Wild Card
Surfin' Bird
McGinnis Hasn't Rescued Cardinals
By Scott Bordow, Tribune Columnist
12/05/2003
Vince Tobin is a nice man who had a 28-43 record as coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Dave McGinnis is a nice man who has a 16-37 record as coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
There was no shortage of voices calling for Tobin's firing midway through the 2000 season. Those same voices have been silent regarding McGinnis.
Why?
Clearly, McGinnis' demeanor has shielded him from overt criticism. McGinnis is the rare coach who treats the media with respect and dignity: he calls most reporters by name, whereas most coaches call us names. It's much easier to blast a bully like Buddy Ryan or an arrogant Buck Showalter.
The Cardinals' ignominious reputation also has served McGinnis well. He is viewed as a victim of the organization's ineptitude, another coach done in by the failures of the front office.
That perception is not without merit, but neither Arizona's bungling nor McGinnis' personality should obscure the fact that in three-plus seasons, he has failed to make any difference on Sundays.
Look around the NFL. In his first year in Dallas, Bill Parcells has the Cowboys headed to the playoffs. In Cincinnati, rookie coach Marvin Lewis has transformed a team and organization that could match the Cardinals gaffe for gaffe.
John Fox took over a 1-15 Carolina team, led it to a 7-9 record last year and has the Panthers (8-4) in first place in the NFC South this season.
McGinnis, on the other hand, is going backward. He won seven games in 2001, five games in 2002 and, if form holds, will win three games this season. Nice guys finish last shouldn't be a cliche come to life.
Would McGinnis be successful in a different organization? Possibly. Gene Stallings left the Cardinals and won a national championship at the University of Alabama.
But McGinnis isn't coaching somewhere else. He's coaching here. And unlike Lewis or Parcells, he has not been able to change the culture of defeat that permeates the organization.
Blame the front office if you like, but McGinnis must be held accountable for some of the disastrous personnel decisions that have sabotaged the Cardinals.
His 2001 draft was solid — Leonard Davis, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Marcus Bell, among others — but his 2002 selections were ruinous: Wendell Bryant, Levar Fisher, Josh McCown, Dennis Johnson, Nate Dwyer, Jason McAddley, Josh Scobey, Mike Banks.
See an impact player in there? See anyone who's helping the Cardinals win games this year?
McGinnis' calling card has been his ability to motivate and cajole every last ounce of energy out of his team.
This year, however, the Cardinals have played listless, uninspired football in losses at Dallas and Cleveland. They've been handled by sad-sack teams like Detroit and Chicago.
It's too harsh to say the Cardinals have quit on McGinnis, but their inconsistent effort reflects a team that has tuned out its head coach. Players already have begun speculating about who the next coach will be, and whether he'll be a martinet along the lines of former Jacksonville coach Tom Coughlin.
There's no question Arizona's talent level is a tide that never comes in. But other teams in the league — Chicago, Houston, Cincinnati — have personnel issues, and they're playing above their means. That the Cardinals aren't is an indictment that lands on McGinnis' desk. Like every other media wretch in town, I hoped McGinnis would succeed. It's a lot more fun to cover a coach who comes into the pressroom to chat than a coach who would rather torture his dog than talk to us.
In the end, though, it's about Sundays, not sunshine. And while it's hard to imagine a new coach riding into town on his white horse and rescuing the Cardinals, we know this:
McGinnis hasn't done it.
http://www.aztrib.com/index.php?sty=14068
By Scott Bordow, Tribune Columnist
12/05/2003
Vince Tobin is a nice man who had a 28-43 record as coach of the Arizona Cardinals. Dave McGinnis is a nice man who has a 16-37 record as coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
There was no shortage of voices calling for Tobin's firing midway through the 2000 season. Those same voices have been silent regarding McGinnis.
Why?
Clearly, McGinnis' demeanor has shielded him from overt criticism. McGinnis is the rare coach who treats the media with respect and dignity: he calls most reporters by name, whereas most coaches call us names. It's much easier to blast a bully like Buddy Ryan or an arrogant Buck Showalter.
The Cardinals' ignominious reputation also has served McGinnis well. He is viewed as a victim of the organization's ineptitude, another coach done in by the failures of the front office.
That perception is not without merit, but neither Arizona's bungling nor McGinnis' personality should obscure the fact that in three-plus seasons, he has failed to make any difference on Sundays.
Look around the NFL. In his first year in Dallas, Bill Parcells has the Cowboys headed to the playoffs. In Cincinnati, rookie coach Marvin Lewis has transformed a team and organization that could match the Cardinals gaffe for gaffe.
John Fox took over a 1-15 Carolina team, led it to a 7-9 record last year and has the Panthers (8-4) in first place in the NFC South this season.
McGinnis, on the other hand, is going backward. He won seven games in 2001, five games in 2002 and, if form holds, will win three games this season. Nice guys finish last shouldn't be a cliche come to life.
Would McGinnis be successful in a different organization? Possibly. Gene Stallings left the Cardinals and won a national championship at the University of Alabama.
But McGinnis isn't coaching somewhere else. He's coaching here. And unlike Lewis or Parcells, he has not been able to change the culture of defeat that permeates the organization.
Blame the front office if you like, but McGinnis must be held accountable for some of the disastrous personnel decisions that have sabotaged the Cardinals.
His 2001 draft was solid — Leonard Davis, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Marcus Bell, among others — but his 2002 selections were ruinous: Wendell Bryant, Levar Fisher, Josh McCown, Dennis Johnson, Nate Dwyer, Jason McAddley, Josh Scobey, Mike Banks.
See an impact player in there? See anyone who's helping the Cardinals win games this year?
McGinnis' calling card has been his ability to motivate and cajole every last ounce of energy out of his team.
This year, however, the Cardinals have played listless, uninspired football in losses at Dallas and Cleveland. They've been handled by sad-sack teams like Detroit and Chicago.
It's too harsh to say the Cardinals have quit on McGinnis, but their inconsistent effort reflects a team that has tuned out its head coach. Players already have begun speculating about who the next coach will be, and whether he'll be a martinet along the lines of former Jacksonville coach Tom Coughlin.
There's no question Arizona's talent level is a tide that never comes in. But other teams in the league — Chicago, Houston, Cincinnati — have personnel issues, and they're playing above their means. That the Cardinals aren't is an indictment that lands on McGinnis' desk. Like every other media wretch in town, I hoped McGinnis would succeed. It's a lot more fun to cover a coach who comes into the pressroom to chat than a coach who would rather torture his dog than talk to us.
In the end, though, it's about Sundays, not sunshine. And while it's hard to imagine a new coach riding into town on his white horse and rescuing the Cardinals, we know this:
McGinnis hasn't done it.
http://www.aztrib.com/index.php?sty=14068