Big Red Blog: McCoy out, Cards reset search

Mike McCoy is on his way to San Diego, leaving Arizona's search back at square one with two lingering names remaining as the front runners.

McCoy out, Cards reset search

Posted by Brad Wilbricht
Tuesday, January 15 - 10:00 AM

Mike McCoy will be the new head coach of the San Diego Chargers, leaving the Arizona Cardinals back at square one in their head coaching search. The Cardinals will reset and try to fill the vacant position that’s been open for more than two weeks.

McCoy was scheduled to interview with Arizona for a second time on Tuesday, but canceled those plans once he accepted an offer to be the Chargers’ new head man.

The Cardinals have now missed out on their first two head coaching targets. Prior to McCoy, Andy Reid was rumored to be on the fast track to the desert, but instead Reid ended up with the Kansas City Chiefs. While it’s unknown how bad Arizona wanted either candidate, its coaching search continues without any resolution.

Resetting the team’s search leads back to a familiar name in Ray Horton. Horton is currently the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator and might end up being promoted to head coach by default. In addition to the Arizona job, Horton has interviewed for a handful of other head coaching positions, but it appears that most organizations believe he’s at least one year away from securing a lead role.

Reports surfaced late last week that the Cardinals brass wasn’t thrilled with Horton’s proposed offensive staff. Arizona’s offense has been anemic over the better part of the last three years and team president Michael Bidwill wants to be assured that the right pieces are in place to turn those struggles around.

Another overlooked aspect of promoting Horton to head coach is that the Cardinals will enter 2013 with new coordinators on both sides of the ball. If an outside candidate was brought in, it would allow Horton to stay at defensive coordinator providing some sense of stability entering next season.

With McCoy out of the mix, Todd Haley is also a name to keep an eye on as reports state that he’s discussed contract numbers with the team's front office. Haley initially declined an interview with Arizona – saying that he’s happy in his current position with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Other reports stated that Haley wanted to be offered the job without having to interview.

Only time will tell who ends up being hired, but Horton and Haley remain the front runners to be the Cardinals’ new head coach.

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Questions or comments? Contact Brad Wilbricht at

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