Tag: Lou Anarumo

Mike Kafka out of Cardinals’ HC race?

The Cardinals have reportedly narrowed their focus to Lou Anarumo and Jonathan Gannon. They could have new head coach by Monday night.

The Arizona Cardinals, following the conclusion of Super Bowl LVII at State Farm Stadium, resume their head coaching search. They have an interview scheduled Monday with Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon, a third finalist for the job with Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka and Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo.

As they are set to interview Gannon, the Cardinals reportedly have trimmed the three candidates to two.

According to ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss, the Cardinals have focused their decision down to Anarumo and Gannon, meaning that Kafka would seem to be out of the running.

Weinfuss also reports that a decision could come Monday night.

The Cardinals fired Kliff Kingsbury the day after the season ended.

It has been more than a month since the beginning of the hiring process.

It could come to an end Monday night.

Will it be Anarumo or Gannon? We shall see soon enough.

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

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POLL: Mike Kafka or Lou Anarumo for HC?

Vote for the candidate you want the Cardinals to hire as their new head coach.

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The Arizona Cardinals have two finalists in their head coaching search. They are expected to make an announcement next week after the Super Bowl.

They interviewed New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka, who has worked with Patrick Mahomes and got Daniel Jones to play the best of his career, twice.

They also interviewed Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo twice. He has led the Cincy defense since 2018.

Kafka does not have a long coaching resume. Anarumo does, although he has only been in the NFL coaching ranks since 2012.

Which candidate do you want to see win the job and take over for Kliff Kingsbury, fired after the conclusion of their 4-13 2022 season?

Vote in the poll at the top of the page.

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

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Around the North: Bengals DC Lou Anarumo one of three finalists for Cardinals HC gig

The heat is picking up between the Cardinals and the defensive coordinator of the Bengals, Lou Anarumo

Much to the joy of those who follow and cheer for the Cleveland Browns, the Cincinnati Bengals are getting closer to needing to replace their top-tier defensive coordinator. As the Arizona Cardinals are wrapping up their head coaching search, Lou Anarumo has been named as one of three finalists to replace Kliff Kingsbury according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler. Along with Brian Flores and the offensive coordinator of the New York Giants, Mike Kafka, Anarumo is left in great company.

Getting an elite defensive mind out of the AFC North would do wonders for the Browns and the rest of the division as the Bengals have now hit back-to-back AFC Championship games.

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Bengals’ Brian Callahan out of running for Cardinals’ HC gig, Lou Anarumo a finalist

One Bengals coordinator remains in the hunt to be the next head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator Brian Callahan has been eliminated from the competition to be the next Arizona Cardinals head coach.

Defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, however, has not.

According to MMQB’s Albert Breer, the Cardinals informed Callahan and Vance Joseph that they were out of the hunt. Anarumo, Brian Flores and Mike Kafka stand as the three finalists.

It’s not a surprise to hear Anarumo still in the running — word broke prior to this that he would receive a second interview for the job.

Anarumo and Flores have defensive backgrounds, which is the way the Cardinals could end up leaning. Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka specializes on the other side of the ball, though, and it’s hard to tell what the Cardinals end up doing.

If the Bengals do lose Anarumo to the Cardinals, they would likely promote from within to fill the spot for the sake of continuity.

For whatever it’s worth, Callahan remains in the running to be the next head coach of the Indianapolis Colts.

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Cardinals to interview Bengals DC Lou Anarumo for 2nd time

Anarumo interviewed for the first time this past Wednesday and is one of three candidates expected to interview a second time.

The Arizona Cardinals are beginning a second round of interviews this week with some candidates to be their next head coach. At least one comes from their latest round of candidates from last week.

According to NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo, Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, who had a first interview this past Wednesday, will have a second interview later this next week.

Per SI.com’s Albert Breer, the interview will be virtual and is scheduled for Friday.

Anarumo is one of three new candidates the Cardinals interviewed last week after resetting following their daylong meeting with Sean Payton two weeks ago on Thursday. Payton ultimately became the head coach of the Denver Broncos.

Anarumo has been coaching since 1989 but didn’t join the NFL ranks until 2012. He spent 2012-2017 as a defensive backs coach for the Miami Dolphins and was an interim DC in 2015. He was a defensive backs coach for the New York Giants in 2018 and has been Cincy’s DC since 2019.

Anarumo, Lions defensive coordinator and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka are the candidates known to be expected to receive a second interview.

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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 Spotify.

Bengals’ Lou Anarumo to get 2nd interview with Cardinals as possible finalist

Lou Anarumo will get another crack at the Cardinals’ head coaching job.

Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo will get a second look with the Arizona Cardinals for the vacant head coach position.

Anarumo’s name came up with the Cardinals at the end of January. According to the MMQB’s Albert Breer, he’ll get another interview next Friday.

Breer added the following: “Those are the only 2 known finalists.”

That doesn’t mean Anarumo and Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka are the only names still left in play. But it does tell the tale of an organization trying to possibly figure out whether to lean on an offensive or defensive mind while star quarterback Kyler Murray works his way back from a knee injury.

Arizona is the only team to give Anarumo a major look this hiring cycle, which comes as a surprise given his defense’s performances in Cincinnati. Offensive coordinator Brian Callahan has had a few looks, as has quarterbacks coach Dan Pitcher before the Bengals gave him an extension. Wide receivers coach Troy Walters also had an interview for an offensive coordinator job.

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Around the North: Bengals’ defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo gets second interview with Cardinals

The Bengals may need a new defensive coordinator.

As the NFL offseason continues, coaching hires are concluding the league. There are two teams left to hire head coaches, and one is giving the defensive coordinator for the Cincinnati Bengals a second interview. The Arizona Cardinals are bringing Lou Anarumo back in as a finalist for their head coaching gig.

Both Anarumo and offensive coordinator Brian Callahan are getting courted for head coaching gigs after leading the Bengals to back-to-back AFC Championship games. This is good news for the Browns, as a shakeup in continuity to an AFC North rival may allow them to get back into competitive action.

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VIDEO: Was the AFC Championship game Patrick Mahomes’ best NFL performance?

Was Sunday’s AFC Championship game the best performance of Patrick Mahomes’ NFL career? Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling discuss it.

In this week’s episode of “4-Down Territory,” powered by KIA, Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling of Bucs Wire and Draft Wire went over the idea that Sunday’s AFC Championship game was Patrick Mahomes’ ultimate NFL performance.

In the Chiefs’ 23-20 AFC Championship win over the Bengals, Patrick Mahomes completed 29 of 43 passes for 326 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, and a passer rating of 105.4. And he did it against a defense that had had his number in each of the last three times these teams played. Moreover, he did it on an obviously injured right ankle,and down multiple receivers due to injury. We’ve seen all kinds of amazing things from Mahomes since he started terrorizing the NFL in 2018, but was this the most impressive game of Mahomes’ NFL career? 

Doug: I think it was. It’s certainly in the top two or three. In this spotlight, against a defensive coordinator in Lou Anarumo who had taken his  lunch money over and over, and down four receivers due to injury, Mahomes took the field (just barely), and you could see as the game went on that whatever he took to make his performance possible in the first place was wearing off. He was more and more hampered as things went along. And still, he got it done as he hadn’t before against this team. 

The most remarkable turnaround came in the second half. The Bengals had made Mahomes look like an undrafted free agent in the second halves and overtime in the three previous Chiefs losses: He completed 25 passes on 44 attempts for 503 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 54.5. In the second half of this game, with his body and his receiver corps falling apart, Mahomes completed 16 of 24 passes for 161 yards, a touchdown, no picks, and a passer rating of 99.5. Mahomes doesn’t have a lot of demons to exorcize in his career, but he certainly took care of a few on Sunday. 

Patrick Mahomes redefined his greatness in this AFC Championship victory

Luke: Yeah, we’ve seen some otherworldly things from No. 15 already in his career, but this was so important. Just like you said, the recent history against the Bengals, the high stakes, the injuries (both his own and his teammates’)…he had every reason to fold and let Joe Burrow take another one from him in front of his own home crowd. Instead, he delivered the kind of gutsy performance we’ll be talking about for years to come, especially if the Chiefs go on to finish the job in Arizona.

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Around the North: A division rival could lose both coordinators

Both coordinators are set for head coaching interviews.

The in-state rival of the Cleveland Browns, the Cincinnati Bengals, fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship, ending their season. A day after reports came out that both their offensive coordinator Brian Callahan and defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo will interview for head coaching jobs. Both coaches will interview with the Arizona Cardinals with Callahan drawing interest from the Indianapolis Colts as well.

The Bengals won back-to-back AFC North titles and both coaches have done impressive jobs with their units. If the Bengals were to lose one of them it would be a good thing for the Browns. Something to keep an eye on is if Brian Callahan gets a head coaching job will he be able to lure his dad Bill Callahan away despite the extension?

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Bengals DC Lou Anarumo to interview Wednesday for Cardinals’ HC job

The Cardinals will have a first interview with three new candidates. Bengals DC Lou Anarumo’s interview is Wednesday.

After the Arizona Cardinals reportedly “reset” following their daylong interview with former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton for their head coaching vacancy, they have added new candidates to the fray.

After they meet with New York Giants offensive coordinator Mike Kafka Tuesday, they will interview Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

The Bengals were eliminated by the Kansas City Chiefs 23-20 on Sunday in the AFC Championship Game.

Anarumo has been the Bengals’ DC since 2019. Before that, he coached defensive backs for the Miami Dolphins 2012-2017 and the New York Giants in 2018. He was the Dolphins’ interim DC in 2015.

The Bengals were 16th in yards allowed, sixth in points allowed and seventh in rush defense.

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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 Spotify.