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Cards stick with losing formula
By Scott Bordow, Tribune Columnist
January 2, 2007
The news you wanted to hear:
The Cardinals fired coach Dennis Green Monday.
The news you dreaded to hear:
Vice president Michael Bidwill said there would be no structural changes in Arizona’s front office.
“We feel like we have a good plan,” general manager Rod Graves said.
Let’s see. The Cardinals were 16-32 the past three years. No one in the front office had the temerity to challenge Green or override his harebrained decisions. Money was wasted in free agency, and by the end of the 2006 season, Arizona couldn’t fill all the seats inside University of Phoenix Stadium.
Yeah, that’s some plan.
The Cardinals had an opportunity Monday to change course, to sail away from the turbulent seas of the past few seasons.
Instead, they rammed the iceberg again.
In announcing that the front office would remain intact and that Graves has been given a three-year contract extension, Bidwill essentially pointed all of his fingers at Green and said, “Don’t look at us. We had nothing to do with it.”
It was so ludicrous, so laughable, that all you could do was shake your head and wonder how he kept a straight face.
Look, no one can argue that Green didn’t bring his firing upon himself. The Cardinals will be better off without him.
But Green was not solely responsible for Arizona’s failure. As the general manager, it was Graves’ job to be the checks and balances to Green’s ego.
Instead, he sat idly by, silently, as Green made dubious personnel decisions — see Pete Kendall, Oliver Ross, etc. — hired his cronies and fired so many assistant coaches the Cardinals never had any stability.
“What I wanted to do based on Dennis Green’s track record and success was support him,” Graves said.
Support is fine. Blind allegiance, particularly when it hurts the franchise, is not a virtue; it’s a shortcoming.
Graves is as good of a man as you’ll meet in the NFL. He’s decent and honorable, hard-working and loyal. But what has he done to warrant three more years of running the franchise?
Graves has ostensibly been in charge since the end of the 2002 season. The Cardinals’ record since he took over: 20-44.
His most notable personnel move was trading down in the 2003 draft and selecting Bryant Johnson and Calvin Pace with Arizona’s two first round picks. (To his credit, he did snag Anquan Boldin in the second round). It was a disastrous deal, not only because Johnson and Pace have been, at best, limited contributors, but because the Cardinals passed on a chance to select Arizona State defensive end Terrell Suggs.
It was learned later on the Cardinals didn’t pick Suggs in part because they were afraid they wouldn’t be able to sign him, and the embarrassment locally would be great. Well, if Graves was doing the Bidwills’ bidding, he did a disservice to himself and his football team.
I’m not advocating that Graves should have been fired along with Green. He has done a terrific job of negotiating and restructuring contracts, and he has a good rapport with players and scouts. His skills are best suited for those duties.
But a general manager has to have a strong and independent voice, and nothing Graves has done in the past suggests he will stand up to the Bidwills — or the head coach — when he needs to.
Perhaps, sadly, that’s why he still has the job.
Graves and Michael Bidwill stopped answering questions about 18 minutes into Monday’s press conference. They said they had a coach to hire.
Good luck to whoever gets the job.
He’s going to need it.
Contact Scott Bordow by email, or phone (480) 898-6598
By Scott Bordow, Tribune Columnist
January 2, 2007
The news you wanted to hear:
The Cardinals fired coach Dennis Green Monday.
The news you dreaded to hear:
Vice president Michael Bidwill said there would be no structural changes in Arizona’s front office.
“We feel like we have a good plan,” general manager Rod Graves said.
Let’s see. The Cardinals were 16-32 the past three years. No one in the front office had the temerity to challenge Green or override his harebrained decisions. Money was wasted in free agency, and by the end of the 2006 season, Arizona couldn’t fill all the seats inside University of Phoenix Stadium.
Yeah, that’s some plan.
The Cardinals had an opportunity Monday to change course, to sail away from the turbulent seas of the past few seasons.
Instead, they rammed the iceberg again.
In announcing that the front office would remain intact and that Graves has been given a three-year contract extension, Bidwill essentially pointed all of his fingers at Green and said, “Don’t look at us. We had nothing to do with it.”
It was so ludicrous, so laughable, that all you could do was shake your head and wonder how he kept a straight face.
Look, no one can argue that Green didn’t bring his firing upon himself. The Cardinals will be better off without him.
But Green was not solely responsible for Arizona’s failure. As the general manager, it was Graves’ job to be the checks and balances to Green’s ego.
Instead, he sat idly by, silently, as Green made dubious personnel decisions — see Pete Kendall, Oliver Ross, etc. — hired his cronies and fired so many assistant coaches the Cardinals never had any stability.
“What I wanted to do based on Dennis Green’s track record and success was support him,” Graves said.
Support is fine. Blind allegiance, particularly when it hurts the franchise, is not a virtue; it’s a shortcoming.
Graves is as good of a man as you’ll meet in the NFL. He’s decent and honorable, hard-working and loyal. But what has he done to warrant three more years of running the franchise?
Graves has ostensibly been in charge since the end of the 2002 season. The Cardinals’ record since he took over: 20-44.
His most notable personnel move was trading down in the 2003 draft and selecting Bryant Johnson and Calvin Pace with Arizona’s two first round picks. (To his credit, he did snag Anquan Boldin in the second round). It was a disastrous deal, not only because Johnson and Pace have been, at best, limited contributors, but because the Cardinals passed on a chance to select Arizona State defensive end Terrell Suggs.
It was learned later on the Cardinals didn’t pick Suggs in part because they were afraid they wouldn’t be able to sign him, and the embarrassment locally would be great. Well, if Graves was doing the Bidwills’ bidding, he did a disservice to himself and his football team.
I’m not advocating that Graves should have been fired along with Green. He has done a terrific job of negotiating and restructuring contracts, and he has a good rapport with players and scouts. His skills are best suited for those duties.
But a general manager has to have a strong and independent voice, and nothing Graves has done in the past suggests he will stand up to the Bidwills — or the head coach — when he needs to.
Perhaps, sadly, that’s why he still has the job.
Graves and Michael Bidwill stopped answering questions about 18 minutes into Monday’s press conference. They said they had a coach to hire.
Good luck to whoever gets the job.
He’s going to need it.
Contact Scott Bordow by email, or phone (480) 898-6598
