HC Jonathan Gannon Press Conference – 12.01.25 | AZ Cardinals

HC Jonathan Gannon Press Conference – 12.01.25 | AZ Cardinals

Couple things here. Kyler, we will not open his window. Not quite there yet. Um Marv coming out of the game. I’ll have more information kind of later in the week. He’s got a heel of some sort. So, he’s going to get to keep getting that checked out. Um everybody else, I think we came out pretty clean. All the other bumps and bruises, guys, uh they’ll keep working and we’ll evaluate it day by day as the week goes here. What we got? got the LA Rams coming to town. Coach, being eliminated now from the playoffs at this point in the season, week 13, what’s the motivation now for guys that just keep fighting? Is it is it just for your job? Is it for pride? Is it What’s the What’s the goal? Uh, well, it’s pro football, so um, everybody in that locker room loves to play. Um, and we find joy in competing. I know I do. Uh, and we have a hell of a opportunity this week versus a really good team. You you talk about finding joy and competing. These guys continue to compete regardless of the outcomes of the game for Yeah. I think I mean as I told him today like we we figured out how to compete. We got to figure out how to win, you know. Um, and it wasn’t we need to figure that out. I kind of told them this is how we win games. this is how we what the things we have to do better at. Um and it’s clear, you know, when we watch the tape with them, it’s very clear. Just got to do it. I know you don’t like to look back. No, I don’t. But this team figure out how to win last year and the offense is basically the same as it was a year ago. So, what’s the difference between figuring it out last year, figuring out I’m thinking about this year, Josh, like we just haven’t, you know, if you look at this last week, I think, you know, the couple it’s and you know, I know like the I was thinking about on the plane, it’s like these one-core games and then you watch all three phases on the plane as you’re flying home and it’s like, yes, it’s one score games, but through the course of 60 minutes that goes, every minute um goes into winning and losing, you you know, and there’s multiple examples of a play here, a play there, execution here, a call here, whatever. All three phases, coaching and playing. We just got to do better, you know? And I I keep saying the same thing, but it’s the truth. Like there’s no magic pill. Um it’s not like we don’t understand how to win, just haven’t done it. But you mentioned the Rams coming in, there’s no time for self-pity of winding up crying in your milk. I mean, how do you get guys flipped now from that loss and then the elimination plays and get ready for the rain? Yeah, they’ll they’ll uh they’ll flip quick. I I think I uh set the table for them. They know who’s coming in here, you know, and this is the leader in the division. Um you know, they’re a top two defense. They got arguably the best player on the planet right now. Um we got a big time challenge, you know what I mean? and you got to put every you got to get rested and rejuvenated and then move on to them right now, you know, and our that’s what our guys will do. But there’s a big time challenge coming in here and they’ll be excited about it. Tampa Bay’s coach made a comment after the game that he kind of knew on that final fourth down play, they kind of knew the route that was coming and everything. Did What did you think of the play calling on that last drive? Did you think you guys got too predictable? BS said that. BS said that. They kind of guessed that route and they jumped in. I don’t know. They got it. They ran a six-man pressure that we picked up. Um, we had four out in the route. I thought we had some guys. There’s a chance to make a play there. That’s what I thought. When it comes to Kyler, you said he’s not ready. How are you feeling? Courage, discouraged, is a health bucket. Have empty half full. What with him? Yeah. Have empty half full. No, I mean, he’s working every day, you know what I mean? He But I know he wants to be out there. Um it’s it’s just unfortunate right now for you as a coach to see a guy work so hard to try to get back and then be able to get there. What’s it like for you as a coach? Hard, you know, you know what he puts it all our players that aren’t out there, you know what they put into the game and into the prep and I know they all want to play. You know what I mean? And when your health is um preventing you from doing that, it can get frustrating. There’s no doubt. Has the injury improved? His health has it improved since going on? I think so. I mean, you know, he’s doing things that he hadn’t been able to do, you know, in in the past here. So, just take it day by day. After the game yesterday, a number of guys um talked about their support of you and kind of praised you quite a bit as a teacher and whatnot. Um above and beyond kind of what’s normal. What’s it like for you that these guys are supporting you at this point? Well, I don’t I don’t know. I didn’t hear what any of them said, but um I just try to do the best that I can and I know they are too, you know, and it, you know, I think um our guys, they’re they’re critical of themselves and they’re hard on themselves. We got good guys in there, so that’s how I know we’ll show up and compete on Sunday. If we didn’t, then I’d be, you know, worried. Now, you don’t know how the game’s going to go, but you’d be worried that you’re not ready to play and they don’t want to play. That’s not this team or these coaches. Um but it’s about the collective. It’s not about one person. And it’s not about one guy, one phase, like it’s all of us. But it is so easy for the locker room to just get away. How are you keeping them all in check and together? Well, I think I I kind of um how do I want to say it, Julia? Like I I set the table for them and and they kind of um know how I want it done. We got good leaders in there. You know, we got good vets, good second, third year guys that understand accountability and discipline and what it takes team over you. Um, and they do a good job of making sure that we’re on point. But again, we don’t have a lot of guys in there that aren’t that I’m concerned about. None really that I’m concerned about. Um, not putting everything that’s needed into the week to go play well. Coach, you mentioned the collective. It’s all of us together, but we all know that record hangs on your shoulders, right? Follows you. And I think the players know that, too. And I think that’s why they’ve been vocal to say we think he’s been doing a good job. How tough is that for you right now with with the record of Yeah. I mean, I’m not pleased where we are. You know, I’m really not. Um, but it’s our path right now. You know what I mean? So, you know, like today if if you know about being eliminated, all that stuff, right? Like that sucks when you think about it. Okay. But I’m not going to let that affect how when I turn on a tape uh my process to do my job at a high level um going to play the next opponent because then you’re just to me you’re wasting time and that’s not a controllable anymore. It was now it’s not anymore. Um, and you move on and you you do your job to the best of your ability and um, get ready to go compete. Darius Robinson said after the game that he’s not the player that he thought he was and I think some people might have interpreted that maybe as like is his confidence in the right place whereas others felt he was just holding himself accountable. How have you seen him kind of handle the the ups and downs and the health problems and maybe inconsistencies in his first, you know, year plus of the NFL? I didn’t hear that. I to me his last month of football. So, in my mind, four games is the best he’s played here. So, that’s him probably uh being a good guy, a good teammate, and uh again, like everybody in there, taking the arrow in the forehead. But, I think he’s playing extremely well right now. Ji, how crucial is it these last five games to really establish that winning culture heading into next season? Yeah, like I said, like we we know how to compete, we don’t know how to win. Um, and that falls on me, you know what I mean? Just like you said, Craig, like that’s completely on me. Um, so we’ll keep forging ahead, you know what I mean? But these games are, you know, I talk about it with the staff like, um, and again, this is an external factor in my mind, but the pass is the pass, right? But you’re at where you are. You are where your what your record is, you know, or whatever. And um I don’t know the reasons now, but I know there’s a reason we’re going through this. And if you’re in this league or you’re in competitive situations, whatever you do, um you’re going to go through adversity. We’re in it. Um and you just try to keep digging out and know that you will come out the other side better. And I do believe that. Obviously, you want to see the wins, but where are some areas that you want to see really substantial growth the rest of the way, man? Scoring one more point than them. Um, you know, it’s a joke, but it’s not. You know, uh, that’s what you need to do to win a game. I think um I think the consistency through 60 minutes uh that every play matters and all of us doing our job at a higher level. Um and I’ve seen three phases do it through each and every game for a certain period of time but not the 60 minutes that’s needed to win a game. Um, so I would say just the consistency of that. When you say that you believe this team can come out on the other side of this after losing nine of the last 10, what what makes you think that at this point? Cuz we got the right people. But if that’s the case, wouldn’t that win by now? Yeah, it’s it’s a good it’s a good fair question, Josh. You know, um, yeah, I I believe in that we got the right people. I say we got the right people is we will learn and grow and get better. And if you get better, you you should win. It’s it’s the ultimate team game. Obviously, 11 guys out there all have to do their job. How frustrating is it when one guy makes a mistake here and then if somebody else three plays taking turns, I call it, you know what I mean? Um yeah, I mean, everybody goes through it, you know, and we just again like I know no one’s going to play a perfect game. No phase is going to be perfect. Um, but the the collective amount of mistakes through a game, you know, it sets you back. Like I I the play I showed which I go to in my head like it’s just one example and it happens every game, but it’s third and long and we catch a screen and we know it’s going to be a screen. You didn’t know it was going to be a screen, but a high probability for a screen, right? Um, you know, and we get it down for 11. It’s third and 13. and we get down for 11 and you know there’s couple guys could have played it a little bit better um that you get it down for you know a gain of six seven eight and they kick there well now it’s fourth and two they go and then they get it um and then it’s second and long um and it should be a little bit less and get it to third and long but it’s not it goes this you know second and short or it’s third and short and then to score a touchdown. It’s like those plays, you know, the sequence of each all three phases, not really so much fourth down because they’re just kind of one play here or there, right? Mixed within the offense and the defense, but the offense and the defense sequence of plays um throughout a drive. Uh that’s where we have to do better, you know, because again, well, the game came down to one score. Like, you know, I thought we did an excellent job in two-minute mechanics at the end of the half. I thought we did a good job in four-minute mechanics at the end of the game with the defense get the chance to get the ball we get the ball back. Um, did it get it done in two-minute mechanics there, but look at drives where we went three and out or look at that sustained drive by the defense where you take off, you know, possibly seven points or at least four points, you know, um, you don’t turn the ball over in the low red, you know, where you got a chance to maybe score seven, you don’t come away with anything. You make a field goal, you get another three. Like, it’s the collective. You know, and we all just got to do a little bit better.

HC Jonathan Gannon addresses the media.

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