The Arizona Cardinals’ Week 1 win, which was perhaps the biggest upset of the week, earned Mike LaFleur the recognition he deserved for building one of the most impressive rookie classes Arizona’s seen in a while.
Jeremiyah Love played despite an injury, and Carson Beck is also taking up every practice snap he can for whenever he gets the green light. And neither of them are first-string starters yet.
Cardinals Mike LaFleur Dubbed Top Debut Coach in Week 1
Speaking of starters, LaFleur’s starters looked put together enough to catch the Los Angeles Chargers off-guard. That alone says a lot about how LaFleur is shaping up as a head coach.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler unanimously had one name when speaking about which NFL coach’s debut surprised them the most.
“The Cardinals’ Mike LaFleur,” Graziano said. “I figured they’d have a representative offense, because I believe LaFleur is a talented offensive mind who knows how to call a game and put his players in the best position to take advantage of their strengths.”
“But Arizona was good all over the field and dictated the action for much of Sunday’s game. That says a lot about what LaFleur has been able to establish in terms of confidence and buy-in in a short period of time. Very impressive.”
Even after picking up eight penalties, LaFleur’s squad kept the pocket mostly clean for Jacoby Brissett in a hostile road environment in their season opener. The improved plays and the much-better chemistry in the offense could be spotted from a mile away.
“It’s early, but LaFleur seems to have a good sense of what it takes to be successful, with a blend of hard-nosed coaching and relatability that comes out in his news conferences and on the sidelines,” Fowler added.
However, the analyst did warn that a hot start is quite usual in the desert. Arizona ripped off a 2-0 run out of the gate last year before completely flaming out, but the operational floor looks entirely different this time around.
Expectations for the Cardinals are Slowly Changing
The difference comes down to the structural discipline LaFleur has installed. Rookies like Love and Beck aren’t wrapped away in a bubble wrap, as LaFleur puts it.
LaFleur’s updated schemes push them right in the mix and actually give them the space and reps to make an impact right away.
Combine that with a completely rebuilt interior line and two bell cows in the backfield, and the national media is already changing their opinions about LaFleur. The entire offseason, the consensus expectations had the Cardinals pegged as a five-win team, at best.
Their unforgiving schedule might partly be to blame. They face the Seahawks in Week 2, followed by Giants, Lions, Rams, and Broncos.
Not one win among these would come easy for the Cardinals, but the chances of them pulling an upset went up after their Week 1 win over the Chargers.
But they plainly and simply need more wins than just a 2-0 start to prove that their Week 1 upset wasn’t a fluke.
Latest Debut Coaches Rankings Hands Mike LaFleur Big Boost Before Cardinals vs. Seahawks