Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
While at first the Cardinals' hiring of Mike Munchak to be the new head coach may disappoint the fan base in Arizona, once the fans understand this hiring better, Munchak will start to feel like a wise choice.
Why?
To put it simply: this is a classic case of putting the horse before the cart.
The Cardinals cannot keep failing along the offensive line. If the OL failures continue, it doesn't matter who the QB, bell cow RB or quintet of WRs are. Games are won and lost in the trenches and if there is a coach who can turn the Cardinals' OL around it is Munchak.
Where the OL is concerned, Munchak may be instrumental in bringing LT D.J. Humphries' game to a potentially Pro Bowl level. He would likely sit down with LG Mike Iupati and encourage him to restructure his deal so that Munch can help him return to prominence.
At C there could be immediate changes via free agency or the draft, if A.Q. Shipley doesn't fit the prototype. At RG, the Titans' UFA Josh Klein would be a very good fit.
At RT, Munchak could persuade Jared Veldheer to restructure his deal to make it 2 years. No one will be more excited to see Munchak as HC than Veldheer. if Veldheer doesn't budge, look for Munchak to turn to the Steeler's Swiss Army Knife T/G UFA Chris Hubbard. In the meantime, Munchak would further develop T/G John Wetzel, T Will Holden, C/G Evan Boehm and C/G Daniel Munyer.
Word is that Todd Haley might be fired in Pittsburgh, although Ben Roethlisberger, who recently announced he wants to play 3 more years, has hinted that he wants Haley back.
Not sure if Munchak would want Haley anyway. One cannot imagine that Munchak was too thrilled to see the two 4th and inches calls versus the Jaguars which included a toss sweep that was dropped for a 3 yard loss and an incomplete crossing pass on a drag route...when all the while the 6-5, 235 QB could have readily sneaked the ball behind C Maurkice Pouncey and All-Pro RG David DeCastro.
In RB David Johnson Munchak has his version of Le'Veon Bell. At WR, Fitz will return with one or two UFAs and a Day 2 draft pick. At TE, there's chance Munchak could help Jermaine Gresham earn his salary.
While no one knows just yet who Munchak would want as his OC, it wouldn't be surprising if Munchak tries to lure Matt Hasselbeck out of the ESPN studio as QB coach. Munchak has often raved about Hasselbeck's leadership and mastery of QB and WR adjustments when he was the #2 QB under Munchak in Tennessee.
On the defensive side of the ball, Ron Wolfley has been campaigning for the Cardinals to keep James Bettcher. But, Munchak may have other ideas. It is critical for Munchak this time around to get his coaching staff just the way he wants it, because he was fired in Tennessee for refusing to let go of some of his assistant coaches.
In Tennessee, Munchak got very mixed results from his defense under DC Jerry Gray. The Cardinals have more defensive talent to start with than Munchak and Gray did.
In Tennessee Munchak went 22-26 with mostly Jake Locker at QB. Munchak is not averse to employing dual threat QBs and this time around the hope is he can have a stronger pro prospect than Locker.
The matching of Munchak with Steve Keim and Michael Bidwill is made to order. Munchak is a diligent taskmaster, who garners great loyalty and respect from his players. He's tough-minded, but highly personable. The Titans' players eagerly wanted Munchak to return as coach, per one of the Titans' beat reporters.
The bottom line is---while the hiring of Munchak isn't necessarily going to create a fevered pitched buzz---the Cardinals need to get tougher---and Munchak can bring the hard hat and lunch pail mentality that the Cardinals need in order to climb back up the ladder in the NFC West.
If this 2nd interview in Arizona goes as well as expected, Michael Bidwill will probably have his Cardinals' pen and Munchak's contract ready. Munch is being called a "dark horse" candidate in Arizona, but it wouldn't be a huge surprise if Bidwill and Keim from the get-go have viewed Mike Munchak as a bona fide Clydesdale.
Why?
To put it simply: this is a classic case of putting the horse before the cart.
The Cardinals cannot keep failing along the offensive line. If the OL failures continue, it doesn't matter who the QB, bell cow RB or quintet of WRs are. Games are won and lost in the trenches and if there is a coach who can turn the Cardinals' OL around it is Munchak.
Where the OL is concerned, Munchak may be instrumental in bringing LT D.J. Humphries' game to a potentially Pro Bowl level. He would likely sit down with LG Mike Iupati and encourage him to restructure his deal so that Munch can help him return to prominence.
At C there could be immediate changes via free agency or the draft, if A.Q. Shipley doesn't fit the prototype. At RG, the Titans' UFA Josh Klein would be a very good fit.
At RT, Munchak could persuade Jared Veldheer to restructure his deal to make it 2 years. No one will be more excited to see Munchak as HC than Veldheer. if Veldheer doesn't budge, look for Munchak to turn to the Steeler's Swiss Army Knife T/G UFA Chris Hubbard. In the meantime, Munchak would further develop T/G John Wetzel, T Will Holden, C/G Evan Boehm and C/G Daniel Munyer.
Word is that Todd Haley might be fired in Pittsburgh, although Ben Roethlisberger, who recently announced he wants to play 3 more years, has hinted that he wants Haley back.
Not sure if Munchak would want Haley anyway. One cannot imagine that Munchak was too thrilled to see the two 4th and inches calls versus the Jaguars which included a toss sweep that was dropped for a 3 yard loss and an incomplete crossing pass on a drag route...when all the while the 6-5, 235 QB could have readily sneaked the ball behind C Maurkice Pouncey and All-Pro RG David DeCastro.
In RB David Johnson Munchak has his version of Le'Veon Bell. At WR, Fitz will return with one or two UFAs and a Day 2 draft pick. At TE, there's chance Munchak could help Jermaine Gresham earn his salary.
While no one knows just yet who Munchak would want as his OC, it wouldn't be surprising if Munchak tries to lure Matt Hasselbeck out of the ESPN studio as QB coach. Munchak has often raved about Hasselbeck's leadership and mastery of QB and WR adjustments when he was the #2 QB under Munchak in Tennessee.
On the defensive side of the ball, Ron Wolfley has been campaigning for the Cardinals to keep James Bettcher. But, Munchak may have other ideas. It is critical for Munchak this time around to get his coaching staff just the way he wants it, because he was fired in Tennessee for refusing to let go of some of his assistant coaches.
In Tennessee, Munchak got very mixed results from his defense under DC Jerry Gray. The Cardinals have more defensive talent to start with than Munchak and Gray did.
In Tennessee Munchak went 22-26 with mostly Jake Locker at QB. Munchak is not averse to employing dual threat QBs and this time around the hope is he can have a stronger pro prospect than Locker.
The matching of Munchak with Steve Keim and Michael Bidwill is made to order. Munchak is a diligent taskmaster, who garners great loyalty and respect from his players. He's tough-minded, but highly personable. The Titans' players eagerly wanted Munchak to return as coach, per one of the Titans' beat reporters.
The bottom line is---while the hiring of Munchak isn't necessarily going to create a fevered pitched buzz---the Cardinals need to get tougher---and Munchak can bring the hard hat and lunch pail mentality that the Cardinals need in order to climb back up the ladder in the NFC West.
If this 2nd interview in Arizona goes as well as expected, Michael Bidwill will probably have his Cardinals' pen and Munchak's contract ready. Munch is being called a "dark horse" candidate in Arizona, but it wouldn't be a huge surprise if Bidwill and Keim from the get-go have viewed Mike Munchak as a bona fide Clydesdale.
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