GLENDALE, Ariz. — After 15 years as an NFL assistant, Jonathan Gannon finally got the call he'd been waiting for from the Arizona Cardinals, who signed him to a five-year deal to make him their new head coach.
Gannon's new job comes on the heels of a Super Bowl appearance as Philadelphia's defensive coordinator - where he helped lead a defense that tallied 70 sacks during the regular season, the third highest total of all-time.
However, Gannon's defense did not generate that kind of pressure in Super Bowl LVII, allowing Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs to score 24 second half points in a victory.
Locked on Cardinals host Alex Clancy, speaking to Locked on Sports Today host Kainani Stevens, discussed the unfortunate similarities between Gannon's game plan on Sunday and Arizona's former head coach.
"What I saw in the second half of the Super Bowl with the Eagles on defense was Kliff Kingsbury. The lack of adjustments make you pause," Clancy said. "It seems like it's good quarterbacks [Gannon] can't really scheme against. And that's a problem."
This move represents a clear shift in organizational philosophy from Kingsbury, who was brought in as an offensive mastermind to help mold Kyler Murray. After one playoff appearance in four years, Kingsbury was sacked and Gannon will now have the task of helping this team compete in the crowded NFC West.
There's little doubt Gannon will help bolster Arizona's defense, which finished 21st in the NFL in defense last season and posted an ugly 4-13 record prior to Kingsbury's firing. And Clancy can live with some in-game adjustment struggles if his overall coaching acumen proves to be solid.
"You need to cultivate and massage and evolve this defense that has a lot of great young talented pieces," Clancy continued. "I just hope that he's a better overseer than in-game adjuster."