The Air Raid offense has made its way to the NFL. The Arizona Cardinals brought in former Texas Tech coach Kliff Kingsbury, and he's going to do some unique things on offense. From the foundational Air Raid pass concepts to the "GT" run game to run-pass options (RPOs) and misdirection, Kingsbury can blend his college playbook with modern NFL concepts to give the Cardinals' offense a much-needed boost.
I went back to the Texas Tech film to see how Kingsbury used Patrick Mahomes during the 2016 season, focused on the running back position in the pass game and took down notes on tendencies that will translate to the pro game. And I stayed away from that Red Raiders' defense -- there's a reason Kingsbury went only 35-40 over six seasons.
Here are three things I'm watching in Year 1 as Kingsbury tries to mold Josh Rosen, David Johnson and a limited offensive roster in Arizona that could use some upgrades after a 3-13 season in 2018.
The development of Josh Rosen
The hiring of Kingsbury is centered around improving Rosen as he enters his second season in the league. The most natural thrower of the 2018 draft class, Rosen isn't a perfect fit for the QB-designed runs Kingsbury used at Texas Tech.
From a passing-game standpoint, however, Kingsbury's ability to design plays that occupy defenders in the route tree -- giving the quarterback more defined reads -- is a quick way to accelerate the learning curve for Rosen.
