The Cardinals keep trying to avoid the truth of their season and their organization.
And the truth is, no matter how unpleasant, that Steve Keim and Kliff Kingsbury need to be fired.
Actually, the truth is both probably needed to be fired two years ago but it's even more true now.
The problem is that the Cardinals have been almost as adept at avoiding the truth as they have been avoiding playoff success over the last decade.
Under Steve Keim, this franchise has one playoff win in a decade. Under Kliff Kingsbury, this team has lost every meaningful game they have played in the last two seasons, including going 3-10 over the last two years down the stretch.
The Cardinals we are currently watching are the cumulative result of ignoring the truth for the last four plus seasons.
Do we really think Robbie Anderson, who is a talent upgrade to be sure, is going to fix Kliff Kingsbury’s fatally flawed offensive scheme?
Is DeAndre Hopkins? Does it matter who is on the field if Kingsbury keeps running a predictable, underwhelming offense that works more to make the coach feel comfortable but not the quarterback?
Kyler Murray has regressed. He currently ranks 24th in passer rating, just ahead of Davis Mills, Mitch Trubisky and Cooper Rush. He’s last in yards per pass attempt. His longest completed pass this year is 32 yards, the worst for any QB who has started more than four games this season.
In Year 4, is Kyler Murray saveable? If a new head coach is considering the Cardinals, is Kyler Murray a net positive or a net negative?
To recap, the Cardinals drafted Murray, stuck him with an unqualified NFL head coach for four seasons, signed him to a massive long term contract but initially included language that embarrassed him and now hope Kyler can pull enough rabbits out of his hat to save them.
There are only so many ways you can ask a magician to perform magic before you break their spirit and Kyler Murray looks like a broken quarterback.
We are past the point of Kliff giving tough love to Kyler, right now Kyler looks like he just needs a hug.
In order to make the playoffs this year, the Cardinals will need to win at least 7 of their final 11 games. Good luck.
The truth is the Cardinals are currently an organization built on unfounded arrogance, cronyism and denial.
An owner who values relationships over results. A general manager who knows he will not be held accountable. And a head coach who knows his cosplaying act is just that. An organization that ignored their failure last season and inexplicably rewarded Keim and Kingsbury with lucrative contract extensions.
No one is leading this team. Everyone is hiding from the truth hoping to have their mistakes blamed on someone else and for the gravy train to keep rolling.
Players know. Other teams know. Some fans know.
The truth is tricky. You can avoid it for awhile but it will find you. The truth is undefeated in games of hide and seek.
Here’s something else about the truth: it can set you free.
And the truth is firing Kliff Kingsbury and Steve Keim is the only hope this franchise has right now.