Sure, we could go on and on about how embarrassing Sunday’s 30-12 loss at Detroit was for the Arizona Cardinals, but it’s Christmas week and it’s a time to be merry and hand out some gifts.
We’re in the giving mood with lots of advice for our struggling football team.
Our free advice: take the next week off, accept the inevitable defeat that’s coming Christmas night at home against the Colts and focus on winning the final two at Dallas and at home against Seattle. The month of December has been the Cardinals Kryptonite the past few seasons (2-3 in 2019; 2-2 in 2020; 1-2 in 2021). Perhaps January — which signals the start of a new calendar year — will bring some of that new season mindset and game play back for the Cardinals, who started the 2021 season so brilliantly.
KLIFF KRINGLE
No question we could rip head coach Kliff Kingsbury for not having his team prepared to play against a miserable one-win Lions team with a chance to clinch a playoff spot. We could wonder out loud why running back James Conner only got 8 carries and Chase Edmonds had just 6. After all, the Lions allowed 184 rushing yards to the Denver Broncos the week before. We could dwell on those issues, but we’d rather make spirits bright.
Narrator voice: we’re going to need lots of spirits to get through the next three games.
Our free advice, gifted to Kingsbury: listen to us Kliff! We are imploring you to run the ball. James Conner has been your best offensive weapon all season. Don’t leave him wrapped up sitting under the tree. Open up the box, put in the batteries and play with that toy. He’s bound to play even better considering Chase Edmonds has returned from the injury that sidelined him for six weeks. Run the football and watch your team run to the playoffs.
MURRAY CHRISTMAS
And no doubt, we could write an entire blog on quarterback Kyler Murray’s increasingly erratic and inconsistent play but tis the season for joy and celebrating the miracle of our Savior’s birth.
Our present to Kyler in the form of free advice: trust a receiver or tight end. Murray is holding the ball way too long on pass plays and not trusting something in the process. The holding and the waiting is causing the pocket to collapse and Murray to scramble, often resulting in a deep loss on a sack or a poor pass short of a first down. It would be a small Christmas miracle if we regularly saw Murray set his feet to make on-time throws the rest of the season.
This is our offering to the Arizona Cardinals, who are 0-4 in playoff clinching games the past two seasons.
They can place it in their virtual stockings or wrap it and open on Christmas morning.
Either way, they have the pieces and now have the advice. It’s up to them to have the happiest of holidays.
