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Whisenhunt is all ears
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 5, 2007 05:22 PM
FLAGSTAFF - If being a player's coach means you acquiesce to every request or demand that players make, then Ken Whisenhunt is not that guy. On some things, he's as immovable as the Walkup Skydome on the Northern Arizona University campus.
But if being a player's coach means you will not only listen to what players have to say but actually solicit their opinions, then the title fits the Cardinals' first-year coach.
The Steelers' offensive coordinator the past three years, Whisenhunt brought many things with him from Pittsburgh: a handful of coaches, an offensive philosophy based on the run and a no-appointment policy for his players. If they need to talk to him, they don't have to look far to find him.
He has established a committee of players, 12 to 14 veterans, who advise him and inform him on a variety of topics.
It's an idea borrowed from former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, and Whisenhunt uses the committee as both a sounding board and warning siren.
"It could be something as simple as what time we leave for games, to situations about the food or meal times or the schedule," Whisenhunt said. "Also, it's kind of a team thing, how they're feeling about certain situations. It's a way to communicate, especially with the leaders of your team, so you can address the issues."
Maybe he'll agree with them. Maybe he won't. But he'll listen and consider what they have to say.
"Just because they bring something up doesn't mean they are going to get it," he said with a slight smile, "but it's just a further way of communicating."
Some players weren't thrilled with conducting a precamp conditioning run in Flagstaff at 7,000-feet elevation instead of at the training facility. Whisenhunt, however, explained that he wanted to do it as a way to kick off camp and to build team chemistry.
There is no set time that Whisenhunt meets with the committee, at least not yet. They will be held every two weeks or so during the season, more often if needed.
The meetings could be all of two minutes and go something like this:
Whisenhunt: "Everything OK, guys?"
Players: "We're good. Let's go."
Or the meetings might be considerably longer, if the team has issues.
"It may be a way to express their concerns and desires in a group, rather than a one on one setting," Whisenhunt said. "A lot of times they will be in their in the locker room talking about something, and they'll say, 'Look, the team doesn't like the meal structure.' Or maybe they want to leave for a game on a Friday instead of a Saturday. And if there's something I want to float out there a little bit, I can."
It's a way for Whisenhunt to address a problem before it becomes a crisis, and a way for his players to express opinions in a non-confrontational, positive way.
"It's pretty much him trying to get our input, how we feel about things," receiver Anquan Boldin said. "Basically, the final decision is up to him, but he wants our input.
"It makes you want to play even harder for a guy like that, a guy who is really concerned about the players and what the attitude is in the locker room. It shows us he cares how we feel."
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Aug. 5, 2007 05:22 PM
FLAGSTAFF - If being a player's coach means you acquiesce to every request or demand that players make, then Ken Whisenhunt is not that guy. On some things, he's as immovable as the Walkup Skydome on the Northern Arizona University campus.
But if being a player's coach means you will not only listen to what players have to say but actually solicit their opinions, then the title fits the Cardinals' first-year coach.
The Steelers' offensive coordinator the past three years, Whisenhunt brought many things with him from Pittsburgh: a handful of coaches, an offensive philosophy based on the run and a no-appointment policy for his players. If they need to talk to him, they don't have to look far to find him.
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He has established a committee of players, 12 to 14 veterans, who advise him and inform him on a variety of topics.
It's an idea borrowed from former Steelers coach Bill Cowher, and Whisenhunt uses the committee as both a sounding board and warning siren.
"It could be something as simple as what time we leave for games, to situations about the food or meal times or the schedule," Whisenhunt said. "Also, it's kind of a team thing, how they're feeling about certain situations. It's a way to communicate, especially with the leaders of your team, so you can address the issues."
Maybe he'll agree with them. Maybe he won't. But he'll listen and consider what they have to say.
"Just because they bring something up doesn't mean they are going to get it," he said with a slight smile, "but it's just a further way of communicating."
Some players weren't thrilled with conducting a precamp conditioning run in Flagstaff at 7,000-feet elevation instead of at the training facility. Whisenhunt, however, explained that he wanted to do it as a way to kick off camp and to build team chemistry.
There is no set time that Whisenhunt meets with the committee, at least not yet. They will be held every two weeks or so during the season, more often if needed.
The meetings could be all of two minutes and go something like this:
Whisenhunt: "Everything OK, guys?"
Players: "We're good. Let's go."
Or the meetings might be considerably longer, if the team has issues.
"It may be a way to express their concerns and desires in a group, rather than a one on one setting," Whisenhunt said. "A lot of times they will be in their in the locker room talking about something, and they'll say, 'Look, the team doesn't like the meal structure.' Or maybe they want to leave for a game on a Friday instead of a Saturday. And if there's something I want to float out there a little bit, I can."
It's a way for Whisenhunt to address a problem before it becomes a crisis, and a way for his players to express opinions in a non-confrontational, positive way.
"It's pretty much him trying to get our input, how we feel about things," receiver Anquan Boldin said. "Basically, the final decision is up to him, but he wants our input.
"It makes you want to play even harder for a guy like that, a guy who is really concerned about the players and what the attitude is in the locker room. It shows us he cares how we feel."
