"We are really close" per Coach Whiz

[cardpa]

People were calling for Whiz's head and rightfully so based on the results of late last season and the first half of this season. Whiz was so stubborn to make the changes necessary to place this team in a position to do better. Then you also had the injury to Porter which necessitated Acho play more and Schofield play. I guarandamntee you Porter would still be starting if he hadn't gotten hurt.

I believe Whiz made changes to save his own behind as I feel he was starting to feel the heat. Fortunately those changes resulted in much better play and better results. Don't forget Jaw's statement which happen to coincide with changes made soon after in AZ, "It's either bad coaching or dumb players in AZ."

It has also helped tremendously that the defense is finally getting the system Horton wanted to implement. I have to wonder how much the conversations our players had with Steeler players convinced our players maybe they needed to give Horton's system a chance.

Yes Whiz gets some credit for the improvement, however I temper that with the fact that it took a lot of criticism and probably some heat to get him to change things. I for one will give Whiz some additional rope and will determine how much he gets based on what happens over the next 6 months with regards to the draft and FA.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

A top 5 coach in the NFL ummm... No freaking way!!!!

+1

Eat crow ? For what ? A .500 season ? A offense that is offensive ? Whiz is lucky that Horton has come in, and saved his butt this seasson.

The team is currently playing well no doubt.

But there is a massive amount of work to do on this team. There are not only holes on this team but GAPING holes.

Safety, OT, OG, WR#2, ILB, OLB, and of course QB. There are a lot of questions that need to get answered by next season.

The Cardinals are as close to being a playoff team as they are a 10 loss team, IMO.

Let's not get nuts. If Whiz was the OC ? He is gone in the offseason. He is lucky he is the head coach, and that his defense is keeping him from getting fired. Whiz is an offensive minded coach, and our offense without Warner (and even sometimes with him) has never been consistently good. Why he runs such a complex offense with the personell turn over the NFL has every year is beyong me. It seems pretty stupid to run an offense that takes "a year or two to learn". Especially when you coach for a team that excells in not re-signing players. As soon as they learn the playbook they are gone.


BTW, as for answers to what to do with these holes ? Concentrate on defense. Safety, ILB, OLB, and CB. The Cardinals are "closer" to having a dominant defense. Why not complete the core, and lean on it next year.

We have a good core of RB's, and for there lack of ......well, ability, our offensive line is big, and SHOULD be able to run the ball better.

 

[oaken1]

People were calling for Whiz's head and rightfully so based on the results of late last season and the first half of this season. Whiz was so stubborn to make the changes necessary to place this team in a position to do better. Then you also had the injury to Porter which necessitated Acho play more and Schofield play. I guarandamntee you Porter would still be starting if he hadn't gotten hurt.

I believe Whiz made changes to save his own behind as I feel he was starting to feel the heat. Fortunately those changes resulted in much better play and better results. Don't forget Jaw's statement which happen to coincide with changes made soon after in AZ, "It's either bad coaching or dumb players in AZ."

It has also helped tremendously that the defense is finally getting the system Horton wanted to implement. I have to wonder how much the conversations our players had with Steeler players convinced our players maybe they needed to give Horton's system a chance.

Yes Whiz gets some credit for the improvement, however I temper that with the fact that it took a lot of criticism and probably some heat to get him to change things. I for one will give Whiz some additional rope and will determine how much he gets based on what happens over the next 6 months with regards to the draft and FA.

IMO and from what I have seen on the field...the coaching staff simplified across the board....... anyone notice how much better PP looks now that he is in tight man coverage the majority of the time?

 

[Stout]

Sorry Stout, but I am NEVER, EVER 100% wrong. I don't see where Whiz ate any crow. When he felt that certain players were ready, he made changes. The bottom line is that this team NEVER quit on him. The only crow to be eaten are by the naysayers calling for Whiz's head the past year. I listen to the NFL radio channel quite frequently. During the last year, I've heard 3-4 fans call in to criticize Whiz & some were demanding he be fired. The announcers have always been incredulous. Their responses went kind of like this: Here's a Coach, who has taken a franchise that has been a HUGE loser for half a century to a SB, won 4 playoff games in 2 years & you want to FIRE him??????? Are you nuts. One of the announcers was Gannon. the other his sidekick. They both were adamant that Whisenhunt was one of the top 5 coaches in the NFL. Now that is only their opinion, but I've heard numerous knowledgeable football people like Gil Brandt say the same thing. I've been following this mess of a franchise since 1963. You can count the good Bidwill decisions on 1 hand. Hiring Whisenhunt is at the top of the list.

Well, you are wrong in your bolded statement. As a human, you are fallible, and have, at times, been completely wrong. I know I have, and you know you have too.

Now, everyone else has done a solid job of refuting you, but I'll go ahead and do so as well. KW changed offensive schemes, keeping more players in on pass pro, running the ball more (he refused to commit to the run game early in the season, and it cost us dearly), and simplifying the offense for both of our QBs. Why did he refuse to do so earlier? He knew we had almost no offseason to work with, so why wasn't this done to start the season? THAT is why he was blasted, and why he deserved all the criticism he received earlier in the season. And that's just some of what he was doing wrong, that led us to a 1-6 start.

What were the changes he made? It looks he did as the are winning now, but what were they?

See above, and some other posters.

I can't imagine why any fan would be upset with the coaching while the Cardinals were losing 15 of 18 games including 7 straight losses in 2010 and 6 straight in 2011 either blowing leads or getting blown out in the process and having a parade of QBs that looked like they couldn't play for an NAIA team.

It's a mystery, all right lol

IMO and from what I have seen on the field...the coaching staff simplified across the board....... anyone notice how much better PP looks now that he is in tight man coverage the majority of the time?

Yamon.

 

[PACardsFan]

Well, you are wrong in your bolded statement. As a human, you are fallible, and have, at times, been completely wrong. I know I have, and you know you have too.

Now, everyone else has done a solid job of refuting you, but I'll go ahead and do so as well. KW changed offensive schemes, keeping more players in on pass pro, running the ball more (he refused to commit to the run game early in the season, and it cost us dearly), and simplifying the offense for both of our QBs. Why did he refuse to do so earlier? He knew we had almost no offseason to work with, so why wasn't this done to start the season? THAT is why he was blasted, and why he deserved all the criticism he received earlier in the season. And that's just some of what he was doing wrong, that led us to a 1-6 start.



See above, and some other posters.



It's a mystery, all right lol



Yamon.

I never said I was right 100% of the time or even right on all Cardinal issues. YOU said I was 100% wrong. I'm sorry, but I saw enough crappy football for 50 years, that I am going to be loyal to a Coach who took us to the SB. Even when Warner was here, this team was NEVER a finished product. With the new stadium, it was so critical that this team do anything possible to win NOW! So Whiz rode Warner's arm to whatever success possible. Once Warner retired, Whiz had to restructure this team for the long haul. It HAD to get ugly, but he's transitioning this team beautifully. I LOVE the fact that he is stubborn. The great ones usually are. No matter what is said, Whiz is a very good NFL HC. He's done enough here to deserve EVERY benefit of the doubt.

 

[Stout]

I never said I was right 100% of the time or even right on all Cardinal issues. YOU said I was 100% wrong. I'm sorry, but I saw enough crappy football for 50 years, that I am going to be loyal to a Coach who took us to the SB. Even when Warner was here, this team was NEVER a finished product. With the new stadium, it was so critical that this team do anything possible to win NOW! So Whiz rode Warner's arm to whatever success possible. Once Warner retired, Whiz had to restructure this team for the long haul. It HAD to get ugly, but he's transitioning this team beautifully. I LOVE the fact that he is stubborn. The great ones usually are. No matter what is said, Whiz is a very good NFL HC. He's done enough here to deserve EVERY benefit of the doubt.

Stubborn = Stupid when it means you continually lose. KW was incredibly stupid earlier in the year, leading to many of us calling for his head. He has since pulled his head out of his rear, made the adjustments he should have made much, much earlier, and earned the respect of the fans all over again. I don't get the need for someone to demand apologies and 'crow eating' for getting on a coach who was, indeed, coaching badly. We're winning now, there's universal support for the coach again...so, why the need for rocking the boat?

 

[Mulli]

Stubborn = Stupid when it means you continually lose. KW was incredibly stupid earlier in the year, leading to many of us calling for his head. He has since pulled his head out of his rear, made the adjustments he should have made much, much earlier, and earned the respect of the fans all over again. I don't get the need for someone to demand apologies and 'crow eating' for getting on a coach who was, indeed, coaching badly. We're winning now, there's universal support for the coach again...so, why the need for rocking the boat?

Let us not forget the blame that lies with the players as well. As in Stuckey's fumble vs the Foreskins.

 

[wa52lz]

Let us not forget the blame that lies with the players as well. As in Stuckey's fumble vs the Foreskins.

As well as the ref's- Victor Cruz "giving himself up".

 

[Duckjake]

As well as the ref's- Victor Cruz "giving himself up".

Why'd you have to remind me? If that play costs us the playoffs....

 

[john h]

In last Monday's press conference Coach Whiz said that we are really close to winning and being a good team as we have lost 3 games by a total of only 8 points.
What will Coach Whiz say tomorrow and will our "crack" press core continue to kiss his butt and not ask any tough questions????

This team continues to be an embarrassment.

Currently we are not an embarrassment. We are playing excellent ball. Long term we are perhaps the worst team in all of the NFL. This is totally on the owners and being cheap. No other way to put it. Now we have a chance to make this team right if only we can resign some of our really good young defensive players and find a QB. Signing our own players should be done in a timely manner and should be a no brainier. Finding a QB is hard to do and we failed on a couple of chances when we passed on good QBs when we were drafting early. Of course we drafted Plummer and Leinart for the wrong reasons. Did we not pass on Big Ben for someone? We have lost a ton of good players by letting them go in free agency. This team truly can be a very good team next year if one of our QBs can work out and be consistent. To me Skelton has the best chance but it is still a small chance as QB's go. Do our owners have the commitment to try and put the best team possible on the field? We apparently have not for the past half a century or more so what is going to change? The current defense is the best I have seen since the days of Dan Dierdorf and company and our success is largely the result of their play. No I am not overlooking Larry Fitz the best WR in football IMHO.

 

[JeffGollin]

The defense has consistently played at a high (top 10) level of late - enough to keep us most games.

There are glimmers of hope that both Skellton and Kolb are starting to be in synch with their receivers.

Even our running game has shown flashes of production when given a semblance of blocking.

Our O line (especially both tackles along with lack of depth) is arguably the only thing in the way of our being a winning team.

That plus a surprisingly vocal negative segment of the fan base.

 

[Duckjake]

The defense has consistently played at a high (top 10) level of late - enough to keep us most games.

There are glimmers of hope that both Skellton and Kolb are starting to be in synch with their receivers.

Even our running game has shown flashes of production when given a semblance of blocking.

Our O line (especially both tackles along with lack of depth) is arguably the only thing in the way of our being a winning team.

That plus a surprisingly vocal negative segment of the fan base.

Like we said anyone who is surprised that the fan base has been upset hasn't been paying attention. You go 5-11 and then 1-6 and run through 6 different QBs after raising fans expectations in '08 and '09 you better expect some heat from the fans.

 

[PACardsFan]

Stubborn = Stupid when it means you continually lose. KW was incredibly stupid earlier in the year, leading to many of us calling for his head. He has since pulled his head out of his rear, made the adjustments he should have made much, much earlier, and earned the respect of the fans all over again. I don't get the need for someone to demand apologies and 'crow eating' for getting on a coach who was, indeed, coaching badly. We're winning now, there's universal support for the coach again...so, why the need for rocking the boat?

Stubborn doesn't mean stupid. Whiz has core principles that he adheres to. His stubborness was not the reason we were at 1-6. He put us in a position to win 3-4 of those games & we flat out didn't execute. Could have, should have, but we didn't. I'm not looking for apologies, but it was nonsense to attack a coach that took us to a SB like we did. You can't lose a HOF QB with unbelievable leadership skills & not expect a huge drop off. The "so called" great coaches in the NFL are blessed with a great QB. We've already seen what Manning means to the Colts. We're seeing what Cutler means to the Bears. Take Brady, Roethlisberger, Eli, Brees, & Rodgers away & their HC's wouldn't look nearly as good. The mere fact that this team didn't quit after a heartbreaking 1-6 start is reason enough to give kudos to Whisenhunt. Add to it that he had to do it with Skelton/Kolb makes Whiz look even better.

 

[PACardsFan]

Like we said anyone who is surprised that the fan base has been upset hasn't been paying attention. You go 5-11 and then 1-6 and run through 6 different QBs after raising fans expectations in '08 and '09 you better expect some heat from the fans.

I'm not sure anyone, including Whisenhunt, truly understood how devastating it was to lose Warner. Hell, look what happened to the Rams after they went completely to Bulger. 2 things happened that slowed the overall progression of this team. 1. I think it was Whiz's initial intention to build a team similar to what he has right now (although the QB position is NOT settled). With a relatively new stadium, he was under a LOT of pressure from the Bidwills to win & win early. The only way we could do that was to ride Warner's arm. In order to be successful quickly, everything had to revolve around Warner. Whiz knew he had to eventually transition this team, and I honestly think he thought he'd get another year or two out of Warner. He didn't, so the transition was way more painful than he had hoped.

The second thing that slowed our progression was when the Cardinals forced Whiz to keep Pendergast. I know that Davis was a bad hire by Whiz, but I honestly don't think that Davis would have been his 1st choice when he was initially hired. The defense that Whiz envisioned from the start would have already taken root, instead of it just now coming around.

 

[Cardiac]

I agree with 95% of what PACardsFan has posted about Whiz.

Whiz ran a ground and pound type O in Pitt and won the SB with a 2nd year QB.

Almost every announcer/analyst says the Whiz wants to run the ball first.

Whiz sees what he has in Warner and changes his offensive scheme to fit the talent and we go to the SB and win the division 2 years in a row.

Whiz has shown he will change his scheme and come up with incredible game plans to beat excellent teams. Too many here confuse scheme with system...they are not the same. The system refers to how the Cards practice, create competition, study tape, prepare for road games, prepare for playoff games, workout & lift weights and the list goes on and on.

How many times are Cards players quoted saying stupid things that give the team a black eye or create bulletin board material for other teams? Beanie had his little snit and that was it. DD is a wild child but he always says the right things about the team.

Many Fans are way to reactionary/bipolar to see the big picture all the time. We don't have access to game tape, practices, meetings etc but think we know everything that is happening with our team. Then when the Cards make the playoffs in 2009 and get to the SB it' because Whiz finally listened to us.

Horton and Whiz needed to be fired early in the year per many fans and now Horton just needed more time (No Freakin Kidding) and Whiz finally learned how to coach (Cut me a Freakin Break).

Okay rant over. Whiz has not been and won't be on any kinda hot seat for a couple more years. He has proven to be an excelent HC.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

I'd say both Harbaughs are better coaches. As well as Tomlin, and the Steelers front office agreed

I can see the argument for John Harbaugh but Jim hasn't even completed a full season yet. Let's see if he's even in the league 3 years from now. Didn't Singletary go something like 5-1 starting out and people thought he was a great coach?

Still John Harbaugh has probably the best FO working with him too. But, I agree he's a good coach.

 

[40yearfan]

Currently we are not an embarrassment. We are playing excellent ball. Long term we are perhaps the worst team in all of the NFL. This is totally on the owners and being cheap. No other way to put it. Now we have a chance to make this team right if only we can resign some of our really good young defensive players and find a QB. Signing our own players should be done in a timely manner and should be a no brainier. Finding a QB is hard to do and we failed on a couple of chances when we passed on good QBs when we were drafting early. Of course we drafted Plummer and Leinart for the wrong reasons. Did we not pass on Big Ben for someone? We have lost a ton of good players by letting them go in free agency. This team truly can be a very good team next year if one of our QBs can work out and be consistent. To me Skelton has the best chance but it is still a small chance as QB's go. Do our owners have the commitment to try and put the best team possible on the field? We apparently have not for the past half a century or more so what is going to change? The current defense is the best I have seen since the days of Dan Dierdorf and company and our success is largely the result of their play. No I am not overlooking Larry Fitz the best WR in football IMHO.

Talk about living in the past. Apparently you have been asleep since the new stadium came on line. The Cards are in the upper half of the NFL in spending on players and have been for some time.

 

[40yearfan]

Stubborn doesn't mean stupid. Whiz has core principles that he adheres to. His stubborness was not the reason we were at 1-6. He put us in a position to win 3-4 of those games & we flat out didn't execute. Could have, should have, but we didn't. I'm not looking for apologies, but it was nonsense to attack a coach that took us to a SB like we did. You can't lose a HOF QB with unbelievable leadership skills & not expect a huge drop off. The "so called" great coaches in the NFL are blessed with a great QB. We've already seen what Manning means to the Colts. We're seeing what Cutler meant to the Bears. Take Brady, Roethlisberger, Eli, Brees, & Rodgers away & their HC's wouldn't look nearly as good. The mere fact that this team didn't quit after a heartbreaking 1-6 start is reason enough to give kudos to Whisenhunt. Add to it that he had to do it with Skelton/Kolb makes Whiz look even better.

And it's funny how we didn't have good enough players to win at the beginning of the year, but now, using those same players, we are winning on a regular basis. Even considering that, we still have fans complaining about losing players from 3 seasons ago when our defense was horrible and cost us the SB. Whiz tore this team apart, got his own players in and built from the ground up. We now have a respectable defense for the first time in decades. I'd much rather have the players we have now instead of Dansby, Rolle, etc.

 

[Shane]

I agree with 95% of what PACardsFan has posted about Whiz.

Whiz ran a ground and pound type O in Pitt and won the SB with a 2nd year QB.

Almost every announcer/analyst says the Whiz wants to run the ball first.

Whiz sees what he has in Warner and changes his offensive scheme to fit the talent and we go to the SB and win the division 2 years in a row.

Whiz has shown he will change his scheme and come up with incredible game plans to beat excellent teams. Too many here confuse scheme with system...they are not the same. The system refers to how the Cards practice, create competition, study tape, prepare for road games, prepare for playoff games, workout & lift weights and the list goes on and on.

How many times are Cards players quoted saying stupid things that give the team a black eye or create bulletin board material for other teams? Beanie had his little snit and that was it. DD is a wild child but he always says the right things about the team.

Many Fans are way to reactionary/bipolar to see the big picture all the time. We don't have access to game tape, practices, meetings etc but think we know
everything that is happening with our team. Then when the Cards make the playoffs in 2009 and get to the SB it' because Whiz finally listened to us.

Horton and Whiz needed to be fired early in the year per many fans and now Horton just needed more time (No Freakin Kidding) and Whiz finally learned how to coach (Cut me a Freakin Break).

Okay rant over. Whiz has not been and won't be on any kinda hot seat for a couple more years. He has proven to be an excelent HC.

Fantastic post Cardiac! :iwin:

 

[kerouac9]

I agree with 95% of what PACardsFan has posted about Whiz.

Whiz ran a ground and pound type O in Pitt and won the SB with a 2nd year QB.

Almost every announcer/analyst says the Whiz wants to run the ball first.

Whiz sees what he has in Warner and changes his offensive scheme to fit the talent and we go to the SB and win the division 2 years in a row.

Whiz has shown he will change his scheme and come up with incredible game plans to beat excellent teams. Too many here confuse scheme with system...they are not the same. The system refers to how the Cards practice, create competition, study tape, prepare for road games, prepare for playoff games, workout & lift weights and the list goes on and on.

How many times are Cards players quoted saying stupid things that give the team a black eye or create bulletin board material for other teams? Beanie had his little snit and that was it. DD is a wild child but he always says the right things about the team.

Many Fans are way to reactionary/bipolar to see the big picture all the time. We don't have access to game tape, practices, meetings etc but think we know everything that is happening with our team. Then when the Cards make the playoffs in 2009 and get to the SB it' because Whiz finally listened to us.

Horton and Whiz needed to be fired early in the year per many fans and now Horton just needed more time (No Freakin Kidding) and Whiz finally learned how to coach (Cut me a Freakin Break).

Okay rant over. Whiz has not been and won't be on any kinda hot seat for a couple more years. He has proven to be an excelent HC.

The bolded section comes not from Whis (the closest he ever comes is to saying that he wants to be "balanced), but from a pre-conceived media narrative that the announcers go to great pains to re-iterate to one another.

I looked through the plays from #7's first handful of starts under Whis. I'd recommend that you go back and check out the play-by-play on NFL.com, as well. We were passing 2/3s of the time, even early in games.

He didn't change his philosophy when Warner came aboard; Warner's presence just enabled him to pass more, and Warner opened up the playbook by working with Haley on what works for him.

Whis listens to Warner; he doesn't listen to Skelton, Hall, Leinart, Anderson, or maybe even Kolb until right now. It was only the last couple of weeks that those annoucers were saying that Kolb came to the coaching staff and said "here's what works for me" and they began integrating that into the game plan.

To Whis's credit, his system does work at getting receivers open downfield. But if the quarterback can't locate the receivers and deliver them the ball, then the system is irreparably broken.

 

[Stout]

Stubborn doesn't mean stupid. Whiz has core principles that he adheres to. His stubborness was not the reason we were at 1-6. He put us in a position to win 3-4 of those games & we flat out didn't execute. Could have, should have, but we didn't. I'm not looking for apologies, but it was nonsense to attack a coach that took us to a SB like we did. You can't lose a HOF QB with unbelievable leadership skills & not expect a huge drop off. The "so called" great coaches in the NFL are blessed with a great QB. We've already seen what Manning means to the Colts. We're seeing what Cutler means to the Bears. Take Brady, Roethlisberger, Eli, Brees, & Rodgers away & their HC's wouldn't look nearly as good. The mere fact that this team didn't quit after a heartbreaking 1-6 start is reason enough to give kudos to Whisenhunt. Add to it that he had to do it with Skelton/Kolb makes Whiz look even better.

Stubborn means stupid when that stubbornness leads to poor play on the part of your team, which is what I said. And you did indeed look for apologies, because you tried to call people out to eat crow. That's why I responded the way I did. You came out, guns blazing, in confrontation mode when the team is actually doing well now. It was uncalled for and unnecessary. That's why I responded strongly.

 

[Hollywood]

I agree with 95% of what PACardsFan has posted about Whiz.

Whiz ran a ground and pound type O in Pitt and won the SB with a 2nd year QB.

Almost every announcer/analyst says the Whiz wants to run the ball first.

Whiz sees what he has in Warner and changes his offensive scheme to fit the talent and we go to the SB and win the division 2 years in a row.

Whiz has shown he will change his scheme and come up with incredible game plans to beat excellent teams. Too many here confuse scheme with system...they are not the same. The system refers to how the Cards practice, create competition, study tape, prepare for road games, prepare for playoff games, workout & lift weights and the list goes on and on.

How many times are Cards players quoted saying stupid things that give the team a black eye or create bulletin board material for other teams? Beanie had his little snit and that was it. DD is a wild child but he always says the right things about the team.

Many Fans are way to reactionary/bipolar to see the big picture all the time. We don't have access to game tape, practices, meetings etc but think we know everything that is happening with our team. Then when the Cards make the playoffs in 2009 and get to the SB it' because Whiz finally listened to us.

Horton and Whiz needed to be fired early in the year per many fans and now Horton just needed more time (No Freakin Kidding) and Whiz finally learned how to coach (Cut me a Freakin Break).

Okay rant over. Whiz has not been and won't be on any kinda hot seat for a couple more years. He has proven to be an excelent HC.

Thank you. The fact is, coaches don't go from being great to horrible and back to great. They may have a couple down years while in transition but it is only temporary.

New DC, new OC, and a new QB....for that matter a LOT of new players and no off season. It was going to be rough no matter who was coaching.

The fact that the team never quit tells me a lot about Whiz as a coach.

 

[PACardsFan]

Stubborn means stupid when that stubbornness leads to poor play on the part of your team, which is what I said. And you did indeed look for apologies, because you tried to call people out to eat crow. That's why I responded the way I did. You came out, guns blazing, in confrontation mode when the team is actually doing well now. It was uncalled for and unnecessary. That's why I responded strongly.

I didn't bump this thread, nor did I call YOU out! Confrontational? Really?? Who's really being stubborn here Stout? The truth of the matter is that way too many people on this board did jump the gun regarding Whisenhunt. There's nothing wrong with eating crow, especially when it's deserved. Since when is that uncalled for and unnecessary. I didn't quote anyone with my initial post, nor was I calling out anyone in particular. If anything, you were the one being confrontational. Can we put this to bed??

 

[Proteus]

Stubborn doesn't mean stupid. Whiz has core principles that he adheres to. His stubborness was not the reason we were at 1-6. He put us in a position to win 3-4 of those games & we flat out didn't execute. Could have, should have, but we didn't. I'm not looking for apologies, but it was nonsense to attack a coach that took us to a SB like we did. You can't lose a HOF QB with unbelievable leadership skills & not expect a huge drop off. The "so called" great coaches in the NFL are blessed with a great QB. We've already seen what Manning means to the Colts. We're seeing what Cutler means to the Bears. Take Brady, Roethlisberger, Eli, Brees, & Rodgers away & their HC's wouldn't look nearly as good. The mere fact that this team didn't quit after a heartbreaking 1-6 start is reason enough to give kudos to Whisenhunt. Add to it that he had to do it with Skelton/Kolb makes Whiz look even better.

The Patriots went 11-5 without Brady in 2008.

 

[Mulli]

The Patriots went 11-5 without Brady in 2008.

There was still a huge drop off in production.