Woke up at 2:30 this morning, got bored, did some writing.
Hope you don't mind.
DISCONNECTIONS
Upfront, I want to say that I believe in Whisenhunt's ability as a head coach. What we see via the media isn't what we get in the locker room, so my thoughts are based on simple speculation as unfair or accurate as it could turn out to be, just another fan's way to deal with the reality of a disappointing season.
HC PLAYCALLING
There's no strong case for a head coach to call his own plays.
Successful teams do it, but bad ones do too. It's a correlating feature at best, but what is unique about the AZ situation is that they do it without an offensive coordinator. It creates a gap where there's too much work to do and not enough manpower to get the job done.
On a struggling team a head coach wants to influence more to provide a steady and clear direction. Often times they assume the play calling, but once they get used to it they don't give it back. The need for control is an ingrained features of their personality; a large part of which that help them get the job, but like the old saying goes, "just because you can doesn't mean you should."
Coach has a full plate; the entrees of reversing the fortunes of a struggling team and managing the overall direction on game day is a large enough bite to swallow. Micromanaging the offense just steals focus from the larger picture.
It's a parallel theme we hear from struggling defenses: "Guys try to do too much, we just need to trust the man next to us to do our job and we just have to go out and do ours." If you play a lot of attention to football you've heard this multiple times.
There's an unintentional hypocrisy at work when the HC can't trust the staff he's hired, in this case, the staff he won't hire. As a member of a struggling team he tries to do too much.
Coach needs to trust in what he's built and provide a steady hand, not one that fiddles in the gears. He provides direction, he doesn't steer.
But let's attempt to meet him halfway and allow him to continue to call plays. He still needs a person to put together a total package that features running and passing plays that work in concert that make up an overall theme. Teams call this an identity. The Cardinals don't have one. They have a goal; they want to play tough and disciplined football. They may not be there, but getting them to that point is what Coach needs to be focused on. On a smaller level an offensive coordinator can provide the same stability on by creating a meaningful connection between running and passing strategy. In the case of Miller and Grimm, two coaches working on different facets of the game plan, there's inherently going to be a division.
Not to be cute, but the lack of an offensive coordinator has created a team with no coordination on offense.
ASSISTANT COACHES HAVE TOO MUCH TO DO
We know the offense is struggling and it's trickled down to position coaching. Coach has to spend more time on offense, diverting attention from the big picture.
Vital positional coaching takes a back seat to equally important game preparation.
The rushing game is disappointing, but a weekly overhaul of the rushing attack still has to be done, so Grimm has to take a step back from hands-on instruction with a struggling line and help put together that plan.
Miller's job is even harder. At the start of the offseason he had to prepare a list of quarterback that included a former top 10 pick and Heisman winner who's confidence was shaken and who's leadership was in question; A journeyman with accuracy problems; and for fun two rookies with opposite skill sets and opposite flaws. Then put together a weekly passing attack based on scouting, taking into account what the team has been doing well and what they haven't.
Not to say the position coaches don't have a big hand in game day prep when a team has a coordinator on staff, but there's a sensible assumption that if they have extra help they can spend more time hands-on with players. With teams struggling on the level the Cardinals are, they need every teaching opportunity they can get.
The Cardinals division of labor was more equitable when Haley was on staff, even when he wasn't calling the plays. An off season dream would be to get a dedicated offensive coordinator. We know Coach can call a championship worthy season, he's got the hardware to prove it, what he needs is help.
WHIS AND THE QB
When Coach became head coach he had a challenge. A talented, but young QB and an old veteran who appeared to be on the back end of his best years. We know how the story turned out, but here's some sideways speculation to what happened.
When coach was a coordinator at Pittsburgh Coach had a hyper-talented, but young QB. He weaned him in using a steady diet of powerful rushing game and stout defense. The plan was to take a similar direction as the lead man in AZ, but his time in PIT had soured him on 1st round QBs.
What we know about Roethlisberger 's off the field decision making is this: he has a tremendous ego and a overly-enlarged sense of entitlement. The first is a given in the NFL, they don't get to where they are by doubting themselves or thinking they're anything less than the absolute best. The second is highlighted by two allegations of acting on his own desires, in direct conflict of the interests of the other parties involved. He's also faced criticism of his work ethic on separate occasions. A personality like his could be a nightmare to work with and a feud at the end of Coach's time in PIT became public. It's enough to make anyone a little gun shy.
When Coach came to AZ he's determined to not let the same thing happen to him again. He's a little tighter in his control. Out of the gate he wants Leinart to know the roles of the relationship. This may or may not be fair, but as with a lot of rebounding relationships it was prone to over-correction. This may not have been the thing that tanked the chemistry between the two, but combined with injuries and a talented back up it was an easy decision for Coach. After Warner's retirement a poor decision by Leinart to air his laundry publicly was the final fracture in a bad relationship.
Since then the QBs on the roster are all late round picks (in Hall's case undrafted) who have had to earn their keep. They've not earned well, but the future is brighter for Skelton, who has the physical tools Hall does not and the upside Anderson does not.
Time will tell if Coach's wish to have success on the arm of a non-first round QB is attainable, but the hope is that if a quality QB is available his history with others won't have him pass on a potentially great one.
LOOKING FORWARD
One of the things Coach was praised for during his early time in the desert was adaption. Most fans will cry otherwise as it's a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world, but his staff made solid halftime adjustments on game day (especially compared to those of Dennis Green).
He's spent high draft picks on both sides of the line as well as trying to re-enforce skill positions. Most notably, despite his intentions on arrival when Warner re-surged Coach adapted his plan to fit what Warner did well by incorporating more spread and shotgun elements.
These are all earmarks of a good coach.
This year it doesn't feel like the adaption is as obvious, but it's a terrible scenario to be stuck in.
There seems to be only a token effort to be a running team and clearly the passing game cannot be set on the shoulders of whoever is under center.
This would dictate rushing more over passing. Defenses know this and key on this and flood the box, brazenly at times. Calling a rushing play into the maw of defeat is foolish when it's cover 0 or cover 1 on the outside.
Opportunities are there, but it's a case of dammed if you do, because even a talented WR core can't catch some of the balls they've seen.
To be fair, they haven't been able to catch some of the ones they should have either.
It makes for a frustrating cocktail and no one will be pleased with the results.
It takes a ridiculous amount of the right things to create a successful NFL team in one season, much less to string together a number of them into a good team year in and out, but as Coach often says, "these are correctable mistakes."
I hope he's able to.
Hope you don't mind.
DISCONNECTIONS
Upfront, I want to say that I believe in Whisenhunt's ability as a head coach. What we see via the media isn't what we get in the locker room, so my thoughts are based on simple speculation as unfair or accurate as it could turn out to be, just another fan's way to deal with the reality of a disappointing season.
HC PLAYCALLING
There's no strong case for a head coach to call his own plays.
Successful teams do it, but bad ones do too. It's a correlating feature at best, but what is unique about the AZ situation is that they do it without an offensive coordinator. It creates a gap where there's too much work to do and not enough manpower to get the job done.
On a struggling team a head coach wants to influence more to provide a steady and clear direction. Often times they assume the play calling, but once they get used to it they don't give it back. The need for control is an ingrained features of their personality; a large part of which that help them get the job, but like the old saying goes, "just because you can doesn't mean you should."
Coach has a full plate; the entrees of reversing the fortunes of a struggling team and managing the overall direction on game day is a large enough bite to swallow. Micromanaging the offense just steals focus from the larger picture.
It's a parallel theme we hear from struggling defenses: "Guys try to do too much, we just need to trust the man next to us to do our job and we just have to go out and do ours." If you play a lot of attention to football you've heard this multiple times.
There's an unintentional hypocrisy at work when the HC can't trust the staff he's hired, in this case, the staff he won't hire. As a member of a struggling team he tries to do too much.
Coach needs to trust in what he's built and provide a steady hand, not one that fiddles in the gears. He provides direction, he doesn't steer.
But let's attempt to meet him halfway and allow him to continue to call plays. He still needs a person to put together a total package that features running and passing plays that work in concert that make up an overall theme. Teams call this an identity. The Cardinals don't have one. They have a goal; they want to play tough and disciplined football. They may not be there, but getting them to that point is what Coach needs to be focused on. On a smaller level an offensive coordinator can provide the same stability on by creating a meaningful connection between running and passing strategy. In the case of Miller and Grimm, two coaches working on different facets of the game plan, there's inherently going to be a division.
Not to be cute, but the lack of an offensive coordinator has created a team with no coordination on offense.
ASSISTANT COACHES HAVE TOO MUCH TO DO
We know the offense is struggling and it's trickled down to position coaching. Coach has to spend more time on offense, diverting attention from the big picture.
Vital positional coaching takes a back seat to equally important game preparation.
The rushing game is disappointing, but a weekly overhaul of the rushing attack still has to be done, so Grimm has to take a step back from hands-on instruction with a struggling line and help put together that plan.
Miller's job is even harder. At the start of the offseason he had to prepare a list of quarterback that included a former top 10 pick and Heisman winner who's confidence was shaken and who's leadership was in question; A journeyman with accuracy problems; and for fun two rookies with opposite skill sets and opposite flaws. Then put together a weekly passing attack based on scouting, taking into account what the team has been doing well and what they haven't.
Not to say the position coaches don't have a big hand in game day prep when a team has a coordinator on staff, but there's a sensible assumption that if they have extra help they can spend more time hands-on with players. With teams struggling on the level the Cardinals are, they need every teaching opportunity they can get.
The Cardinals division of labor was more equitable when Haley was on staff, even when he wasn't calling the plays. An off season dream would be to get a dedicated offensive coordinator. We know Coach can call a championship worthy season, he's got the hardware to prove it, what he needs is help.
WHIS AND THE QB
When Coach became head coach he had a challenge. A talented, but young QB and an old veteran who appeared to be on the back end of his best years. We know how the story turned out, but here's some sideways speculation to what happened.
When coach was a coordinator at Pittsburgh Coach had a hyper-talented, but young QB. He weaned him in using a steady diet of powerful rushing game and stout defense. The plan was to take a similar direction as the lead man in AZ, but his time in PIT had soured him on 1st round QBs.
What we know about Roethlisberger 's off the field decision making is this: he has a tremendous ego and a overly-enlarged sense of entitlement. The first is a given in the NFL, they don't get to where they are by doubting themselves or thinking they're anything less than the absolute best. The second is highlighted by two allegations of acting on his own desires, in direct conflict of the interests of the other parties involved. He's also faced criticism of his work ethic on separate occasions. A personality like his could be a nightmare to work with and a feud at the end of Coach's time in PIT became public. It's enough to make anyone a little gun shy.
When Coach came to AZ he's determined to not let the same thing happen to him again. He's a little tighter in his control. Out of the gate he wants Leinart to know the roles of the relationship. This may or may not be fair, but as with a lot of rebounding relationships it was prone to over-correction. This may not have been the thing that tanked the chemistry between the two, but combined with injuries and a talented back up it was an easy decision for Coach. After Warner's retirement a poor decision by Leinart to air his laundry publicly was the final fracture in a bad relationship.
Since then the QBs on the roster are all late round picks (in Hall's case undrafted) who have had to earn their keep. They've not earned well, but the future is brighter for Skelton, who has the physical tools Hall does not and the upside Anderson does not.
Time will tell if Coach's wish to have success on the arm of a non-first round QB is attainable, but the hope is that if a quality QB is available his history with others won't have him pass on a potentially great one.
LOOKING FORWARD
One of the things Coach was praised for during his early time in the desert was adaption. Most fans will cry otherwise as it's a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately world, but his staff made solid halftime adjustments on game day (especially compared to those of Dennis Green).
He's spent high draft picks on both sides of the line as well as trying to re-enforce skill positions. Most notably, despite his intentions on arrival when Warner re-surged Coach adapted his plan to fit what Warner did well by incorporating more spread and shotgun elements.
These are all earmarks of a good coach.
This year it doesn't feel like the adaption is as obvious, but it's a terrible scenario to be stuck in.
There seems to be only a token effort to be a running team and clearly the passing game cannot be set on the shoulders of whoever is under center.
This would dictate rushing more over passing. Defenses know this and key on this and flood the box, brazenly at times. Calling a rushing play into the maw of defeat is foolish when it's cover 0 or cover 1 on the outside.
Opportunities are there, but it's a case of dammed if you do, because even a talented WR core can't catch some of the balls they've seen.
To be fair, they haven't been able to catch some of the ones they should have either.
It makes for a frustrating cocktail and no one will be pleased with the results.
It takes a ridiculous amount of the right things to create a successful NFL team in one season, much less to string together a number of them into a good team year in and out, but as Coach often says, "these are correctable mistakes."
I hope he's able to.
