SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — Did you know Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon is a pretty good golfer? He hovers around a five to eight handicap, but he's humble about it.
"I'm up and down. I'm streaky. Streaky," Gannon said when 12News spoke with him before the Annexus Pro-Am at TPC Scottsdale on Feb. 7.
However, he plays enough to know exactly what his favorite shots are.
"Off the tee box, I like hitting a kind of bleeder cut and irons I like to hit a little draw," Gannon said.
Gannon added that his ideal distance in is 150 yards with a stock nine iron.
Gannon wrapped up his first season as the head coach of the Cardinals in early January, finishing with a record of 4-13, which was the same record as the 2022-23 season. It did include some big wins over the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles, but none of that made Gannon feel he was deserving of an invite to the Pro-Am, which included some of the biggest names in Arizona sports.
"I don't know about that, I don't know about that. We've got to win some games," Gannon said. "I mean four wins, we've got a long way to go."
Gannon said his staff is already hard at work preparing for the 2024-25 season and that they were even at work while Gannon was on the golf course.
"I gave them a bunch of 'honey-dos' to do as I'm out here playing," Gannon said. "But this offseason's been great. We're attacking the offseason and we're rolling already."
"I don't know, I mean four wins, we've got a long way to go."
However, many people called Arizona the best four-win team in the NFL, which was a testament to the culture Gannon brought when he was hired as Arizona's head coach last February.
"Yeah, I think the coaches did a really good job, the players did a good job," Gannon said. "And they were committed to getting better each week and you know, we need to win some games though."
If his previous responses didn't make it clear enough, Gannon knows that four wins are not enough and that his team needs to vastly improve next season and was direct when asked what needs to change over the offseason.
"Everything," Gannon said. "That's what I mean by tear it all down. There's going to be obviously some carry over, but really improve ourselves individually, collectively so then the players improve."
Gannon added that while he has a lot more responsibilities as a head coach, he's learned over the past 12 months that having the right circle of people around him is a major key to success.
"It's all how you frame it in your mind. I've grown this last year, being in the seat that I'm in and I'm really excited and glad that we got everybody back. Continuity of the staff was important to me. Some guys had some opportunities but decided to stay so it's good and I'm looking forward to it."
The Cardinals are currently preparing for the 2023 NFL Draft, which will be held April 25-27 in Detroit. The Cardinals currently hold the No. 3 overall pick.
The next major event on the NFL calendar is the Scouting Combine, which will be held from Feb. 27-March 4 in Indianapolis.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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