Did Arizona Cardinals’ offensive play-calling reach a new low against the Buccaneers?

and Marada Mornings. Arizona sports, the local sports leader, Biggley Blast. The Arizona Cardinals are guaranteed to finish in last place at the moment. They’re the only NFL team to finish last five times in their past eight years. And that last place finish will yield a last place schedule that might include Kyler Murray’s Vikings returning to play the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. So, is that enough to keep season ticket holders on the hook? Probably not. Cardinal fans are angry and agitated. Some feel conned andor forgotten, and there is going to have to be major changes to this coaching staff. The most obvious target, scapegoat is offensive coordinator Drew Petting, whose play calling reached a new low on Sunday when Bucks head coach Todd BS said his team basically knew what was coming on a pair of crucial fourth down failures. And you cannot tolerate an offense that has become predictable, tipping its pitches in the biggest moments of the game. As for the head coach, that’s a story for another day. But there is a fundamental problem with Jonathan Ganon. His players love him because he’s always supportive. Because he’s always eager to accept the blame. Because any and all failure in his words always falls on him. The problem is that by always taking the blame, there’s a distinct link, lack of accountability inside that locker room. And I mean really, it is rare to find a team that has lost 31 of its last 46 games rave about the head coach because normally that head coach is making their lives very uncomfortable. Either way, significant changes better be forthcoming. And if not, the Cardinals will be playing in front of a lot of empty seats in 2026. All right, today’s Bley Blast brought to you by my great friends at Chapman BMW. Make luxury attainable. Find him online at chapmanbmw.com. He’s not going to tell me exactly what he meant, unfortunately. So, I’m not going to get that from him. Uh, I got to go back and look and see if there’s anything that I think they they really took advantage of to try to to negate that. Uh, felt really good about the call. I thought we had some pretty good angles and and good opportunities on both plays. Uh, sometimes we got to make a play and if it doesn’t work, I got to make the right call. I think that’s always going to be the That is Drew Petting, the offensive coordinator, when asked about Todd B’s statement after the game in Tampa on Sunday that yeah, we kind of knew what they were going to do on those those two crucial fourth downs. Yeah, that’s a bad one with about 10 and a half minutes to go at the Cardinals 39 yd line that got snuffed out and and and that to me was the bigger one. Um I I I know the other one was at the end of the game and it’s do or die and and the Cardinals died on that. Um the decision to go for it on fourth down, what they ran, how it was defended, uh basically spelled disaster because that three points won the football game for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Yeah. And so when again it’s it’s a lot of these metrics are very very unbecoming. Like I said, a guaranteed last place finish, five last place finishes in the past eight years. The Jets will likely join them in that category, but they’re not there yet. But five times in the last eight years, that’s uh that’s a program and a franchise in regression. Yeah. Yeah. Is what that is. Uh the subject of accountability. You brought it up in the blast and I I think it’s interesting and and the way you tied it in and we know about Jonathan Ganon’s popularity. Uh the last two years when the NFL PA report cards come out, the thing that pops off the page on the Cardinals report is the A pluses basically for Jonathan Ganon. Um you know, the the the league wants that PA uh report card to go away. By the way, they’re fighting to eliminate it. I I don’t know what the feeling is right now. Although the outpouring of verbal support for Jonathan Ganon does not line up with a team that has lost nine games in their first 12 and done so in frustrating fashion. No, because because for players to be in a state of, oh, we love this guy. He’s the perfect leader. That would that would make me feel that he’s not making them feel uncomfortable enough with losing. Yeah. And by definition. Yeah. And I also thought it was is interesting during our cross talk segment with Wolf and Luke and Wol wears that uh still to this day he always talks about having a PhD in losing played in the NFL for a long time didn’t play on any good teams but this the suggestion of it’s probably a lot of fist fights going on in the locker room. Uh logic would tell you that because frustration is real and it’s palpable at this point of a season that’s going like this. But there doesn’t seem to be any dissension at all with this team. No, it doesn’t. And and and I think it’s troublesome. And again, these are just observations. We’re not inside that locker room. So, we’re really kind of spitballing here. I want to make that clear. Um but but at the same time, this just doesn’t seem this just doesn’t add up to me. The math isn’t mathing to use a kid saying these days. It just isn’t to me. So, it’s either 67 is 67. Woohoo. Um I feel so cool. Oh, you are Vinnie. You are so cool. So, I brought it up in the blast. Wouldn’t that be something for Kyler Murray and the Vikings to come to Glendale next year? Vinnie looked at each other when you said that. That is that would be something. All right. Because by having a last place schedule there, you can almost extrapolate what it’s going to be. the their extra opponents are likely going to be the Saints, Vikings, and Jets, which means their home games are against non division opponents are the Eagles, Commanders, Broncos, Raiders, Vikings, Jets. So maybe that will keep season ticket holders on the hook. The ability to sell tickets to Eagles fans and Commanders fans and Broncos fans, Saints, Vikings, Jets, Vikings, Vikings, Saints, Vikings, Jets are literally three possible Kyler Murray destinations. Yeah. Yeah. So, there’s a very good chance that Kyler Murray could be an opponent coming into Glendale next year. I don’t know. Is Is the foot going to be healed by then? Well, he’s working off. He’s trying hard to get back. Yeah. Well, you know that that Liz Frmp, you know what they say about her. She’s a real She lingers. She’s a real be. That Liz Fringer. [Laughter] So, yeah. Listen, and and I just I just wonder what they’re going to do about this. I there is no possible way uh unless this team just rattles off a bunch of victories from here to the end of the schedule that you can just bring this entire coaching staff back. Even Nick Rollins is no longer Nick Rockstar the way he was trending the first couple of years. Don’t you remember after year one, Cardinal fans were worried that Drew Petting was going to leave to be a head coach someplace? Yes. Got interviews actually. How stupid are we as sports fans? I I think the defense has sort of gotten overlooked this season because people are so quick to blame Drew Petting than the offense. But you’re right, a lot of these end ofame losses are as much to blame on the defense. Well, there’s no there’s no other way to slice it. In year three, Nick Rollis’ defense on paper is by far the best that he’s had to work with. Yeah. And it’s also produced the least amount of the least results. you take away Josh Sweat, which I know you can’t take away the best player, but but if you do, not a lot of production. Pro Football Focus um had had an interesting stat the other day. Cardinals have generated more pressure than their opponent in just two of 12 games. Wow. So, every week they’re getting smoked in the trenches. Yeah. But that’s not really that fair a statistic when you consider that, you know, they have five turn styles on the offensive line. I guess I guess or four. And so you so they’re gonna they’re going to have to repair that offensive line. They’re going to have to draft a quarterback for the future. Maybe maybe maybe they keep fans on the hook with some real exciting splashy free agent signing. I don’t know. Or I’m not even going to say what you say. I was going to be too snarky there. Okay. I was going to say or maybe another club. No. No more of those. Well, a new quarterback always intrigues people. Not always. If you go if the Cardinals with their first selection, if they’ve got a top five, top six pick and if they go out and get Tai Simpson from Alabama, if they get Fernando Mendoza, it then then it’s instant optimism. That’s the way every NFL market works. When you cash cash in a lottery ticket for a high leverage quarterback and then Jacobe Versapp goes from being the hero to we want to see the backup play. Put in the rookie. Uhhuh. I don’t I I mean, I haven’t really dived into, believe it or not, NFL draft prep yet. Wow. I’ve watched those guys play. I I can’t say I’m over the moon over either one of those prospects right now. Yeah, same. I like Mendoza a lot. I think he’s got great size. I I think he’s got a really good arm. But him over Simpson. So do I. But I’m But Mannon getting back into it or No, he’ll be back at Texas next year for sure. Breaking news is Mr. Sammy. Not breaking anything. Just Well, with his resurgence, because he has played better, people don’t talk about it because they just lived on the Oh, he’s terrible. Correct. Yeah. Um, with his resurgence and the rest of this quarterback class being what it is. I I mean, I would expect him to go back, but I wouldn’t be shocked if he came out in this class. He might be the the top pick of the class when it’s all said and done. Thanks for watching, Bickley. Marada. Click to see the latest Bley Blast and hit the button in the middle to subscribe to Arizona Sports.

Dan Bickley explains why the play-calling of Drew Petzing might have reached a new low in Sunday’s loss to the Buccaneers.

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11 comments

  2. You have the HC on every week. Why don't you put some pressure on him and ask the questions that need to be asked-
    WTH is Kyler's real injury and address the rumors he isn't injured because he's effectively out the door? If Kyler were healthy, would you play him given JBs play? Why didn't he hire a single position coach with experience in the role they were hired to coach? Do you think you made a mistake hiring inexperienced first time coaches? If you were the owner would you fire your HC and staff? Why is there so little player improvement after 3 drafts and FA signings? If youre a culture changer/improver and D expert, why is your team so poor at tackling?
    One major reason we have terrible football and other poor franchises in this state is because our sports media doesn't demand better. Maybe because so much revenue for AZSport comes from team broadcasts and team ownership controlling the narrative for you guys. Big conflict of interest that kisses poor ownership ass instead of demanding improvement and aggressive moves to be more competitive long term.

  6. The coaching staff is subpar, however it doesn’t matter. Bidwill waits for all the other HC positions to get filled and then takes whatever is left over at a discount. We got lucky when we landed Bruce Arians, lightning isn’t going to strike twice. The Cardinals will be mediocre to poor for the foreseeable future.

  7. It’s interesting Bickley referred to Petzing as the scapegoat. His offensive play calling is so bad. It took losing his O line coach (Klayton Adams) leaving for Dallas to expose who the one responsible for their great O line and run game from last year was. Just to get the WRs any legitimate targets in the pass game they had to lose 3 RBs and an underperforming run blocking O line to force that change. Petzing is far from the scapegoat. He’s the common denominator of their offensive issues.

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