Revenge of the Birds
The list of NFL teams that now need a coach keeps growing. The Arizona Cardinals are certainly on that list as they axed Jonathan Gannon on Black Monday.
The job now is to make a short list of candidates the team is interested in, set up interviews either virtually or in person, and then pare the list down to just a few. This link provides a complete list of who the Cardinals are interested in:
RELATED: CARDINALS HEAD COACHING SEARCH UPDATE
The big question seems to be whether Arizona should go after an offense-minded guy or someone who is more defense-oriented.
One of the names on their list is Seattle Seahawks OC Klint Kubiak.
One thing the NFL wants to make sure of every year is that the scoreboard lights up often. Nobody is interested in a 1-1 pitcher’s duel. They just aren’t. So, if the scoring can be something like 38-35 in every contest, yeah, for our side.
And in doing so, the NFL has slanted rules over the decades to assist the offensive side of the ball.
The defense can’t grab a facemask, or even touch it for that matter, but an offensive player can use a stiff arm, and as long as they don’t grab hold, it is a legal maneuver. We asked Derrick Henry, and he confirmed. A defender can’t touch a QB’s helmet. Can’t land on him either during a sack. Five yards to harass a receiver and then let him go? Throw the ball out of bounds as a defender is wrangling the QB towards the turf? Defenders’ limited use of their helmets. Penalties that used to be just yardage now have an automatic first-down kicker. And on-and-on.
If the Cardinals hire an offensive-minded head coach, the rules lean favoritism towards that side of the ball.
An offensive coach will have experience with not only quarterbacks, but also a process of dealing with younger signalcallers. The Cardinals may or may not have Kyler Murray in training camp next season, but Jacoby Brissett is signed for one more season, along with youngster Kedon Slovis. It is also possible that Arizona will select a young buck in this year’s NFL draft, especially since the club owns the #3 overall pick in the first round. They also own the second selection in Round 2 (#34), and the first pick in the third round (#65).
Why wouldn’t the franchise want to pursue the most likely routes? An experienced offensive coordinator with a history of quarterback success should fit the bill. Then, he can build a quality staff and install one offensive scheme. It is proven that NFL teams with good offensive coaches are more likely to have a good quarterback who has been worked with, which is the most important position in sports.
And isn’t it true that offensive-minded coaches are more aggressive? Defensive coaches are more conservative when their team is on offense, and analytics seem to show that a...
