Perfectly stated John. Guys can keep stating that Whiz is a great play caller all they want but it doesn't make it so. With out a Kurt Warner there to recognize crap calls and change it( which he did regularly) we get what we had last year. You have to have a coach on the field(QB) that gets it. We didn't last season and it made Whiz look like the Idiot he is.
He can't identify talent, his play calling sucks and he keeps buffoons on his staff that can't motivate players to play(See Russ Grimm). There was a reason Big Ben had a non functioning relationship with the guy and a reason the Steelers didn't choose him as a headcoach. Boy did they ever dodge a bullet and make the right call sending him packing. Thank God there was talent on the roster when Wiz showed up because he has failed to add any other than the Steeler over the hill gang and 3rd best choices at coaches. Without Warner we were the worst team in the worst division in the NFL. 2 more years and we will again be the laughing stock of the NFL if we aren't already.
Are you really going to pound this "Warner made Whiz" crap continuously?
Then if so, you need to tell me, why wasnt Warner able to make Dennis Green? (crickets chirping.....)
So even with Warner, we were the laughing stock of the league....until Whisenhunt came to town.
I think the better answer is Whisenhunt, whether you like it or not, was an instrumental part in reviving Kurt's career.
Some how, some way, you are just going to have to open your eyes a bit wider. How much longer are you going to ignore facts that are in front of you, such as the two division titles, the NFC Championship and the SB appearance?
It's so funny to me that a coach who has had three consecutive good seasons on a team where no other coach seemingly was able to succeed, to trying so damn hard to mitigate his coaching acumen because we had a bad season in what many have deemed a transition year. We lost several key guys last year and were only able to really replace one of them (Rhodes for Rolle). During these transition years, it doesnt matter who you are, the road is bumpy much to the chagrin of the fans. This is why not one reputable NFL analyst even considered Whiz on the hot seat last season. Not one. As a matter of fact, after our MNF blunder, Tirico, Jaws and Gruden went out of their way to tell fans, who called up local radio stations saying the same stuff as you, that they're just ridiculous. Because they understand the trials and tribulations of coaching in the league
I also dont understand your statements about his Pittsburgh past. For example, his relationship with Roethlisberger. You want to know why there was such a rift? Look who Whiz was dealing with; a total narcissistic, self-indulging rapist who has no regard for anyone other than himself (and sometimes not even for himself). You are talking about the same quarterback who was called out publicly several times by Hines Ward. So if you are looking for one party in that dispute who was more in the wrong, you dont have to look too hard.
Whiz was hired by the Cardinals eight days before Tomlin took the job at Pittsburgh. He long departed that conversation before any decisions were made. Whiz also interviewed for the Falcons and Dolphins along with the Steelers FYI, so it's not like Whiz himself wasn't a wanted man.
Moreover, I know you want to dismiss Whiz as a play caller, but he has had success, which includes grooming the likes of Todd Haley, who was a wide receiver coach before coming to AZ. I also challenge you to give me the exact statistics of how many calls were made on the line when Warner was here as opposed to on the sidelines, since you are so sure it occurred so frequently. More accurately, the formations that were sent out defines what the play call was supposed to be. When 3 or 4 wideouts line up on the LOS, chances are the original call was not a run play. A good coach would also have the ability to spot such a skill out of his quarterback and give him the autonomy to make calls on the line. Unfortunately, this season, we were without a QB with that capability, even if we kept Leinart.
See the thing that most detractors do not consider was the garbage that was behind center. Now before you jump down my throat about how Whiz chose Anderson, I recognize that, so he holds some of the responsibility for that decision; but in addition, Im not so sure he wasnt influenced the slightest to let Leinart go by the front office (who would have had to renegotiate his contract the next season or pay him $11 mil) and the other players (who never stood up for him). With that said, I blame the execution more than the plays themselves. How is it humanly possible to game plan with one horrible veteran and two late round or undrafted rookies? It's virtually impossible. You cant even run the ball because the defense can successfully put 8 men in the box and not worry about getting beat deep.
So all in all, the "Whiz sucks" argument is really premature. Let's see what happens next season
? It is the Cardinals we're talking about.
