James Conner grew his hair out this offseason. The running back sports the same look he had in high school, and there is a message in that.

"I feel young," he said.

Conner looks young. (OK, he's 29, and that is young, but in football context we all know what we're talking about.) He's coming off the best rushing season of his career, 1,040 yards on only 208 carries in a year in which he missed four games (and much of a fifth). His 11 rushes of at least 20 yards led the NFL. He always was good; in the offense of coordinator Drew Petzing, he is dangerous.

And Petzing, in talking about what rookie running back Trey Benson can do early in the season, dropped the we-know-but-now-we-know-know fact. "James is the bell cow in that room," Petzing said.

Conner hadn't heard the comment. "But I absolutely (like it)," he said. "It's just an expectation they put on me that they want me to fulfill, that I'm willing to fulfill and ready to fulfill."

The passing game has multiple weapons and Kyler Murray anxious to operate in the passing game. But this team will run first, and the first of those runners is Conner. He isn't only the bell cow but the heartbeat of that unit.

When we talk about the best free-agent signings the Cardinals have ever had, Conner's name doesn't seem to naturally come up, and that's a mistake. He absolutely should be in the conversation.

-- Stats of the week: Murray has started two season-opening games on the road. He is 2-0 in those games, throwing for five TDs, running for two, passing for 519 yards and running for 111. He beat the Niners in San Francisco in the 2020 pandemic opener, and beat up the Titans in Nashville in 2021.

-- Speaking of 2020, that was the last time the Cardinals played the Bills. Perhaps you recall? "It seems like a long time ago," Kyler said of the Hail Murray. "(I remember) feeling angry that we were even in that position because I felt like the game should have been over."

I'm guessing the Cardinals would prefer a win that didn't come down to a last-second pass, but they'd take it.

-- I was around for Larry Fitzgerald's first game, and there was anticipation for that. But in those days, Fitz (and starters) played a chunk of the preseason. In that context, I'm not sure there has been more anticipation to see a player on the field than Marvin Harrison Jr., simply because we haven't really seen him yet. Given the Bills situation, it's fair to consider him the best wideout in this game.

-- If you missed my Trey McBride story, please check it out. That guy is going to have a big year. Of that I have no doubt.

-- If the Cardinals had asked Xavier Thomas to play more in the preseason, he would have been OK with it. "I know people see the preseason as the preseason, but I look at it as the Super Bowl," the rookie outside linebacker said.

Now Thomas gets games that count, and the Cardinals need Thomas to count. His usage will be something to watch, as well as how effective he is when he is in the game. I do want to see what/how starters Dennis Gardeck and Zaven Collins are used (and Mack Wilson Sr. too) but Thomas has emerged as a fan favorite as a fifth-round pick. For now, at least.

"It's always good to get support but you take it with a grain of salt because if you don't go out there and perform, they won't like you," Thomas said.

-- The Cardinals will wear the whites in Buffalo, and if you want to know what they will wearing in any one specific game this season, you can find the season slate.

-- One of the Bills' starting safeties on Sunday will be Damar Hamlin, the player who suffered cardiac arrest in a game on Jan. 2, 2023 and nearly died on the field. It's Hamlin’s first start since the incident. He played just five games a season ago.

"Sitting with that uncertainty was eating at me because football is truly my passion," Hamlin told reporters. "It's the thing that I've always been obsessed with my entire life."

Hamlin, who went to college at Pittsburgh, said Conner – a fellow Pitt product – had been an inspiration after Conner beat cancer when Conner was in college.

-- The move from Paris Johnson Jr. from right tackle to left tackle has been one of the stories of the offseason. Much more under the radar has been veteran right tackle Jonah Williams – under the radar to most at least. Maybe not Jonathan Gannon.

"It's funny, I thought that there were a couple of guys (Thursday) when we watched the tape and it was 'OK, it's game week,'" Gannon said. "You could tell they were getting ready to go. Some of those older vets kind of hit another gear going into game week. (Jonah) is one of those guys. I am so glad we acquired him. He's been awesome. He's a true pro, smart, emotionally stable, team-first guy."

-- The last word comes from captain and veteran safety Budda Baker, who broke down the team following Friday's practice stretch with a spirited message and who on Thursday was eloquent in his hype for the opener.

"I'm just excited to finally hit somebody. It's been a while since I have. You can't hit Marvin."

See you Sunday.