clif
ASFN Addict
By Jim Corbett, USA TODAY
Ken Whisenhunt is usually the one who conceives the innovative wrinkles.
This time the 44-year-old offensive architect of the Super Bowl XL-winning Pittsburgh Steelers benefited from someone else's creativity. A strategy planned by Arizona Cardinals vice president and general counsel Michael Bidwill and vice president of player operations Rod Graves helped sell Whisenhunt and the talented but long-lost Cardinals on each other.
In the four other cities where Whisenhunt interviewed for head coaching jobs — Oakland last year and Atlanta, Miami and Pittsburgh this offseason — Whisenhunt had never been questioned by a panel of players. That changed when he arrived in Arizona to interview for the top job after Denny Green was fired on the heels of a three-year tenure that produced 16 wins.
It turns out Whisenhunt had some of his own questions for the players-turned-interviewers, quarterback Kurt Warner, Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson and defensive tackle Darnell Dockett. The exchange gave Whisenhunt a unique chance to really see what he was looking at.
"I was in the room with Kurt, Adrian and Darnell alone," Whisenhunt says. "They had some questions for me, obviously. But then I had a chance to ask them some questions, trying to get some insight into the organization and some of the issues and problems going on there."
Whisenhunt's biggest question?
"What happened?" he asked. "You have talent, so how come you haven't won more football games?
"They had some definitive answers, which certainly helped as far as my evaluation process."
Leave it to Whisenhunt, who earned a degree in civil engineering from Georgia Tech, to identify one of the biggest structural flaws in an organization with just one winning season and playoff appearance since its 1988 arrival in Arizona.
"Players used to have memberships at a local fitness club," he says. "You need guys in the building, forging chemistry as early as the start of the mid-March strength program.
"I learned that lesson in Pittsburgh as far as the chemistry of a team goes, building an unselfishness. It starts in the offseason program."
The more Whisenhunt learned, the more he saw how hungry the players were to win and be led.
"Having the players involved in the interview process is something Michael Bidwill and I conceived," Graves says. "The objective behind that was to give the coaches involved an opportunity to see the desire level of our players. We wanted the players to get before the candidates and give the candidates the opportunity to see that we have quite a few football players on this team — an Anquan Boldin, an Adrian Wilson, a Matt Leinart and many others — who really want to be successful.
"In other words, give them something to believe in, and they'll run through a wall for you."
The three players didn't have the final say. But they helped sell Bidwill and his father, team owner Bill Bidwill, on a bright, no-nonsense teacher who's now expected to help the Cardinals quickly rise as the Southwest's version of the Steelers.
Whisenhunt further impressed with his hiring of a staff consisting of proven winners and passionate teachers, especially assistant head coach Russ Grimm, arguably the game's best offensive line coach, and a man who must now address Arizona's longtime fault line.
Before working together the last six seasons as assistants on Bill Cowher's staff, Whisenhunt and Grimm played together on the 1990 Washington Redskins, Whisenhunt as a tight end/H-back, Grimm as a Hall of Fame-caliber guard.
"People were talking about Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm both becoming head coaches, and we ended up getting both of them," two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Boldin says. "I've talked to Hines Ward, Willie Parker and some other guys with the Steelers, and I haven't heard anything but good things about Ken.
"We're headed in the right direction."
Dockett was equally impressed.
"Ken is the guy for us," Dockett says. "He was just a total class act, laid back and confident at the same time. Trust me, he'll change some things that need changing."
A smart, tough football team that's going to show up on Sunday and play its guts out is what Whisenhunt promised upon his introductory news conference Jan. 16.
"We've just lacked that consistency overall," Wilson says. "Ken is definitely going to bring that to us."
The Cardinals are among six teams that have never made it to the Super Bowl. No time like the present considering their $455 million University of Phoenix Stadium will host Super Bowl XLII next February.
Whisenhunt saw beyond the franchise's star-crossed past, glimpsing a hidden gem with a solid foundation in need of hard work.
Arizona has two of the game's best receivers in Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald and a dynamic, young quarterback to get them the ball in Leinart. Boldin plays with the toughness of current Steelers receiver Ward. And as a former quarterback at Florida State, Boldin also boasts the versatility that ex-Steelers and current Redskins wideout Antwaan Randle El provided Whisenhunt.
Former Pro Bowl running back Edgerrin James, who wants to win the championship he missed out with in Indianapolis, brings another dimension to the offense. The defense also has its share of talent.
"We just need to work, man," Dockett says. "We've got everything. We have to work harder to find that way to win close games like the Bears game."
Flash back to Oct. 16. After storming to a 20-0 halftime lead over the heavily favored Bears on Monday Night Football, the Cardinals collapsed in the second half despite never permitting the Bears an offensive touchdown. Victimized by two fumbles returned for touchdowns and Devin Hester's 83-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, Arizona lost 24-23.
The staggered Cardinals never seemed to recover after Green's famous postgame rant: "The Bears were who we thought they were!"
It's just that the Cardinals have never been who they were supposed to be — a team expected to rise from the ashes the way the Saints did in 2006.
"I've been waiting for the Cardinals to be that team the last three years," ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth says. "They're plenty talented. But you have to have more than talent to win in this league. You have to have some backbone. As a coach, Kenny has that backbone, and he'll bring it to the Cardinals."
Schlereth cites the Saints as an example of what the Cardinals can accomplish. "Look at New Orleans and what Sean Payton did there last season," he says. "It's one thing to say you're going to change the culture. It's another thing to actually go do it.
"Sean Payton flat cleaned house. There were 27 new lockers when the season started. And look at the difference it made."
Whisenhunt and Grimm will bring a power football ethos to the Valley of the Sun, an approach instilled in them as players by Hall of Fame Redskins coach Joe Gibbs and polished under Cowher.
Whisenhunt and Grimm want an offensive line as tough and cohesive as the 1990 Hogs they blocked for. They will emphasize the running game to reduce pressure on Leinart.
"There is a comfort level for me from the standpoint of working with a young quarterback," Whisenhunt says, referencing Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. "We have worked with a young quarterback with success, and part of that involves running the football."
Whisenhunt is confident he can achieve similar success with Grimm at his side.
"I've had a great relationship with Russ both as a player and a coach," he says. "I'm with a guy who I've been with both as a player and a coach, and you know how he's going to react under pressure.
"Especially after having success together as a Super Bowl championship team in Pittsburgh, it was important to my comfort level to bring Russ with me."
At the urging of former Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells, Whisenhunt also hired former Cowboys offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Whisenhunt also hired former Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon to coach the running backs and former Jets assistant coach Richie Anderson to coach receivers. Jeff Rutledge will coach quarterbacks; Freddie Kitchens the tight ends.
It's a staff of sharp, fiery teachers who mirror their leader.
"The Arizona Cardinals have finally done the right thing," CBS analyst Boomer Esiason says. "Ken Whisenhunt is an under-the-radar guy, a real serious football man.
"He came from Pittsburgh, where it's defense, run the ball and play-action passing. They have some really good players and, most importantly, a budding, great quarterback in Matt Leinart."
It's a formula Esiason thinks can work again. "The hiring of Ken Whisenhunt could be the best offseason hiring of a head coach for any organization," he says. "The Cardinals could be that 2007 surprise."
So how will Whiz's kids differ from Green's house of Cards?
To begin fostering a more physical mind-set, Whisenhunt hired strength coach John Lott. Lott has become something of an NFL Network celebrity for his oft-repeated mantra, "Get your stinking mind right," as he prepares draft prospects for the 225-pound bench press at the scouting combine.
Lott will emphasize free weights and core training as the team revamps an outmoded weight room.
"I have to commend the Bidwills," Whisenhunt says. "They made the commitment to support us with a new weight room. It's a good thing for the players, and the program is going to be geared more toward core strengthening, which is the rage in today's fitness world and important to football movements like blocking."
Whisenhunt wants to employ more traditional fullback and two tight end sets to bludgeon defenses rather than rely on the stretch plays James ran last season to the tune of a 3.4 average yards a carry.
Green didn't use a traditional fullback much, preferring to employ three-receiver sets.
"The fullback is important, and I've had success with that," Whisenhunt says. "But if you look at what we have done in our run game, it was pretty close to 50-50 with a fullback or a second tight end.
"If you look at the Steelers last season, we maybe threw too much early and turned the ball over a little more. And that probably crystallized my feeling as far as being a little more — I don't want to say conservative — but running the football sets the tone."
Grimm, who has been considered for three head coaching jobs, must help set that tone.
"They've got to get that offensive line squared away in Arizona," Redskins assistant coach Joe Bugel says. "They've got exactly the guy to get that done in Russ Grimm."
Grimm, who played all three offensive line positions under Bugel, might be passing on some of his old coach's wisdom to his new charges in the desert.
"Bugel was a great teacher of the game," he says. "We all felt confident that no matter who played where, you could concentrate on the technique you were taught and guys were completely confident in one another getting the job done."
A former high school quarterback who played middle linebacker at the University of Pittsburgh, Grimm converted to guard after his sophomore season.
"Russ was the smartest football player I've ever been around, and I've been around some smart ones," says Schlereth, Grimm's former Redskins linemate. "He was way ahead of his time when it came to reading coverages and understanding where blitzes were coming from."
Schlereth notes another amazing aspect of Grimm's playing career.
"This tells you how smart Russ was," he says. "Nobody really knew that he was the third emergency quarterback for the Redskins all those years he was there, back when you could only dress two quarterbacks."
But Grimm's skill as a mauler, not a signal-caller, is what the Cardinals will benefit from.
"The guy was a great technician and football player," Schlereth says. "He was all about coming off the football creating leverage. He was a human battering ram."
He'll bring that mind-set to young talents such as guard Deuce Lutui.
"The talent level from one team to another — there's not the big discrepancy," Grimm says. "You have to play smart, disciplined and make sure you don't lose games with penalties and mistakes. You have to set the tempo with the run game."
Is Grimm considering a Southwestern takeoff of The Hogs? The Armadillos, maybe?
"No nicknames. You have to win to have a nickname," Grimm says, but adds the pieces are in place to do just that. "Rod Graves has done a good job of building the talent here," he says. "It's not a total overhaul that's needed. We're going to get guys to buy in."
James could be the biggest beneficiary. After signing a four-year, $30 million free agent deal last offseason, the elite runner the Cardinals long lacked couldn't make the difference by himself. His longest run last season was 18 yards.
"I imagine the Cardinals will be a more physical football team under Kenny and Russ," Steelers radio analyst Tunch Ilkin says. "Russ will bring an old-school nasty to them.
"Russ coaches more an angle blocking scheme than the zone-blocking one the Cardinals had. He wants his guys to come off the line and snap your head back."
James, 29, should be fresher late in games and later in the season based on Whisenhunt's plan to follow the chic two-back trend the Colts and Bears rode to Super Bowl XLI.
Last year's Cardinals ran 419 times (26 per game) compared with 545 passes (34 per game). Whisenhunt hopes to run the ball 35-40 times a game.
"We ran the ball quite a bit in Pittsburgh, and for one back to think he can handle all those carries and hold up over a whole season is unrealistic," Whisenhunt says.
So why should anyone believe these Cardinals will be different?
Whisenhunt was hired in part because of how well he developed Roethlisberger, who triggered an offense that averaged 26.8 points in four playoff wins on its way to the Super Bowl XL crown.
"I've been a big fan, watching Kenny's play calling the last three years," Haley says. "I'm excited about the staff he's put together and the personnel."
Leinart, who led USC to two national titles, is an accurate passer whose leadership elevates the confidence level and effort of everyone around him.
But Graves suggests Leinart needs to add body armor after injuring both shoulders last season, including a sprained throwing shoulder in the second-to-last game. "When Matt first came in, I'm not sure how much weightlifting he had ever done at USC," Graves says. "So I'm hoping that John Lott and a whole new strength program we're implementing will benefit Matt and several players."
Leinart, who threw 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his rookie year, figures to be that much better supported by a pounding run game.
"The power running game and passing game go hand in hand," Grimm says. "Sometimes the pass sets up the run, and sometimes the run sets up the pass. The bottom line is you have to run the football. Where coach Whisenhunt is good … is putting the players in the best position to be successful.
"You have to be a multi-formational offense. We like to dictate."
Perhaps a little Grimm magic on the line is all this team needs to make a playoff run in the NFC West.
"We have the weapons, and now we have Russ Grimm to fix our Achilles' heel the last three years," Boldin says. "I've always been on winning organizations from high school through Florida State, where we won the (2003) national championship game.
"I want to win that championship out in Arizona now."
It will be a symbolic key for Whisenhunt to persuade James to participate in the offseason workout program in Arizona as opposed to the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., where he has worked out in past offseasons with other former Hurricanes. James has yet to buy a home in Arizona and stayed in a hotel much of last season.
A turnaround starts with buy-ins from team leaders such as James — Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees was the perfect example in showing the Saints what it took to rise up.
"They haven't won here for a while," Grimm says. "The organization is ready. The community is ready. The players are ready.
"Some of them have played a few years here. After a while, you kick that dog enough he's going to bite you."
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/cards/2007-03-07-sw-whisenhunt_N.htm?csp=34
Ken Whisenhunt is usually the one who conceives the innovative wrinkles.
This time the 44-year-old offensive architect of the Super Bowl XL-winning Pittsburgh Steelers benefited from someone else's creativity. A strategy planned by Arizona Cardinals vice president and general counsel Michael Bidwill and vice president of player operations Rod Graves helped sell Whisenhunt and the talented but long-lost Cardinals on each other.
In the four other cities where Whisenhunt interviewed for head coaching jobs — Oakland last year and Atlanta, Miami and Pittsburgh this offseason — Whisenhunt had never been questioned by a panel of players. That changed when he arrived in Arizona to interview for the top job after Denny Green was fired on the heels of a three-year tenure that produced 16 wins.
It turns out Whisenhunt had some of his own questions for the players-turned-interviewers, quarterback Kurt Warner, Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson and defensive tackle Darnell Dockett. The exchange gave Whisenhunt a unique chance to really see what he was looking at.
"I was in the room with Kurt, Adrian and Darnell alone," Whisenhunt says. "They had some questions for me, obviously. But then I had a chance to ask them some questions, trying to get some insight into the organization and some of the issues and problems going on there."
Whisenhunt's biggest question?
"What happened?" he asked. "You have talent, so how come you haven't won more football games?
"They had some definitive answers, which certainly helped as far as my evaluation process."
Leave it to Whisenhunt, who earned a degree in civil engineering from Georgia Tech, to identify one of the biggest structural flaws in an organization with just one winning season and playoff appearance since its 1988 arrival in Arizona.
"Players used to have memberships at a local fitness club," he says. "You need guys in the building, forging chemistry as early as the start of the mid-March strength program.
"I learned that lesson in Pittsburgh as far as the chemistry of a team goes, building an unselfishness. It starts in the offseason program."
The more Whisenhunt learned, the more he saw how hungry the players were to win and be led.
"Having the players involved in the interview process is something Michael Bidwill and I conceived," Graves says. "The objective behind that was to give the coaches involved an opportunity to see the desire level of our players. We wanted the players to get before the candidates and give the candidates the opportunity to see that we have quite a few football players on this team — an Anquan Boldin, an Adrian Wilson, a Matt Leinart and many others — who really want to be successful.
"In other words, give them something to believe in, and they'll run through a wall for you."
The three players didn't have the final say. But they helped sell Bidwill and his father, team owner Bill Bidwill, on a bright, no-nonsense teacher who's now expected to help the Cardinals quickly rise as the Southwest's version of the Steelers.
Whisenhunt further impressed with his hiring of a staff consisting of proven winners and passionate teachers, especially assistant head coach Russ Grimm, arguably the game's best offensive line coach, and a man who must now address Arizona's longtime fault line.
Before working together the last six seasons as assistants on Bill Cowher's staff, Whisenhunt and Grimm played together on the 1990 Washington Redskins, Whisenhunt as a tight end/H-back, Grimm as a Hall of Fame-caliber guard.
"People were talking about Ken Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm both becoming head coaches, and we ended up getting both of them," two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Boldin says. "I've talked to Hines Ward, Willie Parker and some other guys with the Steelers, and I haven't heard anything but good things about Ken.
"We're headed in the right direction."
Dockett was equally impressed.
"Ken is the guy for us," Dockett says. "He was just a total class act, laid back and confident at the same time. Trust me, he'll change some things that need changing."
A smart, tough football team that's going to show up on Sunday and play its guts out is what Whisenhunt promised upon his introductory news conference Jan. 16.
"We've just lacked that consistency overall," Wilson says. "Ken is definitely going to bring that to us."
The Cardinals are among six teams that have never made it to the Super Bowl. No time like the present considering their $455 million University of Phoenix Stadium will host Super Bowl XLII next February.
Whisenhunt saw beyond the franchise's star-crossed past, glimpsing a hidden gem with a solid foundation in need of hard work.
Arizona has two of the game's best receivers in Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald and a dynamic, young quarterback to get them the ball in Leinart. Boldin plays with the toughness of current Steelers receiver Ward. And as a former quarterback at Florida State, Boldin also boasts the versatility that ex-Steelers and current Redskins wideout Antwaan Randle El provided Whisenhunt.
Former Pro Bowl running back Edgerrin James, who wants to win the championship he missed out with in Indianapolis, brings another dimension to the offense. The defense also has its share of talent.
"We just need to work, man," Dockett says. "We've got everything. We have to work harder to find that way to win close games like the Bears game."
Flash back to Oct. 16. After storming to a 20-0 halftime lead over the heavily favored Bears on Monday Night Football, the Cardinals collapsed in the second half despite never permitting the Bears an offensive touchdown. Victimized by two fumbles returned for touchdowns and Devin Hester's 83-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter, Arizona lost 24-23.
The staggered Cardinals never seemed to recover after Green's famous postgame rant: "The Bears were who we thought they were!"
It's just that the Cardinals have never been who they were supposed to be — a team expected to rise from the ashes the way the Saints did in 2006.
"I've been waiting for the Cardinals to be that team the last three years," ESPN analyst Mark Schlereth says. "They're plenty talented. But you have to have more than talent to win in this league. You have to have some backbone. As a coach, Kenny has that backbone, and he'll bring it to the Cardinals."
Schlereth cites the Saints as an example of what the Cardinals can accomplish. "Look at New Orleans and what Sean Payton did there last season," he says. "It's one thing to say you're going to change the culture. It's another thing to actually go do it.
"Sean Payton flat cleaned house. There were 27 new lockers when the season started. And look at the difference it made."
Whisenhunt and Grimm will bring a power football ethos to the Valley of the Sun, an approach instilled in them as players by Hall of Fame Redskins coach Joe Gibbs and polished under Cowher.
Whisenhunt and Grimm want an offensive line as tough and cohesive as the 1990 Hogs they blocked for. They will emphasize the running game to reduce pressure on Leinart.
"There is a comfort level for me from the standpoint of working with a young quarterback," Whisenhunt says, referencing Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. "We have worked with a young quarterback with success, and part of that involves running the football."
Whisenhunt is confident he can achieve similar success with Grimm at his side.
"I've had a great relationship with Russ both as a player and a coach," he says. "I'm with a guy who I've been with both as a player and a coach, and you know how he's going to react under pressure.
"Especially after having success together as a Super Bowl championship team in Pittsburgh, it was important to my comfort level to bring Russ with me."
At the urging of former Dallas Cowboys coach Bill Parcells, Whisenhunt also hired former Cowboys offensive coordinator Todd Haley. Whisenhunt also hired former Cleveland Browns offensive coordinator Maurice Carthon to coach the running backs and former Jets assistant coach Richie Anderson to coach receivers. Jeff Rutledge will coach quarterbacks; Freddie Kitchens the tight ends.
It's a staff of sharp, fiery teachers who mirror their leader.
"The Arizona Cardinals have finally done the right thing," CBS analyst Boomer Esiason says. "Ken Whisenhunt is an under-the-radar guy, a real serious football man.
"He came from Pittsburgh, where it's defense, run the ball and play-action passing. They have some really good players and, most importantly, a budding, great quarterback in Matt Leinart."
It's a formula Esiason thinks can work again. "The hiring of Ken Whisenhunt could be the best offseason hiring of a head coach for any organization," he says. "The Cardinals could be that 2007 surprise."
So how will Whiz's kids differ from Green's house of Cards?
To begin fostering a more physical mind-set, Whisenhunt hired strength coach John Lott. Lott has become something of an NFL Network celebrity for his oft-repeated mantra, "Get your stinking mind right," as he prepares draft prospects for the 225-pound bench press at the scouting combine.
Lott will emphasize free weights and core training as the team revamps an outmoded weight room.
"I have to commend the Bidwills," Whisenhunt says. "They made the commitment to support us with a new weight room. It's a good thing for the players, and the program is going to be geared more toward core strengthening, which is the rage in today's fitness world and important to football movements like blocking."
Whisenhunt wants to employ more traditional fullback and two tight end sets to bludgeon defenses rather than rely on the stretch plays James ran last season to the tune of a 3.4 average yards a carry.
Green didn't use a traditional fullback much, preferring to employ three-receiver sets.
"The fullback is important, and I've had success with that," Whisenhunt says. "But if you look at what we have done in our run game, it was pretty close to 50-50 with a fullback or a second tight end.
"If you look at the Steelers last season, we maybe threw too much early and turned the ball over a little more. And that probably crystallized my feeling as far as being a little more — I don't want to say conservative — but running the football sets the tone."
Grimm, who has been considered for three head coaching jobs, must help set that tone.
"They've got to get that offensive line squared away in Arizona," Redskins assistant coach Joe Bugel says. "They've got exactly the guy to get that done in Russ Grimm."
Grimm, who played all three offensive line positions under Bugel, might be passing on some of his old coach's wisdom to his new charges in the desert.
"Bugel was a great teacher of the game," he says. "We all felt confident that no matter who played where, you could concentrate on the technique you were taught and guys were completely confident in one another getting the job done."
A former high school quarterback who played middle linebacker at the University of Pittsburgh, Grimm converted to guard after his sophomore season.
"Russ was the smartest football player I've ever been around, and I've been around some smart ones," says Schlereth, Grimm's former Redskins linemate. "He was way ahead of his time when it came to reading coverages and understanding where blitzes were coming from."
Schlereth notes another amazing aspect of Grimm's playing career.
"This tells you how smart Russ was," he says. "Nobody really knew that he was the third emergency quarterback for the Redskins all those years he was there, back when you could only dress two quarterbacks."
But Grimm's skill as a mauler, not a signal-caller, is what the Cardinals will benefit from.
"The guy was a great technician and football player," Schlereth says. "He was all about coming off the football creating leverage. He was a human battering ram."
He'll bring that mind-set to young talents such as guard Deuce Lutui.
"The talent level from one team to another — there's not the big discrepancy," Grimm says. "You have to play smart, disciplined and make sure you don't lose games with penalties and mistakes. You have to set the tempo with the run game."
Is Grimm considering a Southwestern takeoff of The Hogs? The Armadillos, maybe?
"No nicknames. You have to win to have a nickname," Grimm says, but adds the pieces are in place to do just that. "Rod Graves has done a good job of building the talent here," he says. "It's not a total overhaul that's needed. We're going to get guys to buy in."
James could be the biggest beneficiary. After signing a four-year, $30 million free agent deal last offseason, the elite runner the Cardinals long lacked couldn't make the difference by himself. His longest run last season was 18 yards.
"I imagine the Cardinals will be a more physical football team under Kenny and Russ," Steelers radio analyst Tunch Ilkin says. "Russ will bring an old-school nasty to them.
"Russ coaches more an angle blocking scheme than the zone-blocking one the Cardinals had. He wants his guys to come off the line and snap your head back."
James, 29, should be fresher late in games and later in the season based on Whisenhunt's plan to follow the chic two-back trend the Colts and Bears rode to Super Bowl XLI.
Last year's Cardinals ran 419 times (26 per game) compared with 545 passes (34 per game). Whisenhunt hopes to run the ball 35-40 times a game.
"We ran the ball quite a bit in Pittsburgh, and for one back to think he can handle all those carries and hold up over a whole season is unrealistic," Whisenhunt says.
So why should anyone believe these Cardinals will be different?
Whisenhunt was hired in part because of how well he developed Roethlisberger, who triggered an offense that averaged 26.8 points in four playoff wins on its way to the Super Bowl XL crown.
"I've been a big fan, watching Kenny's play calling the last three years," Haley says. "I'm excited about the staff he's put together and the personnel."
Leinart, who led USC to two national titles, is an accurate passer whose leadership elevates the confidence level and effort of everyone around him.
But Graves suggests Leinart needs to add body armor after injuring both shoulders last season, including a sprained throwing shoulder in the second-to-last game. "When Matt first came in, I'm not sure how much weightlifting he had ever done at USC," Graves says. "So I'm hoping that John Lott and a whole new strength program we're implementing will benefit Matt and several players."
Leinart, who threw 11 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his rookie year, figures to be that much better supported by a pounding run game.
"The power running game and passing game go hand in hand," Grimm says. "Sometimes the pass sets up the run, and sometimes the run sets up the pass. The bottom line is you have to run the football. Where coach Whisenhunt is good … is putting the players in the best position to be successful.
"You have to be a multi-formational offense. We like to dictate."
Perhaps a little Grimm magic on the line is all this team needs to make a playoff run in the NFC West.
"We have the weapons, and now we have Russ Grimm to fix our Achilles' heel the last three years," Boldin says. "I've always been on winning organizations from high school through Florida State, where we won the (2003) national championship game.
"I want to win that championship out in Arizona now."
It will be a symbolic key for Whisenhunt to persuade James to participate in the offseason workout program in Arizona as opposed to the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Fla., where he has worked out in past offseasons with other former Hurricanes. James has yet to buy a home in Arizona and stayed in a hotel much of last season.
A turnaround starts with buy-ins from team leaders such as James — Pro Bowl quarterback Drew Brees was the perfect example in showing the Saints what it took to rise up.
"They haven't won here for a while," Grimm says. "The organization is ready. The community is ready. The players are ready.
"Some of them have played a few years here. After a while, you kick that dog enough he's going to bite you."
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/football/nfl/cards/2007-03-07-sw-whisenhunt_N.htm?csp=34
