The Arizona Cardinals are going to let the Super Bowl play out before they announce their next head coach hiring. But they shouldn’t be done interviewing.
Ryan Sanudo of SI’s Fan Nation made a remarkable point in a recent opinion piece. In it, he stressed that the Arizona Cardinals should not hire Lou Anarumo or Mike Kafka, but instead Philadelphia Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen. To be honest, I agree 1,000% with Sanudo. Listen, if Kyler Murray is your quarterback, you need to interview Steichen after the Super Bowl and consider hiring him shortly thereafter.
Murray’s skill-set is more similar to Jalen Hurts’ than it is to the likes of Patrick Mahomes’, Joe Burrow’s, or Daniel Jones’. Therefore, the coach who would most likely connect with Murray is none other than Steichen, as he would know exactly how to bring out the best in the former number one overall pick’s skill-set.
Just think about what he accomplished with Jalen Hurts. Before 2022, most of the league saw Hurts as an above-average starter who may or may not be holding a clipboard a few years from today. But in his second year with Steichen, the young quarterback thrived.
Arizona Cardinals need to at least talk to Steichen following Super Bowl
At this point, I’m 99% certain the Cardinals will hire either Anarumo or Kafka, but owner Michael Bidwill and general manager Monti Ossenfort clearly haven’t made a final decision. Further, if you already waited a month to hire a coach, really, what’s another week?
Talk to Steichen, see if he’d be a better fit than Anarumo or Kafka. And if he is, hire the guy before the Indianapolis Colts try to.
Something that Sanudo reminded us in his article is that Steichen also worked with Justin Herbert, so like Kafka, he has a successful track record with quarterbacks. Best yet, he also has more experience as an offensive coordinator than Kafka, so if I had to choose between the two, I’d give Steichen the edge here.
Overall, the odds of the Cardinals pulling a fast one are slimmer than slim. But they would be wise to at least entertain the idea of talking to Steichen. The guy is currently in their vicinity, so to let him slip by without at least requesting permission to interview a potential Super Bowl winning assistant would be outright foolish.
Article Source: Opinion: Cardinals Shouldn’t Let Shane Steichen Out of Arizona by Ryan Sanudo
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