Cardinals’ Steve Wilks expands on staying the course amid turmoils

TEMPE, Ariz. — A day after initial reports surfaced that said Steve Wilks was all but at the end of the road as Cardinals head coach, he spoke a bit more about his faith and resiliency amid a 3-12 season.

“It’s going to be good being around family, enjoying some quality time around them,” he said on Monday, Christmas Eve.

Wilks said he has spoken this season to peers like Marvin Lewis of the Bengals, Todd Bowles of the Jets and Sean McDermott of the Bills and Ron Rivera of the Panthers.

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Patience was the first word out of Wilks’ mouth, perhaps a funny thing considering it’s patience that might be up in Arizona, where quarterback, coordinator and cornerback shakeups marked pivot points this year.

After a 31-9 loss at home to the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday night with a game in Seattle to play, Wilks spoke more in depth about his time with Arizona and the reports regarding his job security that he said he hasn’t listened to.

The embattled coach said he would leave Arizona — whenever that might be — with integrity just as he’d entered.

Asked Monday just why he’s met tough questions about the turmoil with steady, respectful answers, Wilks flashed his sense of humor that’s been hidden amid his football head coach exterior.

“I always tell the coaches this,” he said, “there’s always a bubble over the players’ head. As you sit there trying to talk to them, if you really understood what that bubble was saying back, you’d be amazed. There’s a bubble over my head, and if you really knew exactly how I felt inside and what I was saying, you would question my faith at times.

“My mom’s in town, so I don’t want to say those words,” he added, smiling.

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