Will Cardinals fire OC Mike McCoy and replace him with Byron Leftwich?
Will the Arizona Cardinals fire Mike McCoy as offensive coordinator and replace him with Byron Leftwich? That’s what many people are wondering.
Three different prominent NFL reporters suggested on Twitter Thursday that the Cardinals could fire McCoy and replace him with Leftwich, who is the team’s quarterbacks coach.
From earlier… as the future of #AZCardinals OC Mike McCoy comes into focus. Another midseason firing is on the table. Well-regarded QB coach Byron Leftwich was someone @BruceArians felt would be a great play-caller. https://t.co/yGMKxcNHc6
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 19, 2018
Cardinals’ QB coach Byron Leftwich has been what many consider to be an offensive coordinator in waiting. Might not be waiting much longer…
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 19, 2018
Would expect Byron Leftwich to be the next OC of the Cardinals. He is currently their QB coach. Well regarded in the organization
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) October 19, 2018
The Cardinals entered Thursday’s game against Denver as the 31st-ranked offense in points scored and 32nd-ranked team in offensive yards. They looked even worse than that, embarrassing themselves with dull playcalls that did not work to the team’s strengths and a lack of adjustments against a ferocious Broncos pass rush. They scored just 10 points while committing five turnovers.
After the game, Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks said that everyone will be evaluated, but talk of changes are “premature.”
#AZCardinals HC Steve Wilks says he’s embarrassed by their effort tonight, “unacceptable… talking about changes are premature… everyone will be evaluated.”
— Omar Ruiz (@OmarDRuiz) October 19, 2018
McCoy was fired as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator last season and deserves to be fired by Arizona this season. He also has one of the most predictable rushing offenses in the league.
Cardinals OC Mike McCoy has a tendency to run his RBs too much behind C:
The NFL avg is 28.9% over the last 3 years
David Johnson has a 10% success rate on 1st down running behind C (1.8 YPC)
McCoy's run offenses ranked #32, #24 & #22 the last 3 yrs
Run rate visualized: pic.twitter.com/mI4BwOAvOB— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) October 18, 2018
The Cardinals could use a change even if it’s just for the sake of change, because what they’ve been doing has been embarrassing.