Throughout the interviewing process, the Arizona Cardinals talked with a solid mixture of offensive and defensive-minded coaches.
The Arizona Cardinals are rolling with someone other than Sean Payton, and that’s okay. While I prefer experienced coaches to rookies, look at how many coaches have coached in the Super Bowl without prior experience, with Nick Sirianni of the Philadelphia Eagles being the most recent. Therefore, losing out on Payton isn’t the worst thing in the world.
Now that the Redbirds are most likely going with a rookie head coach, should they go with another offensive-minded name or someone with a defensive background? Let’s make the case for each.
Why the Arizona Cardinals should go offense
Addressing the elephant in the room, it’s that an offensive-minded coach would theoretically benefit Kyler Murray better than a defense-first coach. If the Cardinals go offense, it’s more likely they keep DeAndre Hopkins for at least another season, and this will please many in the Red Sea.
You can also look for the Cardinals to zero in on prioritizing improvements along the offensive line, and they will perhaps bring on another running back to complement James Conner. And finally, if they hire the right candidate, what’s not to say they bring out vintage Kyler Murray, who was in discussion for league MVP during the first half of 2021?
Why the Cardinals should go defense
The Arizona Cardinals would introduce an element of surprise to be going off-script. Four of their last five head coaches were offensive-minded, with Steve Wilks being the lone exception. Going with a defensive-minded coach will also help the Redbirds develop their young but talent-laden defense.
And with a defensive-minded coach, the front office will likely select a marquee pass rusher with the third overall pick. The Cardinals D showed plenty of potential last season, so to bring in a defensive guru like Lou Anarumo or even someone well-versed in developing young players like Aaron Glenn can go a long way.
Overall, the Cardinals have a lot of options here, and we should commend them for doing their due diligence and not rushing the process. This seemed to be the case far too often in the past, and it bit them time and again.
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