In the football world, this was supposed to be Kliff Kingsbury’s finest hour.
When veterans began reporting to training camp on Tuesday, the Cardinals head coach had hoped it would be a day of reckoning, a moment to mark the beginning of new era in Arizona. It was supposed to be the dawn of the franchise taking an expected major leap toward relevancy and competitiveness.
Across the NFL, there had been a building consensus that the Cardinals could be more than just “a team to watch” in 2020. Entering his second year at the controls of an intriguing offense, Kingsbury had been hailed as one of the favorites to win Coach of the Year honors.