Jonathan Gannon fires up the internet — but not his Cardinals players — in viral video
The former Eagles coordinator wants his players to have “fire in their guts.” Instead, his speech gave the internet a belly laugh.
New Arizona Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon is being mocked on social media after the Cardinals released a promotional video in which Gannon appears — with the charisma of a substitute teacher clumsily trying to capture the attention of disinterested students — unable to inspire his players.
The 40-year-old former Eagles defensive coordinator is in his first season as the Cardinals head coach.
His tenure had already begun inauspiciously after the Cardinals allegedly broke NFL tampering protocol by contacting Gannon after the Eagles won the NFC championship game last season. The Eagles and Cardinals settled the issue by swapping third-round draft picks, with Arizona receiving Philadelphia’s fifth-round pick in 2024.
“It’s a mistake that we made, and the league rectified it and we’ve moved on,” Gannon said in May, via the Cardinals website.
» READ MORE: Sources: The Eagles are furious with Jonathan Gannon after tampering case with Cardinals
Arizona, which finished 4-13 last season, has continued to draw negative attention to itself.
It could be argued that Gannon’s seemingly uninspiring attempt in the video, which was part of a longer video released by the Cardinals, parallels his organization’s apparently lukewarm desire to win this season.
Earlier this week, the Cardinals faced criticism after releasing veteran quarterback Colt McCoy, presumed by many to be the team’s starter as Kyler Murray continues to rehab from a torn ACL suffered last season.
That has left Gannon’s squad with rookie Clayton Tune and an inexperienced Joshua Dobbs as the team’s primary options under center.
» READ MORE: C.J. Gardner-Johnson takes Twitter shot at former Eagles DC Jonathan Gannon — then deletes it
The previous week, Arizona traded former first-round pick Isaiah Simmons and former third-round pick Josh Jones for not much in return.
In Gannon’s defense, current Eagles coach Nick Sirianni also once looked awkward with cameras rolling before becoming a successful head coach and leading the Eagles to last season’s Super Bowl. That, however, has not stopped those on social media from piling on...