The Arizona Cardinals will officially begin the Mike LaFleur era on September 13. They’ll take on the Los Angeles Chargers, whose offensive coordinator is Mike McDaniel.
McDaniel was the San Francisco 49ers‘ offensive coordinator when LaFleur was the head coach. With that connection in mind, the Cardinals head coach was asked if he could exploit that against the Chargers.
“I haven’t been with Mike since 2020,” said LaFleur in his September 1 pre-practice presser. “I think there is a fine line between what I tell Nick (Rallis) and the defense. Because you oversaturate anyone, I personally don’t think that helps.”
LaFleur grew under McDaniel in their shared time in San Francisco. But both coaches have moved on in their respective careers. LaFleur said there are still foundational things that are the same, even as the coaches have ventured off.
“There’s little things through the last six months Nick and I talked about as he’s gathering his thoughts, getting ready for these teams that you do know some. That’s good, but I’m trying really hard to oversaturate anyone with this stuff.”
Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur on Facing Mike McDaniel’s Offense
When Mike LaFleur left San Francisco, the quarterback was Jimmy Garoppolo. He went to the New York Jets to mentor young quarterback Zach Wilson. The following offseason, Mike McDaniel headed to the Miami Dolphins to work with Tua Tagovailoa.
However, both former San Francisco coaches are at a different stage of their careers. LaFleur is tasked with building the Cardinals from the ground up, and McDaniel is focused on building a strong offense around two-time Pro Bowler Justin Herbert.
“I don’t know what they’re changing,” said LaFleur. “I don’t know exactly what he was saying in Miami; I know some. Now he’s got Herbert and a whole new place. Who knows how much they’ve changed and adjusted it.”
While LaFleur can use some of the foundational aspects of that offense as a coaching point, the Cardinals can’t overplay it. But it should present an interesting chess match when their defense faces the Chargers’ offense.
On the flip side, the same could also be said for the Chargers. Since it’s been six seasons, Mike McDaniel would likely express similar sentiments concerning the Cardinals’ offense.
The game could come down to which coaching staff can adjust to what’s being called, and how the players execute that. Because while LaFleur and McDaniel may carry similar coaching roots, the games become very unpredictable once the ball’s kicked off.
Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur Gives Blunt Answer on Facing Chargers Offense