Kliff Kingsbury was fired as the head coach of Texas Tech after a tumultuous tenure, during which he went just 46-55 and failed to qualify for postseason play in any year. Tom Herman takes over at Red Raiders football with his debut against North Dakota State on September 2nd.
Kliff Kingsbury has been the head coach of Texas Tech since 2013. He has had success in the past, but his first year with the Red Raiders was a bit rocky. In 2016, he led them to their third Big 12 championship and got them into the College Football Playoff. This season, he’s leading them to another conference title game and is looking like one of the favorites for a playoff spot as well. Read more in detail here: kliff kingsbury.
After a scorching start to the 2021 season, the Arizona Cardinals have been eliminated from the NFL Playoffs. In the Wild Card Round, head coach Kliff Kingsbury’s squad wilted down the stretch and was boat raced by the Los Angeles Rams. This is becoming a trend for Kingsbury’s teams, prompting media personality Pat McAfee to draw an unpleasant parallel between Kingsbury’s tenure and Andy Reid’s with the Philadelphia Eagles.
Kliff Kingsbury and the Arizona Cardinals had a tremendous start to the season, but they faltered again.
Andy Reid and Kliff Kingsbury (from left to right) | Hunter Martin/Getty Images; Steph Chambers/Getty Images
Kliff Kingsbury and the Arizona Cardinals had a great start to the 2021 NFL season. The squad started 7-0 and won huge games over the Tennessee Titans, Los Angeles Rams, and San Francisco 49ers.
However, a Week 8 defeat to the Green Bay Packers set the squad on the wrong track. Kingsbury’s Cardinals concluded the season 4-6, with four of their final five games being losses.
The second-half troubles were exacerbated by injuries to quarterback Kyler Murray, wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins, and defensive end J.J. Watt. It does, however, match a trend emerging under the team’s third-year head coach.
The former Texas Tech quarterback and coach began 0-3-1 in his debut season as head coach, but rallied with three straight victories to improve the Cardinals’ record to 3-3-1. However, the club fell 2-7 from Week 8 on, finishing 5-10-1.
Season 2 followed the same pattern as the first. Arizona had a stronger start, going 5-2 in the first eight weeks. The Cardinals, on the other hand, crumbled again in 2020, finishing 3-6 in the second half.
“Once is happenstance,” said Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond. It’s a coincidence twice over. Enemy activity occurs three times.” The enemy activity for the Arizona Cardinals seems to be coming from inside.
Kingsbury has been likened to Andy Reid of the Philadelphia Eagles by Pat McAfee and Dan Orlovsky.
Dan Orlovsky, a former quarterback turned ESPN commentator, joined the Pat McAfee Show after the Arizona Cardinals’ dismal 34-11 defeat to the division-rival LA Rams in the Monday night Wild Card game to explain what went wrong.
As McAfee, Orlovsky, and co-host A.J. Hawk sought answers, McAfee drew a parallel between Kliff Kingsbury and Andy Reid, the now-famous Kansas City Chiefs coach. Kingsbury’s less-than-stellar record in the second half of seasons was dismantled by the former NFL punter. He went on to say that this performance reminded him of his time with the Philadelphia Eagles:
Isn’t this what happened with Any Reid back in the day? Andy Reid had a season there. He’d win in the start of the year, but then things would fade out. And as a result, they’d be booted out of the playoffs, and he’d miss out on winning the Super Bowl.
Kliff Kingsbury and Andy Reid have a lot in common, according to Pat McAfee.
While McAfee’s analogy isn’t perfect — Reid’s issues with the Eagles largely occurred in the playoffs rather than the second half of the season – the principle is sound.
Reid’s formula for success during the regular season didn’t work as well in the playoffs. Similarly, Kingsbury’s early-season success seems to erode as opponents get more familiar with his game plans. This raises the issue of whether Kingsbury will be able to buck the trend next season.
What does the future hold for the Arizona Cardinals?
.@stephenasmith breaks down the Cardinals’ playoff loss and Kyler Murray’s performance 😬
“I believe that Kyler Murray can be better. I think that that last night he was atrocious. It was the worst performance I’ve seen of his career.” pic.twitter.com/1PSCz2qfXP
— First Take (@FirstTake) January 18, 2022
The Arizona Cardinals must figure out where to go from here in 2022 after failing to live up to the promise of their early-season success.
Moving ahead, the organization faces several challenges. The club is full with aging veterans, with many of the most crucial (Chandler Jones, A.J. Green, and James Conner) set to become free agents this offseason.
Isaiah Simmons (No. 8, 2020) and Zaven Collins (No. 16, 2021), the team’s past two first-round draft selections, haven’t developed into the defensive difference-makers that general manager Steve Keim had hoped for.
The greatest question is what to do with quarterback Kyler Murray and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. The Cardinals’ ceiling as a Wild Card playoff club may be reached due to Murray’s tiny size and style of play, as well as Kingsbury’s failure to win late in seasons.
Michael Bidwell, the pair’s owner, is expected to give them at least one more season. If the same destiny confronts Bidwell in 2022, he should remember what Philadelphia Eagles owner Jeffery Laurie failed to learn throughout Any Reid’s 14-year career and 10-year tenure with QB Donovan McNabb.
You must replace one or both of the coach and quarterback if they are unable to complete the task jointly. And you should do it as quickly as possible.
Pro Football Reference provided all stats.
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