Arizona Cardinals: Kliff Kingsbury should be given an ultimatum

Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury has proven two things during his NFL tenure: He can’t call plays and he can’t manage the clock. 

While the Arizona Cardinals front office holds Kliff Kingsbury in such a light that he can do no wrong in their eyes, the truth is that we have an NFL head coach who has no idea how to be an NFL head coach. And over a quarter of the way through his fourth season with the team, Kingsbury still can’t figure it out.

Okay, let’s not be too harsh now. Between 1991 and 1995, the Cleveland Browns had a man named Bill Belichick stalking their sidelines. He never won the division, his team was often outright terrible, and he won just one playoff game in those five seasons. Ironically, that playoff win came against the New England Patriots. Go figure, right?

Even stranger, Belichick and Kingsbury were roughly the same age when they got their first head coaching gigs. Of course, former owner Art Modell fired Belichick before he took his Browns to Baltimore, and the famed head coach eventually ended up and won six Super Bowls in New England.

Belichick, as we all know is a coaching genius who may even be the best in NFL history. His ill-fated days in Cleveland and one-day stint with the New York Jets are distant memories. Perhaps Kingsbury is going through the same growing pains. But that doesn’t mean he shouldn’t face an ultimatum from Arizona Cardinals brass.

The Arizona Cardinals need to strip Kingsbury of playcalling duties

While Kingsbury, or any NFL head coach, can figure things out and become the next Belichick at any point, the Arizona Cardinals need to play to Kingsbury’s strengths while hiding his weaknesses. One weakness he has shown time and again is his playcalling.

No, he does not have star receiver DeAndre Hopkins on the field. But he still has Pro Bowl-caliber players in Zach Ertz and Marquise Brown for quarterback Kyler Murray to throw to. He has a backfield that can operate as a committee, and he also has a solid left tackle to protect the blind side.

And yet, Kingsbury’s offense has not scored a single point in the first quarter this season. They’ve only scored 26 first half points, and they have yet to score over 26 offensive points in a single game. Want more fun? Those 26 points came against their weakest opponent, the Carolina Panthers.

Sooner or later, and the sooner, the better for owner Michael Bidwill and general manager Steve Keim to give Kingsbury an ultimatum: Hire an offensive coordinator or get out. 

Kingsbury has yet to enjoy long-term success offensively in this league. His career certainly has a few parallels to Bill Belichick’s in terms of age and limited success early on. But until Kingsbury grows a little wiser and realizes an offensive coordinator would only benefit him, or if the Cardinals need to step in and force a hire, he will never be a successful NFL coach.

Some might say the Cardinals wouldn’t get rid of Kingsbury after he just signed an extension. That may be the case. But there are plenty of coaches who had long term contracts and couldn’t make it past the third year of a seven-year deal. Just ask Matt Rhule, whose contract ran with the Panthers until 2026.