Football Outsiders: Cards will be one of the most fun teams to watch in 2022

[kerouac9]

Which Teams Will Be the Most Fun in 2022?

Cincinnati and Arizona will be a thrill to watch. Chicago and Atlanta will resemble an infomercial for a juicer. Get ready for the NFL's schedule release with Walkthrough's exclusive Fun Index!

www.footballoutsiders.com

Here's a sample:

3. Arizona Cardinals​

Fun Index: 101.25

The Cardinals are a Madden team in real life. They have the kooky playbook, the scrambling quarterback, and a roster with more skill-position talent than Kliff Kingsbury and Kyler Murray will know what to do with. Even when DeAndre Hopkins is suspended, Murray must figure out how to dole out targets to Marquise Brown, Rondale Moore, A.J. Green, Zach Ertz, and Trey McBride, among others. The results will probably include wicked streaks and slumps, over-engineered play designs to get everyone involved (Oooh, a Murray-Moore-Brown double reverse! For a loss of 6!) some behind-the-scenes sniping, and probably a few Murray trade/Kingsbury hot-seat rumors once the Cardinals get mired in third place. Effective? Not really. Fun? Absolutely, on multiple levels.

 

[football karma]

after how they finished, they deserve every bit of skepticism.
but that feels a bit superficial, especially from FO

but, there are worse things than being offensively fun

 

[MrYeahBut]

Oooh, a Murray-Moore-Brown double reverse! For a loss of 6!

Hysterical! And likely to happen.

 

[TRW]

Oooh, a Murray-Moore-Brown double reverse! For a loss of 6!

Hysterical! And likely to happen.

Kliff Kingsbury: "Hold my beer!"

 

[football karma]

Oooh, a Murray-Moore-Brown double reverse! For a loss of 6!

Hysterical! And likely to happen.

the funny thing is: the whacky plays generally work

its the standard 3rd and 5 drop back pass from inside your own 10 that end in disaster

 

[Cardsfaninlouky]

Cardinals -vs- Rams playoff game
Fun Index: -1000.99 lol

 

[Cardsfaninlouky]

I hope this season is fun?

 

[Harry]

I think it’s fair to say Kingsbury tends to over complicate even when he has an edge. He gets antsy for a long gainer even when the team is methodically moving the ball down the field. He insists on gambling for first downs even when there’s plenty of time left and he has momentum. He just lacks the demeanor of a top coach. Maybe he can acquire it, but he hasn’t so far.

 

[kerouac9]

I think it’s fair to say Kingsbury tends to over complicate even when he has an edge. He gets antsy for a long gainer even when the team is methodically moving the ball down the field. He insists on gambling for first downs even when there’s plenty of time left and he has momentum. He just lacks the demeanor of a top coach. Maybe he can acquire it, but he hasn’t so far.

How much of that is the QB though?

I have no problem with the 4th down decisions.

 

[JeffGollin]

Harry - If Kingsbury didn’t “overcomplicate things“, we’d accuse him of being “uncreative.”

 

[Jetstream Green]

Fun how?

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[LA Redbird]

"Oooh, a Murray-Moore-Brown double reverse! For a loss of 6!"

Someone got a peak at the "revolutionary" Kingsbury's playbook.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Fun for a Cardinal Fan watch? Or fun for someone else?

 

[HairZach]

I think it’s fair to say Kingsbury tends to over complicate even when he has an edge. He gets antsy for a long gainer even when the team is methodically moving the ball down the field. He insists on gambling for first downs even when there’s plenty of time left and he has momentum. He just lacks the demeanor of a top coach. Maybe he can acquire it, but he hasn’t so far.

I've been under the impression that Kyler was the one antsy for deep shots, with most plays having a deep option for the QB. Of course its Kliff's job to try and get Kyler to be more conservative and I doubt Kliff would ever tell Kyler to not go deep.

 

[TJ]

Looking forward to the fun I’ll be having watching this team go 2-7 down the stretch. Joy…

 

[Syracusecards]

I think it’s fair to say Kingsbury tends to over complicate even when he has an edge. He gets antsy for a long gainer even when the team is methodically moving the ball down the field. He insists on gambling for first downs even when there’s plenty of time left and he has momentum. He just lacks the demeanor of a top coach. Maybe he can acquire it, but he hasn’t so far.

I wonder if he feels pressured to keep Kyler happy with big plays? I don’t think Kyler is patient enough for matriculating the ball down field. I think some of KK’s best coaching was the 2 games McCoy won when he took what the defense was giving.

 

[Jetstream Green]

I've been under the impression that Kyler was the one antsy for deep shots, with most plays having a deep option for the QB. Of course its Kliff's job to try and get Kyler to be more conservative and I doubt Kliff would ever tell Kyler to not go deep.

You might be shocked what Kliff told Kyler to do but he would not listen

 

[blindseyed]

You might be shocked what Kliff told Kyler to do but he would not listen

Teenagers tend to disobey their parents lol

 

[Jetstream Green]

Teenagers tend to disobey their parents lol

Kyler is young, Kyler is immature, Kyler probably is tired of having to fight this uphill battle with his size again and again, but it is what it is, and he needs to buckle down because he's in the home stretch of his ultimate goal of being part of the highest form of football competition

I can maybe get a rough impression of his mindset. Young boy is short and proves himself in Pop Warner football but it's not as hard because the other kids have not grown yet, but still at that age even a little shade is daunting at that impressionable age. Then he goes to high school, proves his worth and feels great but it starts all over again after he thinks winning every game he has played at the highest level of Texas high school football should erase his doubters. Goes to college, bounces around and finally gets his chance having to prove himself again more than others because of his size and wins the Heisman. Now he goes pro, and each step on this ladder becomes more difficult with the level of competition, and it starts all over again

I think he's just tired proving himself because with his size that justification of belonging is doubled, so he is very introvert, and his ego is best friend. He's not a bad guy, but he probably has a lot of baggage he has had to tote around due to his stature

There, and I did not go full blown Mitch with that psychological analysis because I do not state my observations as facts from what I know but how I might feel if I was placed in those big shoes to fill but having little feet lol

 

[TRW]

Kyler is young, Kyler is immature, Kyler probably is tired of having to fight this uphill battle with his size again and again, but it is what it is, and he needs to buckle down because he's in the home stretch of his ultimate goal of being part of the highest form of football competition

I can maybe get a rough impression of his mindset. Young boy is short and proves himself in Pop Warner football but it's not as hard because the other kids have not grown yet, but still at that age even a little shade is daunting at that impressionable age. Then he goes to high school, proves his worth and feels great but it starts all over again after he thinks winning every game he has played at the highest level of Texas high school football should erase his doubters. Goes to college, bounces around and finally gets his chance having to prove himself again more than others because of his size and wins the Heisman. Now he goes pro, and each step on this ladder becomes more difficult with the level of competition, and it starts all over again

I think he's just tired proving himself because with his size that justification of belonging is doubled, so he is very introvert, and his ego is best friend. He's not a bad guy, but he probably has a lot of baggage he has had to tote around due to his stature

There, and I did not go full blown Mitch with that psychological analysis because I do not state my observations as facts from what I know but how I might feel if I was placed in those big shoes to fill but having little feet lol

In all of the Kyler analysis I always have one question: When will he NOT be young? At what point is his age not a factor? I know there is no answer and it is a bit of a rhetorical question but I still wonder.

This is NOT a critique or criticism of your thoughts Jet, just made me wonder, again, those things.

 

[SoonerLou]

I wonder if he feels pressured to keep Kyler happy with big plays? I don’t think Kyler is patient enough for matriculating the ball down field. I think some of KK’s best coaching was the 2 games McCoy won when he took what the defense was giving.

By that same token, the Panthers game would be one of the worst?

49ers played their inexperienced safeties deep as if Kyler was still playing. Seahawks were still kind of a mess, but having Rondale helped with the dink and dunk stuff.

I think its more that we did try to matriculate the ball down the field. Teams just studied the Panthers (eventually the Lions) game tape and decided to play more man coverage without Hopkins.

 

[Jetstream Green]

In all of the Kyler analysis I always have one question: When will he NOT be young? At what point is his age not a factor? I know there is no answer and it is a bit of a rhetorical question but I still wonder.

This is NOT a critique or criticism of your thoughts Jet, just made me wonder, again, those things.

I say the going rate is about the end of his fifth year for his position under normal circumstances. Again, I am not using a guy like Mahomes who's an outlier for my view of what encompasses the progression of youth for a young QB... plus, Kyler really only had one full year of college ball too

 

[kerouac9]

I say the going rate is about the end of his fifth year for his position under normal circumstances. Again, I am not using a guy like Mahomes who's an outlier for my view of what encompasses the progression of youth for a young QB... plus, Kyler really only had one full year of college ball too

I think this is the last possible season where youth is an excuse/contributing factor. He'll turn 25 this season.

Lack of college experience is no longer an excuse. He's been in pretty much any reasonable game situation in his first 46 pro starts. If he's getting paid $40 million a season, you're not a rookie anymore.

 

[Stout]

I think this is the last possible season where youth is an excuse/contributing factor. He'll turn 25 this season.

Lack of college experience is no longer an excuse. He's been in pretty much any reasonable game situation in his first 46 pro starts. If he's getting paid $40 million a season, you're not a rookie anymore.

I think last season was the last possible season where youth is an excuse/contributing factor. Not only will he turn 25, but he wants--and will probably get--the big-money deal. The excuses about youth absolutely end there. By demanding and getting that deal, he is announcing his maturity. He just has to live up to it, now.

 

[Stout]

I say the going rate is about the end of his fifth year for his position under normal circumstances. Again, I am not using a guy like Mahomes who's an outlier for my view of what encompasses the progression of youth for a young QB... plus, Kyler really only had one full year of college ball too

No thanks. I'm not sitting through another two years of immaturity. That's not acceptable, unless he's playing out those years on his rookie deal. He wants the money? He can get over his immaturity and be the leader and worker he needs to be.