Kliff Kingsbury makes a unique statement about Mason Cole
In his latest press conference yesterday, Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury continued to make cryptic statements and not answer questions fully.
When I saw this tweet by Kyle Odegard, it made me scratch my head at first. In reality though, Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury has been doing this for most of the year.
Kingsbury said C Mason Cole will not cede playing time to Lamont Gaillard.
— Kyle Odegard (@Kyle_Odegard) December 31, 2020
This statement alone just baffles me. Does Kingsbury have a buddy-buddy relationship with Cole? I can’t imagine any feasible explanation of why he keeps Mason Cole as the starter when LaMont Gaillard played significantly better earlier in the season.
As it stands right now, Mason Cole currently has five penalties on the year, with four of them being false starts. Kingsbury is acting like he’s trying to keep something secret here, but with the season literally on the line, what do you have to gain by hiding your reasoning?
Coaches can’t always give everything away at their press conferences, but Kingsbury is clearly in denial here. I think he knows who’s better, but is actively refusing to play Gaillard. Especially since you’re playing the absolute machine in Aaron Donald on Sunday, he might actually want to reconsider!
This remark will be something to remember. If the Cardinals win and get in, then maybe we move on from this. However if the offensive line does NOT play well, then this will be a volatile thing to look back on.
As someone who played every position on the offensive line growing up and played into college, there are times where things are just out of your control. Especially at center, where if you have a bad snap, it eats at you like a relief pitcher giving up a game-tying run. Eventually you may need to move another position to be more successful.
Next. Most important game for Cardinals draws Nantz-Romo coverage. dark
In the offseason, swap places with Gaillard and have Cole give the guard position a shot. You’d be amazed at much less responsibilities a guard has compared to the center in terms of pre-snap duties. The result of the game this week will give us a clear answer to all of the smoke Kliff Kingsbury is trying to set around his offensive line.