Arizona Cardinals update:

The defensive coordinator’s job has been vacant for three weeks, and while coach Ken Whisenhunt has avoided placing a timetable for a new hire, it’s likely to come next week.

Whisenhunt is interested in talking to assistants from both Super Bowl teams: the Packers and Steelers. But Whisenhunt can’t even ask permission to interview assistants until after the game.

The best guess is that Whisenhunt requests permission Monday and/or Tuesday. That doesn’t give a winning coach long to celebrate before worrying about the 2011 season. And it’s another reason for the losing coach to be depressed.

Whisenhunt knows the feeling. He was on the other end of this situation two years ago when the Chiefs asked for permission to interview Todd Haley shortly after the Super Bowl.

The search could end at mid-week if Whisenhunt’s prime candidate (whomever that is) takes the job. If that scenario doesn’t play out, my guess is the job is filled by the end of the week, no matter what.

There appear to be at least five candidates. Even though Steelers coordinator Dick LeBeau has said he won’t coach anywhere else than Pittsburgh in 2011, I think Whisenhunt will at least inquire. He would be silly not to. LeBeau is not under contract in 2011, and as a wise friend once advised me, it never hurts to ask.

Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler is another prime target. But the Steelers gave him a new contract a year ago and made him “coordinator in waiting.” The Steelers might well deny Whisenhunt permission.

Steelers secondary coach Ray Horton will also draw some interest. Whisenhunt is familiar with all three Steelers assistants, having worked with them under former coach Dick LeBeau.

The Packers run a similar defensive scheme, with the 3-4 as their base alignment. Assistant head coach Winston Moss is highly regarded and coaches the inside linebackers. Safeties coach Darren Perry worked with Whisenhunt in Pittsburgh and is well-versed in LeBeau’s system.

The Packers have other young assistants, namely cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt, Jr., who are regarded as up and comers, but they are not believed to be under consideration by the Cardinals at this time.

Whisenhunt also has interviewed Miami assistant Todd Bowles, who remains in the mix.

 

Arizona Cardinals update:

The defensive coordinator’s job has been vacant for three weeks, and while coach Ken Whisenhunt has avoided placing a timetable for a new hire, it’s likely to come next week.

Whisenhunt is interested in talking to assistants from both Super Bowl teams: the Packers and Steelers. But Whisenhunt can’t even ask permission to interview assistants until after the game.

The best guess is that Whisenhunt requests permission Monday and/or Tuesday. That doesn’t give a winning coach long to celebrate before worrying about the 2011 season. And it’s another reason for the losing coach to be depressed.

Whisenhunt knows the feeling. He was on the other end of this situation two years ago when the Chiefs asked for permission to interview Todd Haley shortly after the Super Bowl.

The search could end at mid-week if Whisenhunt’s prime candidate (whomever that is) takes the job. If that scenario doesn’t play out, my guess is the job is filled by the end of the week, no matter what.

There appear to be at least five candidates. Even though Steelers coordinator Dick LeBeau has said he won’t coach anywhere else than Pittsburgh in 2011, I think Whisenhunt will at least inquire. He would be silly not to. LeBeau is not under contract in 2011, and as a wise friend once advised me, it never hurts to ask.

Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler is another prime target. But the Steelers gave him a new contract a year ago and made him “coordinator in waiting.” The Steelers might well deny Whisenhunt permission.

Steelers secondary coach Ray Horton will also draw some interest. Whisenhunt is familiar with all three Steelers assistants, having worked with them under former coach Dick LeBeau.

The Packers run a similar defensive scheme, with the 3-4 as their base alignment. Assistant head coach Winston Moss is highly regarded and coaches the inside linebackers. Safeties coach Darren Perry worked with Whisenhunt in Pittsburgh and is well-versed in LeBeau’s system.

The Packers have other young assistants, namely cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt, Jr., who are regarded as up and comers, but they are not believed to be under consideration by the Cardinals at this time.

Whisenhunt also has interviewed Miami assistant Todd Bowles, who remains in the mix.

 

The Cleveland Browns have hired former University of Miami offensive coordinator Mark Whipple as quarterbacks coach and former Arizona Cardinals defensive coordinator Bill Davis as linebackers coach, The Plain Dealer reported Monday, citing a league source.

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Whipple will work under new Browns coach Pat Shurmur to tutor second-year starting quarterback Colt McCoy.

With Whipple’s addition and Shurmur set to call Cleveland’s offensive plays next season, it’s possible the team will not hire a coordinator, according to the newspaper.

Whipple served under Bill Cowher as the Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterbacks coach from 2004 to 2006, helping guide Ben Roethlisberger to a 13-0 starting record as a rookie in 2004. Whipple was let go by Mike Tomlin before the 2007 season and served as an offensive assistant with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2007 to 2008.

Whipple has 16 seasons of head-coaching experience at the collegiate level, with an overall record of 121-59 at the University of Massachusetts, Brown and New Haven. He was released as Miami’s offensive coordinator with the firing of Randy Shannon after the 2010 season.

A candidate for the University of Connecticut’s head-coaching job, Whipple was passed over in favor of Paul Pasqualoni earlier this month. Whipple told The Republican, on Jan. 17: “I’m doing well. I just have to move forward.”

Whipple now will oversee the development of McCoy, who threw for 1,576 yards and six touchdowns with nine interceptions in eight starts this past season.

Davis was released from the Cardinals’ defensive coordinator role by coach Ken Whisenhunt on Jan. 6.

Davis was named coordinator before the 2009 season, taking over for Clancy Pendergast. Arizona went 10-6 in Davis’ first season as coordinator, with the team fifth in the NFL in fewest points allowed in 2009. But the Cardinals allowed 90 points in two playoff games, and Davis knew the pressure was on this season. The departure of big-play linebacker Karlos Dansby via free agency didn’t help.

Arizona wound up 29th out of 32 teams in total defense, 22nd in passing defense and 30th in run defense in 2010. Only the Denver Broncos (471) and Dallas Cowboys (436) allowed more points than the Cardinals’ 434.

Davis has been an NFL assistant coach for 19 seasons with eight teams — in chronological order, the Steelers, Carolina Panthers, Browns, Green Bay Packers, Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Cardinals.

Davis served on the Browns’ staff in 1999 under coach Chris Palmer.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

 Arizona Cardinals update:

In a USA Today piece, crack reporter Jim Corbett talked to former Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner about the challenges of moving the ball against the Steelers defense. Warner, to no one’s surprise, thinks spreading the field with receivers is the way to do it.

Warner, of course, preferred that method when facing any defense. He didn’t care if the Cardinals sacrificed a bit in protection, because he trusted his ability to get rid of the ball in the face of pressure.

That also was the way the Cardinals moved the ball against the Packers in Arizona’s 51-45 overtime victory in the playoffs last season. Warner had more touchdown passes (five) than incompletions (4) in that game.

I have the game on DVD and took a look at it before catching a flight to Dallas for this Super Bowl. A few things jumped out at me.

*The Packers had trouble defending multi-receiver sets, especially those that had two receivers “stacked” on the same side of the field. The Cardinals continually exploited the Packers from those formations, with a variety of players doing the damage.

*The Cardinals were able to run the ball. Beanie Wells had 91 yards on 14 carries, a 6.5-yard average. The Cardinals thought the Packers were very good in their base defensive sets so being able to run the ball and keep them off balance was a key.

*What helped make everything work for the Cardinals was excellent offensive line play. The unit varied its protection schemes and did a nice job against outside linebacker Clay Matthews. More importantly, the unit controlled the Packers’ inside. B.J. Raji and Cullen Jennings didn’t do much. When a team goes to multi-receiver sets against the Packers, it’s imperative to handle the zone blitz. The Cardinals did that.

*For those who don’t think Whisenhunt can call plays, he did a fairly good job in that game. The Cardinals had 531 yards of offense and scored touchdowns on five of six red-zone opportunities. The Cardinals pass-route combinations game the Packers fits, as did many of their site adjustments and hot reads.

*It takes a great quarterback to make all that work. And Warner had one of the finest games in playoff history. He completed 29 of 33 passes for 379 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions. It was masterful, and that’s an understatement.

In a side note, I’m travelling from San Antonio (where I was visiting my oldest son) to Dallas today and will be writing, tweeting and blogging throughout the week. I should say I will be doing that whenever my new computer arrives. My hard drive fried over the weekend and a new laptop is supposed to arrive via FedEx. Maybe it will catch up to me in Dallas.

You can follow me on twitter @kentsomers.

Coach Ken Whisenhunt wants to interview assistant coaches on both Super Bowl teams before hiring a defensive coordinator, he said on Thursday.

“I interviewed a couple of guys at the Senior Bowl and felt good about that,” said Whisenhunt from Mobile, Ala. “But there are guys on both teams I’m interested in talking to after the Super Bowl.”

Whisenhunt acknowledged interviewing Miami secondary coach/assistant head coach Todd Bowles, but declined to reveal any other names.

Steelers coordinator Dick LeBeau said on Wednesday that he was not going to coach anywhere other than Pittsburgh in 2011. Whisenhunt has interest in Steelers linebackers coach Keith Butler and secondary coach Ray Horton.

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