Evaluating Pros, Cons for Cardinals Hiring Lou Anarumo/Mike Kafka

Lou Anarumo and Mike Kafka appear to be the finalist to be the next head coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Here are the pros/cons of each candidate.

Author:
Richie Bradshaw
Publish date:
Feb 11, 2023 4:07 PM EST

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Arizona Cardinals

By the sounds of things, the Arizona Cardinals have narrowed down their head coaching search to two candidates - Lou Anarumo and Mike Kafka.

Anarumo is currently the defensive coordinator of the Cincinnati Bengals and has been there since 2019. The Bengals have seen several successful seasons under Anarumo and a plethora of players have blossomed into studs and stars thanks to his play calling. With over 30 years of coaching experience and ten in the pros, Anarumo has quite a resume.

Kafka on the contrary is relatively unknown and would be quite the dice roll. While Kafka has only been in coaching since 2016, he has had the opportunity to learn under some of the best play callers in the NFL and has some playing experience in the pros to justify his risk. The upside could be the next bright, young offensive mind that the league craves.

With both candidates, there is a risk and an obvious reward and that's what we're here to discuss today. We will go over the pros and cons of both Anarumo and Kafka as the next head coaches of the Cardinals and then put a cap on it with a brief overview.

Let's start with Anarumo.

Pros for Anarumo

NFL experience dating back to 2012
Full-time defensive coordinator for four seasons (all with Cincinnati
Proven coaching efforts with:

Multiple Pro Bowlers
Super Bowl LVI berth
Great performances vs. elite quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, etc.

Can build a good culture

Cons for Anarumo

Older candidate (turns 57 in August)
No head coaching experience in his coaching career (began in 1989)
Production slipped in 2022 despite not missing many players from the previous season

Overview

For a candidate with no previous head coaching experience, Anarumo has a pretty nice resume. He clearly knows the intricacies of the game and has plenty of background to show for it. Defensively, Anarumo may be a mastermind.

The only true deterrence is that in over 30 years of coaching, he has never once been a head coach anywhere, let alone in the NFL. That would make this a bit of a gamble, as we simply don't have anything to base this hire on.

That being said, Anarumo is a seasoned vet in the NFL and knows what it takes to coach up his talent and create a culture. I wouldn't have any issue with Anarumo becoming my head coach if I were a Cardinals fan.

Pros for Kafka

Young offensive mind (35 years old)
Experience working with Patrick Mahomes and helped Daniel Jones see a career-best season in 2022
Groomed as an offensive mind under Andy Reid and Brian Daboll
NFL playing experience (quarterback from 2010-2015)

Cons to hiring Kafka

No head coaching experience
Only one season as an offensive coordinator (2022)
Relative unknown as a play caller

Overview

Ah yes, the young offensive mind that we will peg as the next Sean McVay. Perhaps it won't be too farfetched in the sense of him being a young up incomer considering he has worked under Andy Reid, Eric Bienemy, and Brian Daboll at least.

Even still, Kafka has a single season as a play caller under his belt so this would be taking all your money and placing it on a color at the roulette table - it could be a massive success or a massive failure.

The important aspect here is Kafka has NFL experience, albeit very minimal, and understands what it takes to play quarterback. This has to be appealing for Kyler Murray and the rest of the Cardinals. If this is the hire and it works, it could change the trajectory of this team. If it doesn't, it'll continue to set the team backward.