Dennis Green fired
Graves identifies four candidates to replace Green
Bob Baum
Associated Press
Jan. 1, 2007 09:58 AM
TEMPE, Ariz. - Dennis Green was fired as coach of the Arizona Cardinals on Monday after he failed to turn the downtrodden franchise into a winner in three seasons on the job.
Green was dismissed one day after the Cardinals concluded a 5-11 season with a 27-20 loss at San Diego. He finished with a 16-32 record at Arizona. The Cardinals will pay $2.5 million to buy out the final year of his contract.
He was the seventh coach the Cardinals have had since the franchise moved to Arizona in 1988. Green's three teams in Arizona went 6-10, 5-11 and 5-11. He has a career NFL coaching record of 124-115.
"In the final analysis, when you look at the three years of wins and losses, we didn't win enough games," said Cardinals vice president and general counsel Michael Bidwill, son of owner Bill Bidwill.
Michael Bidwill announced at a news conference that Rod Graves, vice president for football operations, has been given a three-year extension to his contract that expired after this season.
Graves identified four candidates to replace Green and said the list could grow. One of the candidates is Mike Sherman, the former Green Bay Packers coach and now assistant head coach of the Houston Texans. Sherman is to be interviewed on Thursday, Graves said.
The other candidates are Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow and Indianapolis Colts assistant head coach and quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell.
"We feel like we have a very good football team in place," Graves said, "and that we're talented. We'll continue to build on this team much the way we have over the last several years, being aggressive in free agency and drafting well. But we certainly feel like we have a young, talented team and it's certainly capable of being a playoff contender."
Green's mission was to turn around the perpetually losing Cardinals, who have had one winning season since 1984, and put a winner into the new stadium when it opened this season.
The stadium, the signing of running back Edgerrin James and the drafting of Leinart stirred up great interest in the team, which sold out every home game this year.
But after a season-opening home victory over San Francisco, the Cardinals lost eight in a row and quickly fell out of the playoff hunt. The skid included close home losses to St. Louis, Kansas City and, most memorably on a Monday night, to Chicago.
Green demoted offensive coordinator Keith Rowen after six games and replaced him with Mike Kruczek, one of many shakeups on his staff during his time with the Cardinals. Leinart replaced Kurt Warner after five games and showed great promise.
However, the team's fortunes didn't turn around until the coach finally settled on who should play on the offensive line. Arizona won four of its last seven, but it was too little, too late.
"We had a lot of close losses that we shouldn't have had, and that kind of put a lot of weight on Denny's back, because he couldn't figure out what was going on," linebacker Orlando Huff said when told of Green's firing. "With the offensive coordinator changes and stuff, he was trying to find something. But you can't put it on Denny because we're the ones who have got to suit up and put the jerseys on and play."
Green was out of coaching after his decade with the Minnesota Vikings ended in 2001. He was lured back by a four-year, $10 million contract and the belief that Arizona was on the brink of becoming a successful team.
He made several moves that seemed to backfire, beginning with the abrupt release of offensive lineman Pete Kendall on the eve of his first training camp. In his first season, Green benched quarterback Josh McCown for Shaun King even though the team had won three of its last four. By the time McCown got the job back, the Cardinals had lost three straight.
The coach made no reference of his job status when he met with the players briefly Monday morning.
"He told us how lucky we are to be here and have such a great job and play such a great game," quarterback Matt Leinart said, "and just to know that we're all professionals and we all can play in this league and have a good offseason. That's about it."
Less than two hours later, the Cardinals put out a news release announcing Green's dismissal.
The Cardinals are retaining seven assistant coaches, at least until the new coach is hired.
"We felt that these guys will certainly fit in our future," Graves said, "but those coaches are going to be evaluated, along with my input, with the new head coach, and we'll see ultimately where the status will fall."
Those retained are Kruczek, defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, assistant head coach/linebackers coach Frank Bush, defensive quality control coach Rick Courtright, offensive line coach Steve Loney, wide receivers coach Mike Wilson and defensive line coach Larry Brooks.
If Coughlin is canned I wouldn't be shocked.Arizona is cheap...I'll guess they'll stay in house with defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast.
If Coughlin is canned I wouldn't be shocked.Arizona is cheap...I'll guess they'll stay in house with defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast.
