Ken Whisenhunt to Derek Anderson: In Spite of Outburst, the Job Is Still Yours

Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt has come out in defense of veteran quarterback Derek Anderson.

Whisenhunt spoke to the press about Anderson, following Anderson's profanity-laced outburst to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic during the postgame press conference when Somers asked about Anderson laughing on the sidelines during the game.

The Cardinals head coach told the press that he had spoken to Anderson and Lutui and was left in no doubt that the players were taking the game very seriously.

He admitted that he still has not seen the incident, and expressed his belief that his quarterback should have acted differently, but was clear, "In talking with Derek [Anderson] and in talking with Deuce [Lutui] my sense is not anything about what's been reported.

"Those guys have worked hard, they want to win," he said. "I'm not going to read too much into a couple of seconds of what you see on video. I'm going to base it on what I know about those guys and their demeanor and their approach."

He added that at present, Anderson would remain starter, because for now at least he gives the Cardinals the best chance to win.

Whisenhunt believes that Anderson has improved a lot over the last few weeks, adding, "That's really what you look for."

Whisenhunt was candid, admitting that there are numerous problems that need fixing, but was insistent that focusing on something like Anderson's reaction at the weekend was an unneccessary distraction. 

"Listen, we've got a lot of issues that we've got to get corrected, and that's a small one compared to some of the other things we have to do."

Like many fans, Coach Whisenhunt is not happy with the recent performance of his team. During the postgame press conference on Monday, he acknowledged that the game was not a good performance. 

"To say that I'm not extremely disappointed would be an understatement," he opened. He expressed his feeling that the game was a "very poor effort," adding that the team got "beaten in all phases of the game: special teams, offense and defense."

When asked about the future on Tuesday, he added, "It's hard for me to sit here and say we don't have a bad football team when we've lost this many games in a row, especially after our last couple of defeats. But that's not something we focus on. I really think our players feel like we can win, and we're going to continue to work that way."

Whisenhunt, who has still not written off a late run at the NFC West title, stated that he is not yet ready to try John Skelton, something that many commentators (myself included) have been calling for some time.

"It's tough," Whisenhunt said. "[Skelton] is a young guy, hasn't gotten a lot of reps and you run the risk of damaging a young player when you put him in there to play. I have very high hopes for John and his future and his time is going to come to play."

He implied that perhaps that could be sooner than we realise, adding, "I can't say that won't happen some time this year, but right now I don't think it's the direction you want to go."

Like many reporters, I remain unconvinced by Anderson. He is one of the bigger reasons Arizona has been uncompetitive this season. While some of his passes have improved recently, his throws still seem dangerous to me, too often forcing our receivers to go up and get balls in double and triple coverage. He never takes his eyes off his intended receivers, which is the main reason Arizona's third down percentage is the worst in the NFL.

In Skelton, Arizona has an unknown quantity, aside from the fact that both he and Anderson are big quarterbacks. He may be no better than Anderson, but it is unlikely that he will be worse. If he completes even 5 percent more passes than Anderson and loses the ball even once less per game, then suddenly Arizona looks like a very different team.