GLENDALE, Ariz. -- Every member of the Arizona Cardinals has a loose brick sitting in his locker room stall.

There's no construction planned, but they are there by design. It's a motivational tool from first-year head coach Steve Wilks, who wants the players to know that they are building a foundation.

"Every opportunity we get to step on the field, you've got to lay a brick," star cornerback Patrick Peterson said.

Wilks runs an efficient practice and can often be seen standing alone slightly away from the action, watching team drills with arms folded. He set a no-nonsense-but-unifying tone on Monday and Tuesday, when he opened padded practices with one-on-one blocking drills in which players were pitted against each other in front of the entire team.

"Trying to create a little bit of tempo," Wilks said. "The spotlight's on them. You talk about accountability. ... It's an opportunity for you to compete, but most importantly, let your teammates see you. I like the competition. We encourage that."

Linebacker Deone Bucannon, for one, was all in favor of contact. It took him back to his high school and college days.

"It's new energy. It's a new feel," he said. "It's good that he incorporated that into practice. He gave us a heads-up to be ready."

Players have taken to Wilks' style and demeanor, citing his preparedness and awareness about everything happening around the team. The reason for the one-on-one drill, Wilks said, was to back up his talk about being physical with some action.

Wilks knows how to keep the mood a little light, though, especially as training camp wears on and he lets his players have a little fun at his expense.

Cornerback Tre Boston, who played at Carolina while Wilks was defensive coordinator, has likened Wilks' personality to that of actor Denzel Washington. The comparison has caught on with some players.

"Very much so. I see that all the time. Sometimes I just want to quote 'Training Day' when I walk by," offensive lineman D.J. Humphries said.

Wilks, for his part, takes the comparison in stride. He said Boston meant it as an inside joke.

"I had a couple of 'Training Day' episodes [but] try to stay away from that," Wilks said of the fiery character Washington plays in that movie. "I know it's hard to believe that's in my personality, but seriously, yeah, I get [the comparison] all the time. I really don't see it, but I embrace it."

Peterson called Wilks a players' coach, and he wasn't the only one expressing that sentiment.

"He's Mr. Cool. He has everything figured out," offensive lineman Justin Pugh said.

"He's definitely a guy that's in tune with everything on the football field," Peterson said.

Larry Fitzgerald, the most tenured player on the Cardinals, sees an easygoing and approachable side to his coach.

"He's sitting at the dinner table with unrestricted free-agent rookies learning about them, talking to them. He makes everybody feel like they're a part of it," Fitzgerald said. "He really puts the onus on the guys to take responsibility."

As for giving everyone a brick, he said that is part of his personality.

"It's not about first round or fifth round or free agent. You're part of the Cardinals family," Wilks said. "Together we can do more. That's what it's all about."