Arizona Cardinals: The Vince Tobin Years

Vince Tobin wasn’t the most charismatic head coach the Arizona Cardinals ever had, but his 1998 squad provided some excitement

The year was 1996 and the Arizona Cardinals were in search of a new head coach. They had just severed ties with the late Buddy Ryan, a brash leader who oozed personality. After two seasons laced with drama, the club would go a completely different route with his replacement.

The search ended with Vince Tobin, a former Chicago Bears’ defensive coordinator. As far as personalities go, the quiet and reserved Tobin was the complete opposite of the flamboyant Ryan. If management was looking for the “anti-Ryan”, they couldn’t have come up with a better choice.

Ironically, it wasn’t the first time Tobin had replaced Ryan. Back in 1986, he was hired to succeed Ryan as defensive coordinator of the Bears. Ryan had left to become head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles following Chicago’s Super Bowl-winning,1985 campaign.

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Tobin went 7-9 in ’96, his first season as Arizona’s head honcho. The team used two quarterbacks, Boomer Esiason and Kent Graham, throughout the year. Esiason provided a highlight when he threw for an incredible 522 yards in a 37-34 win over the Washington Redskins in November.

The following season was a disaster, with the Cardinals compiling a 4-12 record. One glimmer of hope was their second-round draft pick, quarterback Jake Plummer. “The Snake” started nine games, and engineered three of the squad’s four victories as a rookie.

Tobin’s Cardinals ended the organization’s playoff-win drought in 1998. Led by the exciting Plummer, Arizona finished 9-7 and qualified for the postseason for the first time since 1982. A crushing triumph over the heavily-favored Dallas Cowboys was the club’s first playoff win in 50 years. They fell to the Minnesota Vikings the following week.

They returned to their losing ways in 1999, registering only six wins. Injuries cost Plummer five starts. The team rallied to get to .500 after 12 games, but then lost their last four to close out the campaign.

The 2000 season wasn’t any better. Tobin was fired after a 2-5 start, and replaced by defensive coordinator Dave McGinnis. McGinnis would hold onto the job for three more seasons before being replaced by the late Dennis Green.

Tobin’s final won-loss tally was 28-43 (not including 1-1 in the postseason). As alluded to, the greatest accomplishment during his tenure was the ending of the playoff drought. He’ll be remembered as a fine defensive mind who had the unenviable task of twice having to replace the boisterous Ryan.