Lou Anarumo Receives Serious Praise Ahead of Interview With Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals are set to interview three different coaching candidates this week.

Tuesday, the Cardinals are reportedly meeting with New York Giants OC Mike Kafka. The following day, Arizona will meet with Cincinnati Bengals DC Lou Anarumo before hosting Bengals OC Brian Callahan on Thursday.

Kafka and Callahan have received praise for their abilities to guide their respective quarterbacks to success in recent years, yet Anarumo has mostly flown under the radar as a potential candidate.

First hitting the scene in 2012 as the Miami Dolphins' defensive backs coach, Anarumo has garnered serious praise for his abilities to lead Cincinnati's defense to recent success.

"Frankly, it's overdue for Anarumo to get an interview this cycle," said NFL.com's Kevin Patra.

"The Bengals DC for the past four seasons has been one of the most underrated play-callers in the NFL. Despite Cincy boasting just one elected Pro Bowler, Trey Hendrickson, Anarumo's defense has been stellar, befuddling top-tier quarterbacks. During the Bengals' 10-game win streak before Sunday's loss, the defense allowed more than 24 points just once."

The praise didn't stop there, as Anarumo also garnered praise from one of the most respected minds in football in Louis Riddick. Now an analyst for ESPN, Riddick previously served in front office roles for Washington and Philadelphia.

This was a week ago from Riddick's twitter account:

Spoke with Lou Anarumo again last night, and going to say this again. The fact that nobody wants to hear about his leadership, team building/salary cap, staff construction, teaching and development (offensive and defensive and ST) philosophies via a HC interview is a joke.
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) January 24, 2023

After saying "about time" in regards to news of his interview on Wednesday, Riddick shared a bit more insight into what makes Anarumo special.

Communication skills, leadership skills, real time in game adjustment expertise…I look forward to talking with him more after having had some in person time with him as I have mentioned. I’ve always wanted to hear more from him 1 on 1. Crazy that others have not until now. https://t.co/8XWeaJ1B1F
— Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) January 30, 2023

The Cardinals will continue their coaching search after expanding their eyes on nearly a dozen candidates. Names from Sean Payton to Brian Flores litter the list of potential replacements for Kliff Kingsbury.

Yet owner Michael Bidwill intends to cast a "wide net" in his search for a successor. That involves finding the right name, not necessarily the biggest.

Only time can ultimately tell if Anarumo will be the person for the job, but there's no doubting there's some around the league believe he should be getting more opportunities.

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