Tag: Kliff Kingsbury

Kliff Kingsbury could return in 2023…unless he resigns

There is a path to his return but people close to Kingsbury wonder if he will just walk away from the final five years of his contract.

The future of the Arizona Cardinals is very much in the air. General manager Steve Keim is on a health-related leave of absence from which he might not return. That clouds the future of head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who is leading a 4-10 Cardinals team, one that was expected to be playoff and perhaps title contenders in 2022.

While cleaning house could be in the team’s future, according to an ESPN report from Jeremy Fowler and Josh Weinfuss, firing Kingsbury is not a foregone conclusion.

Per the report, “multiple team sources see a path where Bidwill gives Kingsbury another year, due in part to injuries ravaging the roster and a personnel department in flux.”

That would make some sense. It would allow Kingsbury to try and get out of the mess that was this year’s team, put together by Keim. That would require a somewhat quick decision about the future at general manager — whether Keim returns or whether he is replaced internally or externally.

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But retaining or firing Kingsbury might not be the only possibility.

The situation with the team has people close to Kingsbury wondering if the head coach would just walk away.

Kingsbury is described as “miserable” this season.

“Maybe Kliff will just resign,” a source close to Kingsbury speculated, “tired of the B.S.”

His relationships with Keim, owner Michael Bidwill and quarterback Kyler Murray have soured to some extent this season.

He has five years remaining on his contract. That would be a lot of money to walk away from.

If he were to do that, it would show just how bad things are as an organization.

There is almost no way for the organization to look bad following this season.

If Kingbury walks away, it looks bad. If he is fired less than a year after getting a five-year extension, the team looks foolish. If he is retained, people won’t be happy.

It is just the state of the Cardinals at the end of 2022.

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Steve Keim’s presence in team facility decreased in 2022

An ESPN report details how Steve Keim and Kliff Kingsbury have not been able to “coalesce” about personnel this season,

Everything around the Arizona Cardinals seems to be a mess. General manager Steve Keim is on a health-related leave of absence that he might return from. Coach Kliff Kingsbury’s future is known. They are 4-10 and have suffered injury after injury.

They have had two coaches leave the staff with off-field situations.

Even before Keim’s leave of absence, things changed with him.

According to a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler and Josh Weinfuss, Keim was not seen as often in the building as previous seasons.

Whatever the circumstances, multiple sources said Keim had far less of a presence in the building in 2022 than in years past, making it challenging for the head coach and general manager to coalesce on personnel matters.

It appeared in previous seasons, Keim and Kingsbury had a great working relationship. They would meet regularly. If this report is accurate, it would be difficult to see things working well.

Keim is believed to have full control of the roster and who is on it.

Keim’s future is in doubt. So is Kingsbury’s. But with the report of Keim’s situation being one that had been ongoing over the last several weeks and months, it makes sense to hear that he wasn’t around the building as much, whether it is related to his health or things that affect his health.

For things to get better moving forward, whether that includes Kime or Kingsbury, being present will be a necessity.

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Kliff Kingsbury wanted to fire Sean Kugler before Mexico allegations

Kingsbury reduced Kugler’s role in offensive game planning prior to what happened in Mexico City leading to his firing.

The Arizona Cardinals dismissed offensive line coach and run-game coordinator Sean Kugler the morning before they played the San Francisco 49ers in Mexico City. He allegedly groped a woman.

Kugler is disputing the allegations and seeking arbitration for his termination.

However, according to a report by ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss and Jeremy Fowler, Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury wanted to fire him well before the events in Mexico.

Kugler suddenly lost opportunities to contribute to offensive planning meetings months ago, according to a source close to Kugler, but the belief from multiple Cardinals sources was that Bidwill didn’t want to pay Kugler’s contract buyout.

Kugler’s role has increased since his start on the coaching staff. Kingsbury gave him a lot of input in the running game and he was given a promotion this year to hold the title of run-game coordinator.

It would appear that there has been more conflict and unhappiness within the organization than has been let on.

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A look at notable names on the Mike Leach coaching tree

How many can you name?

Just a week ago the football world lost a great influencer of the game. Mike Leach was gone far too soon but the impact he had will never be forgotten. Many Oklahoma fans remember him for that 1999 season, and who could forget the playsheet trick in the Red River Rivalry game?

From high school to the NFL, you can see parts of the Air Raid System being installed. If you loved passing offense, Mike Leach was the man for you. Even his running game had elements of the passing offense. His teams put up points and yards in flourishes.

At Texas Tech from 2002-2009, Leach’s offense ranked among the top 15 in points per game every single season. With Graham Harrell as the quarterback, it reached its peak at 43.8 that season, which was No. 3 in FBS. Twice at Washington State, it was among the top 15 scoring offenses.

Beyond the scoring, he perfected the Air Raid and others have taken concepts and added them to their offenses. Leach left his mark on the game and now his disciples will carry it forward.

I put together a list of the most notable assistants to become head coaches and high-level assistants. From the 2000 Texas Tech team alone, there were a total of nine players and assistants who would move on to become head coach.

NFL fans crushed Kliff Kingsbury for not having won a coach’s challenge since 2019

Kliff Kingsbury threw his first challenge flag of the SEASON in Week 14. How is that even possible?!

The Arizona Cardinals’ disaster of a season continued Monday night with a 27-13 loss at home to Mac Jones and the Patriots’ awful offense.

Kyler Murray left the game after suffering a bad knee injury on the team’s first drive of the night and it looks like he’s going to be out for quite some time.

Later in the game we learned something pretty wild about Kliff Kingsbury, whose time with the team could/should be coming to an end soon, and his horrible record with coach’s challenges. Well, also his stunning inability to even challenge a call.

I say this because last night he challenged a call for the first time all season. In Week 14! How is the even possible? He lost the challenge, which wasn’t a surprise because he hasn’t won a challenge since 2019.

2019!

That’s all just bad.

NFL fans ripped him.

PODCAST: Sean Payton watch, good and bad from loss to Chargers. more

Listen to the latest edition of the podcast!

The latest edition of the podcast is live! Revenge of the Birds’ Seth Cox and I react to the Arizona Cardinals’ loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and give our top three good and bad things from the game.

We talk about Sean Payton and the rumors surrounding the Cardinals’ coaching situation.

We talk about the Cardinals’ bye week plans and then go over Kliff Kingsbury’s job security.

Enjoy the show!

Enjoy the show with the embedded player above or by subscribing to the show on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or your favorite podcast platform, so you never miss a show. Make sure as well to give it a five-star rating!

Below are the approximate timestamps of the topics we discussed.

(1:00) Reactions to the loss, 3 good things

(17:31) 3 bad things in the loss

(29:26) Sean Payton watch

(41:10) Plans for the bye week

(47:46) Kliff Kingsbury’s job security

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Patrick Peterson takes a shot at Kyler Murray on his podcast

Peterson didn’t mince words about his feelings on his former teammate

Camaraderie is one of the most important things in football. It drives team chemistry and can make or break a season.

For the Minnesota Vikings, the team camaraderie has made this season feel special. The team has embraced each other, most importantly the starting quarterback Kirk Cousins. His personality didn’t click with the former regime but it’s the catalyst of what makes this team click, including the persona Kirko Chains.

Vikings cornerback Patrick Peterson knows all about how this team is clicking and what chemistry can mean to a team. When things aren’t clicking, they can be massively detrimental to your team’s success.

In talking about his former team the Arizona Cardinals on his podcast called All Things Covered, Peterson took a shot at his former quarterback Kyler Murray, saying that he only cares about himself.

The conversation starts with both Peterson and his co-host Bryant McFadden talking about how Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury would be the scapegoat and it devolved into what Peterson said about Murray and how he was more at fault.

On Twitter, Kyler responded in kind and didn’t mince his words.

Murray makes a good point here, but we also don’t know the fallout or the background that the two individuals have.

K1 vs. P2 wasn’t the feud we expected tonight, but it’s likely we see more smoke before the fire gets put out.

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Sean Payton already has a past connection with the Cardinals

Sean Payton revealed Monday he used to work for the Cardinals organization amidst rumors that he may coach the team in the near future.

The Arizona Cardinals and former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton are continuing to find themselves paired with one another on social media.

Last week, it was reported that Payton had his sights set on the Arizona Cardinals and Los Angeles Chargers, should either job become available.

The Cardinals are in the midst of a miserable season and coaching staff changes could be in the team’s future next month unless they show a drastic turnaround.

The four-win season to this point has led to speculation about Payton possibly coming to the Cardinals prior to these reports of his interest. On Monday, the Payton to Arizona momentum continued to build.

He joined Colin Cowherd’s The Herd on Monday to talk about the NFL weekend and began discussing the recent Cardinals-Chargers game. Payton mentioned he used to be a ball boy for the team when the team was with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Payton mentioned that he continued with the organization for a bit and became more involved during the days of Neil Lomax. He appeared to be very familiar with the Bidwill family.

“I think I know that family well enough,” Payton said of the Bidwill family.

It’s also worth noting that while he was very critical of other teams, he was non-committal when Cowherd asked negative questions about the Cardinals. He deferred to other teams’ struggles in the segment and did not say anything negative about the team on national radio.

Perhaps that’s reading too much into it, but there appears to be a connection between Payton and the Cardinals. There are many steps that need to happen for that pairing to become a reality, but it appears to be trending in the right direction.

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Cardinals’ loss to Chargers helps in potential pursuit of Sean Payton

If the Chargers keep winning and retain Brandon Staley, there is one less competitor for the Cardinals if they pursue Sean Payton.

While many had jokingly deemed Week 12’s Cardinals-Chargers matchup to be the Sean Payton Bowl, there may be a great deal of truth to that statement.

Earlier in the week, an ESPN report surfaced that the two teams Payton had his eyes on were the Chargers and Cardinals, mostly due to their stability at the quarterback position, unlike the other openings in the league.

Had the Chargers lost their game, it may have spelled doom for current head coach Brandon Staley, who has been the subject of much criticism in recent weeks. Instead, he made a gusty call to go for the win and it worked on a two-point conversion to Gerald Everett.

Los Angeles now has a potential path to a postseason birth, which would likely mean Staley is retained. That is a big domino for the Cardinals should they opt to fire Kliff Kingsbury and pursue Payton.

The other remaining job openings are the Colts, Panthers and perhaps the Broncos. While Denver does present the opportunity to coach Russell Wilson, that is far from the appeal it once had.

If the Cardinals end up pursuing Payton and the Chargers are not in the market for a new head coach, they have a very attractive offense for the mastermind behind a decade of offensive success in New Orleans.

The Cardinals can offer Payton a starting lineup of Kyler Murray, DeAndre Hopkins, Hollywood Brown and Zach Ertz, which is far better than anything the other job openings have to offer.

That changes if the Chargers are in the coaching mix, as they also have a dynamic offense. Should the Cardinals be in the Payton market, let’s hope the Chargers are not in it as well.

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NFL Fireable Coach Rankings: Nathaniel Hackett, your offense, woof

The Broncos can’t sit idly by and let this virus infect their 2023 season. Can they?

Week 12 marked the two-thirds mark of the 2022 NFL regular season. That means struggling head coaches have six weeks to fix their teams before Black Monday comes for their jobs.

This season has already forced two coaches out of their offices. Matt Rhule, saddled with some of the league’s worst quarterbacks, wasn’t able to make the Carolina Panthers anything better than terrible and was dismissed. Frank Reich, who was much better at his job despite being stuck with retread veteran passers most of his Indianapolis Colts career, was let go weeks later and replaced by a former offensive lineman with a limited grasp on how timeouts work.

Those two were the first. They won’t be the last. 2022 has more candidates waiting to have their job titles ripped away, with only millions of dollars in yet-to-be-paid contract money to comfort them.

Brandon Staley, thanks to a game-winning two-point conversion vs. the Cardinals that kept his Chargers above .500, avoids the list this time around but remains in consideration. Kevin Stefanski could wind up on this list if his Deshaun Watson-led Browns remain as unimposing as they did in the 11 games Watson missed following more than 20 accusations of sexual misconduct and what the NFL described as “predatory behavior.” Texans coach Lovie Smith is in the conversation as well, though no one knows what the hell Houston is up to right now other than purposefully losing games.

These are the five coaches who are feeling the heat as the 2022 season rolls toward its conclusion.