The Arizona Cardinals, well, they just could not win the close games this year.
Why is that? Great teams find ways to win. And since the Cards have 12 losses already, with just a few games remaining, nobody is pointing a finger at them as a great team. Or even a good team.
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Some folks would rather that owner Michael J. Bidwill just go ahead and let the head coach walk. No reason to wait for Black Monday, eh? Take the ax, find a stone to hone it, and strike. Nobody would be surprised at the action for a double-digit loss team. Nobody is crying in the corner or threatening to cancel their season tickets.
And absolutely, Gannon was hired away from the Philadelphia Eagles as one of those new trend coaches who are in the prime of their life and could become the next NFL Wonder Kid fresh off the Sean McVay lookalike coaching farm.
And Gannon came with a strategy: a three-year plan.
The first season under Gannon? 4-13-0. Year two? 8-9-0. Pretty standard for rebuilds, show improvement each season. So an uptick in 2025, complete with a playoff berth? But basically, a repeat of the first season. The “Oh, no. We suck again!” syndrome. Now, the team has lost 12 of the last 13 games, including seven in a row.
That would usually fall under the category of “Coach wants to see you. Bring your playbook.” Except it’s the head coach who is getting the pink slip.
Bidwill would pretty much be justified in his actions of giving Gannon the heave-ho. By the way, why do we say “heave-ho”? Absolutely makes no sense. Actually, it came from ships that had sails. It was a chant for sailors to synchronize pulling ropes for tasks like raising sails, nets, or heavy anchors.
There has been plenty of ink dedicated to letting Gannon go. And the narrative in these articles makes a lot of sense.
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However, what if the Cardinals kept him instead? What reasons would they have to retain his services? Should the club give him at least one more year to prove this system actually works? What are the pros and cons?
Let’s discuss keeping Gannon. Grab a seat and one of those cold Dr. Peppers with blackberry, a Sonoran hot dog, and some Cheese Crisps. Now, fire away.
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Close games
Having completed 15 games already, Arizona has been close quite a bit, only to lose. It is aggravating.
Examine how close they came to beating some of the league’s best teams:
Week 3: was beating the San Francisco 49ers, only to lose 16-15
Week 4: had come back down against the Seattle Seahawks by two touchdowns and tied the game, then lost 23-20
Week 5: was killing the Tennessee Titans before the wheels came off, lost 22-21
Week 6: beating the Indianapolis Colts 24-17, going into the fourth quarter, lost 31-27
Week 7: winning 23-20 late in the fourth quarter
Week 9: got killed by Seattle
Week 10: tied Jacksonville, then could not get in field goal range for the loss
Week 11: down 20-17 against Tampa Bay, but could not get the ball back
Week 12: got killed by the Rams
Week 13: got killed by the Texans
Week 14: was up 16-10, but the defense could not hold up
That is eight games that the Cardinals lost by seven points or less. And in many Cardinal teams from yesteryear, they would have gotten blown out in those types of games. Arizona has been in games right down to the wire against very good teams against San Fran, Indy, Tampa, Seattle, Green Bay, and Jacksonville.
Injuries
How can this Cardinals roster be fairly judged on their win/loss record without all of its starting players?
Any correct evaluation of Gannon has to devise a metric of how Gannon has done with the roster he ended up with – not the roster he had coming out of training camp.
The biggest area hit was at running back. The Cardinals currently have zero success running the ball. This is a two-pronged monster because the offensive line hasn’t been good, but mainly because Arizona is using guys who had submitted applications for substitute teaching positions before getting the call.
James Conner was everything the franchise needed in a running back, and was suddenly lost for the year in Week 3 with a foot injury. This means the Cardinals have gone almost the entire season without their feature back. He was ranked #11 in the league last year. Then, his backup, Trey Benson, became hurt in the following game with a meniscus injury that required surgery.
Then it was Demercado and Bam Knight who became injured. All with one team. When your current two starting running backs are both practice-squad guys, things like an actual rushing attack just aren’t likely to happen.
What team can flourish without any exceptional running backs?
Receivers Zay Jones, Greg Dortch, and Marv Harrison missing multiple games has hurt the starters and the depth chart.
Punter Blake Billikin went down. One of the defense’s best tacklers, Mack Wilson, was lost for the year. Backup TE Tip Reiman ended up on IR, as did RT Jonah Williams.
CBs Starling Thomas and Sean Murphy-Bunting are gone for the year after being projected as starters. LB Baron Browning missed games, as have Garrett Williams, Will Johnson, Max Melton, and Kei’Trel Clark.
In all, the Cardinals have 21 players on IR. That is an entire offense and defense hurt and tucked away.
The team is clearly talented when not impacted so heavily by injuries. Maybe allow Gannon to run it back for one more year rather than to clean house.
New coaches
Several media sites have mentioned that the issue isn’t Gannon, but some of his coaching staff. The areas specifically mentioned are changes at offensive coordinator, special teams, strength & conditioning, and perhaps offensive line.
OC Drew Petzing has his share of detractors, but since Jacoby Brissett has been installed at quarterback, the offense is clicking. The Cardinals are ranked #4 in total passing yards because there isn’t any run game to deal with. Petzing is making Brissett look like a starting QB in this league. Our offensive awareness with short time on the clock is a concern.
Why does Arizona have the number of injuries it does? Sure, every team has attrition, but the Cardinals just seem to be way more injured than most. Perhaps fire the entire athletic training staff. Then seek out the league’s best and find them a new home. Start with the best strength and conditioning coach and hire him/her. Figure out how to make it through an entire season.
A new special teams coordinator might be another shrewd move. Punt coverage isn’t just about tackling the returner; it’s also about the punter’s ability to pin opponents deep (net average) and the offense’s ability to avoid punting altogether. And find a decent return man who can break a long punt return once in a while.
Positions of great need
What would go for miles and miles in improvement on this roster is a stud running back. Is that James Conner, or is Conner his compliment?
Whether that is in this year’s draft or through free agency, the Cardinals need that flashy home run hitter.
Now, having said that, you can’t get a bellcow without getting it right up front. There needs to be a new offensive tackle plus two guards. Yes, that is a lot to ask. We can’t just log onto Amazon and get four players just like that. But the facts are, they are all needed.
Suggestion: RB Breece Hall of the New York Jets. Complete workhorse with speed.
The franchise will need to address the defensive line as well. Calais Campbell should be re-signed, but will he? Walter Nolen looks like a good player, but how much time will he miss going forward due to injuries? Josh Sweat has proved his contract and has had a quiet season. Depth is needed at all positions so that the D-Line can get into a rotational system instead of players being out there all game long.
Fixing dumb mistakes
Some of the roster’s highest-paid players are underperforming their contracts. Some have sustained an injury here and there.
How many times has the offense been on the move, and a receiver drops a pass? Or how many missed tackles is this defense going to make? Dropping easy interceptions in key moments?
The Red Zone is very troubling. The team drives all the way downfield only to stall. Against the Atlanta Falcons, the Cardinals were 0-2 inside the 20. Two missed field goals.
False starts and too many sacks allowed.
Coaches have placed these athletes in position to make plays, and the players have not produced.
Fire on the field
Despite the continued losses, the team battles all four quarters, especially on offense and special teams.
Does Gannon deserve to get one more season? Even though this year hasn’t been anything like it was drawn up during training camp, the roster continues to battle down to the end.
Against the Falcons, the team was getting closer to the goal line when an untimely interception killed any chance of scoring.
This has been a common theme with this ballclub coming up short game after game. But they fight. They continue to the whistle. They want to win.
Staying on board
What if Gannon were given one more season? And tell him that. Let’s take one good year with all of his players in healthy mode, and just see what happens.
Not ready to get off the Gannon train. Yet. Let’s see what he can do with a full season with a healthy roster and a healthy QB1. Love or hate Murray, he was out almost all year for Gannon in his first season, looked tentative, so he wouldn’t get hurt again, then only played a partial season in Year 3.
Name another ballclub that is anywhere close to Arizona being shorthanded and paying a full roster of players to rehab and begin getting ready for next season instead of helping out on this year’s schedule.
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