Name that Tune: Cardinals take quarterback secrecy to extreme ahead of Commanders opener

ASHBURN — There’s football subterfuge, and then there’s whatever the heck the Arizona Cardinals are doing. 

Coaches can be tight-lipped about a variety of topics, from hiding injuries to not disclosing starting lineups — all in the name of the sacred “competitive advantage.” All hail the sacred competitive advantage.

But Arizona — the Washington Commanders’ season-opening opponent — is taking that strategy to the extreme. Last week, the Cardinals unexpectedly cut quarterback Colt McCoy — their presumed starter with Kyler Murray (torn ACL) out. Instead, Arizona will trot out veteran Josh Dobbs or rookie Clayton Tune. 

Good luck getting an answer out of first-year coach Jonathan Gannon. Gannon not only declined to name his starter for Sunday’s 1 p.m. game, the Cardinals said that neither Dobbs nor Tune would speak at the podium for their weekly media availability, as is usual for NFL quarterbacks.

“It’s a competitive advantage for us,” Gannon said.

Is it though? 

The Cardinals open the season as the team widely projected to be the worst in the league. Even some fans of the franchise want to see the team tank for USC’s Caleb Williams, a can’t-miss quarterback who’s the favorite to be drafted first overall next spring. The Commanders are 7-point favorites — the biggest Week 1 spread in Washington’s favor since 2000, when the team was 10½-point favorites over the Carolina Panthers.  

What difference does it make if the Cardinals start a fourth-year veteran with only two career starts (Dobbs) or a fifth-round rookie who lasted all the way to pick 139 (Tune)? 

“You’re going to have to do certain things and say, ‘Okay, if this guy’s in, we’ll do this, this guy’s in, we may do that,’” Commanders coach Ron Rivera said. “You do have some sort of an advantage when you create that kind of mystery.”

In terms of “mystery,” though, Rivera indicated that the bigger question mark will be how exactly the Cardinals go about implementing their scheme. Rivera and his staff have spent time watching footage of teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and the Cleveland Browns — the last stops for Gannon and Arizona offensive coordinator Drew Petzing, respectively. Gannon served as the Eagles’ defensive coordinator before being hired in the offseason, whereas Petzing was the Browns’ quarterbacks coach. 

Rivera said it doesn’t matter which quarterback the Cardinals deploy because “you’re never really sure what they’re going to do until it starts.” 

The Cardinals’ roster also looks dramatically different from last year’s squad. Arizona cut All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins and let their two top free agents (defensive lineman Zach Allen and cornerback Byron Murphy Jr.) walk in free agency. Defensive end J.J. Watt and wideout A.J. Green retired, and the Cardinals traded former first-rounder Isaiah Simmons for a measly seventh-round pick. 

Gannon’s hire, too, hasn’t appeared to instill much confidence — at least to pundits. While players have praised Gannon’s leadership, his style was mocked when the Cardinals released footage of a Gannon speech in which the coach came off as more awkward than run-through-the-wall inspiring. 

“Who drove over here?” Gannon asked. “Quick, let me see your hands. Who took the bus? Do you have fire in your gut? Did you?

“We’re here for a reason. Don’t get that twisted. OK? We’re here for a reason, to win games. So if you didn’t have that fire in your gut, you better light the fire pretty fast. Be who you are. Just understand, I’m looking for [expletive] killers.”

Maybe Gannon will determine the starter by finding out if Dobbs or Tune drove or took the bus to work. 

Rivera, though, appreciates the gamesmanship. Likewise, the Commanders have tried to keep the Cardinals guessing on their end: Rivera offered no hints Tuesday about whether defensive end Chase Young (stinger) or wide receiver Terry McLaurin (toe) would be healthy in time for the opener. 

Rivera said that the choice to keep their statuses vague was “absolutely” intentional, adding the more doubt they can put in an opponent, the more it might put Arizona’s preparation elsewhere. “It might take from something that might be important or relevant,” he said. 

As for whether Arizona will play Dobbs or Tune, Rivera said the Commanders will prepare for both.

“When you open up with a new group, there is a lot of unknowns and they’re exasperating it by not necessarily telling you who their quarterback is going to be,” Rivera said. “I wouldn’t either.”