Hey guys and gals. Whiz has been coaching here for some time now. I have given credit to him regularly and often for the good things he has done to change the culture of losing here. By the same token, I have also chastised him for his stubborness and his unwillingness to change what has not worked, or to improve what has failed game after game, week after week, and year after year. We still have one of the worst offensive lines in the league, and it is still built around basically the same players that anchored it more than four years ago. That is on Whiz. Until just partway through this season we were still a pass first team, although we have not had a QB who could operate that system for the past two years. THat was on Whiz. I have followed this team for long before Whiz came here, and I hope to follow it for long after he's gone. He IS one of the better coaches we have had here, but he did NOT build the team that took us to the Super Bowl. He inherited those players, excepting basically Levi Brown, and the WR that followed Haley to KC, (I can't remember his name now, and yes it sucks to get old). I believe it is fair to say that during his time as a starting guard for the Cardinals, Deuce Lutui was consistently our best offensive lineman, overweight or not. He sits on the bench now, and has all year because he is in Whiz' dog house), but he is probably still our best offensive lineman. We all get on our Front Office for lack of better players, but the only one I can think of that Whiz really wanted, that they refused to go after was Mark Bulger last year, (after Whiz got them to sign Derek Anderson first). Whiz has gotten virtually every player he has asked for, and many of them have not passed the muster. He as allowed other crucial players to get away from us without trying to resign them.
Yes, Whiz is a good coach. He is not a glorified God who's every move is gold, or is even solid. He is above mediocre, (but not much in my opinion), and unless he learns from guys like Horton to cut his losses and adapt to change as needed, he will never again visit the Super Bowl. Right now, we are dallying around with Calais Campbell. Whiz should be doing everything he can to see that this man is signed to a contract extension. He has done nothing to prod the FO to even consider that we need to get that contract done ASAP.
Whiz might yet take the lineup he currently has into the playoffs, maybe even deep. That probably won't happen this year. If, and when he does, I will acknowledge his success and the reasons for it, just as I have pointed out his weaknesses. Meanwhile, don't expect me to sing praises of what he hasn't earned or even demanded. This organization is steeped in losses. It has been for its entirety. Just because Whiz has them playing better than 500 is not reason for hailing him as the next coaching God. The fact that we have some pretty decent players, a great state-of-the-art stadium that plays before packed houses, and due to the collective bargaining agreement that will now force ownership to spend up to the level of our competition on salaries, and that we have great weather and a good culture to raise families in, has nothing to do with Whiz, but it does contribute to our W-L record. When Whiz destroyed our QB situation, I said that it is up to him to fix it. He still has not done that. If he does, and fields a playoff caliber team consistently, I will be glad to give him credit for it.
