Starting From Scratch: Who is Calling the Shots for the Cardinals

The Arizona Cardinals return almost there entire roster after coming off their best season in franchise history including a Super Bowl appearance; but it’s one thing to have a few holes to fill on the depth chart. Implementing an entirely new way of doing business on the other hand could clip the wings of the league’s most potent postseason passing attack.  

If the Cardinals want to get back to the Super Bowl they will have to rely on a revamped coaching staff.  Don’t freak out. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt is still calling the shots and will be for a long time.  He has even gone back to calling the plays this season to add stability to the situation.

Offense

This off-season the Cardinals lost offensive coordinator Todd Haley who left to become head coach of the Kansas City Chiefs.  Haley had been with the Dallas Cowboys before being hired as coordinator in 2007 when Whisenhunt took over in Arizona.  I’m trying my hardest not to write a lame joke about birds learning to fly but the numbers don’t lie.                    

                                              YPG     Rushing     Passing    PPG  

Before Haley (2006)                    18^th          30^th          10^th           19^th

Haley’s first season (2007)          12^th          29^th            5^th             7^th       

Haley’s second season (2008)       4^th         32^nd           2^nd            3^rd

It’s obvious why the Chiefs wanted him so bad.  With Haley gone the Cardinals decided to promote from within.  A move that has Whisenhunt’s finger prints all over it.

Assistant head coach, offensive line coach and newly appointed run game coordinator Russ Grimm came over from Pittsburgh in 2007 along with Whisenhunt.  Grimm had been promoted in 2004 to assistant head coach with the Steelers.  He was the only coach to ever hold that title under coaching legend Bill Cowher.   

Don’t let the Cardinals skewed rushing stats the last few years fool you.  Grimm has established a toughness and accountability for his linemen that’s Arizona hasn’t had in the past. 

He will be counted on to continue developing young talent.  Center Lyle Sendlein, guard Deuce Lutui and tackle Levi Brown are all starters with three years of experience or less.  His new project besides not being the league’s most dismal rush offense is to mold the 6’7”, 382 lb., fifth round draft pick Herman Johnson into a lineman at the next level.  A guard out of LSU, Johnson has something even Grimm can’t teach, size.      

The Cardinals were one of only three teams to start the same offensive line all season and it paid off in the playoffs.  Quarterback Kurt Warner was sacked only five times in four games and running back Edgerrin James found a short lived resurgence as a productive starter carrying the ball 61 times for 236 yards and a touchdown.    

Grimm won’t have to handle coordinating the offense alone.  Hired as the wide receivers coach by the Cardinals in 2007, the new passing game coordinator Mike Miller has big shoes to fill.  Miller will be under intense pressure to keep the Cardinals scoring up.  An uphill battle, considering Cardinals nation grew quite accustom to the numbers Haley’s offenses put up the last two seasons.  

Miller already has a good understand of the Cardinals offense under Whisenhunt and won’t come in looking to change things.  He also has an established relationship with the wide receivers, which could pay dividends in smoothing things over with disgruntled wide out Anquan Boldin.  It’s no secret Boldin and Haley had their issues.  

Coaching the wide receivers in Miller’s place will be john McNulty.  McNulty is headed out west after five seasons coaching at Rutgers University.  For the last two year’s McNulty served as offensive coordinator at Rutgers where he helped wide receivers Kenny Britt and Tiquan Underwood get drafted in 2009. 

Britt was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the 30^th pick in the first round and Underwood went in the seventh to the Jacksonville Jaguars.  McNulty has previous NFL experience as a wide receiver coach making stops in Jacksonville (1998-2002) and with the Dallas Cowboys (2003). 

Defense

Once Whisenhunt took the head coaching job, it was only a matter of time before defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast and his 4-3 defensive scheme were shown the door.  Especially after the Cardinals defense gave up more yards and more points in Pendergast’s second year under Whisenhunt. 

Whisenhunt watched the 3-4 defense win a title during his time in Pittsburgh and then again last year against his Cardinals.  It only made sense that he promote someone with the same philosophy.

Before signing on to coach linebackers for the Cardinals in 2007, Bill Davis spent two years implementing a 3-4 playbook as defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers.  Now he’s back in the hot seat as defensive coordinator for the Cardinals. 

The Cardinals defense was inconsistent last year to say the least.  They played the regular season extremely aggressive but too often were out of position or using poor technique.  The defense as a unit came together to shut down opposing teams run game in the playoffs and it will be Davis’ job to carry over that success. 

Davis knows what Whisenhunt wants to do and his past experience is a huge plus, although his time with the 49ers’ was spent in the bottom third of the rankings.  The Cardinals roster should make Davis’ second time around a little easier.

Filling Davis’ linebacker coach vacancy will be defensive assistant Matt Raich, another coach from the 2007 crop to be hired and promoted by Whisenhunt.  The Cardinals have a good mix of linebackers and rush ends, young and old, it will be up to Raich to continue promoting healthy competition amongst them.

Without a doubt there are a few unknowns about the coaching staff going into this season but with Whisenhunt at the helm you know what to expect.  The Cardinals will be aggressive, blitzing, throwing bombs and playing physical football on both sides of the ball the only way Whisenhunt knows how.