I Can No Longer Defend this Coaching Staff

[Harry]

Especially in the case of Bettcher, I’ve been holding that he was growing in the job and was worth hanging in there with. I now admit I was wrong. Not because he didn’t take my advice, but because his defensive alignments were so transparent that the Rams took them apart. Last week the Bucs’ backup QB did the same thing. The blitzes, in particular, were so predictable that Goff was virtually unthreatened.

The offensive designed looked about 7 years old. Mostly straight ahead runs and deep fly patterns dominated the calls. The QBs spent the day running for their life.

There’s no point even discussing the special teams other than to say if they’d used Dawson to kick in the preseason they would likely have spotted that problem much earlier.

The Cardinals failure to use the preseason effectively is indicative of a team that believes the future will always be an extension of the past. That has led them to get old and cease to be competitive. 3 years ago they were light years ahead of the Rams. Now it’s the Cards who are not even close enough to scare them.

 

[nashman]

Start over...sigh

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Don't agree at all. First, preseason is useless. You should know that. I think the Browns were 4-0.
I do agree Amos is bad.

Cards have an old roster and I think that bodes terribly for special teams, which, if you combine that with Amos, you're going to have bad results.

 

[b8rtm8nn]

If we had Fassel coaching special teams instead of Amos Jones, Dawson would be fine.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Defend what at this point? Arians is just whisenuhunt 2.0. Pride and jackassery

 

[nashman]

Don't agree at all. First, preseason is useless. You should know that. I think the Browns were 4-0.
I do agree Amos is bad.

Cards have an old roster and I think that bodes terribly for special teams, which, if you combine that with Amos, you're going to have bad results.

Nonsense, preseason should be used to get everyone ready and in sync, the problem is this coaching staff sucks at it! This team and prior teams under BA are never ready to play, that’s on the coaches!

 

[AZCrazy]

Well, at least we had the Diamondbacks.

 

[AZCB34]

Don't agree at all. First, preseason is useless. You should know that. I think the Browns were 4-0.
I do agree Amos is bad.

Cards have an old roster and I think that bodes terribly for special teams, which, if you combine that with Amos, you're going to have bad results.

What he is saying is Dawson likely would have sucked in the preseason and they could have dealt with it then. Preseason record is useless but preseason play isn't useless unless you allow it to be useless...which Arians does to his detriment.

 

[Chopper0080]

Don't agree at all. First, preseason is useless. You should know that. I think the Browns were 4-0.
I do agree Amos is bad.

Cards have an old roster and I think that bodes terribly for special teams, which, if you combine that with Amos, you're going to have bad results.

Preseason record is pretty useless. How you use it to get your team ready for week 1 is pretty important. Especially when you have a turnstile offensive line that needs to learn to play together. This is the second year I have heard players state they are bored with the preseason. If you aren't using the time to get better, you letting someone else get ahead of you.

Results oriented individuals are always shocked at the end result, but folks invested in the process are rarely surprised.

 

[cardpa]

Defend what at this point? Arians is just whisenuhunt 2.0. Pride and jackassery

This brings up a very interesting question, twice now Bidwill has hired similar coaches in Arians and Whisenhunt. Will the third time be any different? Maybe the head coach problem is the type of coach that impresses Bidwill. He is the only common denominator in the equation. Is the source of the problem Michael Bidwill? Unless I am mistaken weren't both Whisenhunt and Arians OCs in Pittsburgh? If so there seems to be a trend here. Maybe the problem is we went from bowtie Billy to no tie Michael.

 

[Vermont Maverick]

There’s no point even discussing the special teams other than to say if they’d used Dawson to kick in the preseason they would likely have spotted that problem much earlier.

Right on point, Harry. What logical reason is there to use your kicker in 2 of 5 preseason games. Afraid of injury? Really, a kicker? Punters kicking field goals just sent tempo for the kicking game, which is one area we could not afford that .

 

[SoCal Cardfan]

We keep wondering why these "coaching guru's" slip through to us.

"Oh my God... The Steelers let Whiz, Grimm and BA go??"

How awesome for us!!!

It was fun for a while BA..... But your ridiculous loyalty to dead weight, and inability to adapt your game plans, is getting old REAL quick.

 

[Mitch]

This brings up a very interesting question, twice now Bidwill has hired similar coaches in Arians and Whisenhunt. Will the third time be any different? Maybe the head coach problem is the type of coach that impresses Bidwill. He is the only common denominator in the equation. Is the source of the problem Michael Bidwill? Unless I am mistaken weren't both Whisenhunt and Arians OCs in Pittsburgh? If so there seems to be a trend here. Maybe the problem is we went from bowtie Billy to no tie Michael.

It's a great question, PA. One thing that always struck me as curious was MB's statement about hiring BA. The first thing he said was they knew they had their guy when at the interview/dinner BA dropped a few f-bombs. Now, BA turned out to be a very good hire for the first 3 years, so MB was right about him. But, every time MB gives his HCs a hefty raise and an extension it seems it backfires on him. It did with Whisenhunt and now it is with BA. MB let KW go with a year remaining on his contract. Will he do that with BA? Probably not. But, this team is sinking fast in the NFC West and something needs to be done or the sold out streak at U of P will end.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Right on point, Harry. What logical reason is there to use your kicker in 2 of 5 preseason games. Afraid of injury? Really, a kicker? Punters kicking field goals just sent tempo for the kicking game, which is one area we could not afford that .

that made no sense whatsoever... protecting your kicker.

 

[THESMEL]

Well our premier pass game window is closed or closing, wasted by not running the bail worth a poot - except when CJ lead the nfl in the 13 and 3 season - DJ is our horse to build an offense around and he is a good one! Is BA the qb whisperer we want leading the rebuild - maybe but not without Billy Bidwill supervision.

 

[DeAnna]

Same problems he had in Pittsburgh. Un-sound blocking schemes will get your QB killed (which is what they were afraid would happen to BigBen). Too much dependence on the long ball.

 

[oaken1]

This brings up a very interesting question, twice now Bidwill has hired similar coaches in Arians and Whisenhunt. Will the third time be any different? Maybe the head coach problem is the type of coach that impresses Bidwill. He is the only common denominator in the equation. Is the source of the problem Michael Bidwill? Unless I am mistaken weren't both Whisenhunt and Arians OCs in Pittsburgh? If so there seems to be a trend here. Maybe the problem is we went from bowtie Billy to no tie Michael.

BA and Wis are two very different coaches.
BA started here with a lesser roster and produced a winning season immediately.

IMO the biggest issue is that BA has never learned to be a head coach. As a coordinator you can be ride or die with a player or an assistant coach. The loyalty is a strength and makes your subordinates love you.
You can do it as a coordinator without hurting the team because the coordinator is not making the final decisions. If the HC then says a player or assistant has to go,...said coordinator can sympathize and suffer with his "buddy" because it wasnt his fault,...the decision came down from over his head.

A HC can not afford emotional ties to his players or his subordinate coaches. The HC's job is to focus on what is best for the team rather it gives him a warm fuzzy feeling or not. It is a skill everyone in management has to learn at some point. Which is why with most companies a young manager gets the responsibility of terminating people before he gets the authority to hire people. But it is a skill BA has never learned or developed. He insists on keeping the guys he likes even when they are not the best for the team.
we have seen it repeatedly in regards to drew stanton...nearly every year we have seen a guy with better mobility, better accuracy, and stronger leadership get dropped at final cuts while stanton remains on the roster...and, well...Amos Jones.

 

[Praxis]

Don't agree at all. First, preseason is useless.

Who the hell takes the third game of the preseason like it's bullsh*t? Bullsh*t!

 

[cardfaninfl]

Bruce Arians may not last the bye-week. This was more than just "one loss". This was a disaster against the Division leader, that cost a ton of money, in an emerging market that could increase profits for ownership.

1. Michael had HIS Franchise embarrassed on an international stage.

2. If against a Divisional foe the team scores ZERO points, and allows a 13/19 3rd Down Efficiency... the team has obviously quit. If the simple willingness to compete is gone, small changes won't help. When something is this broken, fixing it ain't an option. Replacement is necessary.

3. Michael may not be the greediest of NFL owners, but financially the buck stops with him. Michael spent a large amount of dollars/pounds to transplant the organization overseas, allowing everyone to acclimate. Yesterday's lack of return on investment has consequences in ANY business.

4. Every request, decision, and action by Arians will now be questioned by Michael. When a strategy FAILS at this level, it is only natural for Michael to now question everything Bruce wants/says. Once credibility and a basic level of trust is lost between a boss and worker, there is only one intelligent move.

Who is his interim replacement? No clue; doesn't matter. A message that this degree of complacency will not be tolerated needs to be sent. LOUD AND CLEAR.

I enjoyed BA's style, swagger, character, and love for his guys, but it's OVER. Waiting until the end of the season would send the message Michael is just delaying the inevitable because of convenience. The exact opposite of what this organization needs now.

 

[SoCal Cardfan]

Bruce Arians may not last the bye-week. This was more than just "one loss". This was a disaster against the Division leader, that cost a ton of money, in an emerging market that could increase profits for ownership.

1. Michael had HIS Franchise embarrassed on an international stage.

2. If against a Divisional foe the team scores ZERO points, and allows a 13/19 3rd Down Efficiency... the team has obviously quit. If the simple willingness to compete is gone, small changes won't help. When something is this broken, fixing it ain't an option. Replacement is necessary.

3. Michael may not be the greediest of NFL owners, but financially the buck stops with him. Michael spent a large amount of dollars/pounds to transplant the organization overseas, allowing everyone to acclimate. Yesterday's lack of return on investment has consequences in ANY business.

4. Every request, decision, and action by Arians will now be questioned by Michael. When a strategy FAILS at this level, it is only natural for Michael to now question everything Bruce wants/says. Once credibility and a basic level of trust is lost between a boss and worker, there is only one intelligent move.

Who is his interim replacement? No clue; doesn't matter. A message that this degree of complacency will not be tolerated needs to be sent. LOUD AND CLEAR.

I enjoyed BA's style, swagger, character, and love for his guys, but it's OVER. Waiting until the end of the season would send the message Michael is just delaying the inevitable because of convenience. The exact opposite of what this organization needs now.

I agree with the overall sentiment in your post, But you have possibly forgotten how low Michael Bidwill's father has set the bar...

I think it will take a hell of a lot more than this... to convince him that this a Dollar Bill team.

 

[Garthshort]

SoCal, Michael's father was trying to run a franchise that was seriously under financed. He took a lot of heat for not spending money, when he had little to spend. And to me that was the root of our (the team) problem. I've been a supporter of BA, but his aversion to not making changes drives me mad. There is no reason NOT to play Gabbert. I'm tired of hearing, "............ and it's not even close". Granted I don't know what to expect from BG, but I'm sure what we'll get from DS, even if we beat a bad SF team. At least BG gives us hope. Unfortunately, BA won't change, unless he's told to by SK or MB.

 

[Cards_Campos]

I wonder if it is possible to get Gruden or Cowher out of retirement. They need a coach who is structured and that doesn't accept mediocrity . obviously getting them is probably slim to none. But who else would be a good hire right now? No coordinators sound appealing. College coaches are a crap shoot at best. Who would you want? I Definately want BA gone

 

[cardpa]

I would still like to hear the other sides version of why Arians got let go as OC in Pittsburgh. We have heard Arians side but I have never seen anything from the management side as to why and I also suspect maybe Tomlin may have given Arians lip service when in reality he wanted him gone too. When Tomlin tells him I'm going in to try and get you a raise and then the results is your fired, doesn't make any sense at all.

 

[Harry]

I should have included my gratitude for several fun years that BA brought. He came at the right time. SK came up with a good formula (now copied by many) to fill the holes. BA took these vets to success using an all out attack on offense & defense. It was fun while it lasted. Now BA should move on and SK needs to improve his drafting process, vet negotiation & free agent selection. Cap management must improve. Loyalty is fine quality, but if you want to win in the NFL it can’t be an absolute.

It’s true they’ve got 2 good backs and an assortment of good athletes on both sides of the ball. The cupboard isn’t empty but real lines and impact players must be found. No more redshirt, first round picks.

I’m not ready to nominate a new coach, but I hope the Cards are moving in that direction.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

The Cardinals failure to use the preseason effectively is indicative of a team that believes the future will always be an extension of the past. That has led them to get old and cease to be competitive. 3 years ago they were light years ahead of the Rams. Now it’s the Cards who are not even close enough to scare them.

I still think Arians is a good coach. Had this league chasing him and his team for a couple years.

Just may be a better offensive coordinator than a head coach. People forget, because of his age, this is his first head coaching gig. It seems easy to walk into a situation and be the new shiny penny. How good a NFL Head Coach you are, well, that can only be proved through time.

I may get tired of hiring the Patriots play by play on the message board everyday, but that doesn't mean I do not tip my hat to the system they have in place in New England, and Pittsburgh. (Yes, it helps to have a HOF QB that has been in place for 10+years, too).

I will continue to go back to this offseason where, at least in this opinion, instead of rebuilding this roster, the organization tried to half-build, half-contend.

It is kind of like the Cardinals had a big date, aka the Superbowl, and they missed it once cause they were sick, Palmer gets knocked out mid-season, and the other because they psyched themselves out, loss to the Panthers.

Since they have spent the last two years trying to get that date back, but everyone knows it is time to move on.

Has Arians and company lost the team ? Sure feels like it.

Guys like Betcher, Amos, and some other coaches, they seem to be in over their head. Losing Todd Bowles was for a reason, and Betcher is no Todd Bowles, he is not Ray Horton either.

Tough times for the team. I will defend the coach no problem......just not very hard.

If the Cardinals need a new head coach, new team core, and new QB. This is asking a lot for one offseason, and why I thought this all should have been started last offseason. Even if it cost this organization ticket sales for a year.

Oh well, is what it is at this point.