NFL's Most Unstable Franchise

[daves]

Oh boy... today the Athletic published the results of a survey of NFL agents regarding several topics, including the depressed RB market, the Jonathan Taylor - Colts feud, Lamar Jackson's contract extension, the future of QB salaries... and "The most unstable franchise in the league". Here we go.....

Votes:

Cardinals 9
Colts 4
Texans 3
Commanders 2
Cowboys 1
Jets 1
Raiders 1
No answer 2

Comments:

• “(The Cardinals) have stable owners, but the franchise’s mentality and financial plan aren’t sound. Now on a path to not-win to dump Kyler Murray and position itself for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft for Caleb Williams. The organization hasn’t been good even when posting positive records.”

• “Had a client considering signing there. He checked with a friend on the team and was told, ‘Don’t come here.’ The Kyler contract. GM resigns. Accusations against the owner. Maybe the new GM and coach change things. Maybe.”

• “The usual suspects have cleaned up their act or are trying. Snyder’s gone. The Bengals would be a consideration, but Duke Tobin and Joe Burrow have them turned around. Let’s go Cardinals.”

• “I’ve been so brainwashed to think of Washington so I can’t think of anyone easily. Oh, the Colts. The things Irsay says make it tough on Ballard and the staff.”

• “I’ll go with Washington. A new owner is great, but you hold the belt until it’s proven otherwise.”

• “Cowboys. Nepotism at its finest. I know they’re a valuable franchise, and they have a good quarterback and they win games, but they’re very poorly run.”

 

[Arz101]

Cannot spot a lie here.

 

[AZ Native]

Oh boy... today the Athletic published the results of a survey of NFL agents regarding several topics, including the depressed RB market, the Jonathan Taylor - Colts feud, Lamar Jackson's contract extension, the future of QB salaries... and "The most unstable franchise in the league". Here we go.....

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[WiscoBird]

Someone on the team is telling players to not come here? Maybe the guy sucks and the player knows it. Maybe it was Dobbs haha.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Anyone that watched Hard Knocks in season last year saw just how dysfunctional the Cardinals were.

 

[Vacard]

Mike Brown got it. But Bidwill still hasn’t gotten it yet??! Bengals has surpassed the Cardinals in leadership? Bidwill got to go.

 

[pemory09]

We’re #1, we’re #1!

 

[daves]

And there's more! This morning's "The Athletic Pulse" e-mail is titled, "Are they tanking or not?"

It features an interview with Mike Sando:

A mess in Arizona

We’re at this unique point in the NFL calendar when cutting a career backup quarterback, like the Cardinals did with Colt McCoy yesterday, can spark questions about the entire franchise’s direction. Late August, baby. Let’s catch up: The backup? What gives? Starter Kyler Murray — who just signed a massive deal, which we’ll discuss later — is still physically unable to perform and will miss at least the first four games of the season. The reliable but unspectacular McCoy had been in line to start. So when Arizona traded for the unproven Josh Dobbs and jettisoned McCoy, it raised questions about whether the team really wants to compete this year. USC’s Caleb Williams is at the end of that tank rainbow, after all. It’s not that deep, though, as our Mike Sando told me. But it might be bad for Murray. Our conversation: Is this as naked of a play for Caleb Williams as I think it is? Mike: It's remarkable how great McCoy has become since the Cardinals released him. He has not started more than four games in a season since 2011. Did people think McCoy, who turns 37 next month, was going to 1) hold up physically as the starter and 2) move the needle enough while he was in there to keep Arizona competitive? They were always a candidate to draft Caleb Williams, if not with their own pick, then possibly with Houston's pick. Further: Let's say Arizona isn't trying to tank. Is Dobbs (and/or Clayton Tune) a better band-aid option while the Cardinals wait for Murray to get healthy? Mike: Dobbs plausibly could have been the preferred choice over McCoy by the Arizona offensive staff, because new coordinator Drew Petzing was Dobbs' position coach in Cleveland, while McCoy was a holdover from the previous regime in Arizona. It's not like the Cardinals are moving on from Kurt Warner. Dobbs is super smart, he is versed in the offense and he is cheaper than McCoy. Also, Murray just signed a big deal. Now he's toast? Mike: This Cardinals season was always going to be about evaluating Murray in relation to what other quarterbacks might be available. McCoy's status on the roster was irrelevant to that fact. All Murray can do is work hard behind the scenes, try to win over the new leadership and play well if/when the opportunity arrives. We'll have a better idea what Arizona is thinking if Dobbs is horrible and the Cardinals stick with him, once Murray is cleared to return. If the team decides against playing a healthy Murray, we'll have greater confirmation of "tanking" than we have now, as the team moves on from McCoy, a quarterback with eight touchdown passes and nine interceptions over the past five seasons. Yeesh. The Cardinals still owe Murray at least $35 million if they cut him after this season, plus they incur a GDP’s worth of dead cap space. Completely unrelated: Our latest NFL agent survey, released yesterday, ranked Arizona as the most unstable franchise in the league. Also, don’t miss Doug Haller’s column on this whole situation, which focuses on the mess that greets Arizona’s new regime in Year 1. Lastly: Pulse Poll time. What are we calling any tank efforts for Williams? Our options: Crumble for Caleb Fail for Caleb Wilt for Williams (Write-in) Make your voice heard here. We’ll publish the results, and your best write-ins, tomorrow.

 

[Outerlimits]

Mike Brown got it. But Bidwill still hasn’t gotten it yet??! Bengals has surpassed the Cardinals in leadership? Bidwill got to go.

Would be nice but the odds of that occurring are near 0%. The family has owned it for how many decades now?

 

[Harry]

I think the Cards hold the record for most times winning this vote.

 

[Dback Jon]

I think the Cards hold the record for most times winning this vote.

So the model of consistency and stability!

 

[football karma]

i tried to do a devils advocate take -- but the best i could do is "the Texans are worse"

four head coaches in four years, weirdness in the FO over that time and an owner that is nuts.

thats worse than 2 HCs in five years, a GM with a dui in that time and an owner that is mean to his employees

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I hate these Caleb Williams takes. We just gonna keep drafting Lincoln Riley products until one of them sticks?

 

[Proximo]

Oh boy... today the Athletic published the results of a survey of NFL agents regarding several topics, including the depressed RB market, the Jonathan Taylor - Colts feud, Lamar Jackson's contract extension, the future of QB salaries... and "The most unstable franchise in the league". Here we go.....

Didn't realize the reputation was that bad.

That's troubling, because I don't think ownership is going to change.

 

[PACardsFan]

As someone who has watched this operation for 60 years, NONE of this can be denied. And as poor as Michael has been, his father was 10x worse. The ONLY hope for any kind of reversal is that Michael actually FINALLY went outside the organization to hire MO. No guarantees, but that’s a step in the right direction. The questions is…….Does Michael have the intestinal fortitude to actually allow MO to rebuild this from the bottom up. If Michael derails this with any kind of bandaid involvement on his part, the process is over, the experiment is over, and it returns to the same old, same old.

 

[Chopper0080]

This is why I bristle in conversations where people say "trust the organization" or "trust the plan". I don't trust this org and I feel justified in not doing so.

 

[Arz101]

Never trusting this franchise ever again. 100 years of recorded history to back it.

 

[PACardsFan]

This is why I bristle in conversations where people say "trust the organization" or "trust the plan". I don't trust this org and I feel justified in not doing so.

No one can argue your point. History always seems to repeat itself with this franchise. But, you have to admit that Michael went completely outside his comfort zone & when he hired MO, it was a reversal of how this team did things for the last like 25 years. The question is whether Michael will let MO actually rebuild this organization from the bottom up. If Michael starts applying the usual bandaids, then all bets are off & your distrust has been validated yet again.

 

[jf-08]

So the model of consistency and stability!

I seriously laughed out loud at this.

 

[Chopper0080]

No one can argue your point. History always seems to repeat itself with this franchise. But, you have to admit that Michael went completely outside his comfort zone & when he hired MO, it was a reversal of how this team did things for the last like 25 years. The question is whether Michael will let MO actually rebuild this organization from the bottom up. If Michael starts applying the usual bandaids, then all bets are off & your distrust has been validated yet again.

Could be. I am skeptical because the plan of the guy he chose was intentionally losing which I am sure appealed to Bidwill as it is the one thing this franchise is really good at.

 

[Stout]

This is why I bristle in conversations where people say "trust the organization" or "trust the plan". I don't trust this org and I feel justified in not doing so.

Exactamundo.

 

[PACardsFan]

Could be. I am skeptical because the plan of the guy he chose was intentionally losing which I am sure appealed to Bidwill as it is the one thing this franchise is really good at.

I don’t necessarily believe that rebuilding from the bottom up and intentionally losing are one and the same. Although they can have the same EARLY results. Say what you want, but as someone that was around to see father and son operate, the Bidwills did NOT like losing. They just had no clue on HOW to consistently win. They both had stretches where they did win, but neither could sustain it. There’s a myriad of reasons why they couldn’t, but I won’t bore people with the details Lol. Time will tell if this experiment with MO works or just becomes another Bidwill failure. I can’t argue that the odds favor the latter.

 

[Metcalf Rules]

“(The Cardinals) have stable owners,
maybe that explains why some of their personnel moves resemble a horse's a@$!

 

[pemory09]

And there's more! This morning's "The Athletic Pulse" e-mail is titled, "Are they tanking or not?"

It features an interview with Mike Sando

just discussed

And there's more! This morning's "The Athletic Pulse" e-mail is titled, "Are they tanking or not?"

It features an interview with Mike Sando:

Potential Cards tanking was discussed on PTI today. The guy filling in for M. Wilbon said that the Cards are not really smart enough to go through with it. Also, PFT (which, as we know, *loves* to blast the Cards on slower days) discussed them tanking too. According to the national press MB and MO are all in on landing Caleb Williams.

 

[PACardsFan]

Potential Cards tanking was discussed on PTI today. The guy filling in for M. Wilbon said that the Cards are not really smart enough to go through with it. Also, PFT (which, as we know, *loves* to blast the Cards on slower days) discussed them tanking too. According to the national press MB and MO are all in on landing Caleb Williams.

And yet there’s no one out there saying that the Rams are tanking????