Michael Ghobrial - Head Coach, cardinals Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-17 | Full transcript (primary source).
On September 17, 2026, Michael Ghobrial addressed the media during a press conference following the Arizona Cardinals' recent game. The discussion focused on key plays from the match, player injuries, and strategies moving forward in the season.
Transcript
Ghobrial: Obviously, the big play from last weekend was the block. How did that kind of come about? Was it something specific, or did they just make a nice play? I'd give credit to all 11. I think whenever you have a pressure or a block, usually one guy gets the credit, because ultimately, it's him executing to make that happen. But that play doesn't happen without the other 10 on the football field. It takes all 11. And the way they practiced, the way they prepared, it was kind of cool to see that come to life. And obviously, with great execution by the guys.
Ghobrial: Obviously, it's tough on the same play that Keaton goes down with the ankle injury. I guess, what's the thought process and the plan kind of going forward in his plays? Yeah, I don't think there's one singular person that substitutes for a guy like Bug. Bug does an outstanding job in terms of his preparation, his play style, what he brings to the group, what he brings to the team. So there's not one guy that necessarily substitutes for that. And at the end of the day, like I said, with Simi blocking that kick, it wasn't just Simi. It takes all 11. So all 11 are going to have to fill that role. And we can't wait to get Bug back.
Ghobrial: Carson's seemed to have a lot of success pre-seasoning to start the regular season, get to the kick return. Do you expect teams to start trying to make adjustments for him? Well, I mean, every week is singular. I think it takes a certain level of preparation every week. And understanding the more you put out there, the more respect you get. The good thing for him is he's surrounded by a lot of guys that are also having success. So the success that Carson is having right now isn't a credit to the other guys on the football field. I know I keep saying it based off a unit that it is all 11. But it really is. I mean, this is the ultimate team game. So not one person has success without the other. And all it takes is one person to not do their job. And then all of a sudden, there's a void on any unit. So it's cool to see Carson have success. And I know he would obviously be excited about that. But he would also be one of the first people to say is, I don't make those plays without the other guys on the football field.
Ghobrial: The Seahawks returner sheet has a bunch of touchdowns in his career. Not necessarily your strategy for it, but what does that show like on tape? What does he do to make that happen? Yeah, he's a top returner in the National Football League. He's had a lot of success, a lot of experience doing it. And I truly believe that Fitz and Jay do a great job of scheming guys up and allowing him to play fast. He's a guy with, when he has the ball in his hands, he's obviously electric. So again, we're going to have to be on our JOB to make sure that we do our job and obviously execute on our end. But like I said, I think Fitz and Jay do a great job. Fitz has been in the league for a long time, has a lot of answers. And then Jay has emerged as one of the best special teams coaches in the National Football League. He does a great job of getting his guys to play hard. And he's done that ever since he's been at Michigan. The thing schematically that he does obviously challenges your rules and obviously your eyes and your preparation. So that's one thing our guys look at the tape and we respect everybody. And respect is earned and they definitely have earned their respect.
Ghobrial: Back to Bug, where's kind of his mind at just dealing with the injury and trying to get back? Yeah, excited to get back. Bug absolutely loves football. So he's chomping at the bit already. And he's going to be ready to go when they say he is.
Ghobrial: Coach, you're going to get a big play on special teams. You could probably say this about all three phases, but especially special teams. When a big play happens, how much of that is based on what you guys found or saw in fill days, weeks, even prior to the game taking place? Yeah, a lot. And then also, it's a culmination of a lot of hard work in the springtime too. You're teaching concepts. You're teaching elementary fundamentals. So when you get to those points where you're truly game planning and you're teaching guys the certain concept, whatever unit that we're running, you kind of apply it to what you've done in your preparation in the spring and in training camp. And when you could do that, obviously guys see the full piece of the puzzle come together, and they're able to execute. So the one thing I've challenged our guys is we had a successful play, and our guys were pleased with how they played. But there's so much stuff that we got to get better at. In this league, you can get humbled very quickly. And we have a great opponent versus us. So we got to do a great job preparing. We had a good day of practice yesterday, and it's going to take all of today, all of tomorrow. And our guys are really excited to get going.
Ghobrial: What are some of the things you want to see cleaned up? I think the more guys are out there together, it's just understanding how each of them play off one another. When you're in preseason, there's a mixed bag of players that may not be on the field at the same time. So it's really their first instance where guys are collectively on the group together. And the fact of the matter is that will always be evolving, because injuries do happen. Guys up on game day versus guys not, that changes. So truly figuring out where they fit in terms of the scheme and how they could execute their job just a little bit better, just in terms of fundamentals, why it's so important to do something a certain way, why they need to be in position to do that, and how it affects all 11. I mean, this has been the theme of today. It's been all 11, and I'll never get away from that. It's going to take all 11 and a half success every single week.
Ghobrial: What are the conversations like in terms of deciding who's going to be up on game days? Is that purely coastal floor telling you who's going to be there? Is there a back and forth about, OK, well, we might have this need on the defensive line, but we have this need on special teams. How do you guys cover that decision? We have lots of discussions as coaches in terms of that and what it takes to win. And ultimately, we have complete confidence. And obviously, Moni, and Mike, and Nick, and myself, and Hack, and all those guys obviously contribute to how it works out. But ultimately, we're going to be so convicted about the guys that are out there on the football field, whatever way it slices up, because we all want the same thing, and we have a good relationship with one another. So ultimately, we just have a lot of discussions and come up with the best plan.
Ghobrial: And this may or may not be about all 11, but when Chad. I'm sure I could change your mind about that. I'd probably just lob you a sample. But when Chad misses a field goal, it was a longer field goal. Like, as a coach, how do you kind of approach those? Are there one-off misses? Or as a coach and a player, are you always going to find something that needed, that was a mistake on the play, that needs to be better? Did you miss a field goal just because? Yeah, and there's balance to it, because he did hit a good ball. You know, at distance, it's magnified when it's not everything on point. He just needed to have a little bit more foot to contact in the right spot. But that being said, like, it comes down to, we only get one down to get it right, not four downs. So he wants that ball back. And at the end of the day, whether he makes it or misses it, every rep is singular. And it's no different for any other unit. Every rep is singular. So whether it's a positive outcome, a negative outcome, a wash, guys have to reset really quickly. And it's no different from game to game. Guys have to reset from game to game, because in this league, it takes all your effort, all your focus, all your attention to be able to obviously put the best product out there. So every rep, every game is so singular that it's kind of a next snap and clear mentality.
Ghobrial: Is a special teams coach, and you've been doing this a while now. Obviously, we've gotten to the point in this league where it feels like 50 yard field goals. They're not givens, but they're a lot more given than they were 20 years ago. How do you kind of approach how that should be? And the general fan is going to expect every single field goal to be made. And obviously, you want every single field goal to be made. But that's probably an expectation that's unfair overall. Like, how do you kind of approach that? Whether it's fair or unfair, when we send our guys out there, we expect them to make it. And they expect to make it. It's no different when we go out there. We expect to win. You know, we approach this game whenever we're out there to obviously have success one play at a time. And kickers do have the ability to hit longer field goals than they have in the past. And that just is how, I guess, the athlete has kind of transformed over the course of years. And I think it's not just at the kicker position. It's every position in the National Football League. I think what is very revealing to younger players in high school, in college, and as they get into the NFL or get those opportunities, is they have so much more access to film. They have so much more access to training that guys have the ability to learn a lot quicker. And when they could have more time on task, you start to see a different level of speed, a different level of power, a different level of execution that ultimately comes to life. So I think this game will continue to get better. It'll continue to grow, obviously, with these international games. And you're ultimately going to see a really cool brand of football across the world.
