Cardinals Offensive Coordinator Harold Goodwin, Effective Or Not?

Dec 16, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Indianapolis Colts offensive line coach Harold Goodwin coaches against the Houston Texans before the game at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

Harold Goodwin was named the Cardinals offensive coordinator for the 2013 season, but what is his real role on the team’s coaching staff? The title says offensive coordinator but what does the job description in tell.

Most of Goodwin’s coaching experience came from being an offensive line coach, beginning after his college playing years as an offensive lineman for Michigan University.

After his days as a player ended in 1994 he got his first coaching job with the same team he’d played for, as the team’s advisement for the offensive line.

Then he moved on to Eastern Michigan as the tight end and offensive line coach for 2 years, and moved from there to become the offensive line coach for Central Michigan, before finally going to the professional level with the same position for the Chicago Bears.

He was named the offensive assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers and was on the same staff as now head coach Bruce Arians helping to run the offense. In 2012 he joined coach Arians on the Indianapolis colts coaching staff as the offensive line coach assistant.

I think you may be getting the point here as to Goodwin’s possible job description, as he is taking over as the Cardinals offensive coordinator he may be involved more with the scheme and development of the offensive line. Bruce Arians will be calling the plays so that is a clear indication that coach Goodwin does not have full duties as an offensive coordinator which involves play calling.

So with his efforts and expertise geared towards the offensive line, Goodwin should develop into a good offensive coordinator for the long haul. As coach Arians gets older he may want to scale back and hand over the full rein of the position.

This being the first year of the new staff and team, I don’t see Arians taking his hands off of the offense this season, and Goodwin can learn from he and Tom Moore to gradually grow into a solid play caller.

But for now it seems he will be helpful to the offensive line scheme and should be heavily involved with learning the position with hands on trainning, and not yet a full time offensive coordinator.