Bidwill said there was no 'disconnect' with Kingsbury; Cardinals simply had to make a change

When did the disconnect occur between Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill and head coach Kliff Kingsbury? Less than a year ago, in March, Bidwill seemed more than all-in with Kingsbury and handed him and general manager Steve Keim new multi-year extensions that locked them both up through the 2027 season.

But here we are 10 months later, and after Arizona finished the season 4-13, losing their final seven games. Following Sunday’s 38-13 train wreck at the 49ers, Bidwill fired Kingsbury on Monday and the team announced Keim has decided to step away from his position and resign from the organization to focus on his health.

When exactly did everything start to deteriorate and make Bidwill realize it was time to make a major change, one that will cost him millions upon millions to move on from Kingsbury in addition to paying a new head coach?

Did it start in training camp, where Kingsbury elected not to push his players hard and routinely gave certain players extra days off? Was it during the preseason, when Kingsbury chose not to play hardly any of his starters at all?

Did the trust begin to wane during the Cardinals’ pivotal midseason three-game stretch against fellow NFC West opponents, when the team still had a chance? Or did it come later, when the team decided to hold more walk-throughs than regular practices and a handful of players began showing up late to team meetings with little to no disciplinary consequences from Kingsbury?

It couldn’t have been from a lack of communication. Kingsbury told reporters last week he talked with Bidwill daily and revealed earlier in the season that he and defensive coordinator Vance Joseph would meet with Bidwill every Monday to go over game tape, discuss what went right and what went wrong, and talk about strategy for the following game.

Turns out, there never really was a disconnect.

Bidwill said so himself upon meeting with reporters Monday afternoon at the team’s Tempe training facility. The reason a coaching change was made was because after starting last season 10-2, Bidwill believed the Cardinals had turned the corner. That’s why Kingsbury and Keim were both awarded contract extensions.

But after losing five of their final six games during the 2021 season, including an NFC Wild Card disaster against the Rams, the losing continued. The Cardinals would go on to lose 18 of their final 23 games under Kingsbury and lose 12 of their last 13 games at State Farm Stadium. That simply wasn’t good enough for anyone.

“We all thought over the prior three seasons that we would take the next step up after having achieved a playoff appearance last year. It didn’t happen,” Bidwill. “The people in this room and our fans know all the reasons why dating back to last year, the different factors that worked against us. It’s still not an excuse. We expected better. I expected better. We deserve better.

“That’s what our community wants, it’s what our fans want, it’s what the players want and it’s what everybody in this organization wants.”

Bidwill seemed to dispel the reported rift and divide that allegedly had been growing between himself and Kingsbury, who finished his four seasons in Arizona with a 28-37-1 record. He said he didn’t have any qualms with how Kingsbury coached or ran the on-field operations. The bottom line, as it usually always is on Black Monday in the NFL, comes down to wins and losses.

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“I don’t think there was a disconnect,” Bidwill said. “There was just performance on the field. I think he put in maximum effort when he was in here. … There was just a lot of bad breaks this year and I think we got to the point where it was just time for a change.”

Bidwill said he made the decision on Kingsbury after reviewing the entire season, taking into account the team’s devastating string of injuries and other factors as well, such as wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins’ six-game suspension to start the regular season.

“I don’t know any coach that has worked harder than Kliff Kingsbury,” Bidwill said. “He has put in countless hours. We had a good long conversation today in which I told him, ‘I’m really sorry, this is a tough decision,’ but it was a decision that needed to be made and I wish it could have worked out better for him. In terms of putting in the effort, here’s a guy that really deserved to have the outcome we all expected a year ago or so.”

Considering the contract extension he gave Kingsbury and given Bidwill said he believes a quick turnaround for the team is very possible, did he consider bringing the coach back for at least one more season to see if it could happen in 2023?

“I think throughout the season I was hoping – I think we were all hoping – that things would turn around,” Bidwill said after a lengthy pause. “We had a lot of players really step up and try to help us turn it around. It just didn’t happen, so I felt in taking the entire season into consideration it was just time for a change.”

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As for being on the hook for paying off the remainder of Kingsbury’s salary, Bidwill said, “We’ll live with the financial consequences,” adding to a reporter who asked the question, “You guys don’t have to worry about it. We’ll take care of that.”

Once he identifies and hires the next general manager and head coach, Bidwill implied the rest will ultimately fall on the players’ shoulders. Who those players will be remains to be seen. Bidwill, though, said he has been talking to many of the club’s leaders to gauge their input, and to determine if the Cardinals have the right culture in the building.

“I don’t know that we’re as broken as maybe people think,” he said “Our record is terrible, but when you look at the talent on this team, we’ve got a lot of talent. We’ve just got to make sure they’re all playing together.”

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What went wrong with the Arizona Cardinals and Kliff Kingsbury?