{"id":138375,"date":"2023-02-07T10:00:48","date_gmt":"2023-02-07T15:00:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=138375"},"modified":"2023-02-07T10:00:48","modified_gmt":"2023-02-07T15:00:48","slug":"hiring-lou-anarumo-could-be-reminiscent-of-bruce-arians-appointment","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/02\/07\/hiring-lou-anarumo-could-be-reminiscent-of-bruce-arians-appointment\/","title":{"rendered":"Hiring Lou Anarumo Could Be Reminiscent of Bruce Arians Appointment"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Should Lou Anarumo go to the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/cardinals\/\" target=\"_self\">Arizona Cardinals<\/a>, the appointment would be strangely reminiscent of when the Cardinals hired Bruce Arians back in 2013. Anarumo is currently scheduled to have a second interview with the Cardinals on Friday. As of now, the meeting is set to take place over Zoom.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Bengals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Bengals<\/a> defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo will receive a second interview with the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AZCardinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#AZCardinals<\/a> for their head coaching job, source says. It\u2019ll take place late next week.<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MikeGarafolo\/status\/1621988889995919360?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 4, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Anarumo, the current <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/bengals\/\" target=\"_self\">Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> defensive coordinator, is among the finalists for the Cardinals top job. The only other known finalists were Mike Kafka, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/giants\/\" target=\"_self\">New York Giants<\/a> offensive coordinator, and Brian Flores, the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/steelers\/\" target=\"_self\">Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> linebackers coach. Flores has, however, been hired by the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/vikings\/\" target=\"_self\">Minnesota Vikings<\/a> as their defensive coordinator.<\/p>\n<p>The Cardinals are just one of two teams who have yet to hire a head coach, alongside the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/colts\/\" target=\"_self\">Indianapolis Colts<\/a>. There were five openings this offseason, with three now filled. It is believed that Dan Quinn staying with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/cowboys\/\" target=\"_self\">Dallas Cowboys<\/a> and the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/broncos\/\" target=\"_self\">Denver Broncos<\/a>\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/01\/31\/new-orleans-saints-expected-to-trade-sean-payton\/\" target=\"_self\">appointment of Sean Payton<\/a> forced the Cardinals to <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/02\/02\/arizona-cardinals-resetting-head-coach-search\/\" target=\"_self\">reset their head coaching search<\/a>. They had an <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/01\/20\/update-on-arizona-cardinals-head-coach-search\/\" target=\"_self\">initial list of candidates<\/a> but both Kafka and Anarumo are part of a \u2018second batch\u2019 of first interviews.<\/p>\n<h2>Lou Anarumo\u2019s Potential Appointment and Bruce Arians\u2019 Timeline Parallels<\/h2>\n<h3>Arians\u2019 Surprise 2013 Appointment<\/h3>\n<p>In 2013, the Cardinals were four years removed from a heartbreaking loss to the Steelers in the Super Bowl. After three consecutive years of missing the playoffs, the team relieved coach Ken Whisenhunt and GM Rod Graves of their duties. Looking for a fresh start, the team whittled down their candidates to a top three: Mike McCoy, Andy Reid and Ray Horton.<\/p>\n<p>Reid, the splashy name at the time, turned down his interview with Arizona after finalizing a deal with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/chiefs\/\" target=\"_self\">Kansas City Chiefs<\/a>. Less than two weeks later, the second-choice candidate Mike McCoy was also poached by the San Diego Chargers (now <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/chargers\/\" target=\"_self\">Los Angeles Chargers<\/a>). With their initial plans foiled, new GM Steve Keim and owner Michael Bidwill hit the reset button on their search. After 17 long days, Arizona announced the former Colts offensive coordinator as their new head coach.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">In 2013, the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AZCardinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#AZCardinals<\/a> had to restart their search after the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Chargers?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#Chargers<\/a> never let Mike McCoy leave the building. They reached out to charismatic leader who most overlooked \u2014 and Bruce Arians worked out quite well. Can Lou Anarumo do the same?<\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RapSheet\/status\/1620074911644684288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 30, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>How Cardinals\u2019 Interest in Anarumo is Reminiscent of 2013<\/h3>\n<p>So far, the Cardinals\u2019 2022 head coaching search has taken far longer than 17 days. However, many parallels can be drawn to Arians\u2019 appointment in 2013. The first is, of course, the team\u2019s search being led by a new GM. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/01\/19\/monti-ossenfort-influence-arizona-cardinals\/\" target=\"_self\">Monti Ossenfort was appointed by the Cardinals<\/a> just a couple of weeks ago and has been busy at work since.<\/p>\n<p>The second parallel is the pivot. Arizona\u2019s missing out on its top targets this year is similar to what happened in 2013. Both times, the Cardinals had to reassess their options. This year, Payton\u2019s appointment by Denver quickly followed Arizona\u2019s request to interview three new head coach candidates. Both times, the Cardinals have looked to playoff teams. Anarumo was an important part of the 12-4 Bengals season while Arians were integral to the Colts\u2019 11-5 2012 season.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">This paisan\u2019s defense held Josh Allen and the Bills to 10 points..<\/p>\n<p>Coach Lou Anarumo has them boys BALLLIN.<br \/> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jYQDwvJsFH\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/jYQDwvJsFH<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PatMcAfeeShow\/status\/1617294332062466051?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">January 22, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Anarumo is also an older candidate with a lot of mileage in the league. At 56 years old, Anarumo is Arizona\u2019s oldest remaining candidate. He joined the NFL in 2012 but has never had a head coaching role. In 2013, Arians was 60. He too never had a head coaching role despite being a successful coordinator for the Colts. However, one fear is that Anarumo could turn out more like Vic Fangio&#8217;s unsuccessful Broncos tenure than Arians.<\/p>\n<p>The final parallel is that, in 2013, the Cardinals and Bidwill were keen to keep defensive coordinator Horton. They tried to persuade Arians, but he pushed for Todd Bowles. This year, it is believed that the team want to keep Vance Joseph, the current defensive coordinator.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">.<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/RapSheet?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@RapSheet<\/a> joined <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/radiojody?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@radiojody<\/a> to talk about the LATEST on the <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AZCardinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#AZCardinals<\/a> Head Coaching search \u203c\ufe0f<\/p>\n<p>Is Aaron Glenn really the lead candidate? \ud83d\udc47\ud83c\udffd <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/TfpVovMN5f\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/TfpVovMN5f<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Fox Sports 910 (@foxsports910) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/foxsports910\/status\/1621542971001958401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 3, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Would Anarumo be a Good Hire?<\/h2>\n<p>In four seasons with Arizona, Arians made Arizona one of the NFL\u2019s top teams for a short while. He made the playoffs twice, leading the team to the Conference Championship in 2015. Arians also won Coach of the Year in 2014.<\/p>\n<p>That level of success would be hard to expect from anyone, but some believe that Anarumo would be a smash hit. Anarumo has been the defensive coordinator for the Bengals since 2019. In that time, he led a successful unit with limited star power. He is currently considered one of the league\u2019s best coordinators and is regarded by Bengals fans as one of their <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/01\/25\/lou-anarumo-is-cincinnatis-best-kept-secret\/\" target=\"_self\">best-kept secrets<\/a>. While the Bengals lost, Anarumo\u2019s defense was impressive in the Conference Championship against the Chiefs.<\/p>\n<p>One major concern with Anarumo is that he has never had head coaching experience before. The closest was his role as the assistant head coach for Harvard. However, he is seemingly ready for the step up. Many of his current crop of defensive players have sung his praises, citing his effective management style of being able to talk about football as well as more personal matters. Given that Ossenfort and Bidwill are placing a big emphasis on a culture of accountability and leadership, Anarumo must have demonstrated good coaching potential from a cultural perspective for him to have made it this far into the process.<\/p>\n<p>https:\/\/twitter.com\/JohnnyVenerable\/status\/1622027601220075520<\/p>\n<p>Another thing Anarumo has going for him is NFL experience. He has been in the NFL for a little over 10 years now, meaning his connections run deep. Having spent time on the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/dolphins\/\" target=\"_self\">Miami Dolphins<\/a>, Giants and Bengals, Anarumo will be able to fill out a strong coaching staff from people he has encountered on his NFL journey so far.<\/p>\n<h3>The Candidates Still Remaining<\/h3>\n<h4>The Confirmed Finalists<\/h4>\n<p>So, it begs the question: is it likely that Anarumo is hired? The parallel to Arians\u2019 appointment makes good poetry and, if one believes that history is cyclical, Anarumo would be both a strong and likely candidate. Should Arizona desire to keep Joseph, he and Anarumo have a pre-existing relationship from Miami. In 2016, Joseph was the defensive coordinator when Anarumo was the defensive backs coach and Matt Burke, Cardinals defensive line coach, was Miami&#8217;s linebackers coach.<\/p>\n<p>A hot coordinator coming off an impressive year with Daniel Jones, Kafka is widely considered one of football\u2019s best young offensive minds out there. This appointment makes most sense if emphasis is placed on Kyler Murray and the offense. However, some have questioned whether Kafka is too young to be a head coach, drawing similarities to Kliff Kingsbury\u2019s appointment. It is also the case that teams like to pendulum from offensive coaches to defensive ones and vice versa. With that said, Kafka would make sense if the Cardinals management insists on keeping together the old staff. Being a younger guy, having a CEO figure like Joseph around would help greatly. It is also rumoured that Kafka was very impressive in his first interview with the team.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">He&#39;s not reporting anything, but <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Gambo987?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">@Gambo987<\/a> has a new pick to be the next <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/AZCardinals?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">#AZCardinals<\/a>&#39; HC! \ud83d\udc40<a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/jux4qHaFk8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/jux4qHaFk8<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/RLjbZS76JZ\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/RLjbZS76JZ<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; The Burns &amp; Gambo Show (@BurnsAndGambo) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/BurnsAndGambo\/status\/1621649433430732801?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 3, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Still in the Running<\/h3>\n<p>It is believed that one candidate still in the running is Jonathan Gannon. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/02\/01\/arizona-cardinals-remain-interested-in-jonathan-gannon\/\" target=\"_self\">Arizona remain interested in Gannon<\/a> but have not interviewed him yet. Many believe that the main reason why the Cardinals are taking so long with their hire is because they are waiting until after the Super Bowl to speak with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/eagles\/\" target=\"_self\">Philadelphia Eagles<\/a> defensive coordinator. The Cardinals have yet to request an interview, but their interest in Gannon arose more than two weeks ago. Gannon was considered one of this cycle&#8217;s top candidates and garnered significant interest from the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/texans\/\" target=\"_self\">Houston Texans<\/a>, but they opted for DeMeco Ryans. He also has a relationship with Arizona&#8217;s new GM through Texans GM Nick Caserio.<\/p>\n<p>However, Straight after the NFC Championship game, Gannon declared that he would be with Philadelphia in 2023. Many people believe he was only speaking in the heat of the moment though, and his future remains unclear.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">As it takes a long time, doesn&#39;t it seem like they might be waiting for someone? \ud83d\ude09 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Z9s6JBHyjr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">https:\/\/t.co\/Z9s6JBHyjr<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Benjamin Allbright (@AllbrightNFL) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/AllbrightNFL\/status\/1622054135678832640?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">February 5, 2023<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Cardinals could double down on Eagles coordinators. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/cardinals\/analysis\/nfl-insider-discusses-why-arizona-cardinals-are-taking-so-long-with-head-coach-search\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Albert Breer&#8217;s latest comments<\/a> suggest that the Cardinals could re-visit their interest in Steichen, a candidate that Bidwill and his team did extensive research on early in the process. Steichen is currently among the Colts&#8217; finalists for their job, and he also received an interview from the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/panthers\/\" target=\"_self\">Carolina Panthers<\/a> (who ultimately <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2023\/01\/28\/frank-reich-steve-wilks-carolina-panthers-head-coach\/\" target=\"_self\">opted for Frank Reich<\/a>). The reason why the Colts were able to interview Steichen in the Super Bowl bye week was that they already had a first interview beforehand.<\/p>\n<p>So why did the Cardinals not interview Steichen or Gannon earlier? Some insiders believe that Ossenfort&#8217;s appointment set the team back. While early preparations were made, appointing Ossenfort meant that the team had to recalibrate their approach to hiring a head coach. This, coupled with their methodical strategy, has resulted in the process taking longer than ever.<\/p>\n<p>Main Photo:<br \/>\nJoseph Maiorana-USA TODAY Sports<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lou Anarumo to Arizona Cardinals Reminiscent of Bruce Arians Appointment: Arizona&#8217;s interest in Anarumo parallels Arians&#8217; hiring in 2013.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4198,"featured_media":138455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[54,33],"tags":[7801,9560,4817],"class_list":["post-138375","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorials","category-cardinals","tag-arizona-cardinals-news","tag-arizona-cardinals-rumors","tag-lou-anarumo"],"modified_by":"Will Koshover, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138375","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4198"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=138375"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/138375\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/138455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=138375"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=138375"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=138375"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}