The Arizona Republic

Cards’ Arians, Sun Devils keep playing blame game

- Dan Bickley Columnist Arizona Republic USA TODAY NETWORK

Bruce Arians and the Arizona State football program have a lot in common. Both are masters at deflection. Blame is a one-way street.

Their conviction is delusional and breathtaki­ng.

The Cardinals head coach shirked accountabi­lity 24 hours after personally shoulderin­g last week’s loss to the Texans. Sorry, not sorry. The reversal was stunning, especially when Arians’ playcallin­g blunder was an indefensib­le decision, the reckless act of a desperate man.

Meanwhile, ASU could conceivabl­y fire head coach Todd Graham by the end of the weekend, even though he could finish with a 7-5 record and a respectabl­e bowl assignment, a notable achievemen­t for a team with very low expectatio­ns entering the season.

Once again, Arians is absolving the coaches and decision makers, funneling the criticism downhill. And once again, ASU might fire a head coach who had a brief run of glory, raising the bar to a height he couldn’t possibly sustain.

Arians is playing a dangerous game.

There was a time when nobody could argue the methodolog­y of a man who posted 34 regular-season victories over his first three seasons. But the Cardinals have won 11 of their last 26 games, and players are surely rolling their eyes over the latest developmen­ts. Two former players – running back Chris Johnson and defensive back D.J. Swearinger – have criticized Arians on social media over the course of the season. If the losing and the chirping continues, Arizona’s reputation as a destinatio­n franchise will take a hit.

ASU is playing a losing hand. They have every right to fire Graham, who is 16-19 over his last three seasons. He consistent­ly oversells and under-delivers. His culture of discipline might be stifling recruiting efforts, the reason why the program still suffers from a deficiency of talent.

Graham has no problem attracting elite assistant coaches on the fly, positions that come with power and whistles. But he doesn’t have the same pull with young recruits, even though he’s a natural-born salesman. Is that Graham’s fault or proof that ASU’s program is more mirage than sleeping giant?

The Cardinals need to look in the mirror. There is a talent issue on offense and a temperatur­e problem on defense. The coaching staff needs an upgrade. General Manager Steve Keim felt comfortabl­e entering the season with a terrible group of wide receivers, a unit where Andre Ellington ranks second in receptions, a whopping 36 catches behind Larry Fitzgerald. And Ellington was just cut from the team. The organizati­onal failures are profound.

ASU needs to review its own history, where every head coach that has succeeded the legendary Frank Kush shares a common story. They all flashed, they all failed, and they they all failed and they all left, one way or another. But until recently, the program has lagged behind in infrastruc­ture and amenities. Their stadium was finally granted a facelift, but the game-day experience remains substandar­d. And remember this:

A great college football team can’t sprout from a garden of apathy and fickle support, in a bandwagon region with four major profession­al franchises. Recruits need to feel the embrace, the energy and the power of a fully-vested fan base. That will not happen at ASU, where Pat Tillman is the only player on a pedestal, where even the famous alumni feel strangely disconnect­ed and disinteres­ted. And that’s why Graham can never find enough great defensive players.

The Cardinals face another litmus test this weekend. They have won just

Arians and Graham are bonded by a profession that turns on most head coaches.

six of their past 12 home games in a stadium that once produced magical moments on demand. They might get embarrasse­d by an ascending team from Jacksonvil­le, a team with a really good defense. And you wonder what effect Arians’ turnabout will have on the collective spirit.

Arians must know he’s wrong about giving back all blame. Maybe he grew angry while watching film, refusing to take the hit for offensive linemen who still don’t know who to block and wide receivers who still don’t know how to catch. Or maybe he feels the need to protect his coaching staff from growing fears of terminatio­n.

Or maybe he realizes it just doesn’t matter. If the Cardinals perform like a tepid, dispassion­ate team because of Arians’ latest round of criticism, nobody will be able tell the difference.

It’s possible that Graham will keep his job with a victory in the Territoria­l Cup, avenging a nauseating defeat in 2016 when Arizona didn’t have to attempt a pass in the second half. Or maybe his boss, Ray Anderson, has fallen in love with a replacemen­t candidate like Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin, who is expected to be fired this weekend.

Anderson has a great track record at hiring coaches and deserves to call his shot with the football program. But he better give the next head coach a level playing field, the kind that hasn’t existed in Tempe since Kush roamed the sidelines.

Arians and Graham are bonded by a profession that turns on most head coaches, at least the ones not named Saban or Belichick. Both have thick skin and colorful vocabulari­es. Both deserve better players. One might get fired after the 2017 season – the guy who is actually making progress.

 ?? PHOTOS BY USA TODAY SPORTS ?? ASU coach Todd Graham (left) and Cardinals coach Bruce Arians are caught in a vicious cycle of blaming others.
PHOTOS BY USA TODAY SPORTS ASU coach Todd Graham (left) and Cardinals coach Bruce Arians are caught in a vicious cycle of blaming others.

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