With Albert Breer on vacation, we bring back our annual tradition of having guest writers fill out his Monday Morning Quarterback column. This column comes from Cardinal’s defensive coordinator Vance Joseph. Watch last week’s Navy graduate and Patriots long snapper Joe Cardona.
You might think that the 18-week season – and the off-season, if you’re lucky – is the most important time in the NFL. And you’re wrong. If there’s one thing my time in the league has revealed, it’s that the offseason is, and always will be, just as important as the season.
The NFL offseason is a key time of year for everyone involved. Players, coaches and staff alike can reconnect with family and friends who have kept them away for months.
Aside from this important reconnection, we grow mostly as a league and as members of this NFL fraternity on and off the field.
David Wallace / The Republic / USA TODAY Network
The only goal during the season is to win. Each team’s collective physical and mental energy is 100% directed towards the coming Monday, Thursday or Sunday, so there is no room for anything else.
Each day’s resource goes to one task to win a game. Even then, victory is anything but guaranteed. The NFL is a league of true parity. Each team can beat each team, which means the work week is where matches are really won and lost. The urgency of winning a game is overwhelming, but also exciting and challenging. A staggering 70 to 80 hours – a week – goes into preparing for a matchup. Here’s my point: Certain things need to be in order during the season to be successful as a team, and those things are done in the offseason and no one in the league is immune to the work it requires.
Franchise owners have their meetings to address a range of issues related to making the NFL juggernaut the best product in the world. The fans, the driving force behind the league, are discussed in depth to shape the NFL experience into the best in sports, beyond just a game day. Owners are constantly improving the consumer experience, from the combine to the free agency to the draft and beyond. Expanding the game worldwide so fans in other countries can experience this league is always on the table. Committees decide on new rule changes – improve the game, yes, but also increase players’ safety in the process.
Personnel departments face the challenge of improving their respective teams through free agency and the annual draft. If you want any chance to compete in this league, success at this point is a must. Above all, players are the NFL’s greatest resource, and having the right combination of players is your only chance to win. In a league built to parity, teams need to get this part right.
Coaches, those responsible for honing the raw talent players possess, must continue to develop as professionals in the offseason. You can not stay the same year after year and expect success to topple. We tell the players exactly the same thing. The challenges of the job change with the teams every single year, and as coaches we have to commit to endless learning from others. As a defensive coordinator for the Cardinals, my goal every free season is of course to improve what we did well and correct what we did not do, but also to add things that will allow my players to perform at a higher level next season. .
The players’ bodies are their business, so physical improvements have priority in the offseason. Players these days do a great job of staying conditioned year-round, so most of the offseason is all about recovery and preparation to endure a physically tough, hopefully long, NFL season. The second mission most players have is to perfect the details of their jobs within the scheme. It’s no secret in NFL circles that being healthy and being an expert in your position equals a long career with quality pay. Offseason is where coaches and players have time to dive deep into all aspects of a player’s job. In fact, players make the biggest leaps in their careers by having a great offseason in the classroom.
The game will only continue to be the best professional sport in the world if our greatest resource, the players, is improved annually along with all other elements. As a league, we need to keep exploring new ways to make the offseason meaningful for everyone involved. To do that, we need to compromise on both sides to meet the needs of the team without disagreeing. Again, we must remember that we are directly responsible for maintaining this amazing game that has given so much to all of us.
The league has always introduced programs and seminars in the low season to help improve overall hiring practices and elevate employee roles. I had the pleasure of attending two of the programs this offseason: the Coach and Front Office Accelerator Program held in Atlanta May 23-24 and the Quarterback Coaching Summit in Los Angeles June 22-23.
The Accelerator program (which Albert wrote about in May) was launched to give 60 minority and diverse head coach and general manager prospects from each NFL team a chance to develop the skills needed to conquer one of the 32 best job in the sports world. I must applaud the owners who participated in the programs. Each owner was fully engaged and really interested in networking with people they did not know in advance. I often ask myself if the league is committed to diversity and inclusion in all aspects. Although I think the league has recognized the lack of different candidates in the decision-making positions in the NFL, I used to think it was just ticking the boxes with those kinds of events.
During a spring press conference, I was asked about participating in the accelerator program and why it takes so long for change to happen. My answer to the question was honest, and I admitted the same old feelings about participating in the programs. However, after experiencing the two-day event, I found that it was worth it. I quickly recognized that the participants not only met NFL owners and executives, but that they were also exposed to the sharpest, highest-performing individuals in the league. The program also gave me the unique chance to meet other minority candidates in coaching and staff. Apart from the combination or the fun before and after the game, we will not interact with, let alone build relationships with, other personnel departments and coaches we have not already trained or played with before. So yes, participating in the accelerator program, despite my initial expectations, was worth it.
But why did the change take so long to happen? I gave my usual answer to this part of the question. Again, my answer was honest, but started understandably guarded. “I’m not really sure, but maybe it’s a business model the league has adopted to hire offensive coordinators rather than defensive coordinators to coach the most important player on the team, QB.” Since that is the model, it has mostly been white candidates hired for the head coaching positions because most of the guys who call for acting or coach the QBs are white. Currently, there are only four black offensive coordinators in the NFL. In 2018, there was only one. The lack of diversity on the offensive side of the ball was the only reason the quarterback summit was formed.
The four men directly responsible for this program, Jimmy Raye II, James “Shack” Harris, Doug Williams and Jim Caldwell, were also present, who were tasked with identifying and guiding the next generation of offensive coaches and play- colder. Raye was an offensive minority coordinator in the NFL for a number of teams from 1983 to 2010. Harris was the first black QB to start a season for an NFL team. Williams was the first black QB to start and win a Super Bowl, and he also achieved MVP honors. Last but not least, Caldwell won two Super Bowls, coached QB in one and called games in the other, in addition to being the head coach of the Colts and Lions.
That QB summit was eye-opening as a defensive guy who has not had the chance to meet all the young offensive minority coaches from college and professional football. It was great to see some of the most talented offensive heads in the country talk about football, from teaching QB on and off the field and encouraging their growth as a leader, to growing QB as a team leader to daily QB practice work. Every coach who had a chance to present put their best foot forward; they are ready to preserve the legacy of the game. As one of the lone defensive coaches present, I can guarantee that the league is an optimal place to increase diversity on the offensive side of the ball.
I ended my response to the press conference by promising to do my part to make a change. Afterwards, I went to my office and just sat and reminisced about the opportunity I had as a Broncos head coach in 2017 and ’18, and what I would do differently if a similar opportunity came up again. I regretted a lot when I thought about how I lost a job that these days is incredibly hard to earn. That feeling of failure dug into my heart, and the possibility of regaining that role seemed distant. There’s a common post-match saying in this league: When you win that week, you feel like you can’t lose again, but when you lose, you feel like you can’t win again. The weekly investment is so heavy that when you are not successful after a week, a two-day depression can swallow you whole. Only the really good ones know how to navigate it. So imagine how much a coach has to invest to climb the NFL ladder to become one of 32. Suddenly it was all so clear. You have to commit to everything it takes, of course within the rules, to win in this league. Nothing else matters. I can not fathom that an NFL owner does not hire the very best person to help their team while this applies.
Joseph coached the Broncos in 2018
In my hometown, New Orleans, we call the locker room a gumbo. I saw my mom make the right appointment for special days when I was growing up. After the roux, the reason for the taste, was nice and brown, she added the broth and the contents of our fridge in the pan along with each and every one of our spices. Although that process looked bizarre, she was thankfully very aware of how it tasted. She would monitor the pan and consistently season and add other items, like seafood, to taste. Similarly, the cyclical firing and hiring process will continue to happen after week 18 of each season that progresses. To overcome the lack of diversity in the recruitment process, decision makers need to be equally aware of eliminating this problem. The bizarre process of trying to find the very best person to lead your team among so many qualified people from all colors and backgrounds is as peculiar as my mother’s gumbo making. From experience, there is no plan for these jobs. You learn and adapt with the support of your employees with no choice but to grow together. When I got my first full-time job, I asked my then-mentor, coach Tom McMahon, if I was ready. “You’re ready when they give you the job,” he said.
The diversity issue is not just an NFL issue, but a national issue. One of the speakers who participated in the accelerator program, Marvin Ellison, CEO of Lowe’s, spoke about the lack of diversity among CEOs of Fortune 500 companies in the United States. Currently, there are only six black CEOs in the group, which accounts for just over 1% of all companies. Their numbers are worse than the NFL’s over a 50-year period. Hope may not be our only game plan as a league as we try to provoke real change and growth. The NFL has taken the lead on a lot of issues that we have overcome in this country, and it is time to be aware of how we are leading this change.
Albert always ends his articles with something interesting from the internet or a book he read, something that touched him. That said, I would like to end this column with a grim trend in the NFL from this offseason that I would like to see changed. Unfortunately, we have lost three players under the age of 25 within a period of three months. The first, Steelers QB Dwayne Haskins died on April 9th. One of my own players in Arizona, CB Jeff Gladney died on May 30th along with his girlfriend. The third, the Ravens Olympics Jaylon Ferguson, died June 21st.
The Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill, some members of the defensive backs room and I attended Gladney’s funeral in New Boston, Texas, where Jeff grew up. We saw every person who invested in Jeff’s life lose a piece of himself that morning. We saw two parents searching for how they could have prevented this tragedy. Here is my concern for the league. We can not get used to losing three or more players every off season. As a league, we cannot stand by and allow players to lose their lives in tragic accidents as soon as they step off the field. We can not allow ourselves to become numb to death, to the mass loss of human life in the league or a grocery store or an elementary school. It takes an entire village to help our greatest assets, the players, navigate this unique experience in the NFL, so it’s up to us to prevent them from slipping away.
Why is Arizona Cardinals postponed?
The Cardinals-Saints game was canceled due to Hurricane Ida 2021.
Where did Jeff Gladney go to high school?
Gladney graduated from New Boston High School and attended TCU before being named to play professional football with the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals. Brian Bobbitt is now superintendent of New Boston Schools, but he was Gladney’s high school principal when he graduated.
What high school did Jeff Gladney go to? On the same subject : 10 Video Games With Safe Mode.
What College did Jeff Gladney play for?
Where did Jeff Gladney grow up?
Gladney handled injuries and became a star at TCU, where he twice received All-Big 12 honors. Read also : Nigerian football joins the video game big league as local stars get avatars. He was a four-year-old starter for Horned Frogs after growing up in New Boston, Texas, about 200 miles outside of Fort Worth.
Are the Cardinals eliminated from the playoffs?
The Cardinals were thrown out of the off-season in an unflattering manner Monday night and fell to the Rams 34-11. Arizona came out offensively and allowed L. To see also : ‘Summer I Turned Good’ Hits No. 1 on Amazon Prime Video, Taylor Swift Songs Re-Enter Top 40 Chart Three Years After Release (EXCLUSIVE).A. to build a 28-0 lead at the start of the third quarter, effectively eliminating any chance of a comeback.
Can the Cardinals reach the playoffs 2021? The Cardinals win NFC West and host a Wild Card playoffs. The odds favor the Rams winning and causing the Cardinals’ result to be called into question, so yes, a first-round away game – likely against the Cowboys in Dallas – is the likely outcome.
Is Arizona Cardinals eliminated from playoffs?
Cardinals eliminated from the playoffs in 34-11 blowout losses to the Rams.
Are the Cardinals out of the playoffs?
The Cardinals’ season gets a tough ending with the loss of the Wild Card playoffs to the Rams, 34-11.
Do Cardinals have a chance for playoffs?
More Arizona Cardinals NFL playoff odds / projections: ESPN’s Football Power Index gives Arizona a 41.9% chance of making the division round and an 11.6% shot at the conference title game. It gives the Cardinals a 5% chance of getting to the Super Bowl and a 2.4% chance of winning it.
Has Arizona ever won a Super Bowl?
The Arizona Cardinals have never won a Super Bowl. The closest they came to winning a championship was in 2008, when they lost the Super Bowl.
Who beat Arizona in the Super Bowl? Big Ben drives the Steelers to Super Bowl XLIII victory. Santonio Holmes finished a remarkable fourth quarter and made a brilliant catch for a 6-yard touchdown with 35 seconds left to give the Pittsburgh Steelers a record sixth Super Bowl title, 27-23 over the delicate Arizona Cardinals Sunday night.
How many times did the Arizona Cardinals go to the Super Bowl?
Louis and Phoenix, the only time the Cardinals reached the Super Bowl was in 2008 with Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald. Although it was a close game against Pittsburgh, it was not enough to get the cards their first Super Bowl victory. The hope is that Kyler Murray can be the one to lead them to the Promised Land.
