Arizona Cardinals are lacking what it takes to be a winner
By Jim Koch
Failing to land Sean Payton is just further proof of why the Arizona Cardinals will never become a part of the NFL’s elite.
Anyone who has been a longtime fan of the Arizona Cardinals shouldn’t have been surprised by the gut-wrenching news that broke on Tuesday. Just days after the club met with Sean Payton for roughly seven hours, fans learned that the top head-coaching candidate will not be coming to the “Valley of the Sun.” The Denver Broncos claimed the number-one prize on the market, and Arizona owner Michael Bidwill was left holding an empty bag.
One has to wonder if Bidwill really had any interest in landing Payton anyway. The reported salary for the 59-year-old was going to be between $20-25 million per season. In hindsight, there was no way Bidwill was going to spend that much coin on Payton, especially when he’s still paying departed coach Kliff Kingsbury.
Those who have put their heart and soul into a team run by the Bidwills have learned how to live with disappointment. Still, it doesn’t make the losing any easier to accept. Opportunities to obtain a difference-maker like Payton don’t come around often, and the Cardinals just continue to show no urgency when they do.
Arizona Cardinals are a long way from winning a Super Bowl championship
Any excitement that Arizona’s search for a new head coach may have generated is now gone. Lou Anarumo, Brian Flores and Brian Callahan are all decent options, but many Cards enthusiasts had their hearts set on Payton. Bidwill is moving dangerously close towards a half-empty stadium, or the embarrassing scenario in which the opposition’s fans outnumber those cheering for the home squad.
Instead of stepping to the forefront and taking a big swing, the Cardinals will continue on in their attempts to catch lightning in a bottle. That approach has thus far failed, as evidenced by the fact that a ridiculous 11 individuals have been Arizona’s head coach since they moved to the desert back in 1988.
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The fact of the matter is, the Cards will never hoist a Vince Lombardi Trophy if the current ownership remains. Bidwill wants to win, but there are limits on what he will do to join the NFL’s elite. Right now, the future looks anything but bright for the hard-luck Cardinals.
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