Jonathan Gannon faces these questions as he tries to turn around the Arizona Cardinals

There’s nowhere to go but up for the Arizona Cardinals after hiring Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon as head coach.

Gannon was last seen getting embarrassed by Kansas City offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy in Super Bowl 57 at State Farm Stadium as the Eagles gave up a double-digit second half lead in the big game.

Here’s hoping that was an anomaly. Here’s hoping the hire works out. Otherwise, we’re looking at a heartbreak on Valentine’s Day for all the Arizona Cardinals fans hoping for a return to the glory of the Ken Whisenhunt and Bruce Arians eras.

Gannon, in just his second year as a defensive coordinator, led an extraordinary Eagles defense that got to the quarterback better than any other unit in the league last season. But was it largely because the offense jumped out to leads, putting opponents in obvious passing situations for much of the season? After all, the Eagles had the lead going into the fourth quarter in 13 games in 2022.

The obvious counter is that in a pass-happy league, there’s nothing more valuable than a defense that can pressure the quarterback.

But why Gannon?

Why not Brian Flores? Why let Flores get away to Minnesota as a defensive coordinator?

Why not Bieniemy? He’s spent five years as an offensive coordinator for Kansas City, a run that includes two Super Bowl titles.

Why not Jim Caldwell? He has a Super Bowl appearance on his resume.

Why not Vance Joseph? He knows the Arizona personnel, having been the defensive coordinator here for four years, and he has head coaching experience with the Denver Broncos.

Gannon will have all these questions and more to answer as he takes over an Arizona squad that has made the playoffs only once in the previous seven seasons.

It has the appearances of all that’s wrong with the NFL’s hiring process.

A report from Sports Illustrated suggests that Cardinals general manager Monti Ossenfort identified Gannon as a candidate through informal interviews over the last few years.

So, it’s based on chemistry and not accomplishment? Isn’t that indicative of all that’s wrong with the “good ol’ boy” network?

Did the Cardinals wait too long to make a play, prompting Flores to take a lesser position in Minnesota, rather than risk missing out on an opportunity to rebuild himself from being unfairly fired in Miami two seasons ago?

Was Joseph tainted by the Kingsbury era? Wouldn’t that mean he was undermined by factors outside of his control?

What about Caldwell? Were the Cardinals scared to hire him after passing him over for Kingsbury? Would that be too much like admitting fault?

Can Cardinals fans realistically believe they got the best candidate for the job? Or did they just get the candidate their new general manager felt most comfortable with?

And what about the Super Bowl loss? How were Kansas City’s Skyy Moore and Kadarius Toney so open in the fourth quarter?

It feels so much like all the talk about changing the NFL’s hiring process to improve opportunities for all candidates has been lip service.

Still, that’s not to say this can’t work.

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The Eagles defense was nearly as stingy as anyone. That unit was top 10 in points allowed and points per game last season.

It could be that Ossenfort and Gannon will form a dream combination that takes the Cardinals to the top of their division and conference for years to come.

It could be that Gannon was the brains behind the Eagles flight to the top of the NFC. It could be that Gannon will pair with an offensive coordinator that returns Kyler Murray to the form he showed his first three years in the league. Or that he learned how to build an offensive line during his time in green. And perhaps Gannon can help turn Byron Murphy into the next Darius Slay.

But what evidence do we have to support that?

All we know is that Gannon’s unit failed the last time it was on the field. In that way, this hire has a lot in common with Kliff Kingsbury.

The good news is that if Gannon is tough enough, he knows all the criticisms; and he’s not scared of any of them.

That kind of attitude is exactly the thing that can help transform a culture of contentment into one of competition.

It also could be good that observers such as myself are skeptical.

It gives Gannon plenty of fodder to prove us wrong.

Because at this point, there’s nowhere for him to take the Cardinals but up.

Reach Moore at gmoore@azcentral.com or 602-444-2236. Follow him on Instagram and Twitter @SayingMoore. There's plenty Moore where this came from. Subscribe for videos, columns, opinions and analysis from The Arizona Republic’s award-winning team.