Over the last couple of weeks, we have seen a lot of fan bases lashing out at their teams, expressing their frustration with the way they are operated. Those who have had enough and think it is time for a change should add the Arizona Cardinals to that list. The Cards faithful immediately called for the firing of head coach Kliff Kingsbury after Monday night's Wild Card loss to the LA Rams. They didn't wait until the clock expired in the fourth quarter to go in on him because his team was completely unprepared for this game.
This is nothing new regarding the status of the head coach. Three years into his tenure in Arizona, there has been a group of people that have wondered aloud why Kliff was hired to begin with. The argument for running him out of town isn't entirely absurd when you look at what his teams have done. His team is 24-24-1 in three regular seasons under him. The Rams smoked them in their first playoff game.
Arizona fell off considerably after a surprising 7-1 start, finishing the season 4-7 and losing in the playoffs. The men lost six of their final nine games last year after they got off to a 5-2 start. The late-season collapses are bad for the team. I don't think this will be the final nail in Kingbury's coffin. The benefit of the doubt and at least another year to prove themselves worthy of hanging around is usually given to coaches of Kingsbury. Let's keep it real.
Does anyone remember Jim Caldwell? Before that, he was the head coach of the Lions and Colts. During his four years in Detroit, the teams posted a 36-28 record. In his four years there, Caldwell had three winning seasons. He led the Lions to the playoffs twice but was fired after a The organization wanted to take the next step forward. The Detroit Lions have had two head coaches in four years that have combined for 17 wins. How will that next step work out for you, Detroit?
I only use Caldwell to compare the difference in opportunities for coaches that favor Kingsbury in opposition to those who share some of the same qualities. I think it applies here because I would be shocked if the Cards axed him after the season because he is a white coach in the NFL. The owners have made it very clear who they want to run their franchises.
It is clear that an argument can be made for either side. The team has improved each year he has been in Arizona. He got them to the playoffs for the first time. Kyler Murray had an up and down year, but there has been some growth since he was the top pick. We should know more in the next couple of days, but I don't think he will be ousted at this point. Some of the coaches must have been cats in another life with all the extra chances.
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