Kingsbury landed the Cardinals job despite having a record of 35-40 while coaching at Texas TechGETTY IMAGES
The NFL Cardinals have made Kliff Kingsbury their new coach, and it is "going to be incumbent" on Kingsbury and GM Steve Keim to "have success early to keep critics at bay and prevent the fanbase from losing confidence and tuning out," according to Greg Moore of the ARIZONA REPUBLIC. The Cardinals fired former coach Steve Wilks after just one year on the job, and the way Kingsbury comes in "will make others more critical and skeptical of his every move." Most people "don’t get promotions after they’ve been fired for poor performance." Kingsbury's record as Texas Tech coach was 35-40 (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 1/9). In Phoenix, Kent Somers writes Kingsbury's hiring is a "bold move by the Cardinals," but it is a "bad one." Kingsbury has "never coached in the NFL, and the list of coaches with no pro experience who successfully transitioned from college to the NFL is short" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 1/9). However, in Arizona, Dan Bickley wrote it will be "hard for any other franchise to top" the Cardinals in "headlines or intrigue." That alone "makes the move a smashing success." Kingsbury is "hardly a slam-dunk," but he is "exciting." Kingsbury’s "charisma and swag bring sizzle to this story." He will "spur season-ticket renewals and kill the apathy that sprouted like weeds in December." He "guarantees the sellout streak at State Farm Stadium will continue." His hiring will "greatly benefit" Keim, who "gained a head coach and lost a hot seat with one masterful stroke" (ARIZONASPORTS.com, 1/8).
MISSING THE POINT: In DC, Jerry Brewer writes in a "copycat league," finding the next Sean McVay is the "newest whim." The "in-demand status of Kingsbury" is a "symptom of the NFL’s reckless and illogical hiring practices and an example of why the league will never have real diversity -- not just racial but diversity of strategy and styles of play." It would have "made sense if there had been a pro and college bidding war for his play-calling services." Brewer: "But to have Kingsbury run the whole show?" These are the "lengths to which NFL teams will go to avoid giving greater consideration to minority candidates or coaches who are simply in the minority, regardless of their race, because they are humble NFL lifers and grinders who specialize in defense or special teams or any other job less glamorous than decorating the scoreboard" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/9). FS1's Jason Whitlock said the NFL has "fallen so in love" with McVay that "anybody that has a hair style similar" to McVay is a potential head coaching candidate. Most owners "don't win championships but they all make money so they're sitting there saying, 'What is going to make someone purchase these season tickets, give them an entertainment product just beyond the competition of the sport?'" ("Speak for Yourself," FS1, 1/8). ESPN's Clinton Yates said hires like Kingsbury's are "something that NFL teams do, they follow the trend and this is another case of that" ("Around the Horn," ESPN, 1/8).
LINGERING IMPACT: In L.A., Bill Paschke writes Kingsbury quitting his job as USC offensive coordinator before ever coaching a game "makes the USC athletic department look like fools." In their "third coaching fumble since the departure of Pete Carroll -- they haven’t gotten it right since -- the Trojans were swindled," and they have "nobody to blame but themselves." USC's Lynn Swann has "shown again he is not an experienced athletic director." An experienced AD "would never have hired someone with Kingsbury’s celebrated cachet without some contractual assurances he would stay" (L.A. TIMES, 1/9).
