HC Jonathan Gannon Press Conference 9.26.25 | AZ Cardinals

HC Jonathan Gannon Press Conference 9.26.25 | AZ Cardinals

Um, nothing really to add on the injury front. Obviously, he’s still getting a lot of tests and evaluations and all that medical stuff going on right now. So, like I said, Simey’s got um he’s in concussion protocol. Darius has a chest. Um, so I’ll have more information with the rest of the crew next week. Um, you know, watching the tape, uh, obviously disappointed with the loss, didn’t do enough to win the game. Um there is some good things on the tape that we can you know build from. Um and there’s a lot of things that we did not do well enough that you know we got to correct. Um so and there there’s some different things popping up in these last four. I don’t want to go in the past but these last four that um you know good things that are showing up have to show up consistently and can’t take a step back. So, um, with saying that, it really comes down to executing at a little bit better level for 60 minutes, all three phases, coaching a little bit better, putting them in better spots for 60 minutes, um, and working collectively to get the outcome that we obviously desire. Um, so we’ll take a good hard look. You know, we we self scout every week. Um, but I do think we get a little bit of a break here this weekend. kind of a mini buy, if you want to call it that. So, I want some guys to to get a little mental break. Um, coaches and players, but then the coaches will be working this weekend as far as let’s let’s try some problems that are happening. Let’s solve some problems because that’s our job. So, that’s what we’ll do. You uh you mentioned yesterday you kind of want to see the tape before you got too much into Trey and I’m wondering what you saw from Benson and and just how you like the overall running back production. I thought he played well. I did. I thought Trey played well. You know, I mean, there were some dirty yards in there. He had the one explosive. I thought he was good in the pass game. He put the ball where it needed to go. Um Amari got in there, made some plays. The the you know, how the game went a lot of those, you know, Mike didn’t play a ton. He was up. Um Amari played a decent amount because we’re kind of in known pass there for a little bit. Trey obviously took the the full load, but um you know, it’s just how that game kind of kicked out, but um I was I was I was pleased with those guys. They got some things to correct um both in the run and pass game, but nothing that we can’t fix. What are some of the the things that you’ve done well over the last four games that need to be more consistent? Some of I mean, everything, Josh, you know what I mean? uh defensively like yesterday. Um I would call them cup violations where the ball circles us, you know, and and I say like a a general statement, the run defense wasn’t good enough. Well, if you look at things that we’ve executed and done a really good job of for three weeks, um you’re off by a little bit here or there. You lose a cup a couple times. Um there’s some hidden yardage on their end a couple times. We don’t tackle as well. Um I thought we were a little leaky at times. So that all how we hit blocks, how we align in certain calls. We weren’t aligned the right way, you know, and it’s like we just got to do that better because everyone’s got to do their job to have a productive play. So we’ve done that well over the course of four games. Um we didn’t do it well enough yesterday, you know. So it’s like it’s like things like that and you can go to all three phases that that’s kind of happening. Hence why we just lost, you know, a tight game. You know, you got to do those things. You got to control those things. So if you want to win um so we just got to do them a little better. You talked about changing and adapting last night with this many buy. How beneficial can that be in really very very Yeah. I mean, that’s, you know, and, you know, like, uh, offensively, like you guys asked me about, you know, throwing it more than running it. Um, and and again, the last two drives there probably skewed it a little more than what it would have been if it was kind of straight up, as I would call it. Um, but that’s, you know, I I feel like that’s what we had to do to try to win the game. Put us in the best chance to win the game versus that team. Is it going to look like that all the time? No. will look like that again at some point probably, you know what I mean, versus different teams. But there’s going to be other games that we’re probably going to run it 40 times and throw it 20 times, you know what I mean? So, um, moving forward, I think the first thing is concentrate on us, what we’re doing schematically, what our players can do well, what spots are we putting them in, who can we improve, what do they need to do to improve. Um, and then you get that figured out. Um, and then you go on to, all right, who are we playing and how do we got to play all three phases to win a game. You mentioned using the mini buy to address the things that are consistently not going right from a coaching perspective, reworking some things. What are the things that are not consistently going right that you need to focus on as a coaching staff? Some I mean on offensively, some of the play types I think just haven’t been as good for us, you know, through four weeks. So, we got to look at that. Are we are we coaching those right? Um do we need different people in those spots or do we bag it? Like that’s cool. Defensively kind of the same thing. Like our groups how we want our groups um from people first. I always look at people first. Where are we putting our people and then is it working or not? And and you got to have a a pretty trained eye. Not that I do, but you got to have a pretty trained eye. Just because something’s quote unquote not working or not being successful doesn’t mean that it’s not fixable and you just throw it away. Um, so there can be some tweaks, you know, here or there that can help you. Um, but you got to look at those things and then, you know, try to figure out how we can, you know, execute a little bit better. You know, the things that aren’t coming to fruition like we would want. I know with uh and you you mentioned last night Chad had a great game and it the one kick wasn’t everything. I’m curious about the the new kickoff rule. Is the margin for error for teams that are kicking off just that so much more smaller? Because obviously they get at the 40 there, but if you get a touchback, it’s still at the 35 and if they get a a running start, they’re a lot of these kickoffs are coming out to the 33 34 anyways. Like is that margin for error like just so small right now in terms of getting a team back? Yeah, I don’t know, Darren. The the rules are kind of the rules. You know, we knew that it would we were saying it it’s going to be interesting to see through seven, eight weeks, you know, what those numbers look like because that plays into what you’re doing. Um um but um you know, he kind of just I thought we played well on kickoff all day. Kind of just mishit that one, you know what I mean? and and it’s the difference of a yard and a half, you know, or, you know, could be really good for you, you know. So, u we look at all that and there’s decisions that I made last night that you look at it and some of them worked and and um some of them didn’t work from a game management standpoint. I always try to look at those critically and sometimes when things work, you know, you’re you’re not off the hook and some things when they don’t work, you still think it’s the right decision, you know. So that’s this the chair that I’m in and that’s okay. Um but what I I try to stress with our players and our coaches, let’s make sure we’re continue to try to do the right things to put our team in position to win. Harris was talking about after the game about how he knows that it’s really just been a few plays that have been kind of the difference and dating back to whether it’s wins or losses that that’s kind of what it’s been when it’s come down to those last possessions. Is that more frustrating for you or is that more encouraging and motivating knowing that you guys are really just in it to the very end? I don’t I don’t know that. Hey, happy post belated birthday yesterday. Um yesterday, right? Um probably a little bit of both honestly. Um you know, it’s obviously frustrating when you lose. This is a competitive job and everybody in there is ultra competitive and when you lose it don’t feel good, you know, but I do think that it’s not all bad. You have to take some positives and build on that and then the negatives you got to figure out why they’re happening and solve them, you know. Um, but they know, you know, that’s I don’t know if that’s ever happened. You lose, you know, two games in four days. um the way we’ve lost them, it doesn’t feel great, but there are some positives from those two games. Show at one point the broadcast said you guys had like a 3.6 probability to win and you come back. So, I know moral victories don’t show up in the win column, but if you’re at a point of having to make changes and adjustments to have that mentality in the fight, how important is that for the team at this point? Yeah. Um, I was going to give a smartass answer to that, Danny, but I’ll just pause. It’s a good question. Just like we were like 99% verse Carolina, then it went all the way down. Not great. But, uh, um, my point is the win percentage thing, whatever. It’s the National Football League. But, uh, I think we have a resilient team. I do I do think that, um, they’ll bounce back. The one question somebody asked me yesterday or maybe it was on the radio. I thought it was a good question, but I kind of smirked at it. You know, is this deflate your team uh losing twice how we’ve just lost? And to me, like my mind went to no, it honestly will give us a shot of adrenaline, you know, and that’s that’s I’m speaking from my own personal belief and feeling like when you lose like that, you know, you’re close. Um, and it it makes you um you’re not that our sense of urgency isn’t there, but it makes you really focus in on the things that we have to do better to not have the result that we’re getting. So, uh, our guys will bounce back. They’ll be ready to go on Monday. After watching the tape, what were the issues on offense the first three quarters yesterday? Why didn’t it produce like you? Uh, I mean, it’s like all three phases, Josh. like there’s, you know, it’s play somebody a little bit off here or there, you know, you need all 11 to do their job at a high level to make a play work, you know. Um, and I and I would give some there, and this is not a copout. I would give some credit to Seattle. They do a good job on defense. Coach McDonald is he’s they got a good scheme. They got good players. He’s a good play caller. Um, so they they press some issues on us, you know what I mean, which they they’re going to continue to do whoever they play. Uh, we got to make a couple more plays and be the aggressor at times. Um, and make sure we’re playing with proper technique. You know, that that’s that hurt us a couple times. Like I look at, you know, the six sacks, right? And in my mind, you know, when you look at it critically, three of them they they earned, three of them we gave them. So you got to eliminate those three, you know what I mean? And then you don’t feel as bad of three sacks, you know, three of those sacks kill drives. So if you just play if you make them earn them or they don’t have those, it looks a little bit different. You know, you put up more points, you keep you stay on the field, you convert a third down, you know, all those things. You’re in the red zone, whatever. Um, so that goes into it just goes into the game, the game of the NFL. You know, during a game 60 minutes, they’re going to make some plays, you’re going to make some plays, but you can’t give them plays either. What separates a sack that you gave away from a sack they earned? Uh, the one like on the second down, like we’re just not coordinated correctly with what we’re doing, you know, and and I know we know what to do, but we just didn’t execute it at a high enough level and give him a sack, you know. Um or another one it’s late in the down and they played a good coverage and quarterback’s progressing through and we kind of cave a little bit later. They kind of earned that one to me, you know what I mean? That was rushing coverage sack that happens, you know, especially when you’re throwing it as much and it’s known past for them. So, um they kind of got the upper hand. They got us on that one. So, it’s just it’s I don’t know if that gives a good example for you, but um like the second down one to seven and and Wosu Chenna like we we’ve done that at a high level that protection and um we just didn’t get it done that time, you know, and we got a guy coming wide open, you know, so um it’s those plays we need to make sure that we’re on point. What uh what happened on the first interception where it looked like Mar stopped running his route? Yeah, honestly like that’s a little miscommunication. You know, we got he’s progressing to the big in and I think when he pulled it down and strided up um you could talk to Marv. I think I haven’t talked to Marv or Kyler yet, but I honestly think Marv’s started to snap off his route because he thought it was going to be a scramble drill and the ball was out of his hand, you know. So, it’s just a touch of timing with that one. Um, so it’s stinks that it happened, but it happened. I know those things happen, but it does seem like there are a lot of miscommunications. Yeah. Yeah. I I don’t I you know, truthfully, I felt that walking off the field like, man, like are we on the same page as much? Because that irks me truthfully. Like it does like you’re it’s like you’re in it’s like when uh when we’re throwing the ball to nobody, that’s like a busted coverage to me. Like it shouldn’t happen. And I thought we had more than what we actually did. We we definitely had one. Um and and on the tape and and we talked about it, you know, how we can handle that as a coaching staff to maybe not put them in that situation when we’re in a different tempo, but the you know, the defense wasn’t aligned right and they got aligned, you know, late and we had already made the the adjustment, so to speak, without giving away everything. um you know that happens but I you know a couple other ones that happened um I thought we weren’t on the right page but we were you know so um I honestly feel better about that but we we can’t have miscommunication of where the ball should be delivered at the proper time and what route is being run but with Marv and Kyler I I don’t think it it was um bad you know what I mean coming after watching the tape. Um I don’t I’m not mad about where they were being on the same page. There was one of those last week too. It was kind of the opposite where our friend Short and Kyler threw deep and I was asking you to go back but uh correct that they were not on the same page. Correct. Correct. Yeah. I thought there was three play truthfully I thought there was three plays in the game that Kyler’s throwing the ball not just but other people that they’re running a different route. It was really only one. We heard all offseason how everyone’s on the same page. All the work that these receivers and car put in together. Why are these still happening though? Yeah, defense has a say. That’s why you know um so with saying that it’s not being like a smartass. It’s that’s that’s the truth you know. So, um, there’s nothing like learning from game reps. So, I think these reps will help us moving forward to play better. Josh, you said after the game history that four games is a good sample size to kind of see what what you guys are and what you have. Um, after the last two games this week, where are you on this offense? What’s your confidence level right now with High It is. It is. And I know um that you know to to the outside world. Um, not that I’m worried about the outside world, but um, you’d be like, well, why is it high? You’re not scoring a lot of points. Looks, you know, at times doesn’t look great. This and that. Um, I know that we have the people that we need to produce, how we need to produce win games. Um, I’ve seen through four weeks what it can look like. um at times we’re just not consistently there right now. So that’s what I mean about the four games. It’s like okay we can kind of we should be able to have a better sense of figuring out and you need to have a sense every week but um that’s really look at where we’re putting our guys, what we’re asking them to do and how do we improve our efficiency and production. Um so we need to take a step forward. I know you mentioned the difference between game reps and practice reps. I know all the time you guys practiced the green dot, everybody getting a shot at that, but with Mac getting evaluated, I know Akeem jumped in for that spot. It was a small sample size, but can you take anything away from that game? Yeah, I thought he did a good job. I do. I mean, he’s a pro. He’s a vet, you know what I mean? He’s he’s playing good football for us right now. He didn’t miss a beat. And, you know, he’s playing fourth down, too, which is a big hat because he’s one of our premier players on specials team. So, I thought 27 did an excellent job last night. And specifically with that, um, he was he was good. How was Jaylen in the slot? Say it again. How was Oh, Jaylen. Um, I thought he played well. I know he had the one I think they called him on a one penalty. He’s got to make sure he keeps his upfield hand out, but um he’s he’s doing a good job. Now that we’re past Seattle, how was Walter Nolan doing? Okay, so those guys because we have our chances to open up windows here. So you guys will see that next week. No, I I One day at a time. Easy, Mark. One day at a time. One one day at a time. One day at a time. Here’s what I would say. Um all those guys that are not healthy enough to be out there right now are all progressing. Um they’re all at different stages. Um and when we can get guys back up and and get them rolling, we’ll get them back and rolling. But they got to be fully healthy, ready to assimilate into a practice before we open the window and put them out there or you’re wasting time with it. So that’s truly how it works. And and I’m not really I’m really not trying to be koi like it truly is like day by day with that stuff, you know? So um I don’t want to be dismissive about those questions, but like a lot of times when we open up a window, I know about a day before, you know. So, um I’m hopeful that some of those guys start to get back soon.

HC Jonathan Gannon addresses the media ahead of Week 5 vs the Tennessee Titans.

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