Cardinals RB James Conner ready to be bell cow of the offense, and other notes before the team’s opener in Buffalo

— 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…