Kliff Kingsbury should have stayed in college, even though he wasn’t good there either

January 10, 2023 ndowd

The Arizona Cardinals fired failed Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury after four seasons.

It has been decided. Kliff Kingsbury is not a head coach, college or pro.

Look. We knew this before Kingsbury was even hired by the Arizona Cardinals in the first place back in 2019. While he did overachieve in year three on the job, Kingsbury leaves Arizona with a dismal 28-37-1 record during the regular season and a horrible postseason loss to the division rival Los Angeles Rams last year. Kingsbury is no Pete Carroll, Jim Harbaugh or Jimmy Johnson.

While he was not as big of a disaster in the NFL as Urban Meyer, Bobby Petrino or Matt Rhule were, Kingsbury seems to be more in the vein of a Butch Davis, Doug Marrone or Steve Spurrier.

As the Head Ball Coach once said, “It’s not your fault. It’s my fault for putting you in the game.”

Jumping from college to NFL HC since 2000:

Urban Meyer 2-11
Matt Rhule 11-27
–> Kliff Kingsbury 28-37-1
Bill O’Brien 52-48
Chip Kelly 26-21
Doug Marrone 15-17
Greg Schiano 11-21
Jim Harbaugh 44-19-1
Bobby Petrino 3-10
Nick Saban 15-17
Steve Spurrier 12-20
Butch Davis 24-35

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 9, 2023

Executives across the NFL were certainly surprised when Kingsbury got extended last offseason.

A couple executives I spoke to following the #Cardinals’ firing Kliff Kingsbury share the similar sentiment that they were shocked Arizona signed him to the extension in the first place … “They’re probably really hoping he gets a head coaching job next year.”

Tough to see …

— Matt Lombardo (@MattLombardoNFL) January 9, 2023

The Cardinals secretly hoping Kingsbury gets another head-coaching opportunity next year for financial reasons is so incredibly sad. Then again, it’s their fault for putting him in the game…

The idea of Kliff Kingsbury being a head coach is better than the real thing

Look. Kingsbury is not going to be out of work for very long. He has shown in his coaching career that he is a savvy offensive mind, but is probably best served as a coordinator. His stints at Houston and Texas A&M were enough to convince his alma mater of giving him a shot to lead the Texas Tech Red Raiders. He went 35-40 over six seasons in Lubbock with Patrick Mahomes there.

Is Kingsbury a candidate to undergo the Nick Saban rehabilitation method at Alabama? Maybe. Alabama needs to move on from Bill O’Brien. The Crimson Tide offense completely changed the narrative on a few of his predecessors, including Lane Kiffin, Brian Daboll, Mike Locksley and Steve Sarkisian. Kingsbury could also find work at two other spots: Mississippi State and New England.

One would think new Mississippi State head coach Zach Arnett will want to keep The Spirit of The Pirate Mike Leach alive in Starkville. Kingsbury played for Leach at Texas Tech. He would be more than well-equipped to bring along a revamped spin on the Air Raid. As far as the New England Patriots are concerned, he played for Bill Belichick out of Texas Tech. He is also not Matt Patricia…

Ultimately, a coordinator role at either the college or pro level will serve Kingsbury at this point of his coaching career. He is in his early 40s, so he has plenty of time to totally reinvent himself. Keep in mind that Carroll was a failed NFL head coach twice over before finding himself at USC. Now, he is seen as one of the few head coaches who has thrived at both levels. So there is some hope here.

Arizona gave it the old college try by hiring Kingsbury in 2019, but the Cardinals paid a price for it.

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