Watching Championship Sunday, I was confronted with a choice: I could either sit and complain about all the different ways the Arizona Cardinals organization falls short of the playoff teams in scheme, discipline and depth or I could offer solutions
I've already addressed my position on Kliff Kingsbury as Cardinals head coach here and here but watching the playoffs was yet another reminder of how far the Cardinals have fallen behind in terms of leadership.
With the decision to retain Kingsbury, Michael Bidwill has prioritized trying to prove he wasn't wrong over doing everything he can to win.
The good news is the 2021 head coach hiring cycle was really a best case scenario for the Arizona Cardinals. The bad news is we are going to have to wait at least 12 months before the franchise can reap the benefits.
So instead of offering the same recycled criticism of Coach Kliff, here is my solution: The 2022 Cardinals Head Coaching Hot Sheet!
These are all the coaches that are inexplicably not currently employed by a NFL team as head coach but Kliff Kingsbury is. Kingsbury might have a more impressive house than these coaches but thats literally the only place his resume outshines these coaches.
Without further ado, here is the 2022 Cardinals Head Coaching Hot Sheet!
1. Brian Daboll
- If Daboll looked like Kingsbury, he'd probably be an NFL Head Coach right now but because he looks like mall security guard, he's not. Daboll is largely credited for taming Josh "Wild Stallion" Allen into a show pony. He's served stints under Bill Belichick and Nick Saban before transforming the Bills offense. Most franchises tend to hire the opposite of the coach they fired, much how Kingsbury replaced Steve Wilks. While Daboll is an offensive mind, just like Kingsbury, he actually has a track record of success which is the opposite of Kliff. If Daboll was given an opportunity to work his offensive magic with Kyler Murray, the Cardinals might actually fulfill their massive offensive potential.
2. Todd Bowles
- Bowles is a known entity to the Cardinals organization after serving as Bruce Arians defensive coordinator from 2013-2014. He left to become head coach of the New York Jets where he somehow turned water into wine by winning 10 games in a single season. Bowles managed to win more games in the AFC East in one season with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback than Kliff Kingsbury won in the Big Twelve with Patrick Mahomes at QB. Bowles was eventually fired because the Jets are a tire fire inside of a dumptser fire before reuniting with Bruce Arians in Tampa. He's a leader of men and well versed in the world of the Bidwills, and eager to show he could win more games in Phoenix than Club Kliff.
3. Eric Bieniemy
- Bieniemy has been waiting his turn for a comically long time as the offensive coordinator for the most prolific offense in modern NFL history. While Kingsbury failed up to the Cardinals coaching top gig, Bieniemy has inexplicably succeeded down because of a perception that he's too intense. After two season of watching Kingsbury fail to discipline any player publicly, hold players accountable for mistakes and offering snack breaks during training camp, the concentrated dose of intensity that Bieniemy brings to the table sounds like just what the franchise needs. Bieniemy would be more drill instructor than Peloton instructor, which is exactly what this team needs.
4. Matt Eberflus
- The dream ticket of Ed Dodds/Matt Eberflus remains alive after both the Colts assistant GM and defensive coordinator respectively stuck around Indy despite heavy interest from around the league. While Frank Reich has reaped most of the public credit for the Colts success recently, Dodds knack for helping identify key talent in the draft combined with Eberflus's ability to coach them into NFL contributors has put the franchise knocking on the door of AFC dominance. Dodds/Eberflus 2022!