Has Arizona finally become a destination, no longer a last resort?

By Chris Cluff  |   Thursday, January 10, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Arizona Cardinals
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In the old days -- say, five years ago -- folks who had the chance tried to get out of Arizona as quickly as possible.

Now people actually want to stay, and the Cardinals are willing to pay to keep them.

Offensive coordinator Todd Haley turned down a chance to interview with the Miami Dolphins this week because he preferred to sign a contract extension with the Cardinals.

"The biggest thing to me was that I started something here," Haley told reporters. "I've been here only one year, and I thought we made a lot of progress. Being a head coach is one of my goals. It will have to wait at least a year. I think we have a chance to do something special out here that's never been done."

What also has never been done is paying an assistant like the Cardinals are paying Haley -- as much as $1.5 million per year through 2010.

"Obviously, continuity is important when you've made a little progress, and I think Todd did an outstanding job," said coach Ken Whisenhunt, who led the Cardinals to an 8-8 record in his first season. "It's a testament to (owner Bill Bidwell's) commitment that we're doing what it takes to win."

Whisenhunt, who was Pittsburgh's offensive coordinator before being hired by Arizona last year, called most of the Cardinals' plays this season, but he plans to eventually yield that power to Haley.

Arizona's offense ranked 12th overall and sixth in passing this season and broke a 44-year-old team record with 32 passing touchdowns.

Whisenhunt is 1 for 1 in keeping his assistants, but he might face a bigger challenge if the Washington Redskins come calling for Russ Grimm, Arizona's assistant head coach and O-line instructor. Grimm was one of Joe Gibbs' Hogs back in the 1980s and might draw interest as a possible candidate to replace Gibbs, who resigned earlier this week.

That would be a true test of whether Arizona has finally become a destination rather than a stopover on the way to better places.
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About Chris Cluff

Chris Cluff spent 10 years as an editor and sportswriter for The Seattle Times. He was a key figure in the newspaper's coverage of the Seahawks, particularly during their Super Bowl run in 2005. He also has written two books on the Seahawks: "The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Heart-Pounding, ...
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