Former Arizona Cardinals great endorses Dan Quinn

Dan Quinn received an endorsement from former Arizona Cardinals great Larry Fitzgerald to be the franchise’s next head coach, per AZ Central.

When Larry Fitzgerald speaks, you listen. He’s no different from Joe Namath (former quarterback of the New York Jets), or former Seattle Seahawks receiver Steve Largent, if you want a more accurate comparison.

Of course, we already knew there would be a few opinions regarding Quinn when the NFL universe found out the Redbirds planned to bring in the Cowboys defensive coordinator for a second interview. Fitzgerald has apparently been a big fan of Quinn’s for a while now, as he said the following during the 2022 season in a conversation with sportscaster Jim Gray:

"“He’d be No. 1 in my opinion. No question about that. What he’s done. Obviously his experience, he did really good in Atlanta and had he run the football a little bit more he’d have a Super Bowl championship.” via AZ Central."

Should the Arizona Cardinals listen to Larry Fitzgerald?

Thanks to the way Quinn turned around the Dallas Cowboys defense, we knew he’d be a hot coaching candidate when the offseason rolled around. He’d have topped Fitzgerald’s list, and he also became a high fixture on my own list when news broke that the Cardinals were interested.

Fitzgerald is right in the fact that Quinn has ample experience as an NFL head coach and a winning record, even if it’s by the slimmest of margins. Quinn was also the coach during Matt Ryan’s MVP 2016 season, a year where the Falcons went to the Super Bowl but infamously collapsed.

I also love the third point Fitzgerald made. Well, in Arizona, he could indeed run the ball more thanks to the dual threat quarterback he has in Kyler Murray, or will have when Murray returns from his ACL injury. This is a stark contrast from Matt Ryan, who never had Murray’s ability to scramble.

Quinn would also have a bruiser in James Conner, and he would likely seek out another back to complement Arizona’s RB1. Would running the ball more have equated to a Lombardi in Atlanta? We will never know. But we do know that, even in a pass-friendly league, running the ball effectively still translates to running out the clock and thus winning games.

In short, if owner Michael Bidwill and general manager Monti Ossenfort were wise, they’d at least consider Fitzgerald’s words. We will see what happens in the coming weeks. Days, perhaps.

Article Source: Dan Quinn Arizona Cardinals coach speculation includes endorsement from Larry Fitzgerald by Jeremy Cluff

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