We are not making the Plays - Whisenhunt

[az jam]

I'm listening to the press conference and Coach Whisenhunt's ongoing message is that "We are not making the Plays". Its the same message that we heard at every press conference last year. This is pathetic.

 

[dogpoo32]

Hard to execute when the defense knows exactly what you are going to do. When does any responsibility fall on Whis' shoulders?

 

[Chopper0080]

I'm listening to the press conference and Coach Whisenhunt's ongoing message is that "We are not making the Plays". Its the same message that we heard at every press conference last year. This is pathetic.

But it is 100% true. Our players do not make plays when they have the chance to. Larry drops the first ball. Acho misses a pick. Jefferson misses a pick. Wilson gets walled inside. Marshall and Wilson both go with a wide receiver and let McNabb walk in for a touchdown. Housler drops a ball. Kolb misses Housler. Bridges holds on a touchdown throw. Kolb takes a stupid sack.

These aren't coaching issues. Last week against the Giants the announcers kept commenting that the Cardinal players were in position but just didn't make the play on the ball. Fitzgerald and Wells, lately, have been really the only players to step up and win one on one battles this year. Washington does sometimes on defense, as does our defensive line (though not consistently enough in my opinion).

Btw, Patrick Peterson, welcome to the NFL kid. Drop your shoulder and lay a lick one time.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Btw, Patrick Peterson, welcome to the NFL kid. Drop your shoulder and lay a lick one time.

agreed. I love this kid's potential, but he's looked like a complete ***** tackling anyone the majority of the season.

 

[82CardsGrad]

He sounds like a guy who is out of answers, out of ideas, out of solutions... He emphasized that he will "stick with what they know works", and then referenced the Super Bowl team. Uh... Ken, you know that that team was actually LEAD by Kurt Warner, right?? The ONLY reason you were playing in Tampa was because of #13!!!
Since you don't have anyone on this team that is even close to the caliber of leader that Kurt Warner is, you just might have to do things a bit differently!!! Geeez he's frustrating to listen to....

 

[Chopper0080]

agreed. I love this kid's potential, but he's looked like a complete ***** tackling anyone the majority of the season.

It is like he forgets that he is 215lbs. I am sure that he will get it, but I thought that he would be more aggressive tackling than what he has been.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

"The System Works."

 

[Cheesebeef]

He sounds like a guy who is out of answers, out of ideas, out of solutions... He emphasized that he will "stick with what they know works", and then referenced the Super Bowl team. Uh... Ken, you know that that team was actually LEAD by Kurt Warner, right?? The ONLY reason you were playing in Tampa was because of #13!!!
Since you don't have anyone on this team that is even close to the caliber of leader that Kurt Warner is, you just might have to do things a bit differently!!! Geeez he's frustrating to listen to....

did he really bring up the Super Bowl team again? The team that he and Graves systematically took apart? The team that he's never come close to approximating again without Warner, Q, Dansby?

 

[82CardsGrad]

did he really bring up the Super Bowl team again? The team that he and Graves systematically took apart? The team that he's never come close to approximating again without Warner, Q, Dansby?

O yea... he sure did... and I wanted to barf the minute the words crossed his lips.

 

[conraddobler]

But it is 100% true. Our players do not make plays when they have the chance to. Larry drops the first ball. Acho misses a pick. Jefferson misses a pick. Wilson gets walled inside. Marshall and Wilson both go with a wide receiver and let McNabb walk in for a touchdown. Housler drops a ball. Kolb misses Housler. Bridges holds on a touchdown throw. Kolb takes a stupid sack.

These aren't coaching issues. Last week against the Giants the announcers kept commenting that the Cardinal players were in position but just didn't make the play on the ball. Fitzgerald and Wells, lately, have been really the only players to step up and win one on one battles this year. Washington does sometimes on defense, as does our defensive line (though not consistently enough in my opinion).

Btw, Patrick Peterson, welcome to the NFL kid. Drop your shoulder and lay a lick one time.

The playcalling is a coaching issue, passing on 2nd and 1 this week, passing on running downs all year when clock management was an issue, and the inablity of this team to execute a screen play are all coaching issues.

It's a general lack of accountability that does this and I'll tell you how it got there.

If you are a Whiz chosen one you can do no wrong, if you are Deuce or Beanie then you have to work 10 times harder than a chosen one to keep your job.

I realize you probably aren't going to mess with LF however he played his best ball when Haley was here and pushing him every week.

They have to figure out how to execute a basic screen pass, that's just purely coaching to not get that done.

More than anything if I had one critique of Whiz it would be that he has a very limited toolbox on motivating players.

I realize in pro ball you should not have to motivate but in reality that's your main job, find a players buttons and push them, constantly!

He thinks everyone is the same apparently and uses the doghouse meithod for everyone, some need support and ecouragement and constant re-enforcement, some need a kick in the ass and some need it exactly how Whiz does it with the cold shoulder but he's like a pitcher with one pitch, he's just got the cold shoulder fastball and nothing else.

 

[Russ Smith]

agreed. I love this kid's potential, but he's looked like a complete ***** tackling anyone the majority of the season.

You must be kidding remember last week the announcer told us Peterson is a "power" punt returner not someone who gets by on speed. I was laughing my head off he was the fastest guy on the field, but as you said he's just not sticking his head in there and tackling anybody.

 

[Chopper0080]

The playcalling is a coaching issue, passing on 2nd and 1 this week, passing on running downs all year when clock management was an issue, and the inablity of this team to execute a screen play are all coaching issues.

It's a general lack of accountability that does this and I'll tell you how it got there.

If you are a Whiz chosen one you can do no wrong, if you are Deuce or Beanie then you have to work 10 times harder than a chosen one to keep your job.

I realize you probably aren't going to mess with LF however he played his best ball when Haley was here and pushing him every week.

They have to figure out how to execute a basic screen pass, that's just purely coaching to not get that done.

More than anything if I had one critique of Whiz it would be that he has a very limited toolbox on motivating players.

I realize in pro ball you should not have to motivate but in reality that's your main job, find a players buttons and push them, constantly!

He thinks everyone is the same apparently and uses the doghouse meithod for everyone, some need support and ecouragement and constant re-enforcement, some need a kick in the ass and some need it exactly how Whiz does it with the cold shoulder but he's like a pitcher with one pitch, he's just got the cold shoulder fastball and nothing else.

In fact screen passes are about player awareness, execution, and timing. Where we struggle in the screen game is that our linemen are terrible at executing and have terrible timing. Wells does not have a good feel for the passing game, and Kolb is going too fast. This overall lack of timing and continuity is the problem. To blame it on the coaching in a shortened offseason is a bit ridiculous. Keep in mind that it has also never been a big part of our game.

 

[PitchShifter]

But it is 100% true. Our players do not make plays when they have the chance to.

I agree players aren't making plays, but at what point does the coaching staff take some responsibility for the lack of progression in correcting basic mistakes?
The inability of the team to fix problems is damning when you also consider questions on the team's ability to also develop talent. I just don't think the coaches have the ability to coach players up.

 

[Angel]

I agree players aren't making plays, but at what point does the coaching staff take some responsibility for the lack of progression in correcting basic mistakes?
The inability of the team to fix problems is damning when you also consider questions on the team's ability to also develop talent. I just don't think the coaches have the ability to coach players up.

Exactly, what I watched yesterday was a team that looked like they never even practiced together let alone played a game together. Even our best looked clueless. There is none of the normal progression an NFL player should demonstrate in our younger guys and a complete look of WTF? on the faces of the vets.

My friends we are back to the times when you gotta be tough to be a Cardinal fan. I know they are responsible for making the plays but I wonder how the players can even stand the regression.

 

[Cheesebeef]

O yea... he sure did... and I wanted to barf the minute the words crossed his lips.

jesus... that's disgusting. that was THREE YEARS AND LIKE 16 STARTERS AGO!

 

[DoTheDew]

But it is 100% true. Our players do not make plays when they have the chance to.

If the players are consistently not making the plays then either 1. Change what players are on the field or 2. Change what plays you're calling. Continuing to do the same thing and expecting different results is not the answer.

 

[kerouac9]

I'm not one to read into body language or anything like that, but I'd recommend that everyone listen to Whis's Monday presser on the Cards Podcast. Dude sounds completely finished. No ideas what to do next, no answers for the press.

The press is finally starting to get tough about everything, and they're really wearing down Coach. He seems happy to have a break. It's stunning that Coach had no real plan at all for dealing with a shortened season. It seems like his only answer is that guys need more reps. He should look around the NFL.

Coach isn't going to walk away from the fat contract extension he just got, and the Whis Guys (Wilson, Dockett, Fitz, and Kolb) are going to stick with him because he got them paid. But, man, he sounds like a guy at the end of his rope.

He's mostly talking CoachSpeak--although he goes far enough to blame quarterback play at one point--but if you don't listen to what he says and listen to how he says it, it's pretty clear that this is a defeated coach who is in deeply over his head.

Too much authority, way too soon. The best thing the Cards can to do save Ken Whisenhunt is do what the Seahawks did with Mike Holmgren: take his personnel power away and hire a strong GM to shop for the groceries.

There's nothing to look forward to this season.

 

[82CardsGrad]

I'm not one to read into body language or anything like that, but I'd recommend that everyone listen to Whis's Monday presser on the Cards Podcast. Dude sounds completely finished. No ideas what to do next, no answers for the press.

The press is finally starting to get tough about everything, and they're really wearing down Coach. He seems happy to have a break. It's stunning that Coach had no real plan at all for dealing with a shortened season. It seems like his only answer is that guys need more reps. He should look around the NFL.

Coach isn't going to walk away from the fat contract extension he just got, and the Whis Guys (Wilson, Dockett, Fitz, and Kolb) are going to stick with him because he got them paid. But, man, he sounds like a guy at the end of his rope.

He's mostly talking CoachSpeak--although he goes far enough to blame quarterback play at one point--but if you don't listen to what he says and listen to how he says it, it's pretty clear that this is a defeated coach who is in deeply over his head.

Too much authority, way too soon. The best thing the Cards can to do save Ken Whisenhunt is do what the Seahawks did with Mike Holmgren: take his personnel power away and hire a strong GM to shop for the groceries.

There's nothing to look forward to this season.

I agree with this... he's 3 & 13 over his last 16 games with 9 straight losses on the road now. That'll beat up anyone...

 

[Divide Et Impera]

We're not making plays because our OL is atrocious - specifically our OTs moreso than the interior line, but the interior line can't even keep the DL's hands out of the passing lanes (e.g., batted balls). The blocking scheme sucks and the players suck even worse. Grimm is garbage and the OTs are sh*t. Lose them both and we actually have the players to make this salvagable. However, Whis has lost all the team's confidence, IMO, so maybe he's dead weight at this point....

 

[Divide Et Impera]

I agree with this... he's 3 & 13 over his last 16 games with 9 straight losses on the road now. That'll beat up anyone...

I'm pretty certain we're now at 10 straight road losses. Double digits. In case you weren't depressed enough....

 

[82CardsGrad]

I'm pretty certain we're now at 10 straight road losses. Double digits. In case you weren't depressed enough....

Ooops... including the Saints playoff loss, I think you're right...

 

[Divide Et Impera]

Next stop - TRIPLE digits!!!!

 

[Darkside]

My boss and I were discussing this exact thing today, about players not making plays. Some of you are going to hate what I'm about to say, some of you will simply loathe it, but here it is. We used Antrel Rolle as our example (but you can say the same about Boldin, Breaston, or many others). You can argue that Rolle had bad technique 50% of the time (or more if you prefer), but he made plays. When drives were on the line, when games were on the line, he'd grab a pick and take it to the house. He'd block a FG or run one back. Whatever it took, he made plays. We had other playmakers that we let go as I said earlier. What we have now, in key positions, may be better players fundamentally--or maybe not--but one thing they aren't is playmakers. Nobody can make a play when it counts. Rhodes isn't going to run anything back or be blocking any big kicks. Doucet or Roberts are never going to catch that super important game winning touchdown. We have no linebackers capable of stripping the ball, picking it up, and running with it. We have no Kurt Warner wanting to jackstomp teams. We have none of that. What we have, at best, is mediocrity without the ability to make big plays on offense or defense. That's the bottom line.

 

[Duckjake]

But it is 100% true. Our players do not make plays when they have the chance to. Larry drops the first ball. Acho misses a pick. Jefferson misses a pick. Wilson gets walled inside. Marshall and Wilson both go with a wide receiver and let McNabb walk in for a touchdown. Housler drops a ball. Kolb misses Housler. Bridges holds on a touchdown throw. Kolb takes a stupid sack.

These aren't coaching issues. Last week against the Giants the announcers kept commenting that the Cardinal players were in position but just didn't make the play on the ball. Fitzgerald and Wells, lately, have been really the only players to step up and win one on one battles this year. Washington does sometimes on defense, as does our defensive line (though not consistently enough in my opinion).

Btw, Patrick Peterson, welcome to the NFL kid. Drop your shoulder and lay a lick one time.

It is 100% correct. I was just thinking about this today. The Cards have one playmaker on the team in Larry Fitzgerald. Nobody else is making the kind of plays that turn games around like Boldin, Dansby, DRC, Rolle, Morey, LSH and even Adub made in '08 and '09. We got the one punt return from PP21. It just seems to me like something is wrong with the entire team. A general malaise. Almost like they'd all rather be somewhere else on Sundays.

What is really frustrating is that they did make some big plays last season but our offense was simply too inept to take advantage. I mean how do you get 10 TDs from your defense and special teams and still finish 30th in points scored? Now that they should have the offense to take advantage of big plays they don't make any.

 

[Cards_Campos]

My boss and I were discussing this exact thing today, about players not making plays. Some of you are going to hate what I'm about to say, some of you will simply loathe it, but here it is. We used Antrel Rolle as our example (but you can say the same about Boldin, Breaston, or many others). You can argue that Rolle had bad technique 50% of the time (or more if you prefer), but he made plays. When drives were on the line, when games were on the line, he'd grab a pick and take it to the house. He'd block a FG or run one back. Whatever it took, he made plays. We had other playmakers that we let go as I said earlier. What we have now, in key positions, may be better players fundamentally--or maybe not--but one thing they aren't is playmakers. Nobody can make a play when it counts. Rhodes isn't going to run anything back or be blocking any big kicks. Doucet or Roberts are never going to catch that super important game winning touchdown. We have no linebackers capable of stripping the ball, picking it up, and running with it. We have no Kurt Warner wanting to jackstomp teams. We have none of that. What we have, at best, is mediocrity without the ability to make big plays on offense or defense. That's the bottom line.

All true...But Whiz should have fought to keep those players. Why let Boldin go? He was our heart and soul...If he would have been paid ...he would be the toughness this team needed. Why let Dansby go?? He should have been a huge priority....Rolle I can see but Pace, Dansby and Boldin all should be here....and if they were....we would be ALOT better. Boldin had that brass toughness that carried a long way. In fact...Dude missed like 1 or 2 games with a broken face!!! A Broken face!!! He came back. Players look up to that...players feed off that.