New Cardinals HC Jonathan Gannon clarifies plans for 2023 - "Don’t get it twisted”
The Arizona Cardinals hired Jonathan Gannon as their head coach for the 2023 season after firing Kliff Kingsbury. Unlike many other teams in need of coaches, the Cardinals weren't far removed from contending and had the pieces to form a really strong roster.
Many first-year head coaches walk into a rebuild, much like the Carolina Panthers with Frank Reich and the Houston Texans with DeMeco Ryans.
Gannon: "Not too many times you take over a team and have a franchise quarterback"
That's not the case for this first-year coach, though. He said he expects to win this season:
"Not too many times you take over a team and have a franchise quarterback... Don't get it twisted, we're gonna win games... I don't believe in a scheme, I believe putting the players that we have in a position to be successful... I have a very specific vision of how we're going to play offense....everything we do here will be centered around the QB position because we have an elite one."
Gannon, the former Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator, won't have much to do with the offense, but he knows that Kyler Murray is a good quarterback.
The Cardinals were an 11-6 playoff team a year ago, so there's no reason to think they can't have a relatively quick turnaround. Gannon certainly believes in this team and that this roster is capable of doing just that.
Why did the Cardinals hire Jonathan Gannon?
The Philadelphia Eagles were exceptionally close to capturing a Super Bowl title this season. Jonathan Gannon's defense struggled, as almost every single defense does, to contain Patrick Mahomes en route to his Super Bowl victory.
However, throughout the season, the Eagles had a dominant defense. They made life difficult for most opposing offenses.
The Cardinals evidently favored Gannon for his feats in the hiring process, as they brought him in to mold a top-tier defense to complement their offense.
Gannon's work molding the Eagles into a fearsome unit was enough to get NFL teams' attention and the Cardinals moved quickly.