Budda Baker on Arizona Cardinals: 'I'm not counting us out for anything'

He’s rehabbed and strengthened his fractured left shoulder to the point that he says it’s more powerful than his right one. The Arizona Cardinals, meanwhile, added value and future worth to his existing contract. And for the trifecta, he also wants everyone to know he’s fully on board with Jonathan Gannon and the new coaching staff regarding the team’s culture shift.

But how will ultra-competitive safety Budda Baker handle another losing season if the Cardinals finish 4-13 again — or worse?

“Me, I’m all in,” he said. “This is early in the process; we’re in training camp. For me, it’s all kind of outside noise. I don’t pay any attention to all the projections and those things because at the end of the day, those are people’s opinions. They’re not in the building. They’re not working with us each and every day. They don’t know. It’s just their opinion.

“I’m OK with that. I’m fine with that. … I’ve seen the disrespect and it’s OK. … But I’m not counting us out for anything. I’m excited.”

As the Cardinals return to the practice field Monday with their first scheduled day of training camp in full pads at State Farm Stadium, the franchise and its fanbase knows it can count on Baker, 27, to be the shining light of leadership, effort, and enthusiasm.

According to veteran left tackle D.J. Humphries, just having Baker on the field provides an injection of optimism and stirs everyone’s competitive juices.

“Oh, my goodness. Budda’s one of those guys that like gives me juice,” Humphries said. “Just seeing him be himself makes me want to elevate because you can’t watch a guy like that on the field and not got out and try to play to that level or one-up him.

“When you’re a competitor and you see somebody like that going out on your team that’s playing so hard and playing so detailed and so keyed in, it’s like, ‘I have to do this. This is the example. I get to watch him do this and I can’t turn around and then go out there and lollygag.’ He sets a fire under me, definitely. Just seeing him in the morning, I know what type of day it’s going to be.”

No one knew what was going to happen, though, if Baker and the Cardinals hadn’t come to an agreement just prior to camp about re-working part of the remaining two years left on his contract. Without it, Baker could have stood by his earlier trade demand and quietly staged a “hold-in” until his wishes were granted.

“My agent, he told me they were talking,” Baker said. “At the end of the day for me, it was just a matter of grinding and showing up each and every day, showing up Day 1 and being who I am and that’s who I’ve been and that’s who I’ll continue to be.”

And just who is Bishard “Budda” Baker, Arizona’s five-time All-Pro and Bro Bowl selection? Well, to the Cardinals, he’s a lot more than just the tiny torpedo who over the last five seasons, leads all NFL defensive backs in total tackles (574) – nearly 100 more than the player who ranks second on the list (Jessie Bates III with 477).

“He plays the game in my opinion how the game should be played,” Gannon said. “It’s easy to point out to other people that type of effort and enthusiasm when you turn on the tape. That’s how he’s always been since the first time I studied him coming out of Washington. I’m glad we have him.”

Baker knows what he brings to the table as the Cardinals’ top defender and probably the most important player on the roster. It’s accountability. But the reason why he reported to camp had little to do with loyalty and everything to do with the greater picture.

“For me, I understand that this is a business at the end of the day,” Baker said. “I understand that if I’m not playing up to par, you’re not going to play in this league. Just understanding that and knowing that for me, that’s why I put my head down and grind every day. I understand that this is a business. Yeah, I was drafted here, and I’m blessed to be here in Arizona, but if I wasn’t doing what I’m supposed to be doing, I wouldn’t be playing.”

Doing it in an environment that is spawning a brand-new culture from top to bottom makes it that much more appealing, Baker said. Gannon’s crystal-clear message about carrying a winning behavior and doing things the right way made it easy for him to fall in line and help set an example for his teammates.

Even in a rebuilding year, which could cut a full season out of the prime of his career, it wasn’t tough to buy into the system.

“No. It wasn’t tough at all just because I believe in what we preach,” Baker said. “When you believe in something that they preach, it’s definitely easy. … They preach on the little details, even as small as making sure when you come into meetings that you’re wearing Cardinals’ gear, those little details. Fining someone if they’re 30 seconds late to a meeting. It’s little things like that where you develop a culture, you develop things that you like and for me, it’s been great.”

What’s been just as great, he said, is his surgically-repaired shoulder.

“Yeah, I laugh with my trainer because my left shoulder is now stronger than my right,” Baker said. “It’s definitely cool. I’ve been training, like I said, and didn’t take much of a break. I’ve just been training and honing in on my body and the details and my diet and all those certain things.

“I’m bigger than ever, stronger than ever, faster, quicker, can jump higher. I’m very excited to put on a show.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Cardinals safety Budda Baker has fully bought in to team's new culture