Coach Jonathan Gannon: Optimism And Strategy For The Cardinals

>> Announcer: This is the extra point, an Arizona's family originals podcast sponsored by your Phoenix Suns. >> Mark McClune: It's year two for Cardinal head coach Jonathan Gannon in Arizona. Year one produced a four in 13 record, but optimism with the way quarterback Kyler Murray played after returning from a knee injury, can Gannon build the Cardinals into a contender? He's not shy about sharing his football philosophy. Violence is part of the game, but so is service. A, uh, philosophy shaped by his time at St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland, Ohio, and perfected as a scout and 16 years as an NFL assistant coach. We sat down for a conversation for our pre game coverage of the Cardinals here on Arizona's family. And here's the entire conversation on the extra point podcast. >> Mark McClune: Just wanted to kind of start with where the game starts for you. You're standing on the sidelines. It's the national anthem. The hay's in the barn with the game plan. Um, all the work that it's taken to get to this point as a coach and personally to get to this spot, what's that moment like for you? >> Jonathan Gannon: Awesome. Awesome. Gratitude, uh, is the first, uh, thing that comes to my mind. You know, I'm lucky and grateful to be doing what I'm doing. Um, and then from there, you kind of, once that national anthem is finished, you kind of flip into game mode, you know what I mean? So your brain's going, you know, and then, too, with some of that, too, I got to work at, control my emotions. So, um, aware of that, what's going on, you know, your heartbeat and your breath, all that stuff. But game kicks off, and it's kind of like, all right. You know, it's all the planning that went into it. Um, trust your eyes, trust your gut, and kind of stick to it and be ready to adapt as the game gets going. But it's a great part of the job, um, is game day. >> Mark McClune: Was this always the plan? Were you seven, eight years old designing game? >> Jonathan Gannon: No, I wanted to play. Uh, I wanted to play. So then when I got hurt in college, then I kind of figured out, all right, I want to coach, you know? So, um, and started when I was 23, 22 years old, you know, so, it's been cool. It's been a cool journey. I've been around a lot of good people. I know, you know, I know a lot of people say that I really have, and they've went out of their way to help me, for whatever reason. And I'm very grateful for those guys. >> Mark McClune: I've heard you say you're here to serve the players. I don't know that I've heard another coach say that in the years I've been doing this. How did you develop that is kind of your approach to coaching. >> Jonathan Gannon: Probably starting, back in high school, men, for others, an all boy Jesuit prep school, saying natius. So that was kind of ingrained and instilled like, you know, this is kind of whatever walk of life you should be thinking about that I think I believe in. So, and then if you, if you boil down the job of a coach, to me that's what it is. You know, you're trying to get, the player to be the best version, the best player that he can be. To me, that's kind of a servant attitude, you know? So, yeah, I get like on the, on the spectrum of where the players are at and coaches are at, you might think, oh, coaches and kind of players bad. I don't really see it like that. our job is to serve the players and help them improve and help them, you know, hit their ceilings and win football games, all that stuff. But I think if you take that mentality, it kind of keeps your ego out of it. it kind of keeps you from being stale and having a growth mindset, and then really just being good at your job, trying to be good at your job. I think if you're always thinking about the players, you can never go wrong. >> Mark McClune: When it comes to your roster and the players. Last check, 15, rookies on the roster, 18 2nd year guys. If my math is correct, how do you get what appears to be a younger roster ready to win? >> Jonathan Gannon: Yeah, I think, right when they walk in the door, you gotta, you set the expectation and the standard for them. knowing that there's going to be a little bit of adjustment period and they're all different with their adjustment period. you know, everything that they went through in college, different programs, different coaches, all that stuff, when they come here now, they're an Arizona cardinal, and here's how we operate. This is our standard, this is our expectation, this is what we need from you, this is what we're going to give you. and the quicker you can get those guys acclimated into how we operate, I call it winning behavior, the quicker you can get them acclimated into that, hopefully they become players for you. So, that's what we need them to be. That's obviously what we want to be. but we're invested in those guys and we want to see them do well. >> Mark McClune: Marvin is a guy that's, with where he was drafted has the fan base excited. So he had an offense the last four games of the season that was ranked number one in the NFL. Not to put too much pressure on him as a rookie, but how does plugging him into that offense help? >> Jonathan Gannon: Yeah, I think, you know, any time that you have, you know, now he hasn't played yet, but, the expectation for him is to be a really good player for us. And when that really good player is that position, we understand that that does certain things to a defense. You have to defend him a certain way, which will, in turn help the offense as a whole. So I'm just excited for him to get out there and he's working hard. He's building up his rapport with Kyler. You know, he's still a rookie. He hasn't played, but he's met my expectations, exceeded, right now. And, I'm really glad that he's here, obviously, and I'm excited to see what he's going to do. >> Mark McClune: How would you describe your rapport with Kyler? >> Jonathan Gannon: Awesome. Awesome. I think, you know, I mean, like, you know, I think he trusts me. I think, we have a really good understanding of what needs to get done from myself, the staff, from him, from the offense, from the defense, from special teams. his will to win is very high, and that's a cool thing because I think mine is, too. So when you sit down and talk about, all right, what needs to get done, you know, you uphold your part, I'll uphold my part, and we'll get it going. And, you know, he's been a really cool guy to be around, being the quarterback position, knowing his story, the person that he is, I'm glad he's on our team when it comes to. >> Mark McClune: The defense, and that's kind of what you've hung your hat on in the NFL. And having Nick and trusting Nick to run the defense is the youngest coordinator in the NFL. How would you describe that relationship? >> Jonathan Gannon: Yeah, I mean, you know, ever since I met him, you know, he came very highly recommended when we weren't working together from one of my old bosses. and, then when I talked to him the first time, I was very impressed, you know, like my old boss said I would be. And then I had a chance to hire him when I became the coordinator in Philadelphia and hired him. And through those two years, he just showed that he's a really good football coach. and I think what helped me, knowing that, how I wanted to set up the team and really not call the defense. M we think about the game similarly. So that was an easy transition for me because, yeah, he might call something different than I would call, but we think about it the same. We each have our own process of how we do things. But you're really coming up with the same kind of end goal in mind. and he's done an excellent job. He's been fantastic and a, little bit of big brother. Little brother, I think, you know, at times, where I get frustrated with him and he probably gets frustrated with me. But, we have a really good understanding of what needs to get done, how to win, and, both our roles are a little different, but how to be a star within your role. >> Mark McClune: We have a schedule show coming up on Friday night where we're breaking it down and not to have you go through the entire schedule. We're, curious about your perspective about just going on the road in the NFC west and what it's like to try to get through that. La playing in Seattle with their fan base, defending NFC champs, I would say. >> Jonathan Gannon: Yeah, I mean, we're in a good division, you know what I mean? You never know how the cards are going to fall. But, you got some top coaches, all three coaches I think very highly of. obviously, Mike in Seattle is now his first year guy can coach, so I assume they're going to be really good and really well coached because, that's what he's put on tape. Any job that he's had, Shawn's done it at a high level for a long time. Kyle's done it at a high level for a long time and they've been in those chairs for a good amount of time and they got it running the way they want to run it, you know. So, they got fantastic players. you know, it's a big time challenge and all three of those places are unique to go and play. You know, Seattle and San Francisco and then going to LA, they're unique places to play. So we got our work cut out for us. >> Mark McClune: you had some fun. We had some fun. You gave us some great content to start camp with the concept of momentum, which, we made me go through my old high school physics notes which don't check the grades on that, but, I was able to kind of like momentum just, I was like, I think there's an equation for that. Mass times velocity. Is that right? Did that come up in the, in the conversation? >> Jonathan Gannon: Well, I said, you guys want to talk about it in sports, a math term. So what are we talking about? You know what I mean? So, I said I just talked to somebody, and, you know, I believe in confidence. I believe in executing at a high level, doing your job, having some success. I think that builds. but to say that, you know, last year, the last four games were the number one offense in the NFL, I don't think that carries over. I think you got to put in the work. Everything starts overd. it's new people. It's year two. It's a brand new regime as far as, hey, this is the people we have. This is what we're doing. Yeah, there's some carryover, but you got to start from scratch. And, our coaches have done a good job with that, and the players have done a good job acclimating in starting from day one, when the workday. >> Mark McClune: Is over, when coach Gannon takes off the coaching hat and goes home, it's like walking in the door and, you know, coaching the family, being part of the family. How do you unplug from this? >> Jonathan Gannon: They coach me, I think. but I got, you know, my wife's fantastic, and she makes a lot of sacrifices that the family of not just myself, all coaches and players. It's a big time sacrifice, especially during the year, because a lot of your time, most of your time is spent with the team. It's, kind of your second family. But, it's pretty easy. I don't have a problem typically unplugging when I walk in the door, and then I know it's time to be a husband and, a father. so I take those roles, you know, seriously and try to do the best I can do you allow yourself. >> Mark McClune: To get excited about the season. I mean, with so much work that goes into it, and it's so long. Do you think about where we could go if things go right? >> Jonathan Gannon: Yeah, you know, I think that's always, you know, you're always striving for what's down the road, but I think the most important, most important part of that is not to think too much in the future, not to think too much in the past. Just be present and work on doing the best of the job that you have. Be the best at it that day, and then from there, learn and get better a little bit every day. So I kind of put blinders onto that, honestly. our team psych guys would tell you, live in the past, you get depressed. You live in the future, you get anxious. I don't like any of those both of those two words. Both of those words. I don't love anxiousness and depression. so I try to stay, you know, be where your feet are and go to work. >> Mark McClune: If you knew what you know now when you were a player, what kind of player would you. >> Jonathan Gannon: No, no. Hopefully better. Hopefully better. Wasn't too good of a player. Is there any tape out there? Is it on YouTube? There's some tape out there. Yeah, I played. I played ten games. disobey broke my hip. But, we always joke about it, because, you know, coaches obviously can't play anymore. But we're like, man, the knowledge that we have now, it'd been kind of cool to have that, but that's kind of the maturation of becoming a coach, too. Like, you're always learning every day. You know, you can learn more and more and more and more. So, but it's our job to get our players to know that, too. So hopefully they're coaches on the field. >> Mark McClune: Well, I always enjoy it because I always learn something talking to you. So thanks so much for your time. >> Jonathan Gannon: Thank you, Margaret. >> Mark McClune: Appreciate it. >> Mark McClune: The extra Point podcast is a production of three tv, CB's, five, and azfamily.com dot in Phoenix, Arizona.