Creating Order re: Cardinals' Positional Chaos - Coach LaFleur, here are some suggestions

By Walter Mitchell

Yesterday, I elaborated on the positional chaos the Cardinals have amassed at QB, WR, RG, RT, NT, RDE, ILB, ED and CB.

Some may have thought of the article as being overly negative.

That was not my ultimate intention.

When I write articles of a critical nature, it is an attempt to encourage change. 

I still ask the question --- how can it be that in year four of the Cardinals' rebuild, they have so many positions that are in a total state of flux?

The one guy more than any other who can create order out of this chaos is Mike LaFleur. 

So, today I am going to make these suggestions to Coach LaFleur:

QB

The Cardinals' owe it to Michael Wilson, Trey McBride, Marfvin Harrrison Jr., Hjalte Froholdt and all of the offensive players who played the butts off during such a woeful, lost season by you sticking with Jacoby Brissett, the QB they believe in.

Coach, when you look at the special chemistry Jacoby built with Michael Wilson and Trey McBride, you know first-hand how valuable that kind of QB/WR/TE chemistry was for you last year with Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua and Cody Parkinson.

Nacua and Parkinson combined for 2,123 yards and 18 TDs.

Wilson and McBride combined for 2,245 yards and 18 TDs.

Fact is, no NFL QB threw for more yards and TDs the last 12 games of the 2025 season than Matthew Stafford and Jacoby Brissett.

Some pundits and fans do not want to give Jacoby much or any credit for this --- but I would say it's much easier to play hard when one's team is in the playoff hunt. The character, leadership and toughness that Jacoby brings to the Cardinals' offense is exemplary.

The 2026 QB plan is simple:

Stick with Jacoby until it becomes crystal clear that it is time to see what you have in Carson Beck.

Coach, it is so important this season for you and the team to do everything you possibly can to win games. You and your assistants have to "unteach" the losing methodologies that the previous head coach and staff preached. You need to listen to the players and find ways lift up their confidence. Kudos to you, it sounds like the players are already enamored with your offensive system.

High Praise from Budda Baker:

https://x.com/BoBrack/status/2059745322205868270?s=20

WR

Jacoby Brissett has developed a Stafford/Nacua chemistry with Michael Wilson. Use Willy as your WR1 in the Puka role.

Marv can be the complimentary WR opposite Willy the way Davonte Adams was for you last year. 

Next, you need to identify and develop a slot WR. You may need to trade for one. Because with Kyler, slot WRs were gimmick players relegated mostly to bubble screens, jet sweeps and occasional crossers. 

By adding a bona fide slot WR to the mix, you can finally bring the Cardinals' offense into the 21st Century where attacking the middle of the defense in every which way imaginable is often the key to winning games. 

RG

Start Jon Gaines II. He is star waiting to emerge. Gaines II has the total package and he's disciplined. That a huge key for your offense --- disciplined OL play. Same at RT. Play with discipline.

RT

Start Josh Fryar. PJJ believes he can be a stud RT. I agree. In the Big Ten, where he was an All-Conference tackle, Fryar built a strong reputation as a running game mauler. That's check one ✅. During Ohio St. 's run to the Natty in 2024, playing against the 4 of the nation's top defenses, here were the scores and number of sacks that Josh Fryar gave up:

* CFP Round 1: Ohio St. 42, Tennessee 17 --- Fryar: 0 sacks

* Rose Bowl Round 2: Ohio St. 41, Oregon 21 --- 0 sacks

* Cotton Bowl Round 3: Ohio St. 28, Texas 14 --- 0 sacks

* National Championship: Ohio St. 34, Notre Dame 23 --- 0 sacks

That's check two ✅.

Note 1: You can ask Pete Kwiatkowski (former Texas DC and OLB coach) how well Josh Fryar played against his Longhorns.

Note 2: Offensive line coach Justin Frye was Jon Gaines II's OL coach at UCLA and Josh Fryars' OL coach at Ohio St.  during the Natty run at Ohio St.

NT

Start Roy Lopez.

Play Andrew Billings and PJ Mustipher in short yardage and on the goal line defense.

Good job of addressing this glaring 3-4 need.

RDE

This is the year to get Darius Robinson on track towards being a disruptive force. Pete Kwaitkowski is just the coach to bring the star out in him.

Rotate Kaleb Proctor with Darius and Dante Stills.

SOLB

Start Jordan Burch. This defense needs to place a new premium on tackling. Burch had the highest OLB tackling grade at 71.9, while Zaven Collins and Baron Browning were 38.8 and 27.3 respectively.

WOLB

Stick with Josh Sweat. Feels like you are handling his situation as well as can be expected. Now you will need to show him how to attack Sean McVay's bread-and-butter off-tackle plays, especially out of 12 and 13 personnel where Sweat (and many others) looked tentative last season.

MLB

Cody Simon was the 3-down "Green Dot" MIKE at Ohio St. He's faster and more instinctive than Mack Wilson Sr. You should know as well as anyone how easy it has been for Sean McVay and you to exploit the Cardinals ILBers with RB flares, quick outs and wheel routes. 

One of the main reasons why Cody Simon was defensive MVP of the Rose Bowl and National Championship games was the outstanding job he did in coverage on Tez Johnson and Jeremiah Love, limiting then to 7 catches for 37 yards.

And get this, Cody Simon (MLB) and Sonny Styles (WLB) helped to limit Oregon and Notre Dame to 76 yards combined on 54 carries, an average run of 1.4 yards per carry.

WLB

Start Mack Wilson Sr. on running downs and go to Owen Pappoe on passing downs. Both are superb blitzers.

CB

Start Will Johnson and Elijah Jones. Take advantage of their size and playmaking abilities. Size will be needed more than ever this year with Mike Evans now on the 49ers. 

Play Dadrion Taylor Demerson and Max Melton in the slot. They have the best combination of speed 4.41 and 4.39 in the 40, and agility 6.96 and 6.95 respectively in the 3-Cone.

Coach, as you saw, the Cardinals have to start playing man-to-man coverage on the likes of Puka Nacua, Jaxson Smith-Njigba and Christian McCaffrey. Hopefully with you as head coach, the days of zone shredding of the Cardinals' soft zones by Matthew Stafford, Sam Darnold and Brock Purdy will come to a swift end. 

Just as your team needs a bona fide slot WR to come into the 21 Century as an offense, your defense needs to rely heavily on a slot CB who can pester the opponents' slot WRs. Why or how Jonathan Gannon and Nick Rallis thought they could get away with avoiding man coverages at all costs, particularly in key situations is beyond comprehension. 

You have 4 pre-season games, why not play man coverage exclusively for at least 2 of those games? Let's see who can cover and who can't. 

Your Rams got beat by the Seahawks because your defense tried to zone them to no avail down the stretch as Sam Darnold picked the zone apart. As a result, they went and traded a haul of picks for the Chiefs' All-Pro slot CB Trent McDuffie so that they could match him up on JSN. 

Your Cardinals need to follow suit. Hopefully. Dadrion Taylor-Demerson and Max Melton are up to the task. Maybe Star Thomas V gives you a chance there too.

Lastly, Budda Baker said yesterday what Zaven Collins has previously revealed about Nick Rallis' making "little changes." Hopefully, that was an intentional understatement by the team captain.

This defense needs "major" changes. 

The "caution and cushion" defense needs to be ushered as swiftly as Jacoby Brissett ushered out the "3rd and Give Up" offense.

What excites me about you, Coach, you know the NFC West and you know what works against those defenses --- so you, as well as anyone, would know how to show the defensive coaches what is going to work and what is going to fail. 

We are going to need you to work double time by coordinating the offense and advising the defense. At times you may be able to do that simultaneously. 

On Monday's Red Rain Podcast, we are going to break down Jacoby Brissett's play in both Rams games and analyze the overt flaws in how the Gannon/Rallis crew pathetically attempted to defend your bread-and-butter plays, like your variety of power off-tackle runs with exotic motions and play-action waggles.

Red Rain Podcast Homework: watch this great 7-minute breakdown of Sean McVay's offense:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HCuZzAD0YDY

Awesome job by Armchair Coach Justin

Armchair Coach Justin