Jonathan Gannon Preparing Cardinals For 'Hostile Environment' vs. Eagles
Arizona Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon -- the former defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles -- is preparing his team for a "hostile" environment at Lincoln Financial Field in Week 17.
USA Today
Before returning to Philadelphia himself, Gannon acknowledged that the Cardinals will need a little extra fire in their guts this week to handle the environment they are about to step into.
"That's a great place to play. It's a hostile environment," Gannon said. "They were on our side for two years when I was there, but our guys know, we've played in some hostile environments, that's gonna be one of them. So we gotta do a good job of handling the elements and the noise and those things and operate at a high level."
It may not be easy to gather from their 3-12 record, but an argument can be made that the Cardinals have overachieved this season given the lack of talent on their roster.
Quarterback Kyler Murray didn't make his season debut until mid-November as the team was cautious with his return from a torn right ACL suffered late in the 2022 season. The former No. 1 overall pick has tossed six touchdowns to four interceptions in six games, while also adding three scores on the ground. The Cardinals -- currently on track to have the No. 2 and No. 16 picks in the 2024 NFL Draft -- will have to decide this offseason whether to proceed with Murray at quarterback, or if they want to start over with a rookie quarterback like USC's Caleb Williams or North Carolina's Drake Maye.
In the meantime, the Cardinals are playing out the string of a 2023 season that was over before it began. That's led to some speculation that they may be especially "cautious" with Murray -- who missed practice Wednesday and Thursday with an illness -- over the final two weeks of the regular season, including Sunday afternoon against the Eagles.
On the other side, quarterback Jalen Hurts and the Eagles -- while underwhelming over the last month -- are looking to clinch their second consecutive NFC East title. They are currently anywhere between 11 and 12-point favorites over Gannon's Cardinals.
