Monti Ossenfort has entered the Arizona Cardinals organization with a bang, thanks to a press conference that put quarterback Kyler Murray on notice.
Unless you are a die-hard Kyler Murray fan, you’ve seen who the kid truly is at the moment. He’s a me-first individual who’s actions have been called out by practically everyone (even an individual within the organization) except for a small cluster of people who have made excuses for the underachiever over the past four years, but that number is dwindling.
However, Murray is also young enough to turn that mentality around, and several players in league history have done just that. But it didn’t stop Monti Ossenfort from directing a remark made at his introductory presser at the fifth-year quarterback without name-dropping, obviously.
So which remark did everyone except those wearing their Kyler blinders did NFL fans see directed toward Murray? Andrew Siciliano has you covered:
Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort:
— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) January 17, 2023
"Ego will not be tolerated in this organization."
New Arizona Cardinals GM Monti Ossenfort will have little patience for Kyler
Several commenters below Siciliano’s post at the time of this writing mentioned Kyler specifically. Multiple fans also mentioned the name, you guessed it, Derek Carr. And the possibility that Carr could be a good fit in Arizona is better than many believe. Well, history could be repeating itself if the Cardinals took a chance on Carr, given the Redbirds’ success with older quarterbacks.
When you keep scrolling down the list, you get the same common denominators. So the way myself and practically the entire NFL Universe sans Kyler apologists have interpreted this, the star-crossed quarterback has two choices. He can either:
- Get with the program, or
- Be a toxin in someone else’s locker room.
As it stands, the Ossenfort-led Cardinals aren’t going to put up with him, plain and simple. Either he puts in the work, or he doesn’t. And right now, Kyler’s Ryan Leaf-like personality over the past season (if not longer) has me thinking the latter.
To end this article on a positive note, Ossenfort did name one member of the Arizona Cardinals that this team needs to look up to, and that’s safety Budda Baker. Baker, a five-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro, has been a model for the organization, and the kind of player you want leading the locker room.
With Ossenfort setting the tone, look for him to hire a Bill Parcells type of head coach. Unfortunately, Parcells is too old to grace the sidelines, but Ossenfort is more than capable of finding a comp in a deep pool of NFL head coaching candidates. Perhaps it’s Ejiro Evero, who the Redbirds requested to interview, per AZ Sports.
Article Source: 4 Takeaways from new Arizona Cardinals’ GM Monti Ossenfort’s first press conference & radio interview by Blake Murphy
Want your voice heard? Join the Raising Zona team!