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Arizona Cardinals: 8 head coaches ranked

By Scott Allen

Jan 24, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians on the sidelines during the third quarter against the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship football game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Jan 24, 2016; Charlotte, NC, USA; Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians on the sidelines during the third quarter against the Carolina Panthers in the NFC Championship football game at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Detailed view of a Salute to Service military appreciation logo on an official Wilson football during the NFL game between the St. Louis Rams against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 9, 2014; Glendale, AZ, USA; Detailed view of a Salute to Service military appreciation logo on an official Wilson football during the NFL game between the St. Louis Rams against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Rams 31-14. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports /

7. Joe Bugel

As part of the “Hogs”, the Washington Redskins, Bugel was an up and coming assistant coach supposedly ready to take the reins as head coach of an NFL team.  With his success in Washington, why wouldn’t anyone think that?

Well, once he got to Arizona, it was clear he was not the man to lead the Cardinals to the promised land.  He was a great assistant but that doesn’t always translate into a great head coach.

He worked his teams hard.  I had the chance to see that first hand as a ball boy for the Cardinals in his first season as head coach in 1990.  However the hard work either wasn’t hard enough or he didn’t surround himself with the best talent in the world.

He won just 20 games in four seasons in the desert.  He went 20-44 during his tenure in Arizona from 1990-1993.  Ironically his best season in Arizona was his last in 1993 when the Cardinals went 7-9.  However with just a fourth place finish in the NFC East and no postseason appearances, the Cardinals had seen enough.

He would get one more head coaching gig with the Oakland Raiders in 1997 but that was it as far as head coaching goes.  He would be an assistant with the San Diego Chargers from 1998-2001 and then back with the Redskins from 2004-2009.

Next: Not who we thought we were getting

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