Regardless of what Matt Leinart says, former Arizona head coach Ken Whisenhunt is now the lead man of the Tennessee Titans. (Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports)
Everyone has an opinion and, of course, moreso now than ever, there are infinite places to express those opinions. It also seems the intent of the opinion-giver is to create as much controversy as possible, not necessarily to make a salient point, but rather to call attention to themselves.
When it comes to former athletes, the intent is to be noticed to get in position for one of those plum jobs as a television analyst.
So it was last week that former NFL quarterback Matt Leinart laid out Ken Whisenhunt after he was hired as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. Never mind that NFL Network analyst Kurt Warner and San Diego Chargers Philip Rivers spoke highly of Whisenhunt, who coached Warner in Arizona and Rivers this past season. After all, if Matt Leinart speaks, people will listen. Right?
Interviewed on FOX Sports Live, Leinart claimed Whisenhunt shouldn’t be given credit for coaching the Cardinals to the playoffs for two consecutive seasons including one Super Bowl appearance.
Said Leinart, “I don’t think it’s a great fit, and I don’t think it’s great timing, and here’s why. You look at his tenure in Arizona — only two years, he had success, and in those two years, Kurt Warner ran that football team — I was a part of it. Every single Monday, Kurt Warner would come in and implement 20 to 30 new plays which he would say, ‘I want these in my game plan.’ We became a spread offense and we became Kurt Warner’s offense. Then Kurt Warner retires, they go 5-11 twice and they go 8-8.”
Of course, part of what Leinart is saying is painfully obvious. Teams without quality quarterbacks don’t win consistently in the NFL. And offensive coordinators that get hired as head coaches usually have coached excellent quarterbacks.
After the 2012 season and having one season with quarterback Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy parlayed that into a head coaching job with the Chargers. Now, Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase had been mentioned as a candidate for various jobs, but opted not to do any interviews until his team’s season ends. The Cleveland Browns are the only team without a head coach, and they have been patiently waiting to interview coaches on teams still playing, apparently including Gase.
How original. Hire coaches from winning teams that, obviously, have the best talent. And hope they will be good head coaches, Meanwhile, the coach hopes he will be provided the talent necessary to compete and be given a fair amount of time to get his program in place instead of being two-and-done or one-and-done like former Browns coach Rob Chudzinski.
And the Steelers go merrily on, having had three coaches since 1969.
Speaking of the Steelers
Former Buccaneers and Colts coach Tony Dungy, now an analyst for NBC Sports, was glad the Lions hired Jim Caldwell as head coach.
Dungy explained his rationale while revealing that after the firing of Jim Schwartz, he discussed Detroit’s situation with general manager Martin Mayhew and vice chairman Bill Ford Jr.
Said Dungy, “One time we had a phone conversation and we just talked about what they were looking for. I really talked more to Mr. Ford about (Steelers owner) Dan Rooney and the way Dan went about his search. Dan’s hired three coaches in 40-some years. They haven’t been big-name guys when they’ve been hired, but they fit the profile of what he was looking for, and that’s all I told Bill. I said I think from talking to Martin you’ve got a profile, you know what you’re looking for, get the guy who fits that. Don’t worry about what the media thinks, what the fans think, what anybody else thinks. Fill your profile and you’re going to be fine, and I think that’s exactly what they’ve done.”
Speaking with Forked Tongue
The firing of a running backs coach and tight ends coach from any NFL team doesn’t generate headlines. But when the Giants fired tight ends coach Mike Pope (23 seasons with the team) and running backs coach Jerald Ingram (10 seasons), it raised some eyebrows. Especially considering the words spoken by head coach Tom Coughlin.
On Ingram, Coughlin said, “He’s an outstanding football coach. He has done a very good job here. I think the record speaks for itself in terms of the guys that have played for him and are very loyal to him. He’s a man of principle and has been a very loyal assistant for a lot of years.
“Jerald demonstrated again last season what a good teacher he is when we had injures at the running back position and we signed Peyton Hillis. In one week’s time, Peyton started in the third-down nickel package, which, in our system, is a complex job.”
As for Pope, Coughlin said, “Mike and I coached together on the Giants staff back in the 1980s. When I returned as the head coach, I didn’t intend to keep anyone from the previous staff. I visited with Mike and made a decision that I wanted him as a part of our new staff going forward, and it was certainly the right decision.
“He has coached many, many outstanding players in the years that we’ve been here, guys that have made great contributions to our success. Mike has four Super Bowl rings from all four championships the New York Giants have won in the modern era.”
Tight end Martellus Bennett left the Giants for the Bears as a free agent last offseason, and wrote about Pope on Twitter, saying, “Wow. Such a great man and awesome coach.”
So, why were these exemplary coaches fired? Said Coughlin, “Both of these men are very good talent evaluators and, in their own way, are very good teachers. I decided to make a change in our staff that I believe will be productive going forward. These are very difficult decisions, but I felt they were in the best interests of the Giants moving forward.”
That explains it. Translated: We were 7-9, so someone had to pay the price and make it look like we’re shaking things up.
