As we head into conference championship weekend, and coach hiring season continues, it's mailbag time. Notable that last night, Robert Saleh took the Titans coaching job, so he is out of the mix for the Cardinals. Nevertheless. Don't forget to send a question for a future mailbag with at least a first name and last initial.
From Neil Bowie:
"Do you think the Cardinals head coaching job will be the last one to go?"
I truly have no idea. It all depends on who they are zeroing in on. Are they chasing someone who has other options? Are they chasing someone still in the postseason? I don't think it's a given that they will be last of the six openings left (as of my typing this) but I am also one to say it doesn't matter. Get the right guy. (Yes, I know everyone likes to say something about that, but, still.) They have a lot of potential candidates still in the playoffs. That could matter greatly.
From Hank Schleedoorn:
"Hello Darren. Throughout the season watching games on TV, noticed injured players on the sidelines on road games. Is this part of the Collective Bargaining Agreement depending on the injury the player is required to travel? Management decision? The player's decision?"
The traveling party is up to each team -- it has nothing to do with the CBA. It often has to do with the level of the injury (and how easy it is to travel) but also how important it is to the team or the player. James Conner, for instance, traveled to many of the road games (once his injury let him) this season.
My all-time injured player-traveling anecdote came during the Super Bowl. Linebacker Clark Haggans was out for the season but (not surprisingly) made the trip to Tampa. (The Super Bowl is a little different of a game, I know. Still.) The night before the game, I was out at a establishment with my wife and a bunch of co-workers having adult beverages. It was packed with plenty of Steelers fans too. Haggans, who did not have curfew obviously, showed up, came over to say hi (and introduce himself to my wife) and, while having a good time himself, made sure to tell all the Steelers fans (once fans of his, given the chunk of his career spent in Pittsburgh) that it would be the Cardinals winning the next night. Alas.
From Matt Klein:
"Darren. Seeing Harbaugh go to the Giants isn't surprising, but coupling that news with some of the names Arizona is rumored to be interviewing is discouraging. Please assure us they are just doing due diligence."
Well, they are doing due diligence, but you would do that not only with this opportunity (and learn some things even if a candidate isn't hired) but also with the guys you do want to potentially hire, right? That's everyone hiring people. I can't tell people how to feel about certain candidates, but I have seen enough from social media and other places that fans can't even necessarily agree on who the "right" candidate should be. You don't know. I don't recall a ton of people being over the moon with Bruce Arians either.
We'll see what the ultimate hire is, and go from there.
From Donovan M:
"Hi Darren. Question about the new facility in North Phoenix/Scottsdale: Is there any news on when groundbreaking will happen? Are there any additional designs/concepts that have been made available? I really think this new building has the potential to be a milestone for the franchise when it comes to attracting free agents and keeping the existing players happy. Players already love living in the Valley, but having the place where they spend the majority of their time being a state-of-the-art complex should really elevate the perception of the team across the league. Maybe I'm dreaming, but 57 years of watching this franchise suffer is probably making me delusional."
No there have not been any additional designs released to the public and I don't know the groundbreaking timeline. The only timeline that has been announced is that it is to open in 2028. Obviously, the Cardinals are also hoping all the things you suggest. I would guess as official steps are taken in the process of designing and building there will be some public announcements.
From Ray Martin:
"Last week there were several comments on Cards QB situation. Kyler Murray is our QB that gives us the best chance to win now. Agree he made some poor plays for his experience level last season prior to getting hurt. I think it is best to give the new offense coordinator a chance to revive his play and save the cap hits. Also, how close are they to completing the new workout facility? Maybe this type of commitment will help lure an upper-tier new head coach and staff."
We will see on the quarterback situation but until there is a new coach, that is on the back burner. As for the facility, as I noted above, that isn't scheduled to be done until 2028. However, coming in now could allow the coach to have a hand in helping design it, so maybe that is a draw.
From Pat Horn:
"Hi Darren. If Vance Joseph has the answers to fix us, how come he didn't fix us when he was here? For those who say 'He wasn't head coach,' I would ask so what? When the end was drawing near, why did he not go to Michael Bidwill and Steve Keim and say 'I see these problems with the team, and these are the solutions.' It's a tough question, but it is a fair question."
Well I don't know how fair it is, and it does get frustrating when people make assumptions when they don't do research. Let's go back to when the "end was drawing near." At that point, Steve Keim was already away from the team on leave. Second, Joseph, still under contract when Kliff Kingsbury was let go, was interviewed by the team for the head coaching vacancy that eventually went to Gannon. I would be willing to bet that whole conversation was about "I see these problems and these are my solutions."
That's to say nothing about the fact the roster looks completely different right now, or the fact that, no matter how you want to look at in, he was not head coach and didn't have the power to do everything he wanted. Jonathan Gannon used to say the same thing; that there were things he saw as an assistant he wouldn't have done and wanted to be a head coach to do it his way.
From Mike Wallace:
"Now that Sean McDermott is available do the Cardinals plan on interviewing him? He the only proven winner out of all the coaches out there. Also what are you going to do Kyler Murray with what is owed? You're not going to trade him without eating some of that salary. Thanks. I'm a big Cards fan."
McDermott just was let go a few hours ago as of this writing and since the Cardinals aren't announcing interviews for their coaches, we'll have to see if any interest is reported. I am not high up enough on the food chain to be looped in to what Monti Ossenfort is thinking. As for Murray, as I noted earlier, I don't think his situation will be front of mind until the coaching job is settled.
From Veronica V:
"With many experienced former coaches currently seeking new opportunities, I wanted to ask what the organization's primary priorities are when evaluating candidates for the coaching position. Specifically, what qualities, experience, or leadership attributes are most important in their selection process? Thank you for your time and consideration. I appreciate any insight."
Unfortunately, they don't give me that information. I would guess it can shift from hiring to hiring, and what candidates might be out there. It's been a minute since the Cardinals hired a coach who had previous full-time head coaching experience (Dennis Green in 2004; Arians coached the back half of the 2012 Colts as head coach as a fill-in for the ill Chuck Pagano.) It also depends on the GM; my guess is that Monti Ossenfort's list is different than the one Keim had, for instance.
But you can guess some of the basics. You want a guy who can control the room, someone who can connect with players -- especially these days, when a lot of these players are already moving from team to team before they even get to the NFL. A guy who can build a quality coaching staff.
From Karen F:
"Been a fan of the Cardinals since 1988. Went to the Super Bowl in Tampa Bay. Had season tickets from 1990 to 2018. Mother got sick. Came back in 2022. I will always be Cardinals fan until I die."
Appreciate the note, Karen. I get the fans that are super-frustrated, the ones that are upset enough to wonder if they want to continue. But I know there are a lot of fans out there who are ride or die, and I know there are a ton of people in this organization that want to get the team to where the fans want it on the field.
From Ed A:
The recent Packers meltdown to the Bears brought back memories of the Dennis Green 'They are who we thought they were' game. Just curious, were you there for that press conference and if so what was it like in person?"
Oh, Ed, how nice of you to ask. I was indeed there, in the same seat I have sat in for every home game press conference since the stadium opened, a couple of feet from Denny slapping the lectern and hearing the whole rant. (I think I still might have the original recording on one of my devices but I can't get the dang thing to work.) The part I often think about? Denny did a few minutes of a presser completely calm and answering a bunch of questions. Why the question that set him off ended up setting him off? No idea.
But if you want to relieve the moment, we did produce an Emmy-winning video about the whole thing. Did I think the whole thing was gonna blow up the way it did? No. But I will say, it was before social media. I can only imagine if it happened in today's Twitter age.
