Somewhat of a firestorm was ignited on social media Monday when 18 words in a 167-word answer to a question by head coach Jonathan Gannon were taken totally out of context.
Those 18 words were: “I understand how a lot of people think, but when you’re in our seat, the joy is competition.”
It’s difficult to fathom that many commenters actually believe Gannon wasn’t upset or disappointed by the last four losses that eliminated the Cardinals from the playoffs, and that he was sending the wrong message.
Of course, that can happen when the focus is on one sentence rather than the remainder of what he said.
Context is always important, as is what the question was that he answered.
But first, let’s go back to what he said shortly after the loss to the Panthers, knowing there were still two games remaining on the schedule that provide the team the chance to finish the season with a winning record.
Asked about his emotions after knowing there won’t be any postseason games, Gannon said, “Well, that’s kind of an external factor to me. The emotion will be, we got to make sure we put our big-boy pads on on Tuesday and rebound and do enough to try to win the game next week. I know they’re down. I know that’s real.
“Ultimately when you reflect on it, we haven’t done enough. And it starts with me. We win together, we lose together, everyone had their hand in how this season went and why we are where we are and it starts with me.”
Then asked how hard it is to have the feeling that he didn’t do enough, Gannon responded, “It’s hard. It’s a learning process. We got to take a good hard look in the mirror and improve and get better.”
Now, we fast forward to the next day, when he had the same energy as he had the entire season (win or lose), walking into the press conference room and saying to the media, “Happy Monday.”
It might not have been truly happy, but Gannon always says “one day at time,” and deftly moves from one day to the next.
After being asked about the status of running back James Conner, how he’s mindful of everyone’s health as the season winds down and playing young players, the fourth question centered around his thoughts of having to play two games despite being eliminated from the playoffs.
It’s obvious that the question and what he said in its entirety puts into true context what Gannon’s message was.
He answered, “Great. I love that we’re going to go play two games. You have two more opportunities. It’s obviously not the outcome we wanted. We’re not going to be playing in mid-January, but I’m excited for these two opportunities. One on the road versus a playoff team, and then a team that’s been winning our division for a long time. I understand how a lot of people think, but when you’re in our seat, the joy is competition.
“Last year, we weren’t playing for anything. We made a lot of hay and got a lot better and we did a lot of good things last year that I thought that we built on and followed us a little bit into this year. They’re learning opportunities for us, and we’re going to go play a really good team and I’m excited about it. The competitor in me can’t wait to play on Saturday. I wish it was here, but you have to go through the process.”
The process of the season and of building a roster is significant to Gannon and general manager Monti Ossenfort. The reality is that any reasonable person knew this was a work in progress and that the roster is one of the youngest in the NFL.
However, everyone exited reality when a four-game winning streak fueled by two last-second field goals followed by wins over two 4-11 teams (Bears and Jets) got the Cardinals to 6-4 and first place in the division.
What the next five games have shown as well as many before that is that there’s much work still to be done, which wasn’t exactly a secret when the season opened. Still, the Cardinals are currently one of only five teams in the NFL that have won three more games this season than in 2023. Five playoff teams from last season have currently won at least three fewer games than they did in 2023. That shows how difficult it is to win in the NFL.
Most important, Budda Baker and Conner re-signed because they believe things are going in the right direction under Gannon’s leadership.
That’s more important than anything said to the media, even when the broader context is lost amid the incessant outside noise.
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