It just gets uglier
Green sounds like a coach waiting to get fired
Dan Bickley
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 23, 2006 12:00 AM
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]OAKLAND - In Bird Land, the debacles never end.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]But this time, Dennis Green took all the blame, and that can mean only one thing: He's getting fired.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Or maybe that's just his final wish as head coach of the Cardinals. [/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"Bill Bidwill is not as disappointed as I am," Green said. "But he's disappointed. He's got to be."[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Now, should he be fired?[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Absolutely. But there's one big problem. There's no better option on Green's staff at the moment. And as evidenced by his team's track record, Mr. Bidwill has a very high tolerance for failure.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]So, buckle up. Green could get fired today. Or maybe the Cardinals wait and turn the bye week (which begins after next week's game in Green Bay) into the bye-bye week. Or maybe Bidwill is determined to make Green work for every penny on his contract (the coach has one more guaranteed year after this season at $2.5 million). [/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Still, with all the money Bidwill didn't spend on players this year, the price tag shouldn't be a problem.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Nevertheless, with a six-game losing streak and a football team circling the drain, Green's future is the only pressing matter left with the Cardinals. And after a wretched 22-9 loss to the Raiders on Sunday, it almost seemed like Green was begging for an early dismissal.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"There are a lot of (good) things, but I have not been able to find a way to do it with the team that we have," Green said. "I think anybody would love to coach the team, to be honest with you. I think there's some damn good young guys (on the team). We've had not one single off-the-field issue. They're good men. They're good guys. They like to play the game. And I'm just very disappointed that I haven't been able to do a better job."[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Aren't we all? Instead, for the third consecutive season, Green has lost to the worst team in football. Three years ago, the Cardinals lost twice to the 49ers. They were the only games that San Francisco would win all year.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Meanwhile, the two-win Texans smoked the Cardinals in 2005. And against the winless Raiders on Sunday, there were countless examples of horrid coaching.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The team wasn't prepared. There was no effort early on. There didn't seem to be a coherent game plan.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]In fact, one week after firing the previous offensive coordinator, the offense actually got worse. To wit:[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]On their own goal line, they put in a fullback (A.J. Schable) who was a defensive end in college. Two weeks ago, he told a writer that he hadn't touched the football since high school. Schable promptly whiffed on a block and Marcel Shipp got nailed for a safety.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Then, on a key fourth down in the fourth quarter, they called a pass for Carlyle Holiday . . . even though Holiday has never caught a pass in his NFL career. [/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Duh. And when the latest display of dog-breath football was over, Edgerrin James sat at his locker . . . laughing. He claimed he was warned about coming to the Cardinals but didn't believe what he heard. They never do.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"It's making me look like I can't even run or something," he said. "And I've been running forever."[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Yet while the head coach must shoulder the ultimate blame, here's the deal with Green: [/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Sideline management has never been his strong suit. His strength is talent evaluation, and the level of talent has certainly improved on his watch. After the love-in with Dave McGinnis, Green also was brought in to rule with an iron fist, and that has brought mixed results.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Truth is, Green and the Cardinals have never recovered from the hubris that marked his debut season, when he carelessly dismantled the offensive line just to send a message.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"I look at it and feel like there's going to be a lot of good players around here for a long time that are going to be good players," Green said. "I just don't want those guys getting discouraged, feeling that there's something about Arizona. There's nothing about Arizona. . . . "[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Wrong. There is something about Arizona, namely the ownership. Mr. Bidwill has never splurged on top-shelf assistant coaches, which is why Green's sideline weaknesses have been exposed, and why there's no better alternative currently on staff. And then there's all that unspent salary-cap money, the green that could've made Green's life a lot easier.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Now, at some point, they'll have to fire the coach. The Cardinals will have over $40 million to spend on players next season, and you don't want a lame-duck coach making those decisions. And, clearly, Green has lost the collective heart of his players.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]But before the pink slip flies, three requests for a reclusive owner who has overseen one winning season since moving to Arizona:[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Look in the mirror. Open the wallet. And then ask your rookie quarterback to go recruit his former college coach, Pete Carroll[/FONT]
Green sounds like a coach waiting to get fired
Dan Bickley
The Arizona Republic
Oct. 23, 2006 12:00 AM
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]OAKLAND - In Bird Land, the debacles never end.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]But this time, Dennis Green took all the blame, and that can mean only one thing: He's getting fired.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Or maybe that's just his final wish as head coach of the Cardinals. [/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"Bill Bidwill is not as disappointed as I am," Green said. "But he's disappointed. He's got to be."[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Now, should he be fired?[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Absolutely. But there's one big problem. There's no better option on Green's staff at the moment. And as evidenced by his team's track record, Mr. Bidwill has a very high tolerance for failure.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]So, buckle up. Green could get fired today. Or maybe the Cardinals wait and turn the bye week (which begins after next week's game in Green Bay) into the bye-bye week. Or maybe Bidwill is determined to make Green work for every penny on his contract (the coach has one more guaranteed year after this season at $2.5 million). [/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Still, with all the money Bidwill didn't spend on players this year, the price tag shouldn't be a problem.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Nevertheless, with a six-game losing streak and a football team circling the drain, Green's future is the only pressing matter left with the Cardinals. And after a wretched 22-9 loss to the Raiders on Sunday, it almost seemed like Green was begging for an early dismissal.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"There are a lot of (good) things, but I have not been able to find a way to do it with the team that we have," Green said. "I think anybody would love to coach the team, to be honest with you. I think there's some damn good young guys (on the team). We've had not one single off-the-field issue. They're good men. They're good guys. They like to play the game. And I'm just very disappointed that I haven't been able to do a better job."[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Aren't we all? Instead, for the third consecutive season, Green has lost to the worst team in football. Three years ago, the Cardinals lost twice to the 49ers. They were the only games that San Francisco would win all year.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Meanwhile, the two-win Texans smoked the Cardinals in 2005. And against the winless Raiders on Sunday, there were countless examples of horrid coaching.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]The team wasn't prepared. There was no effort early on. There didn't seem to be a coherent game plan.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]In fact, one week after firing the previous offensive coordinator, the offense actually got worse. To wit:[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]On their own goal line, they put in a fullback (A.J. Schable) who was a defensive end in college. Two weeks ago, he told a writer that he hadn't touched the football since high school. Schable promptly whiffed on a block and Marcel Shipp got nailed for a safety.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Then, on a key fourth down in the fourth quarter, they called a pass for Carlyle Holiday . . . even though Holiday has never caught a pass in his NFL career. [/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Duh. And when the latest display of dog-breath football was over, Edgerrin James sat at his locker . . . laughing. He claimed he was warned about coming to the Cardinals but didn't believe what he heard. They never do.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"It's making me look like I can't even run or something," he said. "And I've been running forever."[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Yet while the head coach must shoulder the ultimate blame, here's the deal with Green: [/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Sideline management has never been his strong suit. His strength is talent evaluation, and the level of talent has certainly improved on his watch. After the love-in with Dave McGinnis, Green also was brought in to rule with an iron fist, and that has brought mixed results.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Truth is, Green and the Cardinals have never recovered from the hubris that marked his debut season, when he carelessly dismantled the offensive line just to send a message.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]"I look at it and feel like there's going to be a lot of good players around here for a long time that are going to be good players," Green said. "I just don't want those guys getting discouraged, feeling that there's something about Arizona. There's nothing about Arizona. . . . "[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Wrong. There is something about Arizona, namely the ownership. Mr. Bidwill has never splurged on top-shelf assistant coaches, which is why Green's sideline weaknesses have been exposed, and why there's no better alternative currently on staff. And then there's all that unspent salary-cap money, the green that could've made Green's life a lot easier.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Now, at some point, they'll have to fire the coach. The Cardinals will have over $40 million to spend on players next season, and you don't want a lame-duck coach making those decisions. And, clearly, Green has lost the collective heart of his players.[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]But before the pink slip flies, three requests for a reclusive owner who has overseen one winning season since moving to Arizona:[/FONT]
[FONT=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]Look in the mirror. Open the wallet. And then ask your rookie quarterback to go recruit his former college coach, Pete Carroll[/FONT]