Jonathan Gannon had played all the sports once upon a time, great schoolboy athlete that he was, earning a reputation in basketball and even his less-preferred track.
But as the Cardinals’ new head coach wrapped up his introductory press conference on Thursday at the Dignity Health Training Center, he made clear why football was his passion.
“There is nothing like running out of the tunnel,” Gannon said, with Cardinals players who were sitting in the front row nodding their heads in agreement. “There’s really not. These guys know that. Not too many things in this world that can get your emotions and your adrenaline pumping like a football game does.
“And the process that needs to take place for you to give yourself a chance to win a game, just awesome.”
The players watching Gannon – among them, quarterback Kyler Murray, tackle D.J. Humphries, tight end Zach Ertz, running back James Conner, cornerback Byron Murphy and wide receiver Rondale Moore – got a sense of what GM Monti Ossenfort and owner Michael Bidwill liked in the interview process with Gannon: A high-energy, knows-what-he-wants coach who figures to attack his job the same way he attacked his first public words about his new position.
“We’re going to be very adaptable, we’re going to be violent, we’re going to be explosive, and we’re going to be smart,” Gannon said. “We’re are going to maximize the talents of the players that we have, and that’s how we’re going to win games.
“And don’t get it twisted – we’re going to win games.”
Staff-building started already, with Gannon beginning interviews with existing Cardinals coaches and reportedly putting in for interviews with Browns quarterbacks coach Drew Petzing, Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas and Commanders wide receivers coach Drew Terrell for the offensive coordinator spot.
Gannon is a defensive coach, but whether he calls plays will be based on who he hires as a defensive staff.
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