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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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Oct 25, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt during the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 25, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt during the first half against the Atlanta Falcons at Nissan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Ken Whisenhunt

When Ken Whisenhunt arrived in 2007 and got the Cardinals to an 8-8 record and seemingly had a “good” dilemma in choosing between quarterbacks Kurt Warner and Matt Leinart, things were looking up for the franchise for the first time in awhile.

Whisenhunt got the Cardinals to a 9-7 record and an NFC West title in 2008 and lead the Cardinals on a fantastic postseason run.  They won the NFC Wild Card game over the Atlanta Falcons, then went on the road to defeat the Carolina Panthers before coming home to defeat the Eagles in the NFC Championship game.

Then the Cardinals would make the Super Bowl for the first time ever and lost in the closing seconds 27-23 to the Pittsburgh Steelers.  They would once again make the playoffs after winning 10 games for the first time in Arizona in 2009.

However once Warner retired in early 2010 after the playoffs, things started going downhill for the coach affectionately known as ‘Wiz’.  Wiz couldn’t cultivate or motivate Leinart to perform well and mis-handled him in the following preseason prior to the 2010 season.  It lead to a quarterback disaster in the desert.

The Cardinals finished 5-11 in 2010, rebounded to 8-8 in 2011, but reversed course again in 2012 and finished 5-11.  That was the end of his tenure in Arizona.  Players had reportedly quit on him and were ready to move on.  So were the Cardinals.

Next: In Bruce we trust

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