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Now that the Arizona Cardinals have successfully completed their second straight year-end collapse, fans and media alike are patiently waiting for a response from Team President and owner Michael Bidwill.
If you recall from a year ago, Bidwill released a semi-cryptic video after the Cardinals failed to make the playoffs despite starting the season 6-3.
“Ultimately we fell short of our goals in 2020, and missing the playoffs was a major disappointment,” Bidwill famously said despite the team’s improvement in total wins.
Following this release, Bidwill and the front office made it their upmost priority to push the 2021 version of the Cardinals over the top. From a successful recruitment of J.J. Watt, to the acquisition of All-Pro center Rodney Hudson, Bidwill and general manager Steve Keim did their best to reinforce the roster with enough pieces to ensure a rebound campaign. They preached the importance of veteran leadership, while adding voices to the locker room that they believed would guide this talented, yet somewhat inexperienced group.
Fast-forward to a 1-5 finish which included a horrendous Monday Night Football playoff loss to NFC West rival LA, and Bidwill is suddenly back to where he was a year ago.
Which again begs the questions. After yet another dismal finish to the season, when can Cardinal fans expect a swift and prompt response from the man in charge?
Despite a relatively quiet week from the team, the answer to that question may be coming soon.
First came the following tweet from league insider Mike Silver, who reinforces a point made on numerous occasions, stating that Bidwill was “not happy” after last season. Silver is plugged in with numerous high ranking Cardinal officials and has continually made it a priority to voice Bidwill’s anger following last year’s collapse.
Next was the following nugget from former eight-year team employee Kyle Odegard, who believes that Bidwill recently conducted a heated meeting with both Keim and coach Kliff Kingsbury regarding the team’s dreadful stretch run. While several national as well as local reporters were quick to diminish Odegard, based on Silver’s prior reports, a meeting like this taking place fits the bill. The likely scenario is that Bidwill’s camp saw an ex-employee airing out team dysfunction on social media and thus quickly called upon several prominent league insiders in an attempt to throw water on the situation.
Bidwill knows the microscope is on this Cardinal team. The entire NFL landscape watched the bloodbath that was Monday’s playoff game at LA, and as a result there must be a response by ownership. While the popular fan opinion is to fire both Keim and Kingsbury, do not expect an immediate housecleaning from Bidwill. Since their arrival in the desert, the Arizona Cardinals have made the postseason only six times in their 34 year history. Kingsbury now owns one of those postseason berths as head coach, while Keim has overseen three separate trips to the playoffs for the Redbirds.
That stark reality has to weigh heavily on Bidwill, who has been so desperate for sustained success following the flash in the pan runs of both Ken Whisenhunt and Bruce Arians. While the Cardinals currently lay claim to the longest championship drought in professional sports, they also boast a winning record (19-15) over their last 34 games played.
With that said, Bidwill must also ask himself if this current path is sustainable. The Cardinals have greatly benefited from a Kyler Murray rookie deal that has allowed Keim and company to splurge on whatever free agent bounties they desire. Up until recently, this has largely masked the infamous general manager’s subpar draft record, one of which will be under greater scrutiny once Murray is inevitably extended. Keim’s inability to build through the draft has put a greater emphasis on free agency, which will not be an option once Murray is making big money.
Bidwill knows the Cardinals are on borrowed time as it relates to Murray’s contract and any firings would partially reflect that.
Then there’s the question as to whether or not Kingsbury is equipped to take Kyler Murray to the next level as an NFL quarterback. After back-to-back MVP-esque starts to the seasons, Murray has flamed out for the Cardinals when it’s mattered most. That’s a direct indictment on Kingsbury’s inability to ensure Murray and his offense are peaking at the right time of the season. Meanwhile, Kingsbury’s second half record has become too much of a public joke for even Bidwill to ignore.
At the writing of this article, all is quiet on the Cardinal front as it relates to what Michael Bidwill may do. Should the team make a change, either at coach or even general manager, expect it to be done in a subtle way that allows both individuals their time for praise. Bidwill is conscious enough that if he were to move off of his GM/HC pairing following a playoff berth, it would need to be done in a respectful manner. Coming across as ungrateful could scare off potential candidates from exploring openings with the Cardinals.
There’s also a real concern for Bidwill as it relates to coaching prospects who would seriously consider Arizona if the job were to become available. Prior to the team hiring Kingsbury, Cardinal brass were strongly considering the likes of Adam Gase, largely because they could not secure interviews with top candidates such as Matt LaFleur. A swift exit of either Keim or Kingsbury would need to come with assurance that Bidwill would be able to score a more than competent pairing.
As we’ve seen, the grass isn’t always greener in the NFL.
Regardless of fan perception, Steve Keim has now become the most accomplished GM in team history while Kingsbury joins Arians as the only other coach in Arizona Cardinal history to win 11 games in a single season. Those blunt facts are likely the reason that Bidwill will wisely take his time as it relates to any public statements or personnel decisions. Remember that it was nearly a month after last year’s debacle that we eventually heard from Mr. B.
For Cardinal fans and what they’ve experienced over the last six weeks, however, the wrath of the Bidwill’s can’t come soon enough.
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