Secondary coach hired for staff
Kent Somers
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 19, 2007 12:00 AM
Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt made some headway in assembling his coaching staff Thursday, hiring Seattle secondary coach Teryl Austin for the same job.
Austin is the first coach to join Whisenhunt's staff, although it appears others will follow in the next few days.
Austin coached the Seahawks secondary for the past four years, and spent 12 years coaching at the collegiate level before that. He was not under contract for 2007, and Seattle was willing to let him go.
"Seattle had tremendous success in the four years he was there," Whisenhunt said in a statement released by the team. "They made the playoffs every season, won the division the last three, advanced to the Super Bowl and he was a contributor to that success. He has also developed a strong reputation for his work with young players, not only in Seattle but also at the college level."
The composition of Whisenhunt's staff hinges on his old employer, the Steelers. If the Steelers promote assistant head coach Russ Grimm, most of the Steelers staff is likely to return.
If the Steelers hire either of the other two finalists, Minnesota defensive coordinator Mike Tomlin or Chicago defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, most of the staff likely will be allowed to seek other employment.
Whisenhunt asked for the Steelers' permission to interview three current staff members. The Steelers denied the request to talk to receivers coach Bruce Arians and linebackers coach Keith Butler. They granted Whisenhunt permission to talk to special-teams coach Kevin Spencer, and he could join the Cardinals staff soon.
Whisenhunt is interested in hiring Arians as offensive coordinator, but he's expected to be promoted by the Steelers should Grimm get the job.
Whisenhunt has interviewed the five assistants who have been retained from Dennis Green's staff. Defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, is expected to be on Whisenhunt's staff. Rick Courtright, defensive quality control coach, could be hired to assist Austin with the secondary.
The fate of the other three coaches, offensive line assistant Steve Loney, assistant head coach/linebackers Frank Bush and receivers coach Mike Wilson, is not yet known. The Cardinals recently denied the Texans permission to interview Bush, according to NFL sources. That will change if Whisenhunt elects not to keep Bush on his staff. Houston wanted to hire Bush last year as defensive coordinator, but the Cardinals denied them permission to interview him then, too.
Wilson is not expected to be kept by Whisenhunt.
According to NFL sources, Cleveland offensive line coach Jeff Davidson is expected to interview with the Cardinals this week, and Whisenhunt has some interest in former Carolina offensive line coach Mike Maser.
The Panthers recently fired Maser, so he would be able to interview immediately.
Davidson, a former Patriots assistant, was promoted to assistant head coach last off-season and called plays in the final 10 games in 2006 after offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon was fired. Davidson has interviewed for the Browns' coordinator position but is not certain of getting it.
Cowboys receivers coach Todd Haley, a friend of Whisenhunt's, also is expected to get some consideration to be a member of Whisenhunt's staff. But Haley is under contract for 2007, and the Cowboys generally deny permission to interview coaches under contract.
The Steelers, meanwhile, aren't expected to hire a coach until at least next week. They reportedly would like to interview Rivera again, but they can't talk to him until the Bears are out of the playoffs. If the Bears advance to the Super Bowl, the Steelers will then have to decide if they want to wait two more weeks to speak to him again.
