Bidwill's Hiring of Mike LaFleur smacks of indecision and Anti-Climax, yet could it be a home run anyway?
By Walter Mitchell
Let's be clear, the decision to hire Mike LaFleur was Michael Bidwill's. Monti Ossenfort screwed up the Jonathan Gannon hire, so this time Bidwill was going to do things his way, once again take his own sweet time and this time take his turn.
And when Michael Bidwill does things his way with regard to head coaching searches, it's a long, confusing and tedious process that typically winds up with the Cardinals being the last team left at the table.
Bidwill relishes the hiring process so keenly where for weeks it gives him something to do and he can walk around being the "Big Cheese." That's one reason why he likes to milk it for as long as he can. the other reason is his perpetual indecisiveness. Moreover, he has the utter temerity to keep second-interview finalists hanging out to dry waiting for a decision, while those coaches are potentially missing out on coordinator jobs.
Imagine then what it must have been like for Anthony Weaver and Raheem Morris to get the much-awaited call at last, only to hear that they were being passed over for a candidate with less discernable credentials.
In Anthony Weaver's case he has proven that as a defensive coordinator and player caller he can lead his men to top 10 rankings in every major defensive category, as he did with the Dolphins in 2024.
In Raheem Morris' case he can point back to leading the Rams' defense in 2021 to a 23-20 Super Bowl win over the Bengals in which his men held Joe Burrow and company to 305 yards, 20 points, 3/14 on third down conversion attempts and 1/3 on 4th downs. This clutch performance was with arguably one of the least talented Rams' defenses, save for All-World DT Aaron Donald.
The PHNX Cardinals podcast crew headed by Johnny Venerable and Bo Brack had right from the get-go been promoting what they deemed the Cardinals' "Dream Team" HC/DC tandem of Mike LaFleur and Raheem Morris. Their LaFluer/Morris campaign was rabidly embraced and endorsed by hordes of fans. Give PHNX credit because their propaganda worked, save for their belief that Raheem Morris would accept a subordinate DC role the way Vance Joseph did when Bidwill hired Kliff Kingsbury.
Morris has been swiftly and predictably snatched by Kyle Shanahan to be the 49ers' successor to Robert Saleh. By landing ion his feet in Santa Clara, Morris now has the added incentive to crush the Cardinals twice a year. As for Anthony Weaver, there is no inkling yet as to what his future holds.
A few days ago, I was praising Michael Bidwill for taking the long flight to Seattle to make use of whatever slight chance there was to woo Klint Kubiak to the desert. But, now in retrospect, I was sadly and ignorantly mistaken. You see, I was of the belief that Bidwill, with two highly qualified defensive-minded finalists in Anthony Weaver and Raheem Morris waiting for the word, wanted to take a chance on Kubiak so as to make sure he did everything he could to hire the most popular offensive-minded candidate, and if not, he could feel free to go ahead and appoint Anthony Weaver or Raheem Morris and be done with it.
Here's where I was ignorant. It didn't make any sense to me that if Bidwill was high on hiring Mike LaFleur and yet elected to make such a long trip to woo Klint Kubiak, after coming home empty, why would he then make it look like he was "settling" for LaFleur?
It just goes to show, once again, how Michael Bidwill exhibits no capacity to look ahead far enough to grasp the consequences of what it would look and feel like for the coach he eventually hired.
Again, every decision Bidwill makes is an equivocation... like the equivocation of signing Kyler Murray's to a $230.5M deal with the attachment of a "homework clause."
Today Mike LaFleur is happy to be the new head coach of the Arizona Cardinals, but he heads into the job knowing that he was not his new owner's first choice. It's bad business. This is not how an employer builds confidence.
For Mike LaFleur, putting the Cardinals in a position to compete with the juggernauts in the NFC West is going to be a daunting task unto itself. Yet now Matt LaFleur is facing this challenge knowing that his former employees are going to want to put a hurting something fierce on him and the Cardinals, while also knowing that, as a candidate, he was Michael Bidwill's Plan B.
This reeks of anti-climax.
Typically, when Michael Bidwill does his bidding, the recipient is left thinking, "Thanks ..., I guess."
On the flip side, for Anthony Weaver and Raheem Morris, upon Bidwill's return from Seattle, they would have at least known that they were Plan A of the defensive-minded finalists, therefore they could have taken their hirings as a vote of confidence, especially considering that none of the NFL's 10 teams searching for new head coach hired a black coach. Yet how many of the black candidates satisfied the infamous Rooney Rule?
This is a conversation for another day and another article, one that I have been writing for several days and am in the process of completing.
It occurs to me that Michael Bidwill is a rendition of Herman Melville's Captain Vere and Kliff Kingsbury, Jonathan Gannon and Mike LaFleur all to varying degrees fit the mold of Billy Budd, the "handsome sailor" whom Vere hired to help prevent mutinies on the British flagship the HMS Bellipotent.
Alas, things dd not end up well for Billy Budd. The same can be said for Kliff Kingsbury and Jonathan Gannon. So, what about Mike LaFleur? Can he be the anomaly who averts a trip down the gangplank at the behest of Captain Vere? "Vere" in Latin means "truth".
The other thought that comes to mind is how effective the PHNX Cardinals' platform has been in influencing Michael Bidwill to capitulate to their heavily hyped promotions. By now it is hard to imagine that Bidwill doesn't hold a daily vigil to hearing whatever the PHNX team is pitching, because he has essentially given them everything they have been championing for --- from "Give Kyler his bag" --- to "Jonathan Gannon is the Cardinals' version of Dan Campbell" --- to "Tank for Marv"--- to "Nick Rallis will be head coach in 2026"--- to "Fire Petzing." Problem is...
While Gannon and Petzing have left the premises, each landing highly sought after coordinator roles in the NFL North with the Lions and Packers respectively, Kyler Murray, Marvin Harrison Jr. and perhaps Nick Rallis remain.
Therefore, one of Mike LaFleur's most immediate challenges will be how he answers the questions about Kyler, Marv and Nick. It should be interesting to hear what LaFleur says when he is put on the spot by Theo Mackie.
What Mike LaFleur has going for him in a vast myriad of ways is his extensive understanding of how highly competent NFL owners, GMs, head coaches and assistant coaches are comprised and culturized. I find this aspect of Mike LaFleur's background very fascinating and appealing.
I just wonder how much authority Bidwill and Ossenfort will agree to give to LaFleur in re-shaping the Cardinals' modus operandi into something that more closely resembles the Rams' and 49ers'. How open will Bidwill be to changing his m.o.? (Is that a rhetorical question?)
In getting LaFleur to sign his 5-year deal, did Michael Bidwill get LaFleur to agree to one of his infamous quid pro quos? Just how much authority will LaFleur have in hiring the assistant coaches? How much say will he be given in personnel decisions, starting with Kyler? How handcuffed will LaFleur be by Bidwill's frugal ways?
The next few days and weeks should be very revealing as to what the Cardinals' plans are moving forward with Mike LaFleur as head coach.
While Michael Bidwill's head coaching search smacked of indecision and anticlimax, we have to hope that Mike LaFleur is up for being a true gamechanger within the organization.
Or will LaFleur's 5-year contract be similar to Kyler's, in the sense that, when applied to merit, be realized as "too much too soon"?
Then again, could Mike LaFleur's tenure as Cardinals' head coach be a home run anyway?
It could be interesting to see how Mike LaFleur's head coaching career matches up with Klint Kubiak's. And vice versa. Let the games begin.
Nick R. needs to be replaced. Johnny V and his sidekick are nice guys, but are just cheerleaders for Mikey, they still want and need to stay on the good side of the organization for many reasons. Gus Bradley as DC is getting warmer in a few different cities, I would take him or Weaver way more than “over his head Rallis. “ this offseason is just another terrible chapter of incompetence and another notch on the see example pole for the worst owner in football, nothing will change with Bidwill running day to day, just a different cast of characters on this doomed franchise..
ReplyDeleteI really hope they make a run at Anthony Weaver for defensive coordinator. Hopefully, they have not alienated him with the way they left him hanging during the hiring process. Gus Bradley does not excite me. With the exception of one year coaching the legion of boom, which was absolutely stacked with talent, his defenses have been bad.
ReplyDeleteWe got the coach that no other team wanted. I am gonna be hopeful but it's hard to get behind this hiring for that reason.
ReplyDeleteIf we end up with Weaver as DC, I will have more hope. After having him waiting in the wings for a chance that MB likely knew was never coming, he should do the right thing and offer him HC money to be the DC. I can't say I am confident that Mikey is a 'right thing' kind of guy.
I agree with you about the PHNX guys. I don't think I have agreed with very much of what they say but they seem to have a huge following that carries a lot of clout in pushing their agenda. It can be dangerous when people who may not be qualified can have such influence. If the majority of the general population is all swayed one direction, they are disappointed at any other choice. Ticket sales can be impacted the same way presidents can be elected.
Hopefully LaFleur gets to choose his assistants and is good at communicating to them what he knows worked on the Rams and 49ers. Hopefully he's observed and remembers some of McVays weaknesses and has a good idea how to defeat him at his own game. Hopefully he's a competitive hard worker who hates to lose and will work long hours with Monti on this next draft and with his assistants during the season. LaFleur is the boss now so hopefully he has the confidence to keep his head high, keep his nose to the grinding stone and not give up when the going gets tough. Hopefully LaFleur takes a page out of Kurt Warners book and wants to "Shock the World".
ReplyDelete"If you do the work, you get rewarded. There are no shortcuts in life." Michael Jordan
Mikey's newest Scapegoat is in place. ML's staff will dictate his degree of success just like Gannon's staff insured his failure. Will we see experienced ascending position coaches or will the Bidwill frugality dictate another staff of cheap inexperienced newbies?
ReplyDeleteThe one hope I had for this revolving door bottom of the barrel job is that someone would be hired who managed MB/MO not the other way around. No surprise that didn't happen. We can only watch and hope.
Seattle Seahawks will be sold sometime after the SB. It will sell for more money than ever for an NFL franchise-pay attention Bidwill its beyond time to get the message!
Gus decided not to get on Bidwill’s bus and Weaver took the Ravens job.
ReplyDeleteI remain skeptical of the hire. Bidwilled again! Perhaps he'll catch lightning in a bottle like he did with BA hire, unlikely but every once in awhile it just happens. What is likelihood we're looking for another HC in 3yrs? (about 90% - Vegas likely has odds on it already).
ReplyDeleteI don’t understand why some people believe Kubiak is far superior to LaFleur. I don’t believe the evidence supports this conclusion. Prior to being hired by Seattle, Kubiak had two unremarkable years as an offensive coordinator. When he coached the Vikings, they were middle of the pack in most offensive categories. The following year, the Vikings’ offensive rankings improved under the coaching of Kevin O’Connell, a former McVay coordinator with no playcalling experience.
ReplyDeleteIn 2024, Kubiak coached a below-average offense for the Saints. (For those who try to excuse this by citing QB issues, see Exhibit 1 for Mike LaFleur: Zach Wilson.)
Kubiak had his most successful year with Seattle, where he had the benefit of coaching Sam Darnold, an unsuccessful journeyman whose career was rehabilitated under the coaching tutelage of—wait for it—Kevin O’Connell (quick reminder: a former McVay coordinator with no experience).
In discussing his coaching career, Kubiak said he learned a lot from his past mistakes and failures, and this made him a better coach.
Now, let’s look at LaFleur’s progression. He was hired as the Jets OC by Robert Saleh, who had a chance to see him coach every day with San Francisco. I think it’s meaningful that Saleh, who is regarded as a defensive genius, believed in LaFleur.
LaFleur’s tenure was unquestionably tainted by Zach Wilson’s presence under center. This is confirmed by the fact that no one has been able to rehabilitate Wilson.
Since LaFleur’s mutually agreed-upon departure, several Jets players and coaches have said that he was unfairly scapegoated for the team’s offensive woes.
LaFleur’s next stop was with the Rams. It is incontrovertible that Sean McVay has a keen eye for offensive coaching talent. Just look at his coaching tree. When it came time for McVay to hire a new offensive coordinator, he did not promote from within (despite having internal candidates such as Thomas Brown). Instead, McVay hired LaFleur as his offensive coordinator. Obviously, McVay did not believe that LaFleur’s tenure with the Jets was disqualifying.
Since that time, the Rams’ offense has leveled up. With LaFleur’s influence, the offense has introduced new motion and personnel groupings and placed a renewed emphasis on the run game. This resulted in a spectacular offensive year in 2025.
Also, LaFleur called an incredible offensive game against the Cardinals, as the scoreboard demonstrated.
If Kubiak can learn from his prior failures, why not LaFleur? What makes Kubiak so far superior to LaFleur? Having an extra 15 games of playcalling experience? (Note: I’ve heard some people say that LaFleur never successfully developed a quarterback as an OC. Well, neither has Kubiak.)
While I understand why some people may have a slight preference for Kubiak over LaFleur, I can’t wrap my head around those who believe there is a chasmic disparity between the two. To me, they are relatively equal. Yet some people believe Kubiak is a coaching phenom and LaFleur is unqualified trash. Please make it make sense.
We have had success with hiring offensive minded coaches the last few times. LaFleurs offense has a fair amount of pre snap motion jet sweeps etc. His critical piece is a running back that has speed to the outside. He will need the threat of a rb that can take it to the house on any given play.The two running backs in this years draft who are in that wheel house would be Emmet Johnson or Jadarian price. Love to see either on the 26 Cards
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