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Cardinals "Not Trying To Copycat" In Coach Search

Bidwill says second round of interviews coming before "best decision for us"

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Cardinals team president Michael Bidwill said Thursday there are second interviews coming for potential head coaches.


In his search for a new head coach, Michael Bidwill has talked to candidates from all three phases of a football team, of varying ages.

Yes, the NFC West hired a pair of young coaches last offseason to pair with young quarterbacks with noticeable success. But for Bidwill, that isn't a factor when he finally makes a choice.

"I'm not trying to copycat anybody," the Cardinals team president said Thursday night during an appearance on the "Big Red Rage" radio show. "I'm trying to make the best decision for us to hire the next leader (and) head coach that will deliver championships to this team and this town."

Bidwill again stressed patience in the search, reiterating that the team will be conducting a second round

of interviews with some of the candidates and that he would like candidates that had not yet come to Arizona to visit the facility and the organization to do so.

"It always feels like when you are hiring a senior leader like this, you have to go through a couple rounds of this, and somebody always separates themselves," Bidwill said.

Bidwill did not talk specific names. The list of candidates the Cardinals have interviewed, all according to multiple reports, include Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher, Vikings offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur, Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo, Eagles defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, Patriots defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, Patriots linebackers coach Brian Flores, Steelers offensive line coach Mike Munchak, Falcons special teams coordinator Keith Armstrong and Panthers defensive coordinator Steve Wilks.

All of the interviews took place over a seven-day period, and all but two took place outside Arizona. Bidwill noted that the warmest city he and General Manager Steve Keim visited was 33 degrees.

"It was a blur," Bidwill said, adding that the nine were "the best group of candidates I have ever had the opportunity to interview."

The Giants, Lions and Colts all still have vacant head coaching positions, but Bidwill said he is not going to rush anything based on what other teams might do. He said it didn't matter what side of the ball a coach originated from, but that working with a quarterback – whether it was the coach himself or whomever that coach would be bringing on staff – was important.

Bidwill also said that he would "minimize" any suggestions of potential assistant coaches from a candidate if that assistant was already under contract elsewhere – noting that many teams tend not to let assistants out of current deals.

Bidwill said the interviews "broke the ice" with many candidates the two did not previously know. The second interview would hopefully be more relaxed as the trio explored a potential working relationship. That chemistry is what made Arians, Keim and Bidwill fit well together.

"We feel like we have the right kind of questions, we're covering the right kind of subjects," Bidwill said. "This is a really important marriage."

Images of the Cardinals' scoring leaders this season



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