New Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon vows team will be adaptable and will win games

Jonathan Gannon sat before a packed auditorium at Arizona Cardinals headquarters in Tempe, addressing questions as the new head coach of the franchise Thursday morning.

Two days after being named to his position, Gannon displayed some of the energy and passion that team owner and President Michael Bidwill and General Manager Monti Ossenfort liked about him during interviews earlier this week.

"Just know this, we're going to be very adaptable. I'm talking the Arizona Cardinals, this is what our team is going to be. We're going to be adaptable, we're going to be violent, we're going to be explosive, and we're going to be smart," Gannon said. "And all three phases go into that. And we will maximize the talents of the players that we have. And that's how we're going to win games.

"And don't get it twisted. We're going to win games," he added.

About a dozen Cardinals players, many in the front row of the theater, looked on as Gannon drove home his philosophy. They included Kyler Murray, running back James Conner, offensive linemen D.J. Humphries and Will Hernandez and tight end Zach Ertz, who was with the Eagles in 2021 when Gannon took over as Philadelphia Eagles defensive coordinator, a position he held for two seasons.

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Gannon delivered a video message via the Cardinals' Twitter account the day he was hired, telling fans to "Buckle up, we're going to have some fun." He was already seeking out Murray upon being hired; a video of the two embracing was also shared on social media.

The enthusiasm and team-first philosophy that aligned with Bidwill's and Ossenfort's vision for the football team are what helped Gannon, 40, get the job. He'd spoken with Ossenfort for the first time last summer, when Ossenfort, then in the Tennessee Titans' front office, reached out to potential head coach candidates.

"His reputation as a leader, his ability to connect to players, to staff, to the rest of his coaches, his ability to work with the personnel department and provide a vision for the type of players that we're going to go out and seek," Ossenfort said. "It was apparent that Jonathan shared a lot of the same values that I value and that Michael values."

The initial conversation Ossenfort described led to two more with Gannon this week, after he'd coached in Super Bowl 57. Those interviews came after the Cardinals had interviewed a handful of head coach candidates in a process that took more than five weeks to be completed.

Read more: Cardinals have a ton to get done after hiring new coach

At long last, for many Cardinals fans, a head coach is in place.

"Buckle up" is one of Gannon's go-to catchphrases. Others he shared Thursday included "let it rip," "be where your feet are," and "shoot your guns."

"I would say I'm the guy for the job," Gannon said. "I would say that any job I've ever taken, there's always a big-time challenge ahead of you. And I've succeeded in all those, starting from the ground floor of the business ... So what I don't know about the job, I'll figure it out fast. And I'll lean on people that I can trust and lean on, and we're going to get it going."

Bidwill suggested with a smile that Gannon was holding back in expressing his excitement to get started, given what he'd displayed in interviews.

"J.G., you're going to see it, he's pretty subdued right now, I'm totally surprised, but I think you're going to see that come out. But in any case, he's going to bring a lot of leadership and accountability to this. He's got a great plan," Bidwill said, with Gannon sitting to his left.

Gannon has hit the ground running. He's begun looking at offensive coordinator candidates for interviews in the next couple of days, yet has a specific vision of how he wants to play on offense. Reports of candidates started coming in Thursday, as NFL Media reported that the Cardinals has requested permission to interview Browns quarterbacks coach Drew Petzing, Commanders wide receivers coach Drew Terrell and Saints running backs coach Joel Thomas for offensive coordinator.

Terrell played his high school football at Chandler Hamilton before a college career at Stanford.

"And the person that comes in here to run the offense is going to understand that everything that we do will be structured around the quarterback position to maximize his skill set," Gannon said, referring to Murray, who took a break from rehabbing his surgically repaired knee to attend Gannon's formal introduction.

Related: Cards' Kyler Murray shows off progress in injury rehab

Gannon said he isn't sure yet if he will call defensive signals as head coach. Current Cardinals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph appears headed elsewhere, as both the Eagles and Broncos have reportedly expressed interest in Joseph as a defensive coordinator, according to CBS Sports and 9News of Denver.

Late Thursday afternoon, CBS Sports reported that Joseph is to be released from his contract.

Gannon shed some light on the last few days for him since the Super Bowl.

"You've got to adapt as things come at your door. And they've been exciting," Gannon said. "Obviously, I have a lot of energy and emotion that went into the game (Super Bowl) and then losing that game and then staying the night here, not knowing I was going to stay the night and interview for a head coaching job. But you take everything in stride and you do the best that you can. And I'll say that it was a fun 48 hours."

Bidwill defended the time the Cardinals took to make their decision about who would become head coach. He said there was more interest in the job than from the 10 candidates that were interviewed.

"What we didn't want to do is be a distraction to some of the coaches, who as they were eliminated (from the postseason), we put in permission request forms," Bidwill said. "And so we did that with other candidates. And we did that with Jonathan."

More: Eagles coach defended new Cardinals coach vs. critics

Ertz said all the Eagles players were fond of Gannon, and that he appreciated that Gannon set the tone for the Cardinals players with his comments on Thursday.

"When you're going against a defense that plays fast and plays hard, you see it on film. And when we were studying the Eagles this year, you could see it on film," Ertz said. "Obviously, they were a talented group, but they were extremely well coached."

Ertz said Gannon helped him get through a tough time for him in Philadelphia before Ertz was traded to the Cardinals in 2021.

"I was on the offensive side of the ball, and the situation in Philly at the time was difficult for me," Ertz said. "He was a guy that was consistently reaching out to me, connecting with me. And so he truly cares about the person and that's not just hearsay."

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: New Arizona Cardinals coach Jonathan Gannon: 'We're going to be violent'