In a recent candid conversation with Zak Keefer at The Athletic, Cardinals Head Coach Jonathan Gannon shared his internal struggles over the events of Super Bowl LVII.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Over the course of the regular season, Gannon, who was the Eagles defensive coordinator at the time, led his defense to allow the second fewest yards per game.
This trend then continued into the 2023 playoffs, where the Eagles, as favorites, allowed a mere 14 points combined in the divisional round and conference championship games.
However, all these accomplishments seemed to fade away following the Super Bowl.
Despite Jalen Hurts throwing for over 300 yards, running for an additional 70, and scoring four total touchdowns, the Eagles forfeited a 24-14 halftime lead.
And for many, the easy target to blame was defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon.
The Cheifs wound up scoring a touchdown on their first three drives of the second half, including multiple blown coverages that allowed them to take the lead in the 4th quarter.
When discussing these critical moments with Cardinals’ defensive coordinator Nick Rallis, Jonathan Gannon surprisingly embraced the criticism, in a satirical matter, as reported by Zak Keefer.
“I’m the reason we lost the Super Bowl.”
Eleven grueling hours after that heart-wrenching Super Bowl loss, Gannon found himself sitting at a table, offered a job by the Cardinals.
In response, JG had just one thing to say about this offer:
“If you’re hiring me to call the defense and be the head coach, then I’m the wrong guy.”
Weeks later, Gannon announced Nick Rallis would be calling the defense for the Cardinals.
Now, as he embarks on his journey as a head coach in Arizona, Jonathan Gannon has set his sights on nurturing a franchise quarterback.
Gannon has made his commitment clear, naming Kyler Murray as that quarterback and telling Zak Keefer, “I’m completely convicted. As long as I’m here, he can be here.”
