Cardinals Introduce Kingsbury As New Head Coach

There’s a new sheriff in the NFC West. His name is a Kliff Kingsbury.

A new King in the Nest.#KardsGotKliff

[https://t.co/bI2zAkAiPh] pic.twitter.com/d6kN6SR41c

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) January 8, 2019

How Did He Get There?

The Arizona Cardinals hired Kingsbury away from the USC Trojans. Somehow his stint at USC seemed shorter than brief as he only held the title of offensive coordinator for essentially a month.

Kingsbury on leaving the Trojans staff:

The 39-year-old play caller ended up in Los Angeles after Texas Tech gave him the boot after recording a third straight losing season at his alma mater.

Kingsbury addressing time at Texas Tech:

He finished with a record of 35-40 over his six seasons in Lubbock, Texas. Although, Kingsbury isn’t focused on that.

“There’s nothing I can say today that’s going to change that,” he said. “It’s about the work we started yesterday and what we do from this point forward.”

Trojans athletic director Lynn Swann initially blocked NFL teams from interviewing the former 6th rounder. But, he was soon after granted permission to engage in them.

The process didn’t last long for him as he was quickly named the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.

Meet Kliff Kingsbury

A Texas native, Kingsbury didn’t align himself with teams like the Cowboys or the Oilers growing up.

“I actually became a Cardinals fan in high school when they drafted Jake Plummer,” he said.

Kingsbury is a man who breeds offensive production. Since he took over as Houston’s offensive coordinator in 2011, his offenses averaged 40 points and over 530 yards per game.

He coached Johnny Manziel to a Heisman Trophy at Texas A&M and was Patrick Mahomes’s coach during his time at Tech.

“There’s a lot of things that we did at Texas Tech that can be successful (here),” Kingsbury said.

Kingsbury spoke highly of Arizona’s young QB Josh Rosen. He said it’s hard to find a better thrower than Rosen.

Cardinals GM Steve Keim on why Kingsbury:

HC @KliffKingsbury joined @NFLNetwork's @GMFB this morning to discuss building around @Josh3Rosen, the comparisons to Sean McVay, adding to his staff and even attire for the NFL Owners meeting coach photo. pic.twitter.com/hUpid3Rvck

— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) January 10, 2019

His first priority is closely working with Steve Keim to put together a coaching staff. Keim said they are focusing next on hiring a defensive coordinator.

Some candidates could include Packers defensive coordinator Dom Capers, former Colts head coach Chuck Pagano and Saints linebackers coach Mike Nolan.

Keim on DC qualifications:

“I came here to help this organization get to where we want to be, and that’s winning championships,” Kingsbury said. “I’m honored, thrilled to be here and ready to get to work.”