The Arizona Cardinals went through a complete franchise reset this summer. After a quarterback change and drafting a potential superstar, they also added Mike LaFleur and Nathaniel Hackett as the head coach and offensive coordinator, respectively.
Unfortunately, the NFL world has mixed feelings about the latter of the two choices, particularly after he seemed to favor James Conner over their rookie sensation, Jeremiyah Love.
Nathaniel Hackett Isn’t Enamoring Himself to Cardinals Fans
Parting ways with former first overall pick Kyler Murray, it seemed like they were ushering in a new era with Love as their first-round selection. However, the initial returns haven’t been as prolific as many fans hoped for, at least according to Hackett.
Fresh off the start of training camp, the veteran of the coaching ranks explained his stance on their running back, claiming, “Right now, it’s a great room. I’m really excited about it. Excited for James [Conner] to get out there and show what he’s got. I mean, all the guys.”
Rather than the shiny new rookie, the focus on Conner was a little surprising, but he continued, “We’re trying to work on that operation, we’re trying to make sure we’re crisp, we’re clean, and we’ve got a great playstyle.”
However, when further pressed on Love specifically, Hackett shockingly said, “I mean, he’s definitely a rookie, as we’ve talked about. He’ll keep growing every single day. Very excited about him. All those guys, not just him.”
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It left the entire football world puzzled, especially given the hype Love had coming into the league. In his final two years, he added over 2,400 rushing yards and 35 touchdowns, while also being a force through the air with over 500 receiving yards and five touchdowns.
Alfredo Brown called it as he saw it, writing, “This kinda stuff is so silly.” He wasn’t the only one critical of the response from Hackett, as one fan went the extreme route, writing, “Fire this imbecile into another [expletive] universe.”
The track record with Hackett is truly a mixed bag. Despite a long history of offensive coordinator responsibilities under his belt, he hasn’t been a surefire hit without a prime Aaron Rodgers playing at quarterback.
Per PFN’s Offense Impact Metrics, outside of his three seasons with the Green Bay Packers from 2019 to 2021, when the offense was in the top-10 each year, his team hasn’t finished above number 16, which also occurred with Rodgers as the quarterback.
The list reads as follows:
- 2013 Buffalo Bills – 24th in the league
- 2014 Buffalo Bills – 25th in the league
- 2017 Jacksonville Jaguars – 19th in the league
- 2018 Jacksonville Jaguars – 31st in the league
- 2019 Green Bay Packers – 7th in the league
- 2020 Green Bay Packers – 1st in the league
- 2021 Green Bay Packers – 3rd in the league
- 2023 New York Jets – 32nd in the league
- 2024 New York Jets – 16th in the league
As a result, optimism isn’t high for his tenure with the Cardinals, despite LaFleur overseeing the entire operation. Some still believed that the comments from Hackett may have been an attempt to showcase the value Conner could potentially bring.
As a result, he wrote, “A transparent attempt to boost Conner’s trade value IMO.” However, others were less understanding as Corey Buschlen claimed, “For every time I want to have visions of sugar plums dancing in my head with Jeremiyah Love, I wake up from my daze and remember Nate Hackett is in charge of the offense”.
It remains to be seen how the season ends up turning out for both the Cardinals as a whole and for Love individually. But as a legitimate blue-chip prospect, the hope from the entire fan base is sky high.
If Hackett can utilize him properly, then the general consensus seems to suggest that he could be a true superstar at the running back spot. But his growth in the NFL is now going to be heavily dependent on how the franchise uses him.
