Stability is a good thing. It also can put you in the crosshairs of a "Hard Knocks" season.
You know "Hard Knocks," the HBO/NFL Films show that covers a team through training camp and the preseason. It can be, ostensibly, a volunteer affair, if there is a team willing to invite the cameras in. That doesn't always happen, so the league has a set of rules to create a pool from which a team can essentially be forced to take part. The Cardinals are one of five teams that qualify this year, according to awfulannouncing.com.
The full list:
- Arizona Cardinals
- Detroit Lions
- Denver Broncos
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- Pittsburgh Steelers
To qualify, a team can't have a first-year head coach, haven't made the playoffs the past two seasons, and can't have been on "Hard Knocks" in the last 10 years. That obviously shrinks the pool.
You could see the desire, with Kyler Murray, of the Cards to be a story. But Kyler isn't exactly a guy who is out there in front of the camera, mugging his way through training camp. Kliff Kingsbury, who actually has been showing more of his personality in press conferences of late, isn't that guy either.
The Cardinals have done the reality show thing before, with the (best) "All or Nothing" season on Amazon. That was perfect, with Bruce Arians and the Cards' electrifying 2015 regular season. We'll see what happens with "Hard Knocks." Steelers coach Mike Tomlin knows what's up when someone mentioned the subject and wondered if Tomlin would do it if asked.
"Asked?" Tomlin repeated, and everyone knows it doesn't quite work that way.
