An underwhelming coaching hire seemingly made out of desperation is having an adverse effect on the Arizona Cardinals organization
It’s hard being a fan of the Arizona Cardinals these days. Never before has the team been considered the worst in the NFL. The reason for the Cards’ depressing plummet is becoming painfully obvious.
It was back in January that general manager Steve Keim hired perhaps the most underqualified head coach on the market. The most impressive item on the resume of Steve Wilks was the fact that he spent one season as the Carolina Panthers’ defensive coordinator. It would be quite a leap to the head job, but apparently Arizona felt that Wilks could handle such a drastic promotion.
Through the first three games, the Cardinals’ new coaching staff looks woefully incompetent. There is too much talent on the roster for the squad to be playing as bad as they have. There are blatant signs that point to the coaches’ inadequacies.
An incident that occurred during the club’s loss to the Chicago Bears last Sunday is certainly worth mentioning. Running backs coach Kirby Wilson did something that quite possibly prevented the Cards from securing a victory. The blunder took place late in the fourth quarter, with the offense facing a critical third down and two at the Bears’ 42-yard line.
With the game on the line, Wilson pulled star running back David Johnson from the action. Arizona’s most explosive offensive weapon was being disciplined for failing to pick up a blitz on second down. Rookie runner Chase Edmonds got the call instead, and proceeded to get thrown for a three-yard loss.
Now facing a fourth and five, Josh Rosen was intercepted, basically thwarting the Cardinals’ best opportunity to escape with a win. It stands to reason that the third down had a much better chance of being converted had Johnson been on the field. Wilson choosing such an important moment in the contest to make a point seems completely idiotic, no matter how you look at it.
Wilson isn’t the only problem among the offensive teachers. Coordinator Mike McCoy’s play-calling has been abysmal. The Cards have managed just 20 points through three matchups, and have tallied only three touchdowns.
Defensive coordinator Al Holcomb’s unit hasn’t been much better. The current contingent of defenders seem ill-equipped to run the newly-implemented 4-3 alignment. Holcomb had never been a coordinator at the professional level, and his inexperience is showing.
The use of the personnel has come under fire as well. Johnson, the epitome of a workhorse back, has been severely under-utilized. Linebackers Deone Bucannon and Haason Reddick, both former first-round draft picks, have played sparingly.
At the present time, the hiring of Wilks looks like a colossal mistake. Arizona’s leader still has 13 games to prove himself worthy, but things don’t look promising. It seems more likely that Keim and the front office just got this one terribly wrong.