Big Red Blog: What would Reid do for AZ?

Ken Whisenhunt is out and Andy Reid might be in. What would Reid bring to Arizona and what's needed to turn the fortunes of the struggling Cardinals? Find out inside.

What would Reid do for AZ?

Posted by Brad Wilbricht
Wednesday, January 2 - 10:00 AM

The Arizona Cardinals rang in the new year by cleaning house as general manager Rod Graves and coach Ken Whisenhunt were fired earlier this week. The majority of the remaining offensive staff was also let go, meaning that the Cardinals wills start fresh in an area that has plagued them for the better part of the last three seasons.

As soon as Graves and Whisenhunt were out, names such an Steve Keim, Tom Heckert and Andy Reid quickly arose. Keim and Heckert would fill the role departed by Graves while Reid would replace Whisenhunt.

With seven firings on NFL’s Black Monday, Arizona will be in a heated competition for head coaching candidates. The hottest names will likely flock towards openings with the Chicago Bears, Philadelphia Eagles and other organizations that have had better long-term results. That said, Arizona does have a lot to offer and shouldn’t sell itself short to a prospective suitors.

Back to Reid, whose resume in Philadelphia speaks for itself. Sure, his last two years have been tremendously disappointmenting but looking back shows that the recipe for disaster was there prior to the 2011 season.

The Eagles, who were desperate to get over the hump and win a Super Bowl, spent wildly on the free-agent market, signing as many big names as possible. Nnamdi Asomugha, Jason Babin, Steve Smith and others were brought in and simply never gelled into a feasible unit.

Had Philadephia stuck to its strategy of drafting and developing players while signing free agents as necessary, its fate – along with Reid – would have been different.

So, is Reid a good fit in Arizona? Well, he certainly appears to be an upgrade over Whisenhunt, who as painful as it is to admit, was a three-year wonder with Kurt Warner under center. Since Warner retired at the conclusion of the 2009 season, Whisenhunt’s teams haven’t been the same. Many would also argue that the departure of former offensive coordinator Todd Haley also played a major role.

Whisenhunt’s biggest downfall, though, might have been the lackluster offensive staff around him, which is surprising given the excellent coaches that served under him on defense. To his credit, Whisenhunt isn't the first and won't be the last to let his loyalty and pride towards his assistants ultimately lead to his dismay.

Other offensive staffs around the league are filled with the best and the brightest coaches around. That simply wasn’t the case for Whisenhunt with coaches like offensive coordinator Mike Miller and offensive line / assistant head coach Russ Grimm sticking around despite severely underwhelming results.

So here’s to hoping that Reid manages to piece together a better supporting cast – if he ends up getting the head job in Arizona. It could be the key to him experiencing the ongoing success that Whisenhunt was unable to sustain.

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Questions or comments? Contact Brad Wilbricht at

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Questions or comments? Contact Brad Wilbricht at

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