Defensive coordinator is Arizona Cardinals Achilles heel
By Jim Koch
Coordinator Vance Joseph’s inability to devise an effective defensive scheme has derailed the Arizona Cardinals 2019 campaign
For the better part of 2019, the Arizona Cardinals have followed a familiar script. On quite a few occasions, head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s offense has put the squad in a solid position to win. The group has managed to put points on the board, even when their backs have been placed against the wall late in games.
Arizona’s defense, on the other hand, has folded like a cheap suit when under pressure. There have been countless times this season when the club needed a stop, just one stop, of the opposition’s offense to nail down a victory. Instead, Cards fans have had to watch the defensive unit continually cough up leads that dynamic quarterback Kyler Murray and the rest of the scoring attack have supplied for them.
The main culprit for those gut-wrenching failures is the coordinator of the defenders. Vance Joseph could very well go down as one of the worst hires in franchise history. Week in and week out, the boss of the defense has been thoroughly out-coached by practically every offensive play-caller he has faced this year.
Cardinals general manager Steve Keim could’ve cut the cord on this awful situation weeks ago. The fact that Joseph has managed to retain his job in spite of his blatant incompetence sends a bad message. Former Arizona offensive coordinator Mike McCoy was fired after just seven contests in 2018, and Joseph’s performance this year has been just as abysmal.
The Cards secondary, which appeared to be a strength of the team during training camp, has been especially disappointing. Most believed that cornerback Patrick Peterson’s return from suspension would help, but he really has made no difference. The perennial Pro Bowler barely resembles the shutdown cover guy that he’s been since he entered the NFL back in 2011.
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It’s time for the Cardinals to part ways with Joseph. If the defense’s awful play continues, the locker room could become divided. Keim could prevent that from happening by handing Joseph’s job to linebackers coach Bill Davis, and therefore trying to salvage what’s left of their 2019 campaign.