A tough way to end in Minnesota means a critical game at home this week against the Seahawks. Can't argue it any other way. Also, you can't argue the joy the mailbag brings each week. (OK, fine, you can argue it.) There were several questions along the same vein after losing against the Vikings; forgive me if I didn't choose yours as opposed to a different one asking the same thing. Questions have been edited for length and clarity. Don't forget to send a question for a future mailbag with at least a first name and last initial.
From Bob Haines:
"Darren, I was extremely happy to see the Cardinals give an extension to James Conner. He has been a major reason why the offense has been productive this season. My question is do you think Cardinal management will do the same for Budda Baker?"
From Sidney Sexson:
"Darren I am so happy to see that we signed James Conner to a two-year extension. That completes half my Christmas wish list! Now if we will just get Budda signed to an extension my Christmas wishes will come true! Who else would you like to see us retain?"
The move to keep Conner was a big deal, obviously. I like it, I like the length of the deal, and I'm sure the money will be workable for both sides. I still think Baker has a chance to come back, but the wild card will be what the Cardinals offer and what might be out there; I don't know if Baker is going to need to be the highest-paid safety but he's not going to do some big hometown discount I'm sure. As for other free agents, off the top of my head, I think it makes sense to bring back guard Will Hernandez, linebacker Kyzir White, and defensive linemen Roy Lopez and L.J. Collier. Not saying they will bring back all four (or that there aren't others to consider), but that's a start.
From Jeff Smith:
"Darren, I sure do appreciate you and the opportunity to share with the Cardinal community. My question is, is it the coordinator or K1? No bubble screens or quick slants with pressure; McBride is our hero, but he is looking like a slot receiver in our offense. Wilson is clearly our No. 1 receiver; the catches he makes are unbelievable. Where do we go from here?"
I'll be honest, I'm not sure what you mean by "where do we go from here?" The Cardinals need to score more touchdowns. That's true. They also had more than 400 yards of offense on Sunday and 154 yards rushing. Like the defense, Murray did not have a great final quarter and that's part of the discourse, but it doesn't mean you ignore everything that came before. Could they use more from Marvin Harrison Jr.? Yes, but his rookie season is looking a lot like Larry Fitzgerald's so let's hold on before making any pronouncements on him. There are things OC Drew Petzing would like to do different, there are things Murray would've liked to do different. But are you talking about changes? The Cardinals beat the Seahawks, they are in first place and control his own destiny.
From Susan R:
"Is a wild card mathematically impossible? Or at least mathematically irrelevant? We have head-to-head losses to the Vikings and Packers (or even the Lions if they lose out in the North) and also to the Commanders. Even if we do win the division, will we have tiebreakers for the third seed over the Falcons/Bucs? How do those work? Thanks for everything you do!"
With five games left, that's too many for me to start crunching tiebreakers. If the Cardinals win the division, they get a home game and frankly, they and no one else should care about it being the third seed or whatever -- reaching the playoffs at this stage of the rebuild is impressive. Reaching the wild card does seem a long shot; Washington is 8-5 so they have a game-and-a-half lead on the Cardinals (plus the head-to-head tiebreaker.) And the Commanders are the 7 seed behind Minnesota and Green Bay.
From Matthew Stroh:
"Hey Darren. Hope you and your family had a great Thanksgiving. Could we have won that game, I think yes. But I don't want Monti and Gannon to change what they are doing. I say evaluate everyone after the season. Do you think the pressure of fans and of people around the league will make Monti try to get a bunch of big-name players in the offseason? Do you think Owner Michael Bidwill will have the patience to let Monti have one to two more years to build a great team? Do you think you always win The Wise Guy game on Cardinals Underground because you have stayed at a "Holiday Inn Express?"
I don't think the "pressure" of any outside noise is going to drive Monti Ossenfort's process. He's got the plan he wants in place and he will continue to follow that regardless of any desires from outside the building. As for ownership, I think that's a moot point -- this team is already battling for a division title. Next year, the third year of the regime, it won't be just the owner looking for the next step. It'll be everyone's expectation. That's the NFL. (I think I win Wise Guy because I remember a lot of previously useless trivia, tbh.)
From Jerry Elfman:
"Patience has expired with Marvin Harrison Jr. We are 12 games into the season. What's his problem? Consideration needs to be made about benching him for Zay Jones. Marvin went 5 for 12 Sunday. He's not ready for the NFL as a rookie."
Gotta say Jerry, you forgot the word "my" at the beginning of your query. You can feel that way all you want, but I can assure you the Cardinals do not. Nor do I. Harrison is still learning. How does he get better without playing?
Also, by comparison:
Larry Fitzgerald 2004 rookie season 115 targets, 58 catches, 780 yards, 8 touchdowns (16 games)
Marvin Harrison 2024 rookie season 111 targets, 58 catches, 859 yards, 10 touchdowns (current pace for 17 games)
Let's see where this goes.
From Kiko C:
"Sean Murphy-Bunting had his first good Pro Football Focus score due to his run-defense and two forced fumbles but he struggles in coverage. Do you have his stats for penalties this year and how much of Justin Jefferson's 99 yards were on him, including the crucial fourth-and-5 conversion?"
I'm going to start here: The coaching staff trusts SMB. So whatever others think, nothing is changing right now. They like having the veteran presence on the field, and he did play well Sunday (frankly, I thought his PI was pretty soft.) I have no way to know how many of Jefferson's yards were against him, and I'd bet you'd be surprised it's not as much as you think because of the amount of zone they play. For instance, that fourth down was absolutely a zone, and Jefferson just found a dead spot behind linebacker Baron Browning and in front of SMB. Browning was actually the closer defender. Unfortunately, the Cardinals brought the blitz from the other side, and it never affected Sam Darnold.
From Jayvon Myer:
"Hi Darren. Why isn't Baron Browning getting the start? I'm interested in seeing the snap breakdown this week because it seemed he was rotational behind Jesse Luketa. I like Luketa, but he's very similar to Markus Golden; big, powerful, plodding edge setter; occasional sack getter, but by no means should be covering anyone and it burned us. One of Browning's strengths is his versatility. We traded for the guy, it's a contract year, I don't understand why he's not getting the lion's share of the work."
Well, for one, no one gets the lion's share. That's not how Nick Rallis operates. He rotates those guys. And Browning played more than Luketa.They didn't trade for Browning to come in and dominate playing time. He's not that guy. He is versatile, yes. But he's someone they want as part of the group. His contract situation has zero to do with anything.
From Shane Delanno:
"Why does Kyler still make rookie mistakes? Throwing the ball out of bounds, but it lands in bounds and is intercepted. Intentional grounding is a dire situation. Staying in bounds with 30 seconds left and only one timeout. The inconsistency with him is indescribable. I'd rather have a non-flashy, reliable Sam Darnold/Brock Purdy."
I must've missed when you sent me the same message at any point before October when you noted you'd rather have Darnold. No one was saying that, so let's not be disingenuous. Purdy looks pretty average right now. Murray had a bad end of game. He'll admit that. I'm going to assume this email was sent in the heat of the aftermath of Sunday. Every QB makes mistakes. If you want to call these "rookie" issues that's fine, but I am sure I can find examples of dumb stuff done by other vet QBs. I've covered a lot of QBs in my time -- be careful what you wish for.
From Dale Hatfield:
"Gut punch. But take a deep breath, step back and look at the big picture. The Cardinals are in virtually the same place as last week after the loss to Seattle. They still control their own destiny in the division. And even with the loss, they showed they can play toe-to-toe with a really good team. I do think it's time for Murray and Harrison to become a major thing though, not just an average thing. My question is do you expect Darius Robinson to have an impact on a defense that is already playing pretty good football?"
Robinson already played 22 snaps in his first game. I do think he showed up at times. Yes, I expect him to make an impact. Will it show up in gaudy stats? Not sure about that. He's only going to play six regular season games and you have to give him some time. (Now, if they get to the postseason, maybe he'll find a groove.)
From Bruce Chamberlain:
"In the NFL do coaches teach QBs how to be leaders? Let's start with wearing the team colors? Kyler wearing those green shoes didn't help in Seattle. A leader wears team colors with pride. Fast forward to the Viking game and there are the losing shoes. Yes they can wear other team colors but Hall of Fame QBs don't do that. Where is the team building by Kyler? When Kyler threw a TD to Marvin Harrison the camera was right there when MH and Kyler passed each other on sideline barely glancing at each other! What are your thoughts?"
What are my thoughts? My first thought is that I can't believe someone is saying Kyler Murray isn't a leader because of his shoe color. The green shoes a) were something Nike were hoping he'd wear to preview the new Grinch cleats they are putting out and b) do not matter one whit to anyone in that locker room (unless they are jealous they don't have a pair.) I've heard a lot of criticism about Kyler, but miss me on shoes. Also, I went back to watch the broadcast of the TD and the immediate aftermath. At no time did the camera show MHJ and Kyler pass each other on the sideline so I have no earthly idea what you think you saw. Again, if you don't like Kyler, that's your prerogative. But stick to mistakes he makes on the field. Don't create strawmen.
From Matthew C:
"I'm tired of all the finger pointing Darren. I see accusations thrown at Marvin for being the wrong choice, Kyler for not being that guy, Petzing for his poor scheming, Gannon for the conservative playcalling, and as always, fairweather fans are bailing the second things look rough. The fact of the matter is, the defense has been holding up their side of the ball since we got back from Wisconsin in Week 6, and have been ELITE since then. We have to figure out our offensive woes, and everyone has things they need to look at and correct. Is 5-0 not possible? What should our expectations be looking at this offense to produce?"
I don't know if I would say elite, but the defense has earned respect. Is 5-0 possible? Sure. But you have to play the Seahawks, who beat you once, and a different version of the Rams, who are much healthier since that Week 2 beatdown (Jeez that game feels like it was a year ago.) The young QBs of the Patriots and Panthers are playing much better too. But in my mind, if this team is truly worthy of winning a division, they should be able to go 4-1. Will they? That's why we tune in, right?
(The expectations of the offense should rightfully be more than one touchdown in so many drives inside the opposing 35. You don't, you're not going to the postseason.)
From David Bieber:
"After his third penalty, why wasn't Tip Reiman benched for the rest of the game? On defense, where we generally played very well, why was Justin Jefferson (possibly the best WR in football) uncovered on each of his seven receptions?"
I understand the frustration with Reiman's game -- you're not more frustrated than Reiman, I promise -- but I don't see the point in benching a rookie who has been a huge part of your offense. You bench him, you can't use three tight ends and you lose a key blocker. Especially benching him for false starts in a building where it's difficult to hear and time out the snap.
As for Jefferson, I went back to look at all seven catches. Open, yes. But the Cardinals played zone on every single catch. You're counting on pressure to help more than it did.
- Quick screen +9
- Found hole behind linebacker +23
- found hole near linebacker, CB Sean Murphy-Bunting read pass but Jefferson did nice job coming back to ball and bodying SMB off +15
- catch in flat +4
- found hole in front of safety plus YAC +30
- deep zone, sits down in front of back seven +6
- (last fourth-and-6) found space just beyond LB Baron Browning in front of deeper SMB +12
He made some plays, but Jefferson had less than 100 yards and didn't score a TD. The Cardinals did a decent job on him. Defensively, the Cardinals did enough to win, in my opinion. One of those five field goals has to be a touchdown.
From Artie Bratton:
"Hey Darren, thanks for mailbag. I love how you and the team connects with fans this way. In 2019 the Cardinals had 29 sacks, with Chandler Jones getting 19 sacks. This year the Cardinals have 29 sacks and have five games left. Do you feel there is a need for a guy that can get 10-plus sacks or do you think the JG defense is set up more to spread the wealth?"
Every team needs a guy who can get 10 sacks a game. But does it derail the future without one? I don't know about that. I think you want to collect playmakers. Hopefully that is BJ Ojulari and/or Darius Robinson. But I'd draft one if given the chance too. (Not sure you're gonna find one on the free-agent market.) The rotation Nick Rallis prefers for the edge guys and defensive linemen is real; that factors in although if you got a next-level pass rusher, it may alter that thinking somewhat.
From Jeff Wallace:
"Hi Darren, I'm wondering on these flex game dates (like the 18th week vs SF) how long before that game will they release the day and time of the game. I plan to go out (from Tennessee) to see that game. I'd like some advance notice to make plans. Thanks."
Flexed games have to be announced 12 days out. It feels likely that the 49ers game will remain on Sunday and not be moved to Saturday because (as of now) the Monday night game in Week 17 is 49ers-Lions and I don't see the NFL shaving another day off Niners prep when they are already playing on a short week. Now, could Week 17 in L.A. against the Rams be on Saturday instead of Sunday? That's possible.
From Stephanie C:
"Hope my question isn't too late Darren, but I have a feeling the mailbag is going to need some positivity after a rough game. I saw that the Cardinals will have the 2nd most Cap Space in the NFL this offseason with over 100M, although we have some key pieces we need to re-sign. Assuming we pay a similar sum to extend our top 5 guys, JC (7M), Budda (15M), Kyzir (7M), and Hernandez (5M), while Trey McBride resets the Tight End market (17M?) that should take about half our money. Then there are a lot of other players worth considering. Will all these negotiations wait until the offseason? Who is the priority, and shouldn't we look for some 1-2 year bigger deals to make a Super Bowl push before we have to start paying the rookies?"
It's funny that this was sent in after the Seahawks loss yet the first line still works. Obviously between then and now Conner got his extension, which answers one of your questions -- no, I don't think this has to wait until the offseason. I also don't think, with extensions, the cap numbers are going to stay the same necessarily. They likely go down a little, in fact, depending on the length of the deal. I do think Trey McBride is the one guy who could get an extension this offseason with time left on his deal, and that will be a hefty sum. I don't know if the Cardinals are going to eat up all their cap space. I think they are going to pay who they want to pay and see where it goes from there. Picking up some players in free agency will also be in the mix.
From Paul G from NY:
"Hey Darren, can provide an explanation of the five buckets that JG keeps referencing? It seems at some point he explained what they are to those covering the team, because none of the media asks what he's talking about. He seems to be referring to things they expect players to be focused on to hold themselves accountable, but can you please tell us what they are. Also, I'd love some insight on Greg Dortch. He really doesn't seem to be integrated into the offense like we've all expected."
One of the reasons the details of the five buckets don't come up much is that Jonathan Gannon does not seem to love to talk about it publicly. But rookie running back Trey Benson mentioned the five as physical, technical, schematic, psychological, and health during a training camp press conference. Maximizing those five areas will get you to be the best player you can be, in Gannon's eyes. "They're all kind of inner-laced together," Gannon said in training camp. "You've got to be working on all five really every day."
As for Dortch, he has been victim of an offense that prefers to have two and sometimes three tight ends on the field. Dortch isn't going to be ahead of Harrison or Wilson at receiver, and so his impact was always going to be limited.
From Joy B:
"I listened to the "Miracle in the Desert" podcast AGAIN today. It's a very cool listen. Always loved the outcome regardless of draft picks. I don't know about you Darren, but I wouldn't trade 10 Eli Mannings for one Larry Legend. I'm guessing that Denny Green would have taken Larry even if we had the No. 1 pick. And I would have bet that even if we'd picked Eli, he would have refused to play for the Cardinals just like he refused to play for the Chargers. Do you agree?"
I think there is a high likelihood of both those things, given the context of the moment.
From Jerry Brown:
"The Cards don't seem to have much of a deep passing game, and that is a problem. I thought Xavier Weaver was our speedy deep threat. Should the Cards be playing him more to stretch opposing defenses?"
I would agree the Cardinals could use more of a deep passing game. (Watching the Broncos and Browns Monday night was something to behold when it comes to that.) But I don't know if Weaver is the answer. There is more that goes into having a guy active than just sticking him out there and telling him, "Go long."
From Stephen Vairo:
"Darren regarding the MHJ touchdown that was ruled as not in bounds in the Seattle game. The NFL rules say if one foot lands in bounds and the other foot hits the goal line pylon before going out of bounds, it is considered a touchdown in American football; the pylon is considered 'inbounds' when touched by a player with the ball, meaning as long as any part of the player is inbounds when the ball breaks the plane or touches the pylon, it is a touchdown. Thoughts on this?"
I am kind of glad this comes up. I suppose I understand why there might be some confusion but in the end, maybe I don't. Yes, the pylon is "inbounds" in terms of crossing the goal line and scoring a TD -- for instance, Josh Allen's leap after getting the Amari Cooper lateral in the snow on Sunday night. But what's the difference between what Allen did and Marvin Harrison's play in Seattle?
Why, let me tell you if you don't recall.
Harrison never had possession of the ball inbounds before his one foot touched the pylon. The only reason the pylon counts for a play like Allen's is that Allen had already established himself inbounds prior to touching the pylon. Harrison literally never was inbounds at any point before taking possession of the ball. So the pylon, which is only there as a goal line extension, was always a moot point in the Harrison play.
From Dan Marks:
"In terms of covering a team, where does this year rank for you? Purely in terms of your enjoyment writing the stories? Has to be top three since you joined the team, right? 2008, 2015, 2024/2014?"
Well, there is a lot more that goes into that than just team success to be honest. If the ranking is purely about the stories, wins and losses aren't always at the top of the list in terms of determining such things. The actual stories to tell, and the ability to tell them, are at the foundation. But yes, the Super Bowl run is going to top everything, as is the NFC Championship game run -- that team was loaded with personalities and stories.
