SANTA CLARA — Coaches can be dictators with whistles. It’s their system. Their play. And if it doesn’t work, it’s the players’ fault.

That’s not Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury.

Oh, he loves to spread the field with receivers. “10” personnel, they call it, with the “1” representing the number of running backs and the “0” for tight ends. Unenumerated, but nevertheless on the field in that personnel group, are four receivers.

It’s the personnel group Kingsbury ran most at Texas Tech, and his favorite by far during in his first four NFL games a year ago.

Thing is, it didn’t work all that well. The Cardinals averaged 18.5 points and finished 0-3-1 over that first month.

Then Kingsbury did something that portends well for the Cardinals’ future. He evaluated himself. He not only solicited advice from his offensive staff, he also listened to it and acted upon it.

The Cardinals weren’t built to run “10” personnel 60% of the time, as they did in the first month of the season. Quarterback Kyler Murray was a rookie. There was little depth at receiver. A larger commitment to the run would help the offensive line build an identity and better protect a defense that had trouble getting off the field.

Kingsbury didn’t abandon his love of playing four of five receivers at a time, but he did place a greater value on his tight ends.

Over the last 12 games, the Cardinals’ use of “10” personnel decreased to around 24% of snaps, still by far the most in the NFL by, but a considerable decrease from 60%.

The Cardinals ended up 10th in the NFL in rushing (124.4 yards per game) and second in average gain per rush (5.04 yards). Overall, the Cardinals were 13th in Football Outsiders offensive efficiency, a dramatic improved over 2018 when they finished last.

It took self-awareness, which is in great deficiency these days, from Kingsbury to get there.

“It took you guys the first month of the season to realize that,” receiver Larry Fitzgerald said when asked about Kingsbury’s flexibility. “But if you’re around him every day, you know he’s not an ego guy. He just wants to win. He doesn’t care how we go about it. If we have to play this week in jumbo package, if that’s the way we have to squeak a win out in San Francisco, then that’s the way it’s going to be.”

Kingsbury would take the win over the 49ers via the jumbo package, but it probably wouldn’t be as enjoyable for him as using four wide receivers 60% of the time.

“I’ll always love 10 personnel,” he said. “But I think we felt like as the season went on we could do some different things, be in some different packages that played into our strengths last year.

“I felt like in the back half of last year we figured out what our identity is, who we can be and the different things we can do.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean that identity carries over into 2020. We might see more spread formations than a year ago.

The Cardinals traded for receiver DeAndre Hopkins. Fitzgerald is back for a 17th season. Christian Kirk is a threat if he’s healthy. Andy Isabella supposedly has improved. Murray should make great improvement from year one to year two.

And four new starters were added to a defense that had to be protected a year ago.

As a linebacker, Jordan Hicks doesn’t spend much, if any, time pondering whatever tweaks Kingsbury is making with the offense. But no one should be surprised, he said, that Kingsbury was willing to make adjustments that a stubborn coach would not.

“I knew from day one he was a person would adapt as time goes, that’s just his personality,” Hicks said. “He’s attacking, he’s trying to win. One of the most competitive people I’ve been around. He’s going to do whatever it takes and that’s what you want to have as a coach.”

Reach Kent Somers at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter @kentsomers. Hear Somers every Monday and Friday at 7:30 a.m. on The Drive with Jody Oehler on Fox Sports 910 AM.

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