Originally posted by pinnacle
slanidrac: While I agree with your overall comments...couple of things for clarification:
1. Although Mac inherited the same marginal staff tobin had...he was able to make changes. In the beginning I suppose he was handicapped...but in the last year or two it seems ownership and graves was calling for guys to get the ax and Mac could not send anyone packing because he was too committed to the staff....so yes..at the beginning he was limited in changes - but I am under the impression that he could have done an overhaul - but he then refused. So...I suppose some of the blame had to switch to him...although it was hard to get new coaches in here when they knew mac probably did not have much time left...We went thru a few OC's after tobin left...and when Mac was promoted they moved up Marmie...so there was some changes....
2. I think after the 1998 season we did lose some very key members of the team.....but I am not sure it was all due to lack of money or commitment on the Cardinals part. Cutting larry centers was clearly a big screw up...they should have tried other things to clear the cap space (restructures or something)...I think we offered Jamir Miller and Lomas brown more $$ than what they received elsewhere...Jamir simply got bad advice from his agent...it would have been in his best interest to stay. Lomas Brown...I think Lomas simply wanted to move back to near Detroit to be with his family more...I do not recall what kind of an offer we made him (or if we did)..but as I recall there was that screwy deal where he was supposed to get some other business interests from the Browns (part ownership of a parking garage or something)...which I think in the end was not allowed by the NFL....but Lomas clearly had an itch to get back to Michigan/Ohio area.....why he went to the Giants after that is a mystery (probably due to Fassel or something)....but I got the impression at the time that Lomas was not that crazy about not on the Cardinals - but being in Arizona - mostly due to family reasons or something....
In response to #1. Yes, Mac was much to dedicated to then current players and staff, but I don't think at that point he could have just went in and fired his entire coaching staff , even if he wanted to. I agree , some changes had been made. As much as I liked Jerry Sullivan I think it's in the best interest to let him go. Do you think Dennis Green would have accepted this job if he was made to retain 2 or 3 of the ex coaching staff. I think not.
About #2. You are right on about Jamir Miller, but if memory serves me right Brown and Centers were both cap decisions, again, terrible management decisions that ripped out the heart of the team and added to the "disease". If I'm not mistaking we also cut Mike Devlin and started the season without a true center on the team...because it saved us 200k or something like that. I just remember players being totally pissed off about that.
But, so as to not lose the whole point off the post, players and fans can no longer say this team is status quo. Any player from Anquan to the last guy on the inactive list can no longer blame management for not doing the right things to be competitive. So if there are any players that still feel that way, THEY are part of the disease that should and will be gone.
Will we be in the playoffs next year. Probably not. Will we be losing games 51-7 and 44-13? I doubt it. Will we be last in the league in scoring and pts allowed? I highly doubt it. I said many times that if we make sensible, logical decisions and it doesn't go our way, so be it. We will forever second guess decisions that don't work out. Dennis Green is a sensible and logical choice. I beleive that by the time next season starts, we will be "disease" free!
I hope Green can do it!!! I was real optimistic when Mac took over however. There's a lot to do in between now and the playoffs though. If he can hire a solid staff of assistants/teachers my heart will start to thump a little faster!!!
