Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury has rightfully received criticism from several sporting outlets over the 2022 season.
Sooner or later, Michael Bidwill needs to lean in and listen to people other than himself and his best bud Steve Keim regarding Kingsbury’s criticism. Why? Because not only have fans of the Arizona Cardinals noticed Kliff’s ineptitude; so have former NFL players.
The latest individual to voice his displeasure for Kingsbury? Former NFL wide receiver James Jones, who had this to say about the coach:
"“This team has talent across the board right? But it starts with the guy that’s running the ship and that’s Kliff Kingsbury, and these guys do not respect Kliff Kingsbury as a head coach, and you see it. I mean they’re chewing him out on the sideline, they’re coming out in the media saying crazy, crazy stuff in the media but it’s not just Kyler, it’s a lot of the players and you’re not gonna get guys to go out there and battle for you and ride for you if you don’t have the respect from them.” – James Jones via SI.com."
In September, I wrote how Kliff Kingsbury has lost the Cardinals locker room. September 12th, if you’re keeping score, shortly after the Redbirds loss to the Kansas City Chiefs. This was back when things were still somewhat up in the air regarding Kingsbury, so the article had a rather mixed reaction.
Kliff Kingsbury has definitely lost control of the Arizona Cardinals
To a fine degree, Jones is right about the Cardinals talent. Earlier in the season, the defense was seemingly stopping everyone except the Chiefs. The Cardinals had Marquise Brown and Zach Ertz, plus a budding serviceable talent in Eno Benjamin keeping the overall workload off James Conner at running back.
They also had a solid speedster in Greg Dortch, and when he returned, Rondale Moore fulfilled Dortch’s role admirably. Not to mention a dual-threat talent in Kyler Murray. And although I can be beyond hard on Murray at times, he’s still a top fifteen quarterback. At the end of the day, he could be in the top ten if he had a coach who could properly utilize his talents.
Not to mention, when Marquise Brown went down with a foot injury, DeAndre Hopkins returned from suspension. And although they cut Benjamin, Conner has really started to pick up his game as of late. Overall, the Cardinals boast a talented roster, but absolutely no talent at one of the most important positions on the roster – Head Coach.
And to many degrees, Jones is correct. A coach who has this much talent to work with, although they may not the most talented team in football, should be better than 4-8. They are not, and it serves as yet another reason Kingsbury has got to go.
Article Source: Former NFL Player Says Cardinals do not Respect Kliff Kingsbury by Donnie Druin
Want your voice heard? Join the Raising Zona team!