Whisenhunt, Graves Firings Send Focus to Cardinals Future

The fact that the Arizona Cardinals made the move many fans were waiting for in firing head coach Ken Whisenhunt and general manager Rod Graves was not a huge surprise.  The fact they did it all on the same day, on the first day they could, was a bit of a surprise.  The Cards have been known to drag their feet in the past.  However, with all the other moves being made on Monday the time to move was now.  Plus they had a fan base they had to prove they mean business.

At about 11:15 am the news came down yesterday morning on Graves.  About five minutes later, the news on Whiz came down.  Then yesterday afternoon it was reported the Cards had fired all of the offensive coaching staff except for TE coach Freddie Kitchens. This was also no shock at all.

Now the waiting game begins.  The Cards future starts now.  With other coaching vacancies, teams will be competing with each other to get their guy.  Some of the guys interviewed will be guys that lost their jobs yesterday, guys like Lovie Smith and Andy Reid.  Both guys could end up seeing interviews in Arizona.  Arizona has already confirmed their interest in Reid.  They will also interview Denver Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy.

As far as the GM position goes, I expect the Cards to try for team vice president for player personnel Steve Keim.  After him, it’s anyone’s guess.  Keim could also end up being interviewed for other openings as well.