It is Thanksgiving, a day typically filled with family, food and football. It is a time in which to give thanks.
Touchdown Wire’s Mark Schofield wrote about one person for whom every NFL team should be thankful. According to him, the Cardinals shouldn’t be most thankful for quarterback Kyler Murray, head coach Kliff Kingsbury, receiver DeAndre Hopkins or even general manager Steve Keim.
They should be thankful for the man who allowed them to acquire Hopkins — the now former Houston Texans head coach and general manager Bill O’Brien.
Yes, it is going to be that kind of list.
After all, while there are many reasons why the Arizona Cardinals are a playoff contender (the development of Kyler Murray, their defensive creativity under Vance Joseph, the wrecking ball that is Budda Baker) perhaps the biggest is DeAndre Hopkins. Since joining the Cardinals he has been a favorite target of Murray’s in the passing game, and after 10 games he has caught 72 passes on 96 targets for 912 yards. All of those are team-high numbers. He also has four touchdown catches.
And none of this would have been possible if O’Brien had not traded him to the Cardinals before the draft.
So yes, Arizona fans, there are reasons to be thankful, such as Murray, Joseph, Hopkins himself and even the emergence in recent weeks of Isaiah Simmons. But count your blessings this holiday week for O’Brien, who is perhaps the founder of the feast.
Yes, this does sound flippant or snarky. However, the Cardinals were able to acquire a big-time player, a legitimate star in the league who has a national following, for a player whose contract the team was desperate to move.
They have a franchise quarterback. They have a star for him to throw the ball to. The team seems bound for the postseason.
It is good to be a Cardinals fan this Thanksgiving.
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