The comparison is easy to make. Like the Rams, the Cardinals have gone with a young head coach who has a specialty on offense, and paired him with a defensive coordinator that has experience.

"I think it's fair on the surface," Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said.

But, about that young-old thing ... it's one thing with the Rams, who have 33-year-old head coach Sean McVay and 71-year-old DC Wade Phillips. Kliff Kingsbury turns 40 this year. Joseph is only 46. Heck, Joseph was just one of the wunderkind young head coach hires when the Broncos tabbed him in 2017. Now he's the old guy?

"It's a little strange," Joseph said with a smile. "But it's been 15, 16 years in the league (for Joseph). I am getting a little older. A little wiser.

"You learn to relax and not sweat the small stuff. I told Kliff, 'Don't sweat the small stuff.' Certain things will happen you can't control. Coach the team, and ultimately, the players are his only concern. Don't worry about the noise outside the building. Just deal with the players."

Coincidentally, Joseph is from the Phillips defensive coaching tree, and all of Joseph's work over the years in the 3-4 scheme came with or through Phillips.

Obviously, the Cardinals would love for the Kingsbury-Joseph marriage to yield similar results to McVay-Phillips.

"It's comparable, but it all comes down to one thing – winning," Joseph said. "If you win that way, then it is functional. If you don't win, no one hears the comparisons."