Gannon has passionate vision
Jonathan Gannon sat before a packed auditorium at Arizona Cardinals headquarters in Tempe, addressing questions as the new head coach of the franchise last week.
Two days after being named to his position, Gannon displayed some of the energy and passion that team owner and president Michael Bidwill and general manager Monti Ossenfort liked about him during interviews.
“Just know this, we’re going to be very adaptable. I’m talking the Arizona Cardinals, this is what our team is going to be. We’re going to be adaptable, we’re going to be violent, we’re going to be explosive, and we’re going to be smart,” Gannon said. “And all three phases go into that. And we will maximize the talents of the players that we have. And that’s how we’re going to win games.
“And don’t get it twisted. We’re going to win games,” he added.
About a dozen Cardinals players, many in the front row of the theater, looked on as Gannon drove home his philosophy. They included quarterback Kyler Murray, running back James Conner, offensive linemen D.J. Humphries and Will Hernandez and tight end Zach Ertz, who was with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021 when Gannon took over as that team’s defensive coordinator, a position he held for two seasons.
Gannon delivered a video message via the Cardinals’ Twitter account the day he was hired, telling fans to “Buckle up, we’re going to have some fun.” He was already seeking out Murray upon being hired; a video of the two embracing was also shared on social media.
The enthusiasm and team-first philosophy that aligned with Bidwill’s and Ossenfort’s vision for the football team are what helped Gannon, 40, get the job. He’d spoken with Ossenfort for the first time last summer, when Ossenfort, then in the Tennessee Titans front office, reached out to potential head coach candidates.
“His reputation as a leader, his ability to connect to players, to staff, to the rest of his coaches, his ability to work with the personnel department and provide a vision for the type of players that we’re going to go out and seek,” Ossenfort said. “It was apparent that Jonathan shared a lot of the same values that I value and that Michael values.”
The initial conversation Ossenfort described led to two more with Gannon
last week, after he’d coached in Super Bowl 57. Those interviews came after the Cardinals had interviewed a handful of head coach candidates in a process that took more than five weeks to be completed.
At long last, for many Cardinals fans, a head coach is in place.
“Buckle up” is one of Gannon’s go-to catchphrases. Others he shared included “let it rip,” “be where your feet are,” and “shoot your guns.”
“I would say I’m the guy for the job,” Gannon said. “I would say that any job I’ve ever taken, there’s always a big-time challenge ahead of you. And I’ve succeeded in all those, starting from the ground floor of the business . ... So what I don’t know about the job, I’ll figure it out fast. And I’ll lean on people that I can trust and lean on, and we’re going to get it going.”
Gannon has hit the ground running. He has a specific vision of how he wants to play on offense.
“And the person that comes in here to run the offense is going to understand that everything that we do will be structured around the quarterback position to maximize his skill set,” Gannon said, referring
to Murray, who took a break from rehabbing his surgically repaired knee to attend Gannon’s formal introduction.
Gannon said he isn’t sure yet if he will call defensive signals as head coach. But he did shed some light on the last few days for him since the Super Bowl.
“You’ve got to adapt as things come at your door. And they’ve been exciting,” Gannon said.
“Obviously, I have a lot of energy and emotion that went into the game (Super Bowl) and then losing that game and then staying the night here, not knowing I was going to stay the night and interview for a head coaching job. But you take everything in stride and you do the best that you can. And I’ll say that it was a fun 48 hours.”
Ertz said Gannon helped him get through a tough time for him in Philadelphia before Ertz was traded to the Cardinals in 2021.
“I was on the offensive side of the ball, and the situation in Philly at the time was difficult for me,” Ertz said. “He was a guy that was consistently reaching out to me, connecting with me. And so he truly cares about the person, and that’s not just hearsay.”