Jonathan Gannon’s hire certainly drew polarizing reviews across the Arizona Cardinals fanbase, but one major outlet wasn’t pleased.
Here at Raising Zona, we’ve had mixed reviews on Jonathan Gannon’s hire. While he’s a young coach whose defense ranked as one of the best in the league this past season, Gannon’s unit also historically struggled against the game’s best signal-callers.
In short, hiring the high-energy Gannon was a gamble on Monti Ossenfort’s and Michael Bidwill’s part. But one outlet rated Gannon as the worst hire of the bunch. Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports gave the Arizona Cardinals a C+ while the Denver Broncos and Houston Texans earned an A for hiring Sean Payton and DeMeco Ryans.
The Carolina Panthers and Indianapolis Colts scored a B after bringing Frank Reich and Shane Steichen on board, respectively. So not only were the Cardinals a fifth; they were a distant fifth on Sullivan’s grading scale.
CBS Sports gives the Arizona Cardinals a mid-tier grade in hiring Gannon
Here is a snippet of their explanation behind Gannon’s grade:
"“Gannon’s arrival is a welcome sight. That major question that is still to be determined, however, is the offense. Gannon will now need to find the right offensive coordinator who helps cater things around Kyler Murray. Browns quarterbacks coach Drew Petzing is a leading candidate, per Cleveland.com. No matter who gets hired for that spot, they along with Gannon need to have a cohesive relationship with Murray, who the team signed to a massive contract extension last offseason.“Part of Arizona’s undoing a year ago was the souring relationship between Murray and former head coach Kliff Kingsbury, so the chemistry between Gannon and his new QB could be the linchpin that determines if this hire is a successful one or not.” – via CBS Sports"
The good news? Gannon and Murray already made a solid first impression with one another. Shortly after his hiring, a video surfaced showing an energized Gannon beelining toward the weight room, where Murray was preparing for a workout.
The two shook hands and exchanged greetings. It was small talk, but both appeared to be ready to get to work and help bring this Arizona Cardinals franchise out of the NFL’s doldrums.
It was definitely a welcoming sight, given Murray’s antics over the past season. But at just 25, the former number one overall pick can turn over a new page and leave his tumultuous 2022 season as nothing more than a speck in an otherwise moderately successful NFL career.
If Gannon hits a homerun in hiring the right offensive coordinator, then Murray could return to form and show the NFL universe why he was the top pick in 2019. And it’s an outcome any Cardinals fan would like to see as opposed to trying to unearth a new potential franchise quarterback. Something the organization is historically bad at.
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Article Source: Grading 2023 NFL head coaching hires: Colts get ‘B’ for adding Shane Steichen, Cardinals still have questions by Tyler Sullivan