Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
When a down franchise is trying to become a perennial Super Bowl contender---the best thing it can do is look for a head coach who could give the team a competitive edge---e.g. someone who can bring something special to the equation.
The Cardinals hit the jackpot when they hired Don Coryell---an innovative coach who was one of the great pioneers of the modern passing game that is now thriving in the NFL and in the NCAA.
Coryell---was a very intriguing hire, to say the least. He talked with a lisp and he hardly looked like someone in the Vince Lombardi, Don Shula or Chuck Noll mold---but he was brilliant and confident in the edge he could bring to the football field.
What the Cardinals are currently lacking is a head coach who brings that special intangible to the table---Ken Whisenhunt is an able coach and he has accomplished some outstanding feats in Arizona---but Whisenhunt's recent teams are not thriving in his area of expertise: offense. That is a significant red flag. This was the special intangible that made Whisenhunt a very intriguing hire six years ago.
And when Whisenhunt decided to put the offense in the hands of OC Todd Haley and QB Kurt Warner---the results were eye-popping.
The most asked question since Todd Haley and Kurt Warner left the organization is just how much their influence had to do with team's unparalleled offensive success.
In watching Warner at work---his forte was in developing tremendous chemistry and timing with all of his WRs, and even better, finding the mismatches he and the WRs felt they could exploit with whatever the opponent happened to be that week.
Just this past Monday night on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown, analyst and ex-Viking star WR Cris Carter was talking about Larry Fitzgerald and the Cardinals' offense's current woes and avowed that when Warner was the QB, Warner had the game plan and play calls down pat by Wednesday of each week.
For those of us who watched with profound curiosity as Kurt Warner stood on the sidelines furiously writing notes in a little notebook as his Cardinals were getting walloped by the Packers in Week 17. Essentially what Warner was doing was writing the blueprint for what was one of the most stunningly brilliant game plans in the history of the NFL playoffs---a game in which Warner virtually had to lead his offense to a score every time it got the ball because the Packers' offense was far too much for the much-beleaguered Cardinals' defense to stop.
Kurt Warner's line in the 51-45 OT win: 29/33 for 379 yds. 11.5 ypa, 5 TDs, 0 int. 1 sack for -4 yards.
Now three and a half years after Kurt Warner left the organization the only semblance of special that is being manifested by the Cardinals is the job that defensive coordination Ray Horton has done with the once hapless Cardinals' defense----in particular over the past 17 games, Horton's defense has paved the way for an 11-6 record which included wins over the 49ers, Seahawks, Rams, Patriots and Eagles (twice).
Horton---an NFL coaching anomaly of sorts---a slight man who dons on his scalp tight lines of corn rows (if one didn't know better one might think he was a percussionist for a reggae band rather than an NFL coach)....a philanthropist who upon leaving the Steelers sold his 1999 Mercedes SL500 to a cafeteria worker for $20 as a parting gift of thanks---a fiercely competitive coach who brings a brash attack-mode style of defense to the field, a style the players have relished and embraced as they pile up QB sacks and pressures.
When a coach can turn around a defense as bad as the Cardinals' was---that coach is special.
Last year, the job Horton did the Cardinals was being noticed across the league, as Horton was interviewed by the Rams for their head coaching vacancy. Apparently, the Rams were extremely impressed with how dynamic and well informed Horton was in his interview. The interview was clearly not a perfunctory Rooney Rule affair. Horton came very close to being offered the job.
About the same time last year another head coaching candidate was wowing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so much so that he was their #1 choice. After what appeared to be an agreement---the coaching candidate changed his mind, because as he said, "I have unfinished business at Oregon."
His name: Chip Kelly.
Chip Kelly is the closest thing to Don Coryell the league has seen in decades.
Kelly is revolutionizing the college game with his up-tempo, high speed offense. Plays are called at the line of scrimmage by single one syllable words. The QB is fast---the RBs are lightning quick and the WRs are speedsters. They play at a fevered pace---they score from all angles and distances and they put up astronomical numbers...recently to the tune of 50 something points per game.
His teams don differently unique duck-feathered uniforms and space age helmets seemingly every week.
In just his 4th year as the HC in Oregon (where he was promoted to HC from OC)...Kelly's record is 43-6 overall, and 31-2 in the PAC-12. His team lost in the NCAA BSC Championship game two years ago on a last second field goal to Cam Newton and the Auburn Tigers. Last January, his team beat Russell Wilson's Wisconsin in the 2012 Rose Bowl by the score of 45-38. Numerous Rose Bowl records were broken in that fast paced thriller---one of which was the 621 yards of total offense the Ducks gained on the Badgers---and check out this distribution of yards: 345 rushing, 276 passing.
Cynics will maintain that Kelly's offense wouldn't work in the NFL---but there are numerous NFL execs who don't care what the cynics say. One NFC exec recently said: "Kelly runs the best practices I have ever seen. I would hire him in a minute if I had the opportunity."
Watching Kelly and his Ducks at work at USC last night during their 62-51 win, what stands out is how well-prepared Kelly's offense is and how well coached they are in terms of never letting the pedal off the metal.
For example---just as USC was mounting a furious charge and getting within a one-score distance from the lead, Oregon came up a yard short on third and 5 near midfield---and---facing a critical 4th and 1---without any sideline discussion of the options at all, the Ducks rushed back into their formation and immediately threw to the back WR in a two man WR stack---the first WR made the block on the CB and the WR with the ball was easily able to gain the first down and a few yards more.
Here again is what the one syllable play calls and week-long situational preparation can do for a team.
Recently, Kelly's phone line has been buzzing from calls from Bill Belichick who has been asking Kelly to explain his offense and his play calling system to him. Turns out that when Belichick was in his first year as an NFL assistant under Ted Marchibroda of the Colts---Marchibroda was employing one word play calls (of course not for plays as elaborate as today's plays)---but the thinking was similar---get the plays communicated and set up as quickly as you can in order to give the team as best a competitive edge as possible.
Lastly, Kelly is quite the anomaly himself. Three years ago when an Oregon season ticket holder traveled to Boise St. to watch the season opener in the game that Oregon lost---the game where Legarrette Blount threw a punch at a Boise St. player after the game and was thereafter suspended, the season ticket holder said afterward that he would like to have his money back (air fare and hotel) for going to that debacle of a game---and two days later Kelly sent the ticket holder a personal check for $450.
Apparently the ticket holder never cashed the check...and has enjoyed the recent Rose Bowl and BSC Championship game trips, win or lose.
Paging Michael Bidwill...paging Michael Bidwill...
The Cardinals hit the jackpot when they hired Don Coryell---an innovative coach who was one of the great pioneers of the modern passing game that is now thriving in the NFL and in the NCAA.
Coryell---was a very intriguing hire, to say the least. He talked with a lisp and he hardly looked like someone in the Vince Lombardi, Don Shula or Chuck Noll mold---but he was brilliant and confident in the edge he could bring to the football field.
What the Cardinals are currently lacking is a head coach who brings that special intangible to the table---Ken Whisenhunt is an able coach and he has accomplished some outstanding feats in Arizona---but Whisenhunt's recent teams are not thriving in his area of expertise: offense. That is a significant red flag. This was the special intangible that made Whisenhunt a very intriguing hire six years ago.
And when Whisenhunt decided to put the offense in the hands of OC Todd Haley and QB Kurt Warner---the results were eye-popping.
The most asked question since Todd Haley and Kurt Warner left the organization is just how much their influence had to do with team's unparalleled offensive success.
In watching Warner at work---his forte was in developing tremendous chemistry and timing with all of his WRs, and even better, finding the mismatches he and the WRs felt they could exploit with whatever the opponent happened to be that week.
Just this past Monday night on ESPN's Monday Night Countdown, analyst and ex-Viking star WR Cris Carter was talking about Larry Fitzgerald and the Cardinals' offense's current woes and avowed that when Warner was the QB, Warner had the game plan and play calls down pat by Wednesday of each week.
For those of us who watched with profound curiosity as Kurt Warner stood on the sidelines furiously writing notes in a little notebook as his Cardinals were getting walloped by the Packers in Week 17. Essentially what Warner was doing was writing the blueprint for what was one of the most stunningly brilliant game plans in the history of the NFL playoffs---a game in which Warner virtually had to lead his offense to a score every time it got the ball because the Packers' offense was far too much for the much-beleaguered Cardinals' defense to stop.
Kurt Warner's line in the 51-45 OT win: 29/33 for 379 yds. 11.5 ypa, 5 TDs, 0 int. 1 sack for -4 yards.
Now three and a half years after Kurt Warner left the organization the only semblance of special that is being manifested by the Cardinals is the job that defensive coordination Ray Horton has done with the once hapless Cardinals' defense----in particular over the past 17 games, Horton's defense has paved the way for an 11-6 record which included wins over the 49ers, Seahawks, Rams, Patriots and Eagles (twice).
Horton---an NFL coaching anomaly of sorts---a slight man who dons on his scalp tight lines of corn rows (if one didn't know better one might think he was a percussionist for a reggae band rather than an NFL coach)....a philanthropist who upon leaving the Steelers sold his 1999 Mercedes SL500 to a cafeteria worker for $20 as a parting gift of thanks---a fiercely competitive coach who brings a brash attack-mode style of defense to the field, a style the players have relished and embraced as they pile up QB sacks and pressures.
When a coach can turn around a defense as bad as the Cardinals' was---that coach is special.
Last year, the job Horton did the Cardinals was being noticed across the league, as Horton was interviewed by the Rams for their head coaching vacancy. Apparently, the Rams were extremely impressed with how dynamic and well informed Horton was in his interview. The interview was clearly not a perfunctory Rooney Rule affair. Horton came very close to being offered the job.
About the same time last year another head coaching candidate was wowing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so much so that he was their #1 choice. After what appeared to be an agreement---the coaching candidate changed his mind, because as he said, "I have unfinished business at Oregon."
His name: Chip Kelly.
Chip Kelly is the closest thing to Don Coryell the league has seen in decades.
Kelly is revolutionizing the college game with his up-tempo, high speed offense. Plays are called at the line of scrimmage by single one syllable words. The QB is fast---the RBs are lightning quick and the WRs are speedsters. They play at a fevered pace---they score from all angles and distances and they put up astronomical numbers...recently to the tune of 50 something points per game.
His teams don differently unique duck-feathered uniforms and space age helmets seemingly every week.
In just his 4th year as the HC in Oregon (where he was promoted to HC from OC)...Kelly's record is 43-6 overall, and 31-2 in the PAC-12. His team lost in the NCAA BSC Championship game two years ago on a last second field goal to Cam Newton and the Auburn Tigers. Last January, his team beat Russell Wilson's Wisconsin in the 2012 Rose Bowl by the score of 45-38. Numerous Rose Bowl records were broken in that fast paced thriller---one of which was the 621 yards of total offense the Ducks gained on the Badgers---and check out this distribution of yards: 345 rushing, 276 passing.
Cynics will maintain that Kelly's offense wouldn't work in the NFL---but there are numerous NFL execs who don't care what the cynics say. One NFC exec recently said: "Kelly runs the best practices I have ever seen. I would hire him in a minute if I had the opportunity."
Watching Kelly and his Ducks at work at USC last night during their 62-51 win, what stands out is how well-prepared Kelly's offense is and how well coached they are in terms of never letting the pedal off the metal.
For example---just as USC was mounting a furious charge and getting within a one-score distance from the lead, Oregon came up a yard short on third and 5 near midfield---and---facing a critical 4th and 1---without any sideline discussion of the options at all, the Ducks rushed back into their formation and immediately threw to the back WR in a two man WR stack---the first WR made the block on the CB and the WR with the ball was easily able to gain the first down and a few yards more.
Here again is what the one syllable play calls and week-long situational preparation can do for a team.
Recently, Kelly's phone line has been buzzing from calls from Bill Belichick who has been asking Kelly to explain his offense and his play calling system to him. Turns out that when Belichick was in his first year as an NFL assistant under Ted Marchibroda of the Colts---Marchibroda was employing one word play calls (of course not for plays as elaborate as today's plays)---but the thinking was similar---get the plays communicated and set up as quickly as you can in order to give the team as best a competitive edge as possible.
Lastly, Kelly is quite the anomaly himself. Three years ago when an Oregon season ticket holder traveled to Boise St. to watch the season opener in the game that Oregon lost---the game where Legarrette Blount threw a punch at a Boise St. player after the game and was thereafter suspended, the season ticket holder said afterward that he would like to have his money back (air fare and hotel) for going to that debacle of a game---and two days later Kelly sent the ticket holder a personal check for $450.
Apparently the ticket holder never cashed the check...and has enjoyed the recent Rose Bowl and BSC Championship game trips, win or lose.
Paging Michael Bidwill...paging Michael Bidwill...
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