TEMPE, Ariz. — Cornerback Bryant McFadden left the Super Bowl champion Pittsburgh Steelers during the offseason to sign with the Arizona Cardinals, whom the Steelers beat in Tampa in February.
He found that the Super Bowl was still very much on the minds of the Cardinals as they lifted and ran at minicamp practice on Saturday.
“The strangest part was when I got here, working out, and the strength coach, coach (John) Lott, kept talking about not winning it,” McFadden said after practice. “And in the back of my mind, I’m like, ‘Well, I won it.’”
McFadden started at right cornerback in Pittsburgh’s 27-23 victory over the Cardinals.
McFadden also won a Super Bowl ring with Pittsburgh after his 2005 rookie season.
Now McFadden is hoping to be part of a champion in the desert. The concept would have seemed ludicrous until last winter, when the 9-7 Cardinals reached the playoffs for only the second time since they moved to Arizona in 1988, then made an improbable run to their first Super Bowl before losing a heartbreaker to McFadden and the Steelers.
In March, McFadden signed a two-year, $10 million contract with the Cardinals. The four-year veteran out of Florida State earned a starting job with the Steelers last year, missing six games with a broken forearm.
McFadden has seven career interceptions, and he returned one for a touchdown.
When he signed with the Cardinals, McFadden was expected to compete with Rod Hood for a starting spot. He became the presumed starter when the club released Hood last month, but McFadden said it wouldn’t change his approach.
“I’ve still got to work hard,” McFadden said. “I’ve still got to push forward and try to continue to get better. In this league, you never can get comfortable, and in realizing that, I’ve got to do whatever I can to make sure I’m on top of my game.”
McFadden said he chose Arizona because it gave him a good opportunity and because he liked coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was on the Steelers’ staff when he was drafted.
Whisenhunt said he expects McFadden to contribute as a leader as well as a member of an improving secondary.
“Leadership is a big part of it,” Whisenhunt said. “Work ethic. Team guy. A lot of the things that were fundamental in us being successful last year, he embodies those, and that’s why we’re excited to get him here. He’s a tough competitor. I was in Pittsburgh when he was drafted, so I watched him grow up in the league. We’re excited that he’s with our team.”
McFadden has been impressed with the athleticism on the Cardinals’ roster in his first minicamp, as well as his teammates’ hunger to take the next step.
“I see the work ethic that they have here, because they were so close, a few months ago, to winning and being world champs, now doing everything you can to get back to that point,” McFadden said.
That’s a significant change for a team that used to view playoff appearances as the ultimate success. McFadden wants the Cardinals to copy the Steelers’ mindset.
“My four years in Pittsburgh, we had a lot of success,” he said. “Playoffs was never a worry for us; our mindset going in was making it to the big game and taking care of our conference. Just knowing what it takes to get to that point and playing for four quarters.
“Coming here to an up-and-coming program, they have outstanding athletes,” he said. “The most important thing is that they have had a taste of being a winner, and being respected. Everybody wants that and, as you can tell now, the way we’re working, we’re trying to get back to that this year.”
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