On the most recent episode of The Ringer NFL Show. Nora Princiotti opens the show talking about the Arizona Cardinals releasing veteran quarterback, Colt McCoy. Which means that the starting quarterback in week one. Will either be journeyman Joshua Dobbs or the rookie fifth round draft pick, Clayton Tune.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Princiotti would go on to say,”The Cardinals are tanking. I know this is not something that we are supposed to say because tanking is bad and not allowed but the Cardinals are quite obviously tanking.” She would go on to name several moves that have been made by Arizona’s front office that have led to her conclusion.
Is there any proof?
She listed off several moves including releasing DeAndre Hopkins, cutting veterans like Zach Allen and Bryon Murphy, and trading Isaiah Simmons for a seventh round pick, among others.
Princiotti makes a very good case to prove her tanking allegation. Tanking is not usually talked about at the beginning of a season. Almost every team has a glass have full approach to each season. They make moves that make it seem like they believe in the team’s chance to win.
The Cardinals seem to be looking at this season with a glass half empty approach. Now, there is no smoking gun that proves Arizona is trying to lose. So, they end up with the number one overall pick in next year’s draft. There is just a ton of circumstantial evidence that shows the Cardinals may not want to win this season.
Is Tanking really that bad?
The word tanking is very taboo in sports. If you are the NFL, you would never want a fan base to feel like there is no reason for them to support their favorite team this year. It would cost the team and league a lot of money.
Smart Cardinals’ fans may look at this and see the vision. The Cardinals may end up with two top five picks in the NFL draft.
If this year goes as most expect, it will be rough. It will be worth it if the Cardinals get the first overall pick and the Houston Texans also have a bad season. Arizona owns the rights to Houston’s 2024 first round pick. This means they will have two very high picks in the first round.
If Cardinals general manager, Monti Ossenfort, makes the right moves next off-season. It may set Arizona up to be a great team starting next season and going forward. If the Cardinals are in the Superbowl three years from now. Tanking will be “the smart” strategy for bad teams.
