So ...

Short week. Thank goodness. A quick turnaround is needed for everyone, methinks. Yes, I have gotten a ton of questions for this week's mailbag. I hear all of you. For brevity's sake, not all will appear, since most of them have to do with either the offensive playcalling or the wide receivers in some way shape or form. (Quick aside: Vent all you want, I understand. But if you get personal or, frankly, out of bounds with comments, you know it's not making it to print.) I will address those topics because again, many of them are about the same subject.

It makes for an incredibly huge game Thursday at home against Seattle. Questions have been edited for length and clarity. Don't forget to send a question for a future mailbag with at least a first name and last initial.

From Dhruvraj Parmar:

"This one felt like it was on the offense to lose it. The defense held them to 13 points up until the last five seconds. With Connor out there's an opportunity for non-TE WR/RB to step up and carry offense. Do we look outside for help? Should Monti Ossenfort sign someone or do players think there's enough talent and confidence inside the locker room to step up? How does this team ultimately step up to the Rams and Eagles of the NFC?"

These are good questions. I'm not going to rule out signing someone -- maybe a receiver -- although I am guessing it will be Michael Carter brought from the practice squad to fill Conner's spot. Whomever it is that you might sign at this point, there will be minimal impact. You're not finding Larry Fitzgerald on the street. Guys are on the street right now in part because they aren't that guy. The Cardinals said for two straight games they had to get what ails them fixed or it was going to bite them. It bit, and it bit hard, on Sunday.

From Andrew M:

"Happy Groundhog Day, Darren! I once had a cat who was an amazing huntress. If she was hungry, the prey was made quick to order with a bite to the neck. If not hungry, the proverbial cat and mouse was played and the other animal often got away, to her dismay. I think most Cardinals fans see what could become a dominant defense, and for the third week in a row, that defense played its heart out most of the game and then were less than aggressive at the end of the game. We know JG is a mostly conservative coach and a stand-up guy, but there is at least one fan who who like to see his team 'ball out' at the end of games."

I can't believe you didn't mention your cat's name. For some reason, that's bugging me. But I always enjoy anecdotes to get into the question portion of the question. I understand what you are saying. But after going back and looking, the Cardinals did blitz a couple of times on that drive and the biggest killer -- the McCaffrey screen -- was just a perfect playcall against that defense, leaving Akeem Davis-Gaither on an island against CMC with a couple of blockers free to run him over. If you blitz every time, there is a price for that too.

From Harrison S:

"Another embarrassing finish with play calling that's way too conservative. The offense has looked underwhelming for over a year. When will it change?"

From Sebas Quiros:

"Darren, last week you answered saying it was crazy talk wanting to change the offensive coordinator. The two games we won this season were because of our defense. If this keeps going we are not reaching the playoffs at all. Thanks for the space to question and vent a little."

From Matthew C:

"I don't want to hear 'if we did one or two things differently we would've won' like the field goal. This was a bad 49ers team without Purdy, Kittle, Bosa, Aiyuk, and more. The problem is the offense, and if it's not good enough to beat even San Fran, so how will we ever beat genuinely good teams?"

So, yes, this is a small sample of what flooded the inbox. And that doesn't count what has flooded both my Twitter and Blue Sky timelines. No, this offense won't be good enough to get this team to the postseason. I will say there is no one over in the football building that doesn't understand that. There is nothing I am going to say to influence those out there; everyone is going to have their opinion and the frustration from the fan base is warranted given the three game results.

Here is what I have said about many coaches over many years: The head coach is going to do what they think is right. They have gotten to this point in their career because of a belief system, whatever it is, and yes, results will influence the thinking. Rarely is a coach going to preach about blocking out the noise but then make decisions based on the noise.

The Cardinals have to be better on offense. Gannon -- and Drew Petzing for that matter -- have said that repeatedly. How they get there is something they have to figure out. If you are waiting for Gannon to publicly proclaim problems, other than to say everyone has to be better and that it "starts with me," you're going to be waiting forever.

I'll leave with this on the subject. First, for those who did not see it Sunday, this is Gannon's quote postgame when he was asked directly if he had any thoughts on the offensive playcalling. "I have no problems with the offensive playcalling. I never will. I know exactly what we are calling. So if you've got a problem with that, you should look to me."

Then, Monday, this is what he said on Arizona Sports: "I thought the best game that (Petzing) called was this one. ... How we deem that is when we're looking, when we're calling (down the field) shots, what kind of coverages are we calling shots versus when we're calling runs what kind of coverage structures are we getting? What are they doing? Are we alternating? Is it known pass? Is it known run? What are we doing on third down? Where are our plays at? I am very pleased with all of that. I think we definitely need to coach our guys up a little bit better, and I think we need to execute fundamental things that go into making a play work better."

From Dale Hatfield:

"Thanks for the weekly mailbag. It's good to get an inside perspective. Two and one is an acceptable record. The quality of the offense, not so much. When I look at the first three games of the season, one set of numbers stands out to me; six, five, and six. Those are the number of targets Marvin Harrison has had during those three weeks. Get the guy the damn ball!"

From Jason Martin:

"Could the offensive pass game be shaken up if Marvin is demoted to WR3 and Michael Wilson or Zay Jones take over as WR1? That might take pressure off Marvin, and get him out of his head?"

From Marshall Meade:

"There's an elephant in the room regarding Marvin's struggles, and I'm curious if everyone is afraid to say it out loud: the Yips. It doesn't only affect baseball players. By definition it is 'the sudden, inexplicable loss of fine motor skills in sports.' That is an actual health condition, which needs treatment, not simple coaching."

Marvin Harrison Jr.'s game/situation was the second-most queried subject. What's funny is that these three examples are all over the place. I'll try to address all of this. I don't know if MHJ would be dealing with "yips" but I can promise you that Gannon has always been heavy into mental health, and if that would indeed be something -- and I am not saying it is -- I think every player has support in the building.

I don't think any demotion helps. I don't know if Wilson or Jones serves you as WR1 either (and against the Seahawks, you might not have Jones anyway because of a concussion). I don't think pressure goes down with such a move; I'd think it'd get worse.

That brings us to targets. Totally understand the idea that Harrison needs targets. But then Harrison has to make the plays when they do come to him. I don't see, with this offense right now, a time when Harrison is getting 12 targets a game. Perhaps that changes. But Trey McBride right now is at a higher level.

From Ian McMechan:

"Hello from the UK. Is Calais Campbell in some ways an even better player now than he was during his first stint with the club, given his extensive wisdom and experience? Also, does he have any plans to pursue a coaching career - he would seem well-suited to it? Thanks."

Calais is playing excellent. But if you go back to 2016, his final season in Arizona, he was a Pro Bowl-type guy who was one of the best in the league. I think CC is doing exactly what he said -- he can't play more than 30 or 35 snaps, but he can be dominant in that smaller amount of work. He's been excellent. As for coaching, I don't see it. He's made a ton of money, he has small kids at home, and I think when he wraps it up he'll be ready to be a dad. (But I agree. He'd make a good coach.)

From Clark Kiral:

"How does a game like that not shake your confidence as a player, reporter for the team, or fan? The 49ers were starting a backup QB. Their best defensive player went out in the first quarter. We won the turnover margin. And we lost. That's the weakest SF will ever be and we lost. I have zero faith we will beat Seattle, and truth be told Darren, I'm suddenly worried about how many games we win this year"

I have said a version of this over the years many times, Clark, but what you worry about is a personal decision. I understand, but I'm also very much week to week this time of year. I'm not quite day to day like the players and coaches, but I'm certainly not thinking, of say, what might happen in Houston in a month or two. I also think the confidence is from different perspectives if you are player vs a team reporter vs a fan. The fan has a lot of emotion tied into this, and emotion that lingers longer than players (necessarily) or for a reporter (who is here to do a job and say what happened regardless of result.)

Here's the good part. You are allowed to have zero faith, and it ultimately doesn't impact the outcome. I don't mean that derogatorily; the same goes for a fan who guarantees a win. The Cardinals will still get a chance to play the game, and you and everyone will see where the emotion lies after Week 4.

From Steve Cotto:

"You're surely getting 400 messages about Drew Petzing and the wide receivers, deservedly so. But we said in the offseason we were worried about the wide receivers and asked if the front office was going to get reinforcements. We were told they trust this WR group. Well, well, well, how the turntables. Never tell the fans they are irrational and complain too much. We know what we're talking about."

Wait. Let's say in this case there is a need for another receiver. That broadly says the fans are never irrational or complain too much? Please come do this job over a couple of years and tell me you still believe that (you won't). Over the years I've been told the Cardinals should bench Carson Palmer for Drew Stanton, heard the fans boo Kurt Warner off the field, or have had coaches compared to terrorists. So ...

OK, with that out of the way, yes, Monti Ossenfort (and the coaches, by the way) trusted this wide receiver corps. Let's back up for a moment. Are you claiming that the people who said the Cardinals needed a receiver believed MHJ would be struggling after three weeks? I do not believe you are. If MHJ was playing as expected, I don't think this is a topic.

But I don't blame people who feel this way. We'll have to agree to disagree.

(Also, I still believe the offense's first issue is the run game regressing. I think if the run game was still performing as it had in 2023 and 2024, this also wouldn't be nearly as big of an issue. I too feel confident I know what I'm talking about.)

From Matthew Stroh:

"Hey Darren. I'm trying not to overreact because it's just after the game and there's been a lot of crazy games every year. I think we need to start trying to pass to open up the run more. I know we used to run to open the pass but now that every other defense is shutting down our running lanes, we need to then be very successful with the pass to reopen the run. Does that make sense?"

I think there is a lot to go to that they go hand in hand. Yes, I could see them leaning more on the pass. But there has to be some plays down the field for that to happen. They've built their offense on the run-first. I just don't see why it has gotten sideways because teams knew the Cardinals were going to run all year last year and they made it work.

From Justin S:

"It is assumed at the beginning of a season that it is hard to watch tape on an opponent and prepare for certain plays either because of new players or coaches, which I think makes the beginning of the season kind of difficult to predict. That being said, after how many weeks of games being played do you feel there is enough game film to have a solid gameplan for predicting your opponent? Thanks for the mailbag!"

If the opposing coaches are doing their jobs, you're never going to truly predict your opponent. But if the coaching staff is stable from the year before, I don't see why you wouldn't be in decent shape with two games of video. If the staff is new, probably double that.

From Pablo L:

"Hi Darren. I am really glad that this Carolina game is over with. Every time this matchup appears on schedule, I cringe. What's to like about it? Carolina just has our number. It doesn't matter wither they're good or bad and vice versa. We all know the history. I also cringe at the team's victory this past week. Oh well, I know better wins will come. Can a Cards fan be picky? Anywho, please NFL, give me (us) a break from this matchup. Who have we played the least? Maybe give us somebody else for a few years. Darren, Thanks for your work in keeping us Cards fans informed."

Using 1988, when the Cardinals moved to Arizona, as the starting point, the Cardinals have played the Jets, Bills and Ravens just eight times. They have played the Jaguars and Texans just six times although a) both those teams are on the schedule this year and b) they both came into the league after 1988.

I do want to note, the Cardinals play a road game at the NFC South team with which the Cards finish in the same spot in the division this season. So a trip to Carolina is possible in 2026. Just sayin'.

From Jamie Fitch:

"Are you doing the Cardinals Climb, Darren? I am, really excited. I also did the Spartan Race there a few years ago and its really neat getting to explore the bowels of the stadium. I hope they do things like this more often, especially when its a good cause."

I do plan on doing the Climb, and I hope many of you out there will do the same. Sooner rather than later I expect to have a donation page for the Climb active, and when I put out the link, I hope there are a few people willing to chip in if they want.

From Garth Short:

"In the last 10 years, do we know our success rate on recovering/losing onside kicks?"

According to Trumedia, since 2015, the Cardinals have tried 31 onside kicks and have recovered three. Cardinals opponents are 3 for 28 in the same time frame.

From Mark Agosta:

"Why are we not signing free agent corners?"

Because they don't feel they need anyone, and no one out there is going to serve as an upgrade over who they already can use on the roster. Simple as that. Will Johnson will be back sooner than later, and Max Melton missed one snap.

From R.J. R:

"Why do the Arizona Cardinals have an unique contract obligation compared to other teams that makes them not to mix and match their jersey and pants colors?"

I appreciate the sarcasm, RJ, truly I do. For now, I do not anticipate any of the higher-ups deciding to mix and match; the uniforms were not necessarily designed to do so (given the pants having stripes/no stripes, etc.) I know that frustrates some. But that's the situation.

From Nancy M:

"Is Larry Fitzgerald coming back as a coach?"

A CEO, maybe. Perhaps a minority owner. But no, not a coach.

From Caitlyn K:

"Hey Darren, love the content. This is random, but I've been hoping to get a glimpse into your work life offline. If you could rank your four closest-proximity coworkers from across the aisle, who would be your favorite and least favorite? Feel free to elaborate with reasonings. Keep up the great work!"

An incredibly specific ask here, Caitlyn. It is Caitlyn, correct? I choose not to rank people in such a way; it feels somewhat dehumanizing. But really, they are all lovely people and I cherish each day I get to work beside them. As far as they know.