Cardinals assistant coach Rob Rodriguez thrilled to remain in Phoenix area for work

Rob Rodriguez and his family didn't take long to realize that the Phoenix area was the place for them.

Hired in 2020 as Arizona State's defensive line coach after five seasons as assistant defensive line coach with the Minnesota Vikings, Rodriguez spent three seasons in Tempe. Then came a chance to return to the NFL when his former staff mate from the Vikings' days, Jonathan Gannon, brought Rodriguez to the Arizona Cardinals' staff as outside linebackers coach.

Familia Rodriguez was thrilled to not have to leave town. And the likable Rodriguez couldn't be happier in his new job.

"I'm like a pig rolling in mud, man," Rodriguez said. "I'm having a blast. This is the best possible scenario for my family I could ask for now getting to stay in the Valley. Like we fell in love with the Valley, my kids love their school, they go to Valley Christian, we've got a great community there. But not just that, I come to work and I'm working with people I believe in. Nick (Rallis, defensive coordinator) and J.G. (Gannon), those are my guys."

Rodriguez isn't the only one doing the believing. He's drawn mentions in comments from the players he coaches how he's helped them, including Zaven Collins, who is moving from inside linebacker to outside.

It's common to see Rodriguez chatting up the Cardinals he works with, be it on the sideline or on the field after a defensive snap.

"Growth mindset, team first, technician, and understands the big picture," Gannon said of Rodriguez.

Cardinals linebacker Cameron Thomas said he went through a phase of discomfort with himself as a player, because of the new concepts Rodriguez brought to the position that Thomas didn't learn as a rookie working with a different coaching staff last season. But as training camp enters its third week and Thomas has been able to take in what his position coach is teaching from the offseason into camp, Thomas has found it to his liking.

"He's somebody who's gonna get the best out of you one hundred percent, but in the process, we're gonna build a relationship over time," Thomas said. "He really cares about who I am as a person, as a player. And you can feel that."

The cohesion the Cardinals are building among the players is also found within the coaching staff, Rodriguez said. It's the best coaching staff he's ever been a part of in terms of that cohesion.

"Working together. Mutual respect. Put your ego to the side. I think it's been just an outstanding work environment. A lot of growth already. So I'm really excited about what we can do going forward," he said.

Rodriguez can have an impact beyond the Cardinals organization, something he's aware of as a Mexican American. He trades Spanish slang with linebacker Jesse Luketa, whom he labeled the "International Man of Mystery" because Luketa has a knack for learning about other cultures. He wants to do interviews with Cardinals Spanish language announcer Luis Hernandez.

"He wants to be perfect in Spanish," Hernandez said.

Read more: Cardinals players with Pac-12 ties offer thoughts on demise of the conference

Rodriguez always wanted to play in the NFL growing up, and looked up to Latinos in the league such as Hall-of-Famers Anthony Muñoz and Tony Gonzalez, and in coaching, Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera. He hopes he can be someone young Latinos look up to as a person who made it to the NFL as a coach.

"I've never gotten a job because I'm Hispanic. But I do know that we (Latinos) pay attention to them, that there's not a lot of us in those positions. So I just want to be one of the guys that comes through and does a great job. So if there's anybody out there that's ever discouraged, they can see someone doing well," Rodriguez said. "That's the only thing you hope, that you can impact others that way. I want everybody always to get their job because of merit. But I don't want anyone ever to put boundaries on their own selves like I did sometimes as a kid."

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: How Rob Rodriguez helps the Arizona Cardinals on and off the field