The Arizona Cardinals took their time and found the one guy they decided was the best fit to lead this franchise going forward: former Los Angeles Rams OC Mike LaFleur. He had his first press conference as the newly-hired Cardinals head coach on Tuesday, February 3, along with GM Monti Ossenfort.
RELATED: GRADE THE HIRE OF MIKE LAFLEUR
And a lot of questions were asked. Here at ROTB, we took the entire press conference, transcribed it, and came up with the larger points of emphasis that LaFleur discussed.
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Thought the Cardinals phone call was spam
Everyone gets spam. It used to be just with the email account, but now, spam calls and spam texts are just an everyday occurrence. No matter how many you label as “blocked call,” tomorrow another set is waiting to send out their message.
LaFleur had an incoming call and looked down on his phone and it mentioned Phoenix. He assumed it was some media source wanting to discuss the open head coaching spot with the Cardinals. He didn’t want to spend 15 minutes talking about something that may or may not have anything to do with him, so he let the call go and didn’t answer.
“Michael Bidwill, that call. You don’t really know what you’re going to feel when you get that call. I got a random number, and it said “Phoenix, Arizona,” and I thought, unfortunately, it was some media. So, I didn’t answer. Then I got a text about 20 seconds later. ‘Hi, it’s Michael Bidwill. Could you call me back?’ We had a great three-minute conversation.”
Wide Receiver Coach Mike LaFleur of the San Francisco 49ers Getty Images
The Shanahan/McVay experience
There is little doubt that the Cardinals will now become an efficient offensive-run team, just like the Los Angeles Rams and the San Francisco 49ers. Why is that a certainty? For one, that type of system has been proven and works. For another, LaFleur spent a lot of his coaching experience under both Sean McVay and Kyle Shanahan. How many NFL coaches have been on the staff of each of these guys? These two men molded LaFleur.
The offense is getting a remake. It’s not going to be overnight, but it’s coming.
“To you, Sean. That phone call three years ago. That changed my life. Those three years were fun. It wasn’t always easy, but we always came to the conclusion that we’re doing this thing for the players. Because this is about the players. It’s a memorable three years that I will never forget. I thank you so much with my gratitude to you as a person and as a leader of men. I am going to miss going to work with you guys. You guys do it the right way. Obviously, I will be seeing you twice a year, and I can’t wait to see you twice a year.
And Kyle, I know I haven’t told you enough about how thankful I am for the opportunity you gave me. But the foundations you laid with me, within a system, with how to run a building, and all those times we had together for seven years. The only thing I can say is thank you. You are an incredible coach, but you’re an even better person, a better father, and a better husband. I watched all that and watched the way you lead. You gave me a lot of core principles that I will carry with me here at Arizona.”
Mack Wilson Sr. #2 of the Arizona Cardinals Getty Images
Numerous Cardinals players showed up for his presser
A lot of current rostered players showed up just to see what their new head coach had to say. LB Mack Wilson flew in just for the presser.
“To you guys in the back, to the current players, I really appreciate you guys showing up. When I got the list of how many guys were coming, that touched me. And I cannot wait to start building relationships with you guys. I can’t wait to get to work with you guys and get this show going. I promise I’ll pour it all out for you guys every single day. We’ll get through today. We’ll get through tomorrow. I can’t wait to get to work. This is for you guys.”
No division in the NFL is tougher than the NFC West. And the Cardinals have to live with the fact that three of the four division members not only made the playoffs this year, but the NFC Championship Game was two member teams, and now one is in the Super Bowl and could be the league champions. But LaFleur, coming from the Rams, knows this division inside and out since he also had a job with the 49ers. So, he knows. He knows this division is tough, and Arizona is the cellar dweller.
Does LaFleur have a better understanding than most other coaches walking into the position of head coach of a bad team in the best division?
“Everybody’s got the same vision. And then you think about this division – it’s a tough division. If it were easy, it wouldn’t be worth it. We know the work we have in front of us. There’s nothing like experience. I have been in this division for seven years. There are some heavy hitters in here, no doubt. But I’ll say this, when I was on the other sideline, it was never easy going into State Farm (Stadium), winning a football game. Ever. And lost more than we won, to be honest with you. So, that’s that. That’s how I feel.
They are going to be friends for life. I’ve got great relationships with them. But this is the business. This is what we chose to do. We all understand that. There’s nothing personal in those three and a half hours.”
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray (1) Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images
One reporter came right out and asked what everyone has been itching to find out: What to do with QB Kyler Murray? Has LaFleur had a conversation with the embattled quarterback yet?
“Yeah, I touched base with Kyler two days ago when I got this, and had a good little message with him. So, definitely touched base with him. I’ll say this again, being in this division for seven years, it was never fun. I have a lot of respect for him as a player. He was never a fun challenge to go against.”
That was it regarding Murray. LaFleur may or may not know what’s going to happen. The plans may already be laid out, and LaFleur may have been filled in, and he should being the new head coach. But he didn’t show his hand. He basically didn’t say anything new about Murray, and certainly not what his status would become going forward.
And in the presser at that very moment, you wanted a reporter just to blurt out, “Are you keeping Kyler Murray or what?” And we get that. He doesn’t want to jeopardize the situation as it stands right now. However, that never happened. Later, he was asked about the quarterback room in general. Anything he can divulge?
“We’ve got to go back in the room and talk about all these positions from the quarterback to the O-line, special teams, and every position.”
Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay (right) talks with offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur (left)
Somebody asked, since it has been three years since he called plays because Rams head coach McVay is that team’s play caller, what did LaFleur pick up from McVay’s play calling?
“We like to say this in LA: The worst play call is the late play call. Get the play call in to the offense so that they can operate. The one thing that always stood out was how they operated pre-snap. It just looked clean and sharp. And I am so fully invested in that portion of it. Everyone’s got good plays, in my opinion. Everyone has a good scheme. But it’s really leading up to that moment. I think it’s something that we just got better at in the last few years. And something that we will implement as we get this thing going.”
Then, later, a reporter asked LaFleur if he was going to be the play caller. His response:
“Yes. Yes, I will call the plays.”
Then another question popped up much later as to how comfortable and confident LaFleur was in calling plays.
“I look forward to it a lot. I missed it those three years in LA. There’s something about calling plays like you’re just in it. It’s an aspect of football that I missed a lot. Like anything else, it’s challenging. But it’ll be worth it. It’ll be fun.”
Getting the franchise back to respectability
The fanbase wants a team they can cheer on that will win games consistently. We all know this. There is nothing worse than going through a season with 14 losses. It is disheartening, aggravating, and expensive for the fans. What would it mean to get this franchise back on track and into the postseason tournament?
“Everything. Let’s be real. This is a bottom-line business. Period. This business is cutthroat. It’s about wins and losses. That one thing we’re not going to talk about is what happens in February, and in January, and December. I’m not even worried about the first game in September. I’m worried about getting relationships with these guys, building the best staff we can, and improving the roster because we owe it to these guys to do that. Building it so that we are so prepared in September. It’d mean the world to me.”
Getty Images
Major overhaul, or a tweak here and there?
There seems to be the thought that this Cardinals team was just a few players from being a very good ballclub. How many games did they lose by less than seven points this year? Eight? But then again, a team doesn’t lose 14 games needing a guy or there. There are major issues. What did LaFleur see when he was thinking about coming to Arizona about this roster? Does he think he needs to strip it down to the frame and blow it up? Or tweak it instead?
“Last year, the Cardinals’ record wasn’t what anybody would want for their own team. But (quarterback) Matthew Stafford came into my office and said these guys can play. I’ve seen it firsthand. I know what’s on the roster. There are a lot of reasons that I am so thrilled to be in this seat right now. It’s what Monti has built over these last few years. There are pieces. When you look at the fourth quarter of a lot of these games, it was close, tight games. We’ve got to figure out what those little edges are to get us over, and that’s what we intend to do. It’s going to be thorough work. But we’re not far off.”
LaFleur knows he has a tremendous weapon in TE Trey McBride. He was reminded that with the Rams, they used a lot of 13-personnel as the tight end was a focal point.
“I’m just excited to get started and build out whatever this system is going to look like. We are going to have foundational aspects that are tried and true. We organically built to those 13 personnel, which we just got to that point. Guys like Trey are going to be awesome to work with, and we’ll figure out the best ways to utilize him.”
Owner Michael Bidwill of the Arizona Cardinals embraces new head coach Mike LaFleur Getty Images
The owner wants things to happen right away
Cardinals’ owner Bidwill made it very clear after the season concluded that the next new guy to run the program needed results this upcoming season and not years after the hiring. LaFleur was asked what he thought of an instant timeline for success.
“This league is about pressure. I’m not worried about what our record was. The record last year just means we get a higher draft pick. That’s all that matters at this point. We got to work to build this roster. Even if we were flipped, and it was 14 and 3, guess what? You go right back to work. So, I’m not concerned about all that kind of stuff. I’m concerned with building this staff and working with these guys so that when the time does come, we’re putting our best foot forward and going to win some football games.”