Three reasons the Arizona Cardinals should have moved on from coach

GLENDALE, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 20: Head coach Kliff Kingsbury of the Arizona Cardinals talks with Kyler Murray #1 during a stop in play against the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium on December 20, 2020 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, ARIZONA - DECEMBER 20: Head coach Kliff Kingsbury of the Arizona Cardinals talks with Kyler Murray #1 during a stop in play against the Philadelphia Eagles at State Farm Stadium on December 20, 2020 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images) /
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Prime head coaching candidates

Perhaps the biggest name that once again got snubbed was Eric Bieniemy. An offensive coordinator since 2018, Bieniemy comes from the Andy Reid coaching tree. A tree that has breeded a few successful head coaches.

And he has done something Kingsbury couldn’t do at Texas Tech; he helped turn Patrick Mahomes into a winning quarterback. A Super Bowl-winning quarterback whose candidacy as the G.O.A.T will soar if he defeats Tom Brady‘s Buccaneers.

But Bieniemy is one of a few names the Cardinals missed out on by retaining Kingsbury. Two of which are bound to return down the road as NFL head coaches.

Imagine having Jason Garrett on the sidelines? While Garrett never made it to an NFC Championship Game, he still posted an 85-67 regular-season record and made five playoff appearances, winning two of those games. He also coached the Cowboys for nine and a half seasons. He’s a proven commodity who immediately upgrades the Cardinals.

What about Doug Pederson? Pederson, who was unceremoniously fired from the Philadelphia Eagles after just one bad season and supposedly throwing the week 17 game against Washington, would bring his Super Bowl-winning experience to the desert. You can’t deny that Pederson, who made three playoff appearances in five seasons, is an immediate upgrade over the incumbent Kingsbury.

With so many prime coaching candidates out there, general manager Steve Keim remained committed to Kingsbury. But coaching candidates aside, let’s look at Kingsbury’s in-game decisions.