There was something notably absent from the introductory press conference for new Arizona Cardinals head coach Mike LaFleur. It wasn’t the optimism or hope, as all introductory press conferences have. It wasn’t the talk of family and being in the right place.
It was missing something that has been present in many new coach introductions — bravado.
There was genuine humility from LaFleur in one particular moment when he could have shown confidence or even cockiness.
LaFleur complimented the process the Cardinals took get their new head coach. “The way you guys did it just shows me you want to get this thing right,” he said.
What he could have said was that he knew they got it right. That’s what Steve Wilks said in 2018. He said in his introductory press conference that he knew they made the right decision. LaFleur could have said, “you’ve got a winner in town,” as Buddy Ryan did in 1994. Denny Green had a chart with his winning percentage. LaFleur could have referenced his offensive highlights as a coach.
He did not.
What did he say instead?
“I’m not saying you got it right — I hope you got it right — but you ended up putting in the time and the hard work and the detailed process to get where you had to get to, so I really appreciate that, and I know it wasn’t easy.”
There were no promises. There was no declaration about his accolades. It was all about the coaches he has worked for and how he is about the players.
Does this signal a different era? Probably not, but it is a different approach than Cardinals fans have seen before.
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This article originally appeared on Cards Wire: No bravado in new Cardinals HC Mike LaFleur’s introduction
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