What does it mean to be elite?

Typically the term is referred to a select individual that is superior to those they are routinely compared against.

By that definition, Arizona Cardinal defensive coordinator Vance Joseph is elite at what he does. While he may not have the cache’ and staying power of someone like a Vic Fangio or Gus Bradley, Joseph’s resume and results speak for themselves. Anyone who’s watched this team closely over the past 36 months should be able to reinforce this message.

Yet up until recently, public perception has not coincided with the reality taking place in the desert. Entering the season, thanks in large part to a disbelief in an Arizona coaching staff that included Joseph, the Cardinals were picked to finish fourth in the NFC West.

Fast-forward seven weeks and so much has changed.

The Arizona Cardinals, in their third year under Joseph, have the number one scoring defense in the NFL at 16.3 ppg. While they are a more than respectable fourth in yards allowed (316), the priority of playing winning football is to keep the opposing team out of your end zone.

And there isn’t anyone better at that, currently, than the Vance Joseph led Cardinal defense.

Hired in January of 2019 following the dismissal of former Cardinal head coach and defensive savant Steve Wilks, Joseph was brought on almost exclusively by GM Steve Keim. Newly appointment head man Kliff Kingsbury, having spent his entire career at the collegiate level, did not have the necessary contacts to put together an adequate defensive staff upon his arrival in the desert.

So instead, it was Keim who courted the former Broncos head coach to come onboard and completely rebuild the then fledgling Arizona defense. At the timing of his hiring, Joseph would represent the third Cardinal defensive coach in three years, with the aforementioned Wilks (Al Holcomb) and James Bettcher residing before him.

While some quality pieces remained in house, the large majority of Arizona’s unit needed to be gutted in order for Joseph to implement his preferred style of play. The problem being that Keim was currently in the midst of his worst stretch of personnel decisions for his career. Players like Robert Nkemdiche, Brandon Williams and Darius Philon did the incoming Joseph absolutely zero favors in his pursuit of a quality unit.

After watching the Cardinals regress from 26th (2018) to 28th (2019) during his first season with the team, Arizona’s defense would make significant strides in 2020 while finishing a more than respectable 12th overall. Although the team faltered down the stretch, missing the playoffs in the process, it was Joseph’s unit peaking at the end of the season that was perhaps most encouraging.

Thanks to significant strides made by key players under Joseph, such as Pro Bowl safety Budda Baker, the Cardinals trajectory as a defense was slowly pointing upward. That narrative was also fueled this offseason with the immense defensive talent invested in by the organization. In a matter of months, the club would add key starters J.J. Watt, Zaven Collins and Marco Wilson into the fold.

For the most part, Joseph has beautifully meshed an infusion of young, impact players with the presence of key veteran leadership in order to craft what is a now dominant force on the defensive side. After seemingly saving the career of former Cardinal Haason Reddick, Joseph has overseen the maturation process for the likes of Baker, Jalen Thompson, Byron Murphy and Isaiah Simmons.

Each one of those players are currently enjoying what could very well be Pro Bowl level campaigns in 2021.

Thanks to that expedited process, the Cardinals defense isn’t only excelling at keeping their opponents from scoring, but also sits third in total takeaways with eight. This development is significant for an organization that has been historically allergic to taking the ball away. Now the Cardinals are routinely winning the turnover battle thanks in part to a timely strip-sack or interception.

Joseph also remains masterful at maximizing his available defensive personnel on any given Sunday. Unlike most team’s, the Cardinals are not overly reliant on any singular player. Led by Joseph, Arizona has an embedded defensive philosophy that allows rotation pieces such as Dennis Gardeck and Michael Dogbe to flourish when given the opportunity.

Working side-by-side with Keim, Joseph has been a vocal thought partner regarding personnel decisions for his side of the ball. As a result, the Cardinals have inserted an infusion of hybrid athletes on defense that allows their coordinator to act as a mad scientist of sorts as he mixes and matches players to best fit certain matchups.

Earlier this season against San Francisco, with the absence of starting corners Byron Murphy and Marco Wilson, Joseph utilized starting safety Jalen Thompson as a one-on-one cover man to rave results. A week later against the Cleveland Browns, Joseph would leverage the absence of All-Pro OLB Chandler Jones with a steady diet of Devon Kennard and Markus Golden.

Both players were credited with at least one quarterback hit on that afternoon.

The continual diversification of Arizona’s defense allows the unit to stay fresh throughout the course of a game, while keeping upwards of 15-17 different players engaged in the process.

Judging by the reaction of his players, and contrary to what you may hear out of Denver, it looks like a lot of fun to play defensive football under Vance Joseph.

As a result, the Louisiana native has firmly reinserted himself back into the head coaching picture. After his brief stint in the Mile High City, the former undrafted free agent of the Jets (1995) figures to be an incredibly hot commodity thanks in part to his efforts during Kliff Kingsbury’s absence two weeks ago.

Amid potential chaos and crisis surrounding a COVID-19 outbreak within the Arizona Cardinal organization, Joseph steadied the waters as the interim head coach while promptly stomping out the previously favored Cleveland Browns by the final score of 37-14.

The current hot button rumor making it’s way through NFL coaching circles is that the Chicago Bears, assuming they move on from both GM Ryan Pace and head coach Matt Nagy, could be enticed by a Cardinal combination consisting of one Adrian Wilson and Vance Joseph.

If the Cardinals and owner Michael Bidwill hope to keep Joseph around long term, they’ll likely need to make him one of, if not the highest paid defensive coordinator in all of football.

Because, at the end of the day, that’s the going rate for an elite NFL coach.

Which, again, Vance Joseph most certainly is.