PHX Reporter

The question for Kyzir White was about the expectations he had for the Cardinals' defense this season as they prepare to open the regular season against Josh Allen and the Bills on Sunday. He quickly turned to what the expectations are from others.

"I see they got us that we're going to be ranked last in the NFL and all that," the veteran linebacker said, grinning. "All that is motivation for us, fuel to the fire. We don't really care what people have to say but we definitely hear it."

The concept is interesting. Most of the time, the cliché is that players and coaches avoid such "noise." But the reality isn't so much that they avoid it -- players especially -- but learn to deal with it.

"Everybody is on their phone, social media, and they see you see it pop up," White said. "As much as you want to say you don't see it you definitely see it. You have to do your best to tunnel it and put it in the right type of motivation or whatever you need to do for yourself to prove people wrong."

It isn't new. "You've got to constantly find ways to get yourself motivated," former Cardinals defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch said on the Red Sea Report.

"For me personally and I think a lot of defensive players, you kind of thrive on being disrespected, thrive on being slept on and people thinking you're going to be a weakness," Vanden Bosch said. "You spend your entire offseason preparing to show that this defense isn't going to be a weakness, it's going to be a strength. You learn to take those things personally."

Coach Jonathan Gannon said he knows players will hear things but that they are professional enough to channel it into proper context.

White clarified it isn't like the players hold meetings about such things. "It isn't anything like, 'Oh my God they're saying this about us,'" White said. "Everyone has something to say.

"We get paid just like those guys and we will see what happens Sunday."

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