TEMPE, Ariz. – Part of the reason Jonathan Gannon was hired as the new coach of the Arizona Cardinals was because of his opinion of Kyler Murray.
During Gannon’s introductory news conference on Thursday, he said one of his first moves will be to start looking for offensive coaches he feels are suitable to coach Murray. After a whirlwind four days, that process will begin in the next 48 hours, Gannon said.
“I have a very specific vision of how I want to play offense and the person who comes here to run the offense will understand that everything we do is going to be structured around the quarterback position to maximize their skill set,” Gannon. saying. “And we have an elite one.”
During the nearly 40-minute news conference, Gannon laid out his approach for the Cardinals.
“We’re going to be adaptable, we’re going to be violent, we’re going to be explosive, and we’re going to be smart,” he said. “And the three phases go into that and we’ll maximize the talent of the players that we have, and that’s how we’re going to win games.”
“And don’t get it wrong: we’re going to win games.”
However, Gannon made it clear that he understood he would need Murray to do that, whenever Murray recovers from ACL surgery.
Murray was one of 10 players who attended Gannon’s news conference, joining quarterback Colt McCoy, running backs James Conner and Darrel Williams, wide receivers Rondale Moore and Antoine Wesley, tight end Zach Ertz and linemen offensive defensive backs DJ Humphries, Will Hernandez and Josh. Jones.
Gannon said the Cardinals will have a plan in place depending on how Murray’s recovery goes and whether or not he will miss time in the regular season. During his initial conversations with Murray, Gannon was impressed with his thinking.
“You can tell he’s super competitive, you have to be in that place and very self-aware, which I thought was great,” Gannon said. “The maturity that he shows when we talk, ultimately, just like me, he wants to start and he wants to do great things and win football games. And I think he knows what it takes to do that for the team, that’s what he it will
“So I was really excited for him.”
During Gannon’s interview with the Cardinals, which he did not learn about until Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman told him about it after Super Bowl LVII, he impressed Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill with his opinion. about Murray.
“It’s the vision I had for our elite quarterback and getting him back to being the playmaker that he is and making sure we build around him and put our players in positions, especially Kyler as our quarterback, to really get it done, and I was excited about what his plan is and how he described it.”
Gannon said he visited the Cardinals’ opening before his interview Monday morning and spoke with people he trusted about their views on the job. Gannon said that all the feedback he received was positive but, ultimately, he would trust his gut once he got into the actual interview.
Gannon said he looks forward to collaborating with new general manager Monti Ossenfort “100 percent on everything we do,” from roster and personnel building to team psychology and player development.
“We’re going to do that together,” Gannon said. “I think the more brains and knowledge we have to make decisions, the better.”
When it comes to Gannon developing his staff, the timing of his hires has been an issue, he said. He spent the entire flight back to Philadelphia working on his staff and also plans to meet with Vance Joseph, who is currently under contract as the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator, on Thursday.
“I’m looking forward to sitting down with Vance,” Gannon said. “I’ve known Vance for a long time as a fan because he’s done it at a high level. So I’m looking forward to talking to him about his vision of defense and if it mixes with mine and well, we’ll go from there.” .”
When Gannon, whose former team the Eagles spent the past week practicing at the Cardinals facility, returned to Arizona as the Cardinals’ head coach, he had a recent memory of Murray to look back on.
Philadelphia beat Arizona in Week 5, but Murray passed for 250 yards, one touchdown and one interception while rushing for 42 yards on four carries.
“It was a unique game plan to put together because of his skill set,” Gannon said. “And I used the term, he’s a problem to defend because what he can do, it’s a legitimate problem for defenses and he has a unique skill set and that’s what I look forward to, working with him and showing him, ‘Hey, so it’s how defenses are going to try to stop you. This is what you have to be prepared for and these are the things.”
“What we’re going to do with him is going to help him move up and down the field, score a lot of points and be explosive and protect the ball.”