach for the Vikings, once when Gannon held the same title with the Colts and once this past season when Ertz, in his second year with the Cardinals, faced the Eagles for the first time.

“This dude was an unbelievable leader,” Ertz said. “All the defensive guys (in Philadelphia) loved playing for him. His scheme isn’t some complex scheme, but like he said, it’s adaptable and the guys play fast. To me, when you’re going against a defense that plays fast and plays hard, you see it on film. When we studied the Eagles this year, you could see it on film. Obviously, they were a talented group, but they were extremely well coached.”

Read more: Gannon relays vision for Cardinals as head coach tenure begins

Gannon’s high-energy personality was on full display when he met with reporters at the team’s Tempe training facility. Ertz was among a handful of players in attendance sitting in the front row as the new coach discussed many of the visions he has for the franchise.

One of the first things he told everyone to know was the four principles he wants the Cardinals to be known for moving forward.

“We’re going to be very adaptable, we’re going to be violent, we’re going to be explosive and we’re going to be smart,” he said. “We’re going to maximize the talents of the players that we have, and that’s how we’re going to win games.

“And don’t get it twisted – we’re going to win games.”

Gannon clearly “won the press conference,” a phrase that often gets thrown around when new coaches and general managers get hired in professional sports. For Ertz, however, there was deep meaning in everything Gannon said on Thursday, and he felt it was important to be there first-hand to listen to it.

“It definitely means something,” Ertz said. “This is his first opportunity to really talk to the players, to the organization and what the standards are going to be and so obviously, I wanted to be here to be able to hear it from him. You don’t want to hear it through the media. I’d rather hear it for myself.

“He’s really setting the tone for the entire organization. Everything starts with the players, and he was able to echo that and preach that and I think it’s awesome to be a player in this organization right now.”

More: Cardinals have a ton to get done after hiring new coach

Ertz is still rehabbing his left knee after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL. Saturday marks three months since the operation and he said he feels “great.”

“It’s been a long three months, but I’ve had a lot of great people by my side, which has helped me out through the process,” he said. “But I’m excited. Everyone’s happy with where we’re at right now.”

There isn’t an exact timeline for his return to the field, although Ertz said, “The goal is always to be there Week 1.”

“But at the same time when I’m out there, I’m going to be myself,” he added. “I’m not going to go out there early and put the team at risk if I’m at 80 percent. I need to be at my best for this organization to be successful and that’s what I’m focused on.”

Quarterback Kyler Murray is also working his way back from ACL surgery, although he’s only half as far into his recovery with his right knee as Ertz is with his left. Ertz has been in the Cardinals’ facility with Murray in recent days and said he’s been impressed with what he’s seen thus far.

“He’s doing a great job,” Ertz said of Murray, adding, “From what I can tell, he’s doing everything he can to attack this thing. The first six weeks, eight weeks are tough. They’re low, there’s a lot of alone time, a lot of feeling like, ‘Man, when is this thing going to start feeling better?’ You’ve just got to find small victories and it seems like he’s attacking this thing.

“Kyler’s going to do everything he can to be the best version of himself. I’m sure he’s extremely motivated, just like we all are, with how this past season went and I’m excited to be out there with him.”

Related: Cardinals' new coach has big plans for Kyler Murray

The Cardinals went 4-13 this past season under Kliff Kingsbury, who was fired the following day after four seasons and only one winning season and one postseason appearance. Multiple injuries across the roster were a major reason for the drop from an 11-win campaign the previous year, but many other factors went into the downturn as well.

“There was a lot of distractions, a lot of things taking away from the end goal,” Ertz said. “So, in that regard, I think if you can eliminate distractions, if we can just get out of the media per se for a couple months and focus on being the best versions of ourselves, we’ll be in a better spot going into this year.

“It isn’t the fault of anyone in particular. Everyone shares blame in that and the lack of success we had this past year.”

The key to turning things around, Ertz said, is strong leadership. And it starts at the top with Gannon. An NFL team needs really good players to be successful, Ertz points out, “but ultimately you need a great leader and I think we have that.”

The players, though, must buy in and stand behind that leader.

“I want 52 other guys on this team investing themselves to be the best versions of themselves each and every day because every time I step in the building, every time I leave this building, my sole focus is to be the best version of myself each and every day,” Ertz said. “If we can build a team of 52 guys like that, we’re going to have every chance to be successful and it’s going to be fun coming to work every day and I feel like (Gannon) is going to bring that attitude as well.”

Moore: Time for Jonathan Gannon to prove himself as NFL coach

Notes

Gannon and the Cardinals will begin interviewing candidates for their vacant offensive and defensive coordinators this weekend and in addition to three names already have been linked to Arizona on the offensive side of the ball, two defensive coaches have also been targeted.

The team has requested an interview with Patriots defensive line coach DeMarcus Covington for the defensive coordinator position, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport, and is also set to meet with Bears linebackers coach Dave Borgonzi, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Covington worked with Cardinals General Manager Monti Ossenfort in New England for three seasons (2017-19), serving as a coaching assistant and outside linebackers coach before becoming defensive line coach in 2020.

Borgonzi just finished his first season with the Bears after serving the previous four years as linebackers coach for the Colts. Gannon was the defensive backs coach in Indianapolis during three of those seasons (2018-20).

Vance Joseph, the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator for the past four seasons, has been given his release by the team to seek employment elsewhere, according to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports.

On the offensive coordinator front, CBS Sports' Jonathan Jones reported Friday that the Cardinals have requested permission to interview Cincinnati Bengals wide receivers coach Troy Walters for that position. Walters, a former NFL player who has worked with Bengals standouts Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, joins a list of offensive coordinator candidates that the Cardinals have reportedly expressed interest in, Browns quarterbacks coach Drew Petzing, Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas and Commanders wide receivers coach Drew Terrell.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Zach Ertz: Cardinals getting 'unbelievable leader' in Jonathan Gannon