It's About Making the Pieces Fit

[BullheadCardFan]

It's About Making the Pieces Fit ..Whiz and Graves speak out ..

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It's About Making the Pieces Fit ​

Seth Polansky
azcardinals.com​

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• Ken Whisenhunt's press conference Click Here
• Rod Graves' press conference Click Here

INDIANAPOLIS -- There had to be a new coach in place that would be a good fit for the organization. There had to be a good staff of assistants to fit in the game plan. And the next few months must be spent fitting the right players in via free agency or the draft. [/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]And at their press conferences from the 2007 Scouting Combine, head coach Ken Whisenhunt and vice president of football operations Rod Graves said exactly that. [/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"One of the attractive elements to our decision to go with coach Whisenhunt was we felt like the plan he had talked about with respect to offense and defense is that we had many of those pieces in place in terms of personnel," Graves said. "In many respects it's a 'plug and play' type of approach. We feel like we have some talented players and a good plan that our players will believe in." [/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Rod Graves press conference video[/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Rod Graves fills the media in on Arizona's issues from the past season and what's been done to correct them.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Watch video[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]The players easily got the message about what Whisenhunt brings to the club because they found out first hand. Graves and vice president/general counsel Michael Bidwill opened the door for any player to sit in on the head coaching interviews and express their wishes and concerns. It's an unorthodox idea, but one that worked well for the Cardinals because Whisenhunt got to see the players' passion for the game right off the bat and see what needs to be done to make this team a more cohesive and functioning unit. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]And now the players will kick off the new era when the improved strength and conditioning program begins in March. Those guys are going to need to get tougher in order to survive Whisenhunt's game plan. The former Steelers offensive coordinator talked about the run game and how it's so vital to the outcome of every contest. The more the running backs and offensive linemen are in shape, the better it'll be for the Cards to pound it out as the fourth quarter is winding down. [/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Tougher Cardinals. Better disciplined Cardinals. More Cardinals on the roster who buy into Whisenhunt's vision … and possibly a second prominent running back. Will it Marcel Shipp, J.J. Arrington, a free agent, and draft pick or someone else? The next few months will provide the answer. [/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"Running the football sets the tone," said Whisenhunt. "I've had success with that in the past and I think you have to carry that over. And one of the things, in history and in the history with (offensive line coach) Russ (Grimm) when we worked together, is craft our running game to what our guys did best. So that might be determined by some guys we get in free agency or guys we get via the draft, and where we go from there." [/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]With a team typically going through about 1,000 plays a year and Whisenhunt running the ball 50-55 percent of the time, that means Edgerrin James can't do it all alone. So despite being the incredible runner he is, James could very well share backfield duties. [/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"You have to have a mix," Whisenhunt added. "For one back to think he's going to take all those carries and be able to hold up the season is a little bit unrealistic. I think Edgerrin will get his touches and be productive. But we need to find a young back or a veteran back who can help carry that load, especially a guy that can pound it four yards a carry; those tough yards." [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ken Whisenhunt press conference video[/FONT]

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[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Ken Whisenhunt chats about what it's going to take to right the ship.[/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Watch video[/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]And Graves is fully on board with this plan. His goal is to do whatever he needs to in order for Whisenhunt to be the best coach he can be. It's a rock solid, yet not too "conservative" of an approach that helped Whisenhunt earn a Super Bowl ring in Pittsburgh by utilizing scatback Willie Parker between the 20s and bruiser Jerome Bettis in goal-line situations. Tack on a Verron Haynes, and Whisenhunt had a complete backfield to work with. If it could work in Pittsburgh, it can work in Arizona. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]So by quickly identifying Whisenhunt's needs, Graves is already in the process of procuring the right components to make this machine work. And with James' signing at the very start of free agency last year, don't be surprised if another big name inks his name on the dotted line rather quickly when free agency kicks off March 2. It's rare, but it's something Graves, Whisenhunt and the Cardinals are already prepared for: Make it happen now, not later. [/FONT]​

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"We've always approached it from a team effort standpoint," Graves mentioned. "Our coaches and out scouts have worked very hard together, even with this short window of time. I think coach Whisenhunt has done an excellent job in articulating to our scouting staff and to his newly formed coaching staff exactly what we need, what we're looking for at those positions, and the type of player we would like to have in our program. [/FONT]

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]"We're looking forward to progress rather than change." [/FONT]

 

[BullheadCardFan]

"Running the football sets the tone," said Whisenhunt. "I've had success with that in the past and I think you have to carry that over. And one of the things, in history and in the history with (offensive line coach) Russ (Grimm) when we worked together, is craft our running game to what our guys did best. So that might be determined by some guys we get in free agency or guys we get via the draft, and where we go from there."

I am all for establishing the running game and having a balanced attack .. if the other team knows you have to throw every down then you are too predictable .. we need to keep them off balance and having a running gives you the ability to play action which opens up a lot of options ...

 

[Treesquid PhD]

I am all for establishing the running game and having a balanced attack .. if the other team knows you have to throw every down then you are too predictable .. we need to keep them off balance and having a running gives you the ability to play action which opens up a lot of options ...

Agreed, all that in the NFL if you can get a lead like the Cardinals have the potential too and go into the 4th with that lead, then It comes down to possessions. Basically you give the trailing opponent 2 possessions a quarter max with a running game and 3-4 without one.