Not Knowing What’s Wrong With the Arizona Cardinals is Their BIGGEST Problem

Not Knowing What’s Wrong With the Arizona Cardinals is Their BIGGEST Problem

All that we’ve experienced with the Arizona Cardinals in 2025 comes down to one question that nobody can answer. What’s wrong? Let’s discuss. You are Locked on Cardinals, your daily Arizona Cardinals podcast. Part of the Locked On podcast network. Your team every day. Alex Clancy here. Part of the Locked On podcast network. the number one sports podcast platform on the planet now. It’s unbelievable. Absolutely unbelievable. You guys have stuck with me in my big dumb face for nine seasons now. Um, thanks for hanging out. Today’s episode’s brought to you by FanDuel. Uh, new customers, bet five bucks. If it wins, $300 in bonus bets used across the app. You know the drill. What’s wrong? I don’t know. I’m going to bring on somebody that’s most likely smarter than me in pretty much every way possible. Uh, friend of the show. We’re going to talk about, you know, what’s wrong with this team. I say it somewhat tongue and cheek, but really the only thing worse than having a problem is not knowing what the root of the problem is. And we’re in week 12 and still don’t know what the root of the problem is. With that said, Donnie Drew, Arizona, you know, he Sports Illustrated and stuff. You know, he’s doing some Sunsies now, too. Yeah. Double dipping. Um, you know, one one valley team’s got to uphold the the high expectations this year. I didn’t expect it to be the Phoenix Suns, but here we are. Yeah. I mean, it’s it’s been six weeks, so give it time. Um, but yeah, so Donnie, we’ll talk about that. Um, is the good really sustainable? You know, it’s I’ve talked about it with Michael Wilson and Trey McB. I want to get your thoughts. And then do you start Kyler Murray either week 14 or week 15 when he’s healthy or has he played his last down as an Arizona Cardinal? Donnie, what the hell is wrong with this team? Yeah, I I can’t tell you, man. To to your comments a little bit earlier in the show before you introduced me. I I don’t know if I’m smarter than you or anybody else listening cuz I’m a community college dropout, brother. I I was not the uh the brightest crayon in the box for sure. And I think when you look at the Arizona Cardinals, Alex, I what I like about football is it’s a perfectly encapsulated team game, right? Like one person doesn’t do their job and the whole operation gets messed up. I think that’s kind of true on like the macro level as well. Whenever you evaluate, especially the the Cardinals this year is it’s not just one thing. It’s not just the offensive line play. It’s not just the the lack of rushing attack. It’s not just like Drew Petting’s offense. It’s not like fourth quarter defense. It It’s such like a cluster, you know what, of all of these things kind of brewing it into a pot to make this like poor football gumbo that we have to subject ourselves to on an almost like weekly basis moving forward. Uh, but I think if you were to highlight the biggest thing of quote unquote what’s wrong is they they just can’t play 60 minutes of football, man. that they have yet I have yet to walk out of a game and say, you know what, from start to finish, they played good. We are 13 weeks into the season now. Sorry, 12 full games into the season and I have yet to watch an Arizona Cardinal football game and say, “Yeah, you know what? They played good start to finish.” Yeah. No, it’s true. I mean, I guess the closest thing would be Dallas. Um, but you know, it’s for me, I guess the microcosm of the whole season has been the last sequence in regulation this past week where they have a chance to win the game. And I was apppoplelectic, I think, when it’s like, okay, 28 seconds left. Michael Wilson does the spinies with the ball, which really it didn’t affect anything. Everybody was 25 yards away. He picked up the ball. They maybe lost a second, but then they decide from 19 seconds down to chill the hell out and not spike the ball. Okay, so that’s on the players in my eyes. Okay, so you got one play, 7 seconds left. Jonathan Ganon does the opposite of take a leap and kicks a field goal with still three seconds left on on the field in the you know, you got to kick it out of the end zone for Jacksonville. any other team would have taken at least one more shot, you know, and like for me it’s like, okay, the Cardinals get there and then they try to give the ball away. They try to give the win away. They try to play it safe, give the win away, whether it be gaps on their own or coaching mistakes, and they’re never in their own they’re never controlling the narrative. They’re always reacting to another team’s narrative and how to best circumvent it. And that’s not winning football, obviously. Yeah, I think that might be a good way to kind of summarize the Cardinals in game strategy this year is it feels like they’ve been very reactive to a lot of things and I think that’s where the whole like coaching thing comes into play is it feels like more times than not Alex through throughout every game this year is the reason why we’re seeing the the Cardinals kind of collapse in the third and fourth quarter is well one team isn’t doing what they were doing at the beginning of the game first or second quarter and another team is um and I think the very very fine line between winning and losing in the National Football League lies in the details. It lies in the preparation whenever you have teams just doing things a little bit differently than they are. And Alex, you can correct me if I’m wrong, but like for for weeks now, it feels like this offense has been pretty predictable. even take it back to whenever Drew Petting first took over in 2023. The the the if you can call out basically what the offense is going to do on an almost drive-to drive basis sitting in the press box, sitting at home, what do you think defensive coordinators are doing? Like truly truly. And like when whenever the Cardinals drop back the pass 40 to 45 times a game, teams know they can’t run the football. Teams know they’re not going to be a threat on the ground. it it just makes it that much easier to box the Cardinals in. And um to your point a little bit earlier in the show, the crazy part is there’s still a lot of good about this team. There’s a lot to be excited about in terms of like pieces and and things to like moving forward, which has kept them in a lot of games this year. So, the the fact that all of what’s worked against them the the past 12 weeks has been major and significant. The fact that they’ve been in a lot of these games, the fact that they’re so close time and time and time again, I think it’s just a testament to like how close they are, but also just taking a step back and look at everything. They’re three and eight on the year. They’re clearly not going to be a playoff team this year. I think they can get eliminated this week if a couple things happen. If you take a step back, they’re close, but they’re also so far away, man. that they really are. So with that, like, and I’m gonna talk about Niger here in a second, but like they’re on their third, they’re on their fourth running back at this point, okay? So the fact that they can’t run the ball, that’s not scheme. That’s talent in my opinion. You know, it’s probably both, but you know, this isn’t James Connor 11 for 20, 10 for 12, things like that. This isn’t even Trey Benson, who hopefully we’ll see at some point again this year. I mean, I know he was practicing last week, didn’t suit up. Maybe you’ll see him this week, maybe not. But like I don’t think, and this isn’t a full circle on Drew Petting, like they should extend him by any stretch. Okay, but we still haven’t seen what this offense is supposed to look like. Like, we’ve seen what the pass game could be with the verticality and we haven’t seen it complemented with any run game. So, say he throws the ball 35 times a game, Trey Benson gets 15 carries for 80 yards. It’s like, well, this is more of a complimentary offense that you could potentially feel confident in going into 2026. We haven’t seen any of it. We haven’t had the capability of it because Trey Benson and James Connor have been hurt all year. So, it’s like, is it It’s not It sounds like an excuse. It’s a reason as to why Jacobe Brassette, you know, dropped back 55 times last week, six of which were sacks. Like, it’s a reason, not an excuse. And also, they’ve got to figure out what the hell they want to do starting next year. and this is the time to figure out what it’s going to look like if they want to run it back with this squad. Yeah, I I think right now we’re kind of crossing that barrier of okay, you know, we’re still going to fight, we’re still going to try to win games. Um we’re not mathematically eliminated from the postseason yet, but also like the clock’s kind of like turning forward. Okay, like what do we need to see from a couple guys, you know, certain looks out of this, certain looks out of that to really make sound good decisions on what we need out of this team moving into 2026? because like it’s a very very big offseason coming up because the the future of the offense between Kyler Bry and Drew Petting like those are two massive question marks that will fully dictate the the direction of this team moving forward for at least the next couple years to come. You have that to be answered. Even evaluating Jonathan Gain, I don’t think he’s going to get fired, but like there’s going to have to be something that changes. And I I’m a JG guy through and through, but listening to him talk about staying true through the the process and like being process driven and oriented, I can respect that. But after losing your last eight out of nine games, something in the process has to change. Like like you cannot continually do what you were doing on a week- toeek basis. And like I get it, they’re right there. They’re a couple plays away. But 70% of games in the NFL come down to one score games. this isn’t some crazy anomaly that they’re just not making it more plays than the other team to bring home wins. And like that that’s the difference between being six and four at the start of the year in 2024 and then collapsing to the tail end of the year. You you add all of this talent through the offseason, you put so much trust in like Kyler and Marv taking that next jump. Um and it just it hasn’t worked. The Cardinals gambled. The Arizona Cardinals gambled this past offseason that they would have an elite defense and Marvin Harrison Jr. and Kylin Bur together would take that leap into the the next level and it just hasn’t panned out. Before we pivot to the the good, does Nick Rolls get a pass for this year because of the injuries? I I would say so like because it’s still there like you you still see a lot of the fundamental last week. Yeah. Right. And you know like granted like Nick’s not the one out there like making crazy diving play. I’ve never seen a Keem Davis Gaither make that play in my life. Like I I have never seen him do that. Buddha Buddha Baker intercepted the pass and okay like all all of this is going right for the Cardinals like this has to be a win like this doesn’t happen in the desert especially in November like just you know I I almost went and bought a lottery ticket after the game because like I can’t believe it u I I I do think Ris gets a pass and um that might be good news for Arizona because heading into 2025 he was kind of looked at as a potential underdog head coaching candidate and it doesn’t seem like that’s going to be the case. I wouldn’t be shocked if he gets interviews this coming off season, but like I don’t think he’s a threat to leave. Nah, he’s still he’s still in the infancy stages. He’s got to not grow up um you know, actual time on earthwise, but show like what Robert Salah showed, what do Ryan showed, guys like that to to get that next leap. Um and for those out there, there’s nothing wrong with a lame duck head coach. You don’t have to extend Jonathan Gennon. He’s got one year left on his deal. Make him prove his merit uh if you bring him back in 2026. Is the good sustainable? I’ll ask my buddy Donnie Drew that next. Today’s show is brought to you by our friends over there at Pelaton. Look folks, it’s time to break through the busiest time of the year with a brand new Pelaton crossraining tread plus that’s powered by Pelaton IQ. It’s Pelaton’s most elevated technology and equipment yet that gives you real-time guidance and it gives you endless ways to move. Whether you want to work out by yourself or if you want to work out with your favorite instructor like my personal favorite, Alex Tousant. He always gets me fired up to tackle the day. And the thing I like about Pelaton, it helps me achieve more in less times. They have features that help you plan, stay motivated, track your progress, and Pelaton IQ also provides personalized workout plans and recommendations. That’s something that I use right now during the busiest time of the year covering the NFL. They plan my workouts for me based on my mood, my vibe, and also my favorite instructors. So, make sure you check it out and use it because it also helps you correct your form in real time and it maximizes your reps. It counts your reps so that you can do it smarter, safer, and more efficient. Let yourself run, lift, flex, push, and go. Explore the new Pelaton cross trainining tread plus at onepliton.com. Donnie Drew, Sports Illustrated, Arizona Cardinals, and Phoenix Suns. Damn, dude. Doing that thing. Um, all right. So, Michael Wilson’s been awesome. Um, Trey McBride’s been awesome. I guess you could just put the period there on the show, you know, like it’s so for me. So, let’s start here with Michael Wilson. Say the people who were like, “Oh, it was garbage time numbers. Jacobe threw the touchdown pass to Greg Dorch late. He had Trey McBride won late and it was, you know, it was garbage time both in the fourth quarter.” doing it again for Michael Wilson in a highly contested game where the Cardinals couldn’t score points early on. 10 for 118 on 15 more targets. Like you got to believe that this dude can produce when given opportunity now. Do they have their wide receiver too for the future? Absolutely. I I have been so loud and vocal and if anybody has followed me on X for however long I I have beat the Michael Wilson drum to a pulp that like he just has not gotten enough opportunities to show what he can do. And I feel like in the small slivers of of passes thrown to him, whether it’s Kyler or Jacobe, whoever it might be, he’s made big plays. He’s not the biggest dude. He’s not the fastest dude, but like he catches the ball. Like he makes things happens pretty much anytime the ball goes his way. You can’t say that for any other receiver on the depth chart right now. And in terms of being a consistent playmaker for the Cardinals week in and week out, um, is he going to get the same target share whenever Marv comes back? No. I’m not going to try to lie and convince people or or myself that that’s going to be the case. But and I do think Alex that he has shown enough through the last two weeks to say you know what like I’ve proven I can make a difference in this offense. It’s up the Drew Petting to grant this only one ball. Not everybody can get the ball every play. Like Trey McBride deserves 15 targets per game that kind of like it is what it is until defenses can actually stop him. Um Marv is an immensely talented kid who we haven’t seen him hit his ceiling yet. like he still needs to get his looks. But if you’re Drew Petting, you just you got to find a way to get Michael Wilson involved and it doesn’t matter who it is. 85 184 who like if if somebody’s making plays, you need to continue to feed them. And if Drew Petting is worth his weight in gold as an off the coordinator, like we need to see that moving into the future. Yeah, that’s right. I mean, and you know, get get for the Rock, too. I mean, Greg Dorch, it’s I tweeted this out obviously tongue and cheek, death taxes and the Cardinals only getting Greg Dorch involved after they’re out of playoff contention. Like, because that’s that’s what it’s, you know, that’s what it’s been like. I screamed at the TV when we saw that slip screen last year, week 17 against the Rams when the Cardinals were out of playoff contention and Greg Dorch, you know, took this huge chunk gain. It’s like, get the dude involved early. He’s the only guy who has the skill set that he has on the team. He’s the only guy you can throw a wide receiver screen and he could house it. He’s the only guy on the team. Get him involved. And you know, I think moving forward like and this is it’s not an indictment on Kyler Murray. We’re not going to do this now. We’re seeing guys get involved that haven’t been involved like this in the history of their time with the team. Like this isn’t like, oh, you know, Kyler was hurt and he came back like Michael Wilson. like the proof is in our eyes. Not the numbers, not the data, not the EPA, not anything like that. And yes, of course, they’re running two-minute drill offense the entire game. Of course, this is going to regress back to the mean. But if you have a rush attack and Jacobe Bratz throwing the ball 30 times a game and you’re able to pepper it around like Allah Drew Brees in the with the Saints when you never knew in fantasy football, if it was Robert Meechum or Marcus Coulson or what Deere Henderson that week and they’re all talented guys, that’s a situation the Cardinals have. They just haven’t tapped into it until the last couple weeks and they’ve lost and Marv’s been out. But this is so much better than, you know, three three yards per pass attempt. And I I think that’s probably the main difference between Jacobe under center and Kyler under center. And I I do want to acknowledge that like the the the losing hasn’t stopped, right? Like like ultimately at the end of the day like the the end result hasn’t really changed. Um our wins a quarterback stat. you’ll talk to 10 different people, get 10 different answers, right? I I think maybe the the biggest difference, Alex, is Jacobe seems to be a little bit more um friendly towards guys who aren’t named Wilson or Trey McBride, whereas with Kyler, and maybe understandably so, because like those two are very damn good football players, the target distribution between Trey McBride, Marvin Harrison Jr., and the third passing option is the size of of the Grand Canyon. like to to put it very very lightly. Um that doesn’t seem to be the case with Jacobe. Um I could be wrong. I’d have to go back through the numbers, but like at least with Brassette under center, they’re running more play action even though they’re running the ball at in my opinion a less successful rate. And they’re they’re just they’re spreading the wealth around which at worst keeps the defenses on their heels at at worst. And you know, if if they’re going to double team Trey McBride, if they’re going to double team whoever it might be, like somebody’s got to be open. And like at this point in time, like Jacobe seems like more of a quarterback who can find that open third option compared to Kyler at least in 2025 in Drew Petting’s offense. And it’s a slippery slope because if you’re looking at like I am, you know, obviously you’re looking intensely under a microscope for the rest of the year and every game is important. I want them to win games. Like if Joy Brick can win games down the stretch, I don’t care about the like it’s there’s going to be so many quarterbacks going and you know positions the Cardinals don’t need. If they draft eighth, if they draft, you know, 12th or fifth or whatever it is, they’re going to be able to get their person. If Jacobe Brassette’s the guy for 2026 and this offense continues to at least show some sort of merit, especially if Trey Benson can come back and run, why not bring back Drew Petting anyways? Like, that’s the thing for me. It’s like, okay, so you kind of figured out something little that wasn’t there glaringly for the first part of the season. Why not run it back? I’m not saying that’s rhetorical. I’m not saying they should, but if they’re able to put some sweetness into this offense when Marv comes back, it’s like, okay, it’s here. And if Trey Benson can run it, like, okay, it’s here. Just bring back Drew, but you you I just you just can’t give him more than a year. So, that’s the thing that’s tough. And that that’s a slippery slope, too, because like Ping, it feels like you’re not going to sign a coordinator to just a one-year extension. Like, he’s going to want a multi-year deal. And if you’re in his shoes, rightfully so, right? Um, Fear is probably not the right word, whatever I I describe this, but like I think just taking a step back and evaluating Drew as a offensive mind and a play caller, this kind of feels like fool’s gold a little bit. Okay, is not in 2023, not in 2024 has Ping from start to finish kind of just been this phenomenal play caller. And like maybe the Cardinals don’t need him to be that because the the prowess they have on defense um thanks to Nick Ralis and the investments they’ve made over the past offseason. But 2024 perfect example like the first half of the year Alex like they’re able to run the ball really really well near near the top of the league in a lot of the metrics. Um you know Kyler like he’s leading these game winning drives like they’re moving the ball. They’re scoring points. They’re looking like a functional offense. the second half of the season, teams figured out, hey, if we load the box and we force the Cardinals into obvious passing scenarios, the wheels kind of fall off and that’s exactly what we saw. Yeah. The the the Drew Bettsing offense that we saw with Kyler Bur before he got hurt was the exact rendition we saw in 2024, which is the exact rendition we saw in 2023. And I just think Drew’s adaptability as a play caller, a lot of the situational stuff as a play caller, I don’t agree with. And I I was big on Clayton Adams leaving and I thought that was going to leave like a somewhat sizable gap in in the coaching staff and and it has. I didn’t think to these extents, but the loss of Clayton Adams was big. But Drew Pson comes from the Kevin Stfansky coaching tree. All they do is run the football like like that’s supposed to be your thing is run schematics. Clayton Adams leaves it and like you have Isaiah Adams starting at right guard and it’s just like they’re not able to get a lot going and to a lot of people’s points they’re going to say hey you know what like they don’t have Trey Benson or James Connor the first couple games before both of those guys got hurt they weren’t able to run the ball anyway they also didn’t have a down the field threat like they do now they don’t they didn’t have so it’s it’s very chicken or the egg thing and I think both are wrong it’s like that we we can’t find a route like so this is One of my smart things a month is what I say, Donnie Druan, and as a writer, you’ll appreciate this. You know how there’s sometimes two sides to an argument. This is a kaleidoscope. There’s so many different little angles to this that you can’t you can point a finger at everything that’s going wrong and saying this is why and you’d be right. And it’s very hard. It’s like, you know, it’s like if everybody gets a 10% on a test, they all get an A. It’s like, well, no, no, that’s not good or bad. It’s just it is. And then you need to figure out as a teacher why the hell you’re failing all your students but they’re all getting A’s. Like we’re going to get into Kyler Murray. You know what? I want to talk a little bit more about this. Like so I I I like that point you brought up, Alex, of of how like if you point at anything, it’s kind of like a kaleidoscope. You’re right. Because like the the thing about football is everything bleeds into another aspect of it. Like, yeah, the Cardinals can’t run the football, which hampers their ability to effectively run play action, which hampers their ability to effectively keep defenses away from the line of scrimmage, which, you know, affects their ability to get out of obvious passing downs. Instead of being second and three or second and five, it’s second and eight and second and 10. Okay, now it’s third and five, third and eight, and instead of being ahead of the sticks, like like these things all bleed into each other. So, it’s not just you can’t wave a magic wand and fix one thing and everything else will follow suit. And there’s so many working parts of it, which is why it’s tough to really take a step back and say, you know what, this is the problem. If they did this, then like everything else would just magically fall into place. That’s just that’s not how NFL offenses work. Yeah. And it’s also difficult. It’s, you know, a lot of times it’s players not producing, not executing. A lot of it’s coaching. It’s just like I just don’t we’ve we’ve talked about this so much since these guys have taken over. It’s like, yeah. Okay. Okay, so this is the year where everything was supposed to go fine and everybody was supposed to stay healthy. And I don’t make excuses for injuries. And damn it, if they were healthy, you could be looking at the defense against Dallas a lot more than you’re looking at the defense against Seattle and San Francisco the two weeks after. The offensive line has been a massive issue. It’s just like you can’t run the ball, so you have to throw, but pass protection with the bad offensive line is terrible because you need to run the ball, but you can’t. and then you have to punt and the defense needs to play on their heels because you’re giving up two scoop and scores against Seattle or the special teams is is giving up a 98 yard return against San Francisco right out the gate and you’re down seven nothing 15 seconds into the game and you got to you got to change your script. So, it’s it’s very the Cardinals have always been their worst enemy as an organization and we’re seeing it, you know, we’re seeing it uh bloom into something that looks better but really at the root it’s still the same. So, um, when it comes down to it, let’s just throw fuel on in an aforementioned fire. Should Kyler Murray be starting when he comes back? This is not a clickbait segment. I don’t do this here. I think it’s a yes. And I’ll explain why next. This episode of Lockown Cardinals is brought to you by our friends at FanDuel. The NBA is in full swing, man. There’s no better place to get in on the action than FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Even if you miss the start of the game or want to ride the hot hand, FanDuel has live bets on everything from who will score next to fourth quarter comebacks. Plus, you can even combine your live bets and do a same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout. Hell, you can even early future Devin Booker is MVP if you want to starting so hot as they have or Dylan Brooks is whatever the hell he would be most improved player, something like that. Either way, right now, FanDuel is giving new customers $300 in bonus bets when your first $5 bet wins. So, head to fanduel.com to sign up and play your game with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Donnie Duan, Sports Illustrated, Kyler Murray. So, we talked about this weeks ago when it was still in question before Kyler went on IR. If Kyler Murray’s healthy, should he start? My answer will always be yes because he’s the starter. If Kyler Murray’s a healthy scratch at any point this season, you may as well just cut him. You’d embarrass yourself in trying to trade him in that contract. To you, is it do they have a fiduciary responsibility as an organization to start Kyler Murray because he’s the starter? I think uh Bruce Arens put the best a couple weeks ago before Kyler went on IR when that was like the hottest topic in Arizona. Should Kyler play? Should he not play? Um Bruce said there’s too much money involved for him not to play. Like you have a 5year $230 million quarterback. Um and if you’re just looking at it from like a like a team schematic standpoint, I think Jacob’s ran that offense better. Um, I think Drew’s been a I think Drew Petting and another thing as to why I don’t think he should come back is Drew Petting does not adapt his system to the players he has available to him. He forces players available to him to adapt to his system. I think Jacob’s mold of a quarterback much better suits what he wants to do compared to Kyler. But that being said, I I think there’s two schools of thought you can look at it. I really don’t know where I stand. There’s the, hey, if we’re going to trade him, he cannot get hurt. If if if Kyler Murray rolls out onto this field and something tragic happens, we’re not going to be able to move off him. And one, we’re going to be paying him a bunch of money. And two, he’s not even going to be playing. On the other side, it’s like, hey, man, like if if we want to get something for Kyler, if we want teams to see, hey, you know what? That that foot sprain is gone. He’s healthy. Look at what he can do. You got to play him. Um, to Jonathan Gayton’s credit, to Monty Osafford’s credit, they have been vocal above everything else about Kyler Murray being the guy since the moment they walked through the door. That hasn’t changed this season. That hasn’t changed with Jacobe Brassette playing as well as as he has. Uh, they’re going to have to make a decision. They really are going to have to make a decision. If it were up to me, I I’d probably still roll with Jacobe. Yeah. I mean, I I I don’t know where I follow. I really don’t. Well, cuz that’s the thing. It’s like I I can’t remember how I said it, but it’s like Jacobe Brassette is better for this offense and Kyler Murray should 100% start when he’s healthy. Both can be true. And it’s they’re for very different reasons. And also, I take what Jonathan Ganon says respectfully with nothing anymore. And it’s not his fault. It’s not This isn’t his fault. This is a Michael Bidwell thing. It’s been a Michael Bidwell thing forever outside of probably BA. You know, it’s just they don’t say Jack Ble ever. Ever. ever. And there’s, you know, there was a candid moment. I’m not sure who asked it. I’m not sure if you were in the room about, you know, the hot seat thing. And he gave a very candid answer. Like, yeah, I’m sure it’s out there. He knows like, and I don’t think I don’t think the players have served them well enough to say, you know what, Jonathan Ganon gave it his all and it was not close to nearly good enough. We’ve seen competency from this team. We’ve seen cohesion from this team. We’ve seen lack of dysfunctionality outside the lines from this team. Something that we hadn’t seen in in in recent years. So with Kyler, yeah, I get it. You want to sit him, cool. I’m 100% good with that. I also think if he’s healthy, like just put him on season ending IR if you don’t want him to play. Like obviously there are some, you know, legalities with that. Like you can’t put a healthy, you know, whatever it is. But like, man, if you bring him back, it’s Houston. It’s the Rams, which is week 14 where he’s eligible to come back, right? So, it’s the Rams, it’s Atlanta, it’s Houston on the road, and then it’s Cincinnati and the Rams. So, it’s like, okay, you’re going to go back to 2023 when he probably could have come back against Cleveland, but he threw Clayton Ton out there because he won his first game to be back against Miles Garrett and that that they were the top defense in the NFL that year. You want to do that with Houston and the best defense this year? Uh-uh. So, like I mean, you can’t tow the line here. He can’t straddle the line. It’s got to be he’s ready in week 14 or he can’t play. This gives me Matt Prader vibes last year whenever Prader went on IR and then Chad Ryland came back and we asked JG a bunch of times, hey, like what’s up with Prader? And JG’s like, ah, he’ll be back. Don’t worry about it. And just Chad Ryland took the job and we never saw Prader play another snap for the Card. That’s crazy. A lot of the same, right? That was week six or week seven last year because Chad Ryland made a couple game-winning kicks before their buy. Yeah, that’s interesting. Um, is I have to ask this just as to check mark. Is there a world where Kyler Murray comes back next year? Yes, and absolutely. Um, if if you look at like not even what it’s going to take to get off Kyler’s contract, whether it’s like trade or release or whatever, what are the options out there? Like like if you’re looking for the future, what are the what are the viable options out there? Be free agency trade or the NFL draft. You wouldn’t take Jacobe Brassette next year with a better offensive line. No, no, no. Next year. Next year. But if if if you’re looking to the future past 2026 when when Jacob’s contract is up because Jacob’s not the guy for for the long term, right? Okay. He’s the perfect bridge quarterback. He is he’s temp Teddy Bridgewwater is what he is. you’re not going to be in position to get a top quarterback in the draft. That quarterback class appears like it’s going to be Tai Simpson, Fernando Mendoza, and a steep drop off between everybody else, especially if Dante Moore doesn’t come out. Free agency. I I can’t even tell you the the viable guys that that could. The most notable name is Daniel Jones, and the Colts aren’t going to let him out of that building. They’re probably going to franchise tag him. Available for trade. I I hate the two swaps. M. Jones isn’t going to be traded within the division. Um I saw somebody float a like Trevor for Kyler swap with Jacksonville. Absolutely not. No, same thing. He’s a 65 version of him. It’s the same thing. Is is it possible the the Cardinals don’t have like a future game plan behind Brassette going into 2026? Absolutely. Um but it I I still think Kyler’s gone. I I think they’re gonna move off of him in some form or fashion in the offseason, but it’s just like looking down the list of okay, we’re gonna get rid of Kyler. Who we’re gonna bring in behind Jacobe? It’s not a pretty one. No. I mean, it’s like Jamus or it’s like, you know, Russell Wilson or something like that that you’d bring in. I think like because you’re right, the the quarterback class isn’t fantastic for for 2025. And I don’t think they should be drafted a rookie to start in 25 2026 anyways. But which is why like in in a perfect world you you get a young guy. You can develop behind Jacobe. Let Jacobe play through his contract in 2026 and then you don’t have some rookie quarterback thrown to the walls and thrown into the fire that you know what like we like this guy. He’s in our system. Whatever it might be now we can move forward. You need a stable force at the quarterback position is what you need. And I don’t know what offensive coordinator it’s going to be. That defense, if that defense is healthy, everything changes. If Trey Ben is healthy, everything changes. They draft the best right tackle in the game, everything, you know, in the draft, everything changes. You add pieces on offense like you did on defense last year, you know, you run it back with JG, like there’s no good answer. And that’s the problem. And we’ll leave you with that positive note. Donnie, tell people where they can find you, bro. Yeah. Donnie Drew on Twitter or X or the cool kids call it. Then si.com NFLardinals. Cowboy locked on Cardinals. Remember without you there is no me. Turkey day version of crossover Thursday tomorrow. Talk to you then.

On this episode of Locked On Cardinals, Alex Clancy dives deep into the big question every Arizona Cardinals fan is asking in 2025: What’s wrong with this team? Joined by friend of the show Donnie Druin from Sports Illustrated, the two take an honest, layered look at the state of the Cardinals, touching everything from schematic issues and coaching decisions to player performances and injury impacts.

They break down why the Cardinals have struggled to put together complete games this season, the challenges of a predictable offense, and the mounting frustrations that come with not knowing the root cause of the problems. The conversation highlights how injuries, especially in the running back room, have disrupted the offensive balance, and why neither the playcalling nor player execution can fully shoulder the blame.

Alex Clancy and Donnie Druin also discuss what’s actually working for Arizona: the emergence of Michael Wilson as a reliable WR2, Trey McBride’s continued dominance at tight end, and flashes of hope from the defensive fundamentals—despite injuries. The future of Drew Petzing as offensive coordinator and Nick Rallis as defensive coordinator is debated, along with whether the coaching staff deserves a pass this season.

The conversation shifts toward the elephant in the room: Kyler Murray’s future in Arizona. Should he start again when healthy, or has Jacoby Brissett shown more in this system? They weigh the contractual realities, trade scenarios, and what might be next for the Cardinals at quarterback—plus the franchise’s inability to control its own narrative on the field.

As the episode closes, the hosts reflect on questions that have no easy answers, the interconnected issues dragging this team down, and what fans might expect from 2026 and beyond. If you want an honest, multi-faceted look at the Cardinals’ woes, hopes, and future plans—with a dash of optimism—this is the episode to listen to. Let’s discuss.

The Best Daily Arizona Cardinals Podcast. Host Alex Clancy (@ClancysCorner) take an unbiased approach covering the biggest Cards stories.

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