Tag: Kliff Kinsgbury

Cardinals believe giving Isaiah Simmons 1 main position will unlock his potential

“We just think the sky could be the limit for what he can be if we really lock him into one position for a majority of the time.”

When the Arizona Cardinals drafted Isaiah Simmons with the eighth overall pick of the draft last month, his versatility was universally applauded. He played so many snaps at different positions and played at a high level.

The Cardinals believe giving him one main positional focus will allow him to develop into a potentially limitless player.

One thing that impressed the team and the coaches was his mental acuity and ability to learn game plans for multiple positions.

“That was definitely a big part of the fascination with him, his ability to learn all those different positions and execute them in college at a high level.”

He played safety, cornerback, slot cornerback, linebacker and on the edge.

The Cardinals don’t necessarily want him to play multiple positions. They want to use him in a number of ways but put him at one position to learn well.

“Our thought process is if he is able to really focus on one position, having the flexibility to still move around but really focus on one, what does that look like,” Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury said in a video conference with the media this week. “The sky really be the limit and that’s why we’re so excited.”

They believe that giving him only one position will allow him to grow more as a player.

“His ability to play so many positions and not really having a chance focus on one, we just think the sky could be the limit for what he can be if we really lock him into one position for a majority of the time,” he said.

That could be critical to his performance as a rookie with an offseason that will have limited on-field reps because of the coronavirus pandemic.

It makes sense to have him learn just the linebacker concepts but then give him specific assignments from week to week. That way, he is in one set of positional meetings. His versatility allows him to do safety things or pass rusher things, but he will do them within the context of being an inside linebacker.

The Cardinals are not limiting his use. They just want to limit how many positions he has to know.

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Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 266

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Ep.265

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Kliff Kingsbury: Browns ‘as dominant as any team in the league’

“You always prepare for their high end, and when they’re playing like that, they’re as talented and as good as anybody in the league.”

The Arizona Cardinals are preparing to play the 6-7 Cleveland Browns this weekend in their home finale. Cleveland has been an inconsistent team this year but they are not a team the Cardinals should overlook.

Some suggest that with the high variance in the quality of play of the Browns, they would be difficult to scout and prepare for.

Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury doesn’t see it that way. He sees a very talented team who has a pair of wins that are as good as any win by any team in the league.

“It’s not difficult to scout, simply because you can show your team those two big wins that they had,” he told reporters on Wednesday. ‘They looked as dominant as any team in the league when you’re talking about the Baltimore and Buffalo games. You point to those and say, ‘This is what they can be, so we better prepare for that.’ I wouldn’t say it’s difficult. You always prepare for their high end, and when they’re playing like that, they’re as talented and as good as anybody in the league.”

Two of the Browns’ wins this season are over two of the best teams in the AFC.

They absolutely overwhelmed the Baltimore Ravens, beating them 40-25 in Week 4 and then also beat the Buffalo Bills last month 19-16.

Cleveland is a team with a high ceiling. They have talent on both sides of the ball and had high expectations entering the year. They have underachieved at 6-7, although they still have a chance at a winning season, something the Browns haven’t had since 2007.

A Cardinals win would end that possibility.

At 3-9-1, the Cardinals can’t exactly overlook anyone. They are capable of beating the Browns but this weekend they face an opponent who is just as likely to blow them out as they are to lose in the Cardinals’ home finale.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

Ep. 251:

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Ep. 250:

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Kliff Kingsbury won’t call changed role for David Johnson being benched

He won’t call it that, even though that is what it looks like in the eyes of everyone else.

In the eyes of pretty much everyone around football, Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson has been benched. Through six games, he was 10th in the league in scrimmage yards and was the workhorse of the offense. After his fumble in the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, he didn’t play again. Then, against the San Francisco 49ers, he played only nine first-half snaps and got zero touches or targets. He didn’t play in the second half.

But Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury won’t say he’s been benched against the Niners.

“I wouldn’t use the term ‘benched,’” he told reporters Monday.

He said it was more about what Kenyan Drake was doing. He was the “hot hand.”

“We’re going to play the guy that we feel like gives us the best chance at that time,” he continued. “Game plans change, and roles will change. David is a part of this offense, and we have to find a way to make sure he’s playing at a high level, and we can get him the football.”

That said, his role has certainly changed. Rather being the focal part of the offense, he is now just a piece.

“David’s a very good football player, and we’ll try to put him in positions to be successful based upon the game plan week to week,” Kingsbury said.

Call it what you want — being benched, getting a more focused role in the offense or a committee of running backs — in the end, it is a demotion.

That isn’t to say it’s not the right move. Something is up with Johnson. Hopefully, after the bye week, he sees his role increase again and he is effective when he gets the ball.

Listen to the latest from Cards Wire’s Jess Root on his podcast, Rise Up, See Red. Subscribe on Apple podcasts or Stitcher Radio.

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