Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
I know, I know. I know already. The Cardinals under 5th year Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt have won two NFC West Championships in the past three years---which had been unprecedented. They won the NFC Championship in 2009---first ever in St. Louis or Arizona---and they were 2:37 away from winning their first ever Super Bowl.
The Cardinals have what is arguably the best football stadium in America. They have sold out the building since the very first game---and the Cardinals' fan base, not just in the state of Arizona---but all across America---has been rapidly growing.
So what is the problem?
The problem is: the Cardinals---in terms of building a perennial power---remain one of the worst focused, most undisciplined and leaderless organizations in professional sports.
But---what about the recent success?
If you take one player away---would any of it have happened?
Would any of it have come even remotely close to happening?
Honestly.
There were good reasons why the Cardinals were called the "worst playoff team in NFL history."
The modified version is that they were the worst playoff team with one of the most brilliant QBs in NFL history.
The truth of the matter is---even though Kurt Warner was surrounded by some impressive talent at certain positions---his team was improperly built and poorly coached---which is why he did the coaching.
If you recall---the coaches and the organization---on several occasions nearly did the unthinkable---they nearly whiffed on Warner---the one player who changed everything.
The organization wanted Matt Leinart to be the QB---and even when a one-armed Warner was making a dazzling case to be the starter to the unprecedented tune of 28 ppg---Leinart remained the clear-cut favorite...
Warner wanted a contract extension that summer---even though Ken Whisenhunt had announced Leinart as the starter---
The Cardinals did not wish to entertain talks of a contract extension with Warner.
Then a year later---after the whole Leinart/Warner QB charade in training camp...and after Warner had the Cardinals within 2:37 of a Super Bowl win---and was now a free agent---the Bidwillean Cardinals---as parsimonious as ever---nearly lost him in free agency---
Had Warner not been such a devoted family man and not wanted to uproot his family---he would have left Arizona just out of indignance...and quite frankly the way the contract negoatiations went and dragged on, he would have been totally justified in doing so.
The reality is the Cardinals did not know how to value the one player who brought Championships to Arizona...
Same as the fact that without Warner this past season---the organization did not know how to value success, by doing everything it could to try to win a third consecutive NFC West Championship---in a year where 8-8 would get the job done.
Instead---the organization placed the priority on saving as much money as it could...and in the process reverted back to being the perennial embarrassment it had been before Warner made his run for the roses.
So---let's take a hard look at many of the reasons why the Cardinals continue to lack direction and leadership:
Putting faith in Matt Leinart---when it was obvious that he was not a fit for the team...skill-wise or leadership-wise.
Being a passing team the past 4 years and not having at least one better than average pass blocking tackle on the roster.
The drafting of T Levi Brown as the #5 pick of the 2007 draft...Brown is a potential mauler in the running game, but a liablity in pass protection---so much so that the Cardinals immediately moved him to RT as a rookie---to save face, the Cardinals will tell you that they did this to protect Matt Leinart's blindside. This is laughable. The swiftest and most talented edge rushing threats in the NFL rush from the QB's left side...regardless of who the QB is.
The thing is---you don't draft right tackles in the top five of the draft---you just don't---and you certainly don't draft tackles who struggle in pass protection in the top 5, let alone the first round unless you plan to run the ball 4 times out of every 5 plays.
Didn't the Cardinals learn this in the Leonard Davis debacle?
To make matters even worse---the Cardinal tackles under Whisenhunt and Grimm are left 98% of the time on islands versus the best pass rushers. Even the system itself doesn't compensate for its glaring weaknesses.
The signing of Alan Faneca and trading of Reggie Wells---fine, if now you are finally going to commit to running the ball---makes a lot of sense---finally---except, no, you remain a passing team---even though you cut the heir apparent to Warner on the eve of the first game in favor of a QB who has struggled his whole career with accuracy issues---and when he predictably fails, you go with two rookies and continue to pass the ball.
Want a bona fide running attack?
Don't you make it a priority to acquire good, strong FBs and TEs?
Not only has the team not had one above average pass protecting tackle in the last 4 years, it's FB and TE play have been flat-out awful...pitiful really. And when you don't make aggressive moves to sign or draft at those positions, what does it tell you about the true direction of the coach running it?
Why instead do you continue to use draft picks on WRs year after year---using third rounders for it twice in the last three years at that---when you don't have a bona fide TE or FB or pass protecting tackle?
The answer is simple---you want to spread the field and pass the ball.
Direction and leadership on defense?
This unit has been so poorly built and coached the past four years---it's no wonder they give up 45 points on a regular basis.
First of all...is this unit being built to be a legitimate 34 defense?
If so, why then in the last 4 years---just as there has not been one good pass protecting tackle---there has not been one consistently effective nose tackle?
The 34 defense begins at the nose tackle position.
The NT player you waste a 4th round draft pick on in Whiz's first draft to trade up for in the 2nd round not only has light bulb issues his first three years, he tells you that he doesn't like playing NT.
Then you sign an aging vet who would not start for any other team in the NFL or possiby even the CFL and he stays your starter for 3 whole years...even after you draft a NT in the first round this past year.
OK---so that's a start---you draft the big NT you need---so then you trade up to draft the WILB you need because Karlos Dansby doesn't want to play for you---you couldn't get a deal done with him so you f-tag him to the tune of $20M the past two years---and get this---you play another aging vet at WILB and---when you play the rookie---you put him at SILB, a position he is not built for.
The best thing about missing out on Steelers' LB coach Keith Butler was that at least Butler provided the Cardinal staff (prior to Horton's signing) with a blueprint for what kind of players you need at OLB in order to make the 34 dynamic. He said you need players who can bull rush and be quick enough to beat the tackles off the edge.
The reality is, the Cardinals have been playing the 34 defense the past 4 years and have not had one bona fide pass rushing OLB.
When the Cardinals pass rush was shut down in the Super Bowl like a summer lemonade stand in the pouring rain---the Cardinals' answer was to sign NO free agent pass rushers---then, even worse, it was to draft a RB (a player who three years later still does not start for you), and not a pass rusher in the first round---and reach for an OLB in the late portion of Round 2 who never plays a single down for you and is now on the Jets' practice squad.
Funny...the last good edge rusher you had is also on the Jets because you didn't want to pay him.
Ray Horton comes in and immediately sets the criteria for his DBs as being "little guys who hit." Good stuff...well, the Cardinals have the fastest CB in the NFL, but he doesn't want to hit...and that being the case, he could be the next talented first rounder to hit the road.
First Round Draft Picks
The Cardinals draft talented players...and they draft for need...but what about character and leadership? And what about the player being the right fit in the system at the position they draft him for?
Matt Leinart?
Antrel Rolle? Took three years of constant struggles at CB to finally kick him inside at S....and you sign him to a ridiculous contract that eventually causes you to have to release him...and you get nothing back for him.
Levi Brown? Solid guy---but not the kind of leader you want from a #5 pick---mostly because he doesn't produce at the level you are paying him for.
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie? Leader? lol ---maybe of space cadets.
Beanie Wells? Scouts thought his upright running style would create problems for him in the NFL---and thus far they were right, for when he can't stiff arm you, you can get a clean shot at the ball because he does not protect it with his pad level.
Dan Williams? Have you ever seen a DT so out of breath all the time? What is up with that? He was supposed to be a top 12 pick...makes you wonder what other teams surmised about him.
All of the players flash significant talent...but what kind of leadership and character do they bring to the football team?
Are they part of the solution? Or part of the problem?
Coaching Responsibilities, Titles, Roles and Staffing
Russ Grimm: Assistant Head Coach? Why is he watching Springsteen during the most important half-time in Cardinal history? Why does he stand almost always alone at the back end of the bench area during games? Why have his o-line units struggled so much in his 4 years here?
Offensive Coordinator of the Running Game? As well?
Mike Miller: Newly appopinted Offensive Coordinator after being the Passing Game Coordinator. What is his experience and what are his credentials? Has he ever called plays---other than the few Whiz gave him last year? But then again---Whiz hasn't decided whether Miller will call plays or not---but Miller is the new OC. Confusing? If it's confusing to any of us, imagine how confusing it is to the players.
The best hope is that whatever veteran QB the Cardinals sign will do what Warner did: take over the offense.
Ray Horton: Newly appointed Defensive Coordinator. Has never called defenses in an NFL game---BUT---he is a true 34 coach---and he commands respect....which is why he is a Ray of Hope....especially if the Cardinals listen to him in the draft rooms and start drafting the right kind of fits....and the right kind of leaders.
The two coaches who deserve the most kudos for what they do are Kevin Spencer and John Lott. Spencer's STs are extremely well organized, well drilled and well prepared. This guy is head coaching material.
John Lott is the best motivator on the staff. He relates well to the players and knows how to push them to make them stronger, both mentally and physically...but...how happy is he in Arizona? Has he been rightfully valued and compensated within the organization? Something tells me that this has not been the case at all...further reason why the good ones want to bolt from Arizona the first chance they get...that is...unless they are family men who do not want to uproot their families.
Thus...it is about time the Cardinals' coaching staff and the front office start to commit themselves to building a passing offense by signing and drafting good pass protectors---one has to admire, for example, Mike Shanahan's commitment to drafting the kind of atheltic o-linemen that fit his system.
Adding a pass threat at TE and a run and catch threat at RB would help as well. So would re-signing that kid #11. And while you're at it, #15 aint so bad either.
And the Cardinals have to now commit themselves as an organization to building their 34 defense.
In the process...this team needs leaders---guys who show up every day and play hard every game. Guys who fit into the positions they are drafted to play...especially the players you draft high and early and pay the big bucks to.
The organization itself has to finally consider hiring a football savvy GM who can aid and abet the direction in which the football team needs to go...someone too who can close the deal with the team's best players...someone who would make Arizona the place to be in the NFL.
The Cardinals have what is arguably the best football stadium in America. They have sold out the building since the very first game---and the Cardinals' fan base, not just in the state of Arizona---but all across America---has been rapidly growing.
So what is the problem?
The problem is: the Cardinals---in terms of building a perennial power---remain one of the worst focused, most undisciplined and leaderless organizations in professional sports.
But---what about the recent success?
If you take one player away---would any of it have happened?
Would any of it have come even remotely close to happening?
Honestly.
There were good reasons why the Cardinals were called the "worst playoff team in NFL history."
The modified version is that they were the worst playoff team with one of the most brilliant QBs in NFL history.
The truth of the matter is---even though Kurt Warner was surrounded by some impressive talent at certain positions---his team was improperly built and poorly coached---which is why he did the coaching.
If you recall---the coaches and the organization---on several occasions nearly did the unthinkable---they nearly whiffed on Warner---the one player who changed everything.
The organization wanted Matt Leinart to be the QB---and even when a one-armed Warner was making a dazzling case to be the starter to the unprecedented tune of 28 ppg---Leinart remained the clear-cut favorite...
Warner wanted a contract extension that summer---even though Ken Whisenhunt had announced Leinart as the starter---
The Cardinals did not wish to entertain talks of a contract extension with Warner.
Then a year later---after the whole Leinart/Warner QB charade in training camp...and after Warner had the Cardinals within 2:37 of a Super Bowl win---and was now a free agent---the Bidwillean Cardinals---as parsimonious as ever---nearly lost him in free agency---
Had Warner not been such a devoted family man and not wanted to uproot his family---he would have left Arizona just out of indignance...and quite frankly the way the contract negoatiations went and dragged on, he would have been totally justified in doing so.
The reality is the Cardinals did not know how to value the one player who brought Championships to Arizona...
Same as the fact that without Warner this past season---the organization did not know how to value success, by doing everything it could to try to win a third consecutive NFC West Championship---in a year where 8-8 would get the job done.
Instead---the organization placed the priority on saving as much money as it could...and in the process reverted back to being the perennial embarrassment it had been before Warner made his run for the roses.
So---let's take a hard look at many of the reasons why the Cardinals continue to lack direction and leadership:
Putting faith in Matt Leinart---when it was obvious that he was not a fit for the team...skill-wise or leadership-wise.
Being a passing team the past 4 years and not having at least one better than average pass blocking tackle on the roster.
The drafting of T Levi Brown as the #5 pick of the 2007 draft...Brown is a potential mauler in the running game, but a liablity in pass protection---so much so that the Cardinals immediately moved him to RT as a rookie---to save face, the Cardinals will tell you that they did this to protect Matt Leinart's blindside. This is laughable. The swiftest and most talented edge rushing threats in the NFL rush from the QB's left side...regardless of who the QB is.
The thing is---you don't draft right tackles in the top five of the draft---you just don't---and you certainly don't draft tackles who struggle in pass protection in the top 5, let alone the first round unless you plan to run the ball 4 times out of every 5 plays.
Didn't the Cardinals learn this in the Leonard Davis debacle?
To make matters even worse---the Cardinal tackles under Whisenhunt and Grimm are left 98% of the time on islands versus the best pass rushers. Even the system itself doesn't compensate for its glaring weaknesses.
The signing of Alan Faneca and trading of Reggie Wells---fine, if now you are finally going to commit to running the ball---makes a lot of sense---finally---except, no, you remain a passing team---even though you cut the heir apparent to Warner on the eve of the first game in favor of a QB who has struggled his whole career with accuracy issues---and when he predictably fails, you go with two rookies and continue to pass the ball.
Want a bona fide running attack?
Don't you make it a priority to acquire good, strong FBs and TEs?
Not only has the team not had one above average pass protecting tackle in the last 4 years, it's FB and TE play have been flat-out awful...pitiful really. And when you don't make aggressive moves to sign or draft at those positions, what does it tell you about the true direction of the coach running it?
Why instead do you continue to use draft picks on WRs year after year---using third rounders for it twice in the last three years at that---when you don't have a bona fide TE or FB or pass protecting tackle?
The answer is simple---you want to spread the field and pass the ball.
Direction and leadership on defense?
This unit has been so poorly built and coached the past four years---it's no wonder they give up 45 points on a regular basis.
First of all...is this unit being built to be a legitimate 34 defense?
If so, why then in the last 4 years---just as there has not been one good pass protecting tackle---there has not been one consistently effective nose tackle?
The 34 defense begins at the nose tackle position.
The NT player you waste a 4th round draft pick on in Whiz's first draft to trade up for in the 2nd round not only has light bulb issues his first three years, he tells you that he doesn't like playing NT.
Then you sign an aging vet who would not start for any other team in the NFL or possiby even the CFL and he stays your starter for 3 whole years...even after you draft a NT in the first round this past year.
OK---so that's a start---you draft the big NT you need---so then you trade up to draft the WILB you need because Karlos Dansby doesn't want to play for you---you couldn't get a deal done with him so you f-tag him to the tune of $20M the past two years---and get this---you play another aging vet at WILB and---when you play the rookie---you put him at SILB, a position he is not built for.
The best thing about missing out on Steelers' LB coach Keith Butler was that at least Butler provided the Cardinal staff (prior to Horton's signing) with a blueprint for what kind of players you need at OLB in order to make the 34 dynamic. He said you need players who can bull rush and be quick enough to beat the tackles off the edge.
The reality is, the Cardinals have been playing the 34 defense the past 4 years and have not had one bona fide pass rushing OLB.
When the Cardinals pass rush was shut down in the Super Bowl like a summer lemonade stand in the pouring rain---the Cardinals' answer was to sign NO free agent pass rushers---then, even worse, it was to draft a RB (a player who three years later still does not start for you), and not a pass rusher in the first round---and reach for an OLB in the late portion of Round 2 who never plays a single down for you and is now on the Jets' practice squad.
Funny...the last good edge rusher you had is also on the Jets because you didn't want to pay him.
Ray Horton comes in and immediately sets the criteria for his DBs as being "little guys who hit." Good stuff...well, the Cardinals have the fastest CB in the NFL, but he doesn't want to hit...and that being the case, he could be the next talented first rounder to hit the road.
First Round Draft Picks
The Cardinals draft talented players...and they draft for need...but what about character and leadership? And what about the player being the right fit in the system at the position they draft him for?
Matt Leinart?
Antrel Rolle? Took three years of constant struggles at CB to finally kick him inside at S....and you sign him to a ridiculous contract that eventually causes you to have to release him...and you get nothing back for him.
Levi Brown? Solid guy---but not the kind of leader you want from a #5 pick---mostly because he doesn't produce at the level you are paying him for.
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie? Leader? lol ---maybe of space cadets.
Beanie Wells? Scouts thought his upright running style would create problems for him in the NFL---and thus far they were right, for when he can't stiff arm you, you can get a clean shot at the ball because he does not protect it with his pad level.
Dan Williams? Have you ever seen a DT so out of breath all the time? What is up with that? He was supposed to be a top 12 pick...makes you wonder what other teams surmised about him.
All of the players flash significant talent...but what kind of leadership and character do they bring to the football team?
Are they part of the solution? Or part of the problem?
Coaching Responsibilities, Titles, Roles and Staffing
Russ Grimm: Assistant Head Coach? Why is he watching Springsteen during the most important half-time in Cardinal history? Why does he stand almost always alone at the back end of the bench area during games? Why have his o-line units struggled so much in his 4 years here?
Offensive Coordinator of the Running Game? As well?
Mike Miller: Newly appopinted Offensive Coordinator after being the Passing Game Coordinator. What is his experience and what are his credentials? Has he ever called plays---other than the few Whiz gave him last year? But then again---Whiz hasn't decided whether Miller will call plays or not---but Miller is the new OC. Confusing? If it's confusing to any of us, imagine how confusing it is to the players.
The best hope is that whatever veteran QB the Cardinals sign will do what Warner did: take over the offense.
Ray Horton: Newly appointed Defensive Coordinator. Has never called defenses in an NFL game---BUT---he is a true 34 coach---and he commands respect....which is why he is a Ray of Hope....especially if the Cardinals listen to him in the draft rooms and start drafting the right kind of fits....and the right kind of leaders.
The two coaches who deserve the most kudos for what they do are Kevin Spencer and John Lott. Spencer's STs are extremely well organized, well drilled and well prepared. This guy is head coaching material.
John Lott is the best motivator on the staff. He relates well to the players and knows how to push them to make them stronger, both mentally and physically...but...how happy is he in Arizona? Has he been rightfully valued and compensated within the organization? Something tells me that this has not been the case at all...further reason why the good ones want to bolt from Arizona the first chance they get...that is...unless they are family men who do not want to uproot their families.
Thus...it is about time the Cardinals' coaching staff and the front office start to commit themselves to building a passing offense by signing and drafting good pass protectors---one has to admire, for example, Mike Shanahan's commitment to drafting the kind of atheltic o-linemen that fit his system.
Adding a pass threat at TE and a run and catch threat at RB would help as well. So would re-signing that kid #11. And while you're at it, #15 aint so bad either.
And the Cardinals have to now commit themselves as an organization to building their 34 defense.
In the process...this team needs leaders---guys who show up every day and play hard every game. Guys who fit into the positions they are drafted to play...especially the players you draft high and early and pay the big bucks to.
The organization itself has to finally consider hiring a football savvy GM who can aid and abet the direction in which the football team needs to go...someone too who can close the deal with the team's best players...someone who would make Arizona the place to be in the NFL.
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; start anew by trashing Whiz's playbook for McDaniel's or Musgrave's; hire Coach "pants on the ground, etc. etc. The family background may have precluded Ryan coming to AZ; Mangini and Jauron are primarily 4-3 coordinators... and finally, Manusky was interviewed.
Ok, so you like all of Whiz's choices so far. You would rather have guys that have either never called a play in their lives or have very little experience period. We are far apart on this one. Look what getting some experienced coordinators did for KC. They went from laughing stock to good team in one year. I guess we'll have to agree to disagree on this one.
