Harbaugh Mania
By Walter Mitchell
What a spectacular start to the NFL's three-day Wild Card weekend.
Rams scored late to knock out the Panthers, 34-31.
Bears roar back from behind to clip the Packers, 31-27.
Bills scored late to stampede the Jaguars, 27-24.
49ers scored late to ground the defending Super Bowl champion Eagles, 23-19.
Patriots' thunderous pass rush pulled the plug on the Chargers, 16-3.
What will the headline be tonight after the Texans take on the Steelers?
Will the terrible towels be swinging in joy or will fans be using them to wipe off their tears?
Unique Subplot
Not only was this weekend one of the most exciting arrays of hard-fought games in recent years --- it felt unique --- how come?
The looming presence of Head Coach super-candidate John Harbaugh --- that's why.
Word is that he has been studying tapes of the teams who are pursuing him in an attempt to narrow his list down to three teams of interest ---> which is all well and good, except that one could not help to think that the Packers, after their bitter loss to Ben Johnson's ("EFF THE PACKERS!") upstart Bears may throw their hat in the Harbaugh ring by jettisoning off Matt LaFleur.
Furthermore, would it completely shock you if the Eagles, who pride themselves for swooping in and digging their talons into the coaches and players they covet would choose to move on from Nick Sirianni in order to say hello to a bird of a different feather, John Harbaugh?
Quoth the Raven, "Nevermore"?
Who else is going to be rap-rap-rapping on Harbaugh's chamber door?
What in the world is going on here?
One of the craziest things was hearing that with 7 teams looking for new head coaches, 9 teams were making calls to John Harbaugh's agent!
What kind of crazy math is that?
So, this past week, after the Dolphins fired Mike McDaniel, despite the reports that McDaniel was still in very good favor with owner Stephen Ross, there became 8 head coaching vacancies.
Ergo, now, this week, could there be 9 or even 10?
Heck, maybe FOX should take advantage of this burgeoning situation by rushing in Rob Lowe to conduct a special Harbaugh edition of "The Floor," with the NFL GMs involved representing not only their teams, but their states --- culminating dramatically with Harbaugh and $250,000 going to the last GM standing.
Cardinals on the floor?
Alas, the state of Arizona will not be represented as the Cardinals are one of the only teams playing things coy with John Harbaugh.
How wide is that Cardinals' net?
In 2023, the Ravens interviewed Monti Ossenfort for their GM opening.
Michael Bidwill has long professed his affinity for the DC/Baltimore area in light of his prep school years at Georgetown Prep in North Bethesda, Maryland.
However, despite Bidwill's vow to cast the widest of possible nets, as he customarily does when he's fishing for a new head coach, no Cardinal-red net has been spotted in the Chesapeake Bay, nor anywhere close to the Potomac River.
Perhaps, Bidwill has conceded that he and the Cardinals have no realistic chance of competing for John Harbaugh's services and/or that the Cardinals, in their current financial and operational condition, do not have the resources to accommodate such a move?
Or, perhaps, in retrospect, Bidwill regrets being hornswoggled by Sean Payton in 2023 when agog Cardinals' pundits and fans were begging the owner to sign Payton on the spot, only to learn that as Payton left the Cardinals' facility, he was seen calling his agent to hear if there were any updates regarding the Broncos' interest.
Here the Cardinals are three years later still searching for a head coach who can turn around the woeful fortunes of franchise, while Sean Payton, who went into Denver, and quickly made a bold change at QB, has watched his Broncos leap over the Chiefs (thus ending their 9-year run as division champions) to claim the AFC West and capture the #1 seed in the AFC.
As is so often the case in the NFL, you get what you pay for in terms of leadership.
One therefore has to wonder what's in store for the winner of the John Harbaugh lottery.
A word of solace ---this weekend it may have come as a comforting relief to John Harbaugh that, despite the Chargers' 16-3 pounding at the hands of the Patriots, his brother Jim's job appears to be safe.
Phew!
John should work his way into GB, miles above the current openings. Bears losing their LT before going against the best nfc Dline is bad luck. Pats beat up Justin, can he please get more Oline help this offseason. 3 of the final 4 nfc playoff teams from the west, no one is looking at the AZ opening without laughing with this owner, the KM problem, that the own caused, a yes man in Monti and a opposing fan base at the toaster oven. At least the Browns have a passionate fan base, not to mention a stronger OL and DL than AZ.
ReplyDeleteas bad as the Cards cap will be with a release of Murray pre 6/1, the Falcons and Dolphins will have an even greater cap deficit. The Cards will have an easier time getting cap compliant than the other two and the Dolphins will have to make deep cuts in personnel to get compliant.
ReplyDeleteCards ain’t getting harbough. Time for another tenure of mediocrity/ bottom of the barrel coaching . Thank you MB for the belief you instill your fans.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't look like we're even going to kick the tires on Harbaugh. Maybe that makes sense since he's not likely to seriously consider this job a la Sean Payton as you mentioned. However, I'm surprised there hasn't been serious discussions with Flores and (to a lesser extent) McDaniel.
ReplyDeleteThere are some quality candidates this time around and while we won't compete with Baltimore, we *are* competing with Cleveland, Vegas, and Tennessee. These are not cornerstone franchises. The main advantage they have over Arizona is the fact that they aren't in the NFC West.
Speaking of the NFC West, by my count the Cardinals have requested interviews with 4/6 of the OCs and DCs from our rival teams (haven't seen links to SF's OC or Seattle's DC, but everyone else is accounted for). Maybe the thinking here is "if you can't beat em, join em," or have them join us. Poaching an up-and-comer from a division rival, all of which are model franchises, could bring some of that "winning culture" I've only read about into our building. Look at what Ben Johnson's done in Chicago.
I agree with you on poaching. Weaken your division opponents.
DeleteKlint Kubiak is a perfect example as to why I prefer an offensive minded HC-They spent huge capital to sign Darnokd and his development without Kubiak will be stunted and eliminate all offensive continuity. Succesful OCs are poached much sooner than DCs. The Cards will certainly need a focused offensive HC to develop a young or reclamation QB.
Biggest fear- Seahawks replace Kubiak with Mike McDaniel!
Totally agree: I think with our QB situation in limbo, it would be foolish not to go with an offensive-minded HC. We've just had 3 years with a defensive-minded HC and our defense has spun its tires near the bottom of the league for the duration. With our roster as currently constructed (and Bidwill and MO have indicated it's not a full rebuild situation), we need to maximize our offense if we hope to stand a chance here. Of course we will need a better DC than we've seen in many years, but our run blocking completely collapsed and it took us 3 years to recognize Michael Wilson is a WR1 instead of getting the targets of a WR3.
Delete"Well, wish in one hand, shit in the other and see which one fills up first." Tommy Norris - Landman
ReplyDeleteThat pretty much describes my thoughts on the Cardinals getting Harbaugh and my decades long Cardinal fandom for that matter.
NFC Best, Kyler Murray situation, a roster full of holes, Michael Bidwill, Monti Ossenfort and one of the most unfavorable team perceptions in the NFL make this one of the worst years to be searching for a new HC.
I'll end this with another favorite Landman quote.
Angela Norris: What? I mean, I'm driving you to smoke?
Tommy Norris: No, you're driving me to suck freon out of the back of an AC unit, I'm settling for a cigarette.
Spoiler alert-Tommy Norris is looking for work-Big time culture changer.
DeleteYeah and that was the season finale. Now we got to wait until November to see how it all pans out.
DeleteBidwill isn't interested in Harbaugh. He (Harbaugh) want Independence, Bidwill wants Control and to control his expenditures. The tow cannot and will not be married to one another. Many of the other HC prospects discussed will not likely even interview for Cardinals position. Bidwill is holding his cards close to his vest, lest anyone see he has another cheap alternative with no HC experience.
ReplyDeleteThere is still a chance Bidwill will want to keep Kyler on roster and saddle our next HC with Kyler 'drama', he just needs an HC willing to accept that as condition.
Its time to wait out what boneheaded decisions will be made... Will we get excited?
Kyler Murray Best-case hierarchy
ReplyDeleteTrade Kyler Murray before March / June 1, 2026
If no trade market → cut him before March 2026
Only extend him if you are 100% convinced he’s a top-10 QB
Worst option: keep him into 2027 without an extension
BOTTOM LINE-
This is the "Cardinal" sin to avoid.
If Kyler is on the roster in March 2026, his 2027 salary fully guarantees
That locks Arizona into another ~$40M+ cap year
At that point, flexibility is basically gone
👉 Decision TO CUT (cause there won't be a trade partner) must be made before that date, one way or the other.
Dream Scenario that won't happen-Raiders trade Mendoza to Cards for Kyler and the #3. Not even Mark Davis is that dumb.
Per Schefter, Cardinals are one of several teams Harbaugh is having calls with this week to assess who he interviews with: https://www.espn.com/contributor/adam-schefter/5edceb5eeaf04.
ReplyDeleteGlad we’re at least in the conversation, even if the likelihood isn’t good.
Thanks for posting this TMatty. Was it a "for real" call or a token one? The buzz is that Harbaugh's top 2 are NYG and ATL.
DeleteSounds like he’s interviewing the teams for his next round of interviews, instead of the other way around. That’s the kind of gravitas for a coach we need.
DeleteFrom the Cardinals’ perspective, likely a token call. Can you imagine MO leading the interview of a candidate who, if hired, is going to try and replace you with his own pick? Odd dynamic.
I would think for publicity sake we should at least take a swing at it. Give us something to believe in....
ReplyDelete