Question to Cardinals' Fans: You Feeling SCAMMED?

AP Photo Alberto Mariani

By Walter Mitchell

The daily challenge for American citizens during these most difficult times is the daily endeavor to discern between what is factual and what is fraudulent.

If indeed, as speculated by sources in the national and local media, that Michael Bidwill is going to retain Jonathan Gannon, despite the fact that he has been an utter record-breaking failure as a head coach to the tune of his 15-36 record, then the truth is as Cardinals' fans we are getting ruthlessly scammed. 

Bro Hug Says it All?:

https://x.com/CamCox12/status/2007994298319753238?s=20

The thing is --- from day one of the MOJO tenure --- we've been getting scammed. 

No falser words were ever spoken than these from Jonathan Gannon during his introductory presser in February of 2023: 

"Don't get it twisted, we're going to win games." That nugget came after saying how "fast, smart and vi-o-lent" his team was going to play.

"We're going to win games." --- a mere 15 wins in three seasons versus 36 losses --- and a mere 3 NFC West wins versus 15 NFC West losses. 

If the Seattle Seahawks win their first playoff game, their 15 wins this season under second year defensive-minded head coach Mike Macdonald would tie the number of wins the Cardinals have under Gannon for three seasons.

Play "fast"? How often did you see Gannon's defensive players run at three-quarter's speed?

Play "smart"? Did you ever get the sense on either side of the ball that the Cardinals' play calls were smart? The play calls were not only ultra-conservative, spawned from an abundance of caution, they were supremely and very annoyingly predictable. 

Two salient examples from the Cardinals' 37-20 loss to the Rams.

At the end of the first half, now behind 13-6, the offense had 1:22 on the clock to go into a 2-minute drill. And what play do they run first? A RB dive --- LIKE THEY ALWAYS DO. In a 2-minute drill. Emari Demercado was able to run for 9 yards, but he was tackled inbounds and the offense lost one-fifth of their remaining clock time.

Then, after the Cardinals' offense shocked the Rams in Q3 with Jacoby Brissett's precision back shoulder pass to TE Josiah Deguera to take a 20-16 lead, the defense did what it ALWAYS DOES when the offense takes a lead --- they went right into their soft-shell zone --- or should one by now call it a soft as hell zone?

Result --- 3 straight TD drives by Matthew Stafford and the Rams. 

Not 1 --- Not 2 --- But 3.

37-20.

Game over and out of reach.

So, this transitions niftily into the play "vi-o-lent" aspect of Gannon's mantra because in his soft-shell defense the players are mostly playing on their heels (and instead, not on their toes) in what I have been describing as the "caution and cushion" defense. It's hard to play vi-o-lent when one is standing in cement or alone in no-man's land. 

Making a Fuss about what Josh Weinfuss reported yesterday:

Josh Weinfuss

@joshweinfuss

·

12h

With the Cardinals' 2025 season in the books, there'll be a number of decisions to be made by Arizona owner Michael Bidwill and, possibly, by coach Jonathan Gannon over the next few weeks. Here's what I'm hearing heading into the Cardinals' season finale after talking with a number of sources: - There's a general belief that Jonathan Gannon will return for the 2026 season, mainly because of how injuries absolutely decimated the roster and that Bidwill doesn't want to pay another coach not to coach. Gannon has two years left on his contract.

My reaction: The Cardinals' Achilles heel has been its #31 ranked defense and that side of the ball was least affected by injuries (as I have previously outlined in detail. Even yesterday, 9 of the team's 11 starters for Week 1 were starting in Week 18. Using the injury excuse is a SHAM. - Which leads into this: The current roster has been described to me as a "preseason roster." Sources said it's no secret just how bad the roster is and while the public sentiment may be one thing, the private is another.

My reaction: What? Are the Cardinals back to year one, roster-wise? After 3 NFL drafts with a number of high picks and 3 free agency period, the Cardinals coaches consider the current roster "a pre-season roster"? The fact is the Cardinals' young, underqualified coaches wouldn't know talent if it were smacking them in the face. It took them three years to understand how talented Michael Wilson is --- and yesterday they FINALLY played 2024 3rd-round pick CB Elijah Jones for the first time ever --- and guess what? Elijah Jones made the two best pass breakups of the game for a defense that rarely gets its hand on the football. If the Cardinals have a serious lack of talent --- it's not with the roster ---look no further lack of talent than at the coaching staff. Cardinals' fans --- DON"T TAKE THIS BAIT! IT'S A SCAM and a DELAY OF GAME TACTIC. - There's also a belief that the offseason will be all or nothing: Either changes throughout the coaching staff or it'll be quiet and they'll run it back with both coordinators.

My reaction: what NFL coaches in their right minds would want to join this lame duck staff? How can Gannon look Drew Petzing and Jeff Rogers in the eyes and tell them that they were the problem, when Gannon's defense under Nick Rallis was the worst tackling defense in the NFL and #31 overall? He can't --- and therefore he most probably won't. When has Gannon ever been associated with the word "change"? He doesn't know how to change.

- The conversation about what to do with Kyler Murray will happen in the next couple of weeks. Arizona will need to make a decision essentially by the start of the new league year in March but those discussions will start before January is over.

My reaction: if the conversation about what to do with Kyler Murray hasn't already taken place, then here is yet another SCAM. - There's a growing sense that the Cardinals could run it back with Murray in 2026. That wasn't the feeling a few weeks ago, when it felt certain Arizona will be parting ways with Murray but that's changed over the last couple of weeks.

My reaction: The thought of running it back with Kyler Murray has "changed over the past few weeks? "if this is true, it shows you how desperate and wishy-washy the FO remains on Kyler Murray. It also shows you how much money they stand to lose for the next two seasons if Kyler is on the roster after March 7th when his near $20M added guaranteed money will be added to his 2027 salary. Sticking with Kyler is a 2-year decision. Furthermore, how badly do you think Kyler Murray wants to stay with these coaches another two years? - There's a concern about how DC Nick Rallis deployed his personnel this season, namely having Josh Sweat drop into coverage with an injured knee. One person I talked with suggested Gannon should take over play-calling duties.

My reaction: The notion of Gannon taking over the play-calling duties on defense is laughable. He has already made it crystal clear that he has no desire to run the defense other than to impose his "caution and cushion" philosophy on his young, underqualified defensive coaches. He has proclaimed and reiterated that Rallis is better than he is at calling the plays. Herein lies the greatest SCAM of all about Gannon --- he has treated his job as head coach here from the get-go as a sinecure, where all he needs to do on game days is stand by himself on the sidelines with no playcalling responsibilities whatsoever. That way no one can blame him for the calls. He's been a broken record after losses each game this year (14 times) by assuring the players and the media to "trust the process" ... "we are going to fix this." It should be obvious by now that Gannon has no fix, or we would have at least seen different adjustments or attempts to play more aggressively. If there have has ever been a "wash, rinse and repeat" process --- Gannon's takes the cake. The SCAM is Gannon's insistence that real change is coming --- but he doesn't really want to put more responsibility on himself. if anything, he wants to make things easier on himself. After all, a sinecure is a high playing job that requires the least amount of effort and responsibility.

Cardinals' fans: What are you going to do about Gannon being retained, if indeed what Josh Weinfuss has been hearing becomes a reality at 2 PM today?

I know what I am going to do --- I will not spend another dime that could drop into Bidwill's pockets. I am going to hope that Cardinals' fans who have season tickets or still have the desire to attend games will reassess whether giving Bidwill this revenue is really worth it. And I am going to try to do my best Walt Whitman attempt to continue to "shout my barbaric yawp over the rooftops of the world" in the hope for real change within the Cardinals' dysfunctional leadership and the coaching staff.

And hardest, but perhaps most importantly of all, I am going to call out the Cardinals' players for being so obsequiously accepting of the current ways in which they are being coached --- as I did recently when Kelvin Beachum told Johnny and Bo that "Jonathan Gannon is the best coach for us."

I am so pissed at the Cardinals' players. Too many of them quit playing their hardest. And too many of them seem to want what Gannon ultimately wants, things to be made easier for them.