Sticking with status quo will prove disastrous for Cardinals

Arizona Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill needs to shake up a franchise that collapsed towards the end of the last two seasons.

Over the past two seasons, the Arizona Cardinals have lacked what’s referred to as a “killer instinct”. The team started fast in both 2020 and 2021, only to collapse dramatically towards the end of both campaigns.

In many cases, heads would roll within an organization that experiences such utter disappointment for two years in a row. But for some odd reason, Cards owner Michael Bidwill appears more than willing to move forward with the exact same regime that continues to fail so miserably.

On paper, what the Redbirds accomplished this past fall was not horrible. There are many franchises that would’ve been thrilled to finish the regular season with an 11-6 record. Head coach Kliff Kingsbury also guided Arizona to their first playoff appearance in six years.

The truth of the matter is, something is not right with the Cardinals. Two seasons ago, the club needed just one victory during the last two weeks to get into the postseason. “Big Red” couldn’t get that done, despite the fact that Kingsbury’s group went up against two backup quarterbacks during the final pair of matchups.

This past year, the Cards got off to a blazing 10-2 start, but then they proceeded to lose five out of their last six contests. The ugly 34-11 playoff defeat that the squad suffered at the hands of the Los Angeles Rams was an absolute embarrassment.

Change is needed with an Arizona Cardinals club that has come up small

Many analysts felt that Kingsbury never deserved a head-coaching job at the professional level, and his detractors may have been correct. Imagine the excitement in the “Valley of the Sun” if Arizona would’ve brought in a Sean Payton or a Jim Harbaugh to get the team over the hump. Instead, Bidwill is perfectly willing to give the floundering Kingsbury another chance.

A separate argument can be made regarding Cardinals general manager Steve Keim’s nine-year stint in the desert. While the executive has done well with trades and some of his free-agent acquisitions, Keim has done an awful job in the draft room. Perhaps Bidwill and the franchise would have a better future with one of the up-and-coming GM candidates (Ed Dodds, Eliot Wolf) who are available this offseason.

At the very least, the Cards could’ve hired a replacement for Vance Joseph. Possible candidates include Vic Fangio and Wade Phillips. Joseph has been decent during his three campaigns with the club, but an upgrade at the defensive coordinator post would certainly be welcomed by the fan base.

Bidwill is taking a huge gamble by going with the status quo in 2022. Change is required when things aren’t going well. Those who put their heart and soul into the Cardinals deserve better.