The next time Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon wants to fire his team up, he should probably play a video or clip of someone else firing their team up because this ain’t it.
In a failed bid to fire up the fan base for its upcoming season, the Cardinals organization released a 37-second video of head coach Jonathan Gannon speaking to the team at training camp. What the clip showed is just…well…bizarre.
“Welcome back,” Gannon began. “Who drove over here? Quick, let me see your hands. Who took the bus? Do you have fire in your gut? Did you?
“We’re here for a reason. Don’t get that twisted. OK? We’re here for a reason, to win games. So if you didn’t have that fire in your gut, you better light the fire pretty fast. Be who you are. Just understand, I’m looking for f*cking killers.”
Cardinals’ HC Jonathan Gannon tries to set the tone for the season in the latest episode of #CardsFlightPlan, “Coach and the Coordinators”.
Now available on Cardinals YouTube channel: https://t.co/c6IWkLjvlw pic.twitter.com/sXbislaAFv
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) September 1, 2023
So, let’s start with this: Are the players who drove to camp somehow better than the players who took the bus? Where exactly was he going with that? Are the drivers better because they’re in control? Or are the bus riders better because taking public transportation shows humility and a deeper desire to succeed?
These are questions that need to be answered.
Head coach Jonathan Gannon of the Arizona Cardinals walks on the field before the NFL game against the Denver Broncos at State Farm Stadium on August 11, 2023 in Glendale, Arizona. (Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
The looks on the player’s faces also highly suggest that Gannon is not connecting. Kudos to the team production unit for adding the climactic music in a noble yet futile attempt to make the speech more exhilarating.
Does any of this mean that Gannon won’t be a successful head coach? Absolutely not.
Before taking over in Arizona, Gannon was a highly successful defensive coordinator for the NFC Champion Philadelphia Eagles. He was a highly regarded coaching prospect and has every chance of turning things around in Arizona.
But he might want to leave the pre-game speeches to someone else.