Jordan Spurgeon
“Be where your feet are.”
That’s one of many phrases that new Arizona Cardinals’ head coach Jonathan Gannon uses frequently. It was repeated multiple times throughout his introductory press conference.
The 40-year-old first-time head coach is ready for the opportunity he’s been waiting for since he was 21 years old.
Here are 3 takeaways from his first day in front of the media.
1. There is no system
Most coordinators have a system to implement on any team they work for. That philosophy doesn’t work for Gannon, who preaches the importance of adaptability.
“I don’t have a scheme,” Gannon said. “A lot of people weren’t sure how to feel about that when I became a defensive coordinator two years ago, but I know it’s the right way to approach things. We are going to make sure we put our players in the best position to succeed.”
Kyler Murray, Zach Ertz, and other players were in attendance for this press conference. Ertz feels that Gannon is on the right track when he talks about adaptability.
“Be where your feet are.”
That’s one of the many phrases that Zach Ertz likes so far from new HC Jonathan Gannon. @Sports360AZ pic.twitter.com/FcqQVQez8z
— Jordan Spurgeon (@spurge_) February 16, 2023
“He is going to do a great job,” Ertz said. “We as players are looking forward adapting to a new way pf playing for this franchise.”
2. There’s plenty of roster moves coming
As of Thursday, the Arizona Cardinals have 30 players from the 2022 season set to hit free agency. That means Gannon and new general manager Monti Ossenfort are having tons of discussions about the type of players they want on the roster for 2023 and beyond.
“Define what winner behavior is and hold people to that standard,” Gannon said. “As hard as we going to be on our guys, we’re going to love them up. The ultimate accountability is not wanting to let your teammate down. ”
3. The coaching staff will be vital for success
Yes that’s a bit of an obvious statement. But, it rings even more true for this off-season. Kyler Murray is 6 weeks removed from ACL surgery, and will need to learn the offense from an new coordinator.
“I don’t know if I’ll be calling the plays on defense yet,” Gannon said. “But it’s an ongoing process and we’ll see how it shapes out… on offense we want the right coordinator who help get the most out of our quarterback.”
Gannon also brought up how difficult it was for him to game plan against Murray because of his unique play making abilities.
