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Cards' Whisenhunt Does It His Way

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By JOE HENDERSON

jhenderson@tampatrib.com

Published: January 29, 2009

TAMPA - Fate has rarely been kind to the Arizona Cardinals and those who follow the team. Phoenix is known as the Valley of the Sun, but around the National Football League it was simply a valley. It was a deep, dark, seemingly inescapable land where losing was a way of life and pride went to die.

So maybe the football gods felt they owed the Cardinals one. We introduce Ken Whisenhunt, the head coach who this season led Arizona to just its second winning season and playoff appearance since the Cards arrived from St. Louis in 1988.

He probably shouldn't be here, though.

Whisenhunt, in his second year with Arizona, is a child of the South.

He was born in Atlanta, played quarterback and earned a degree in civil engineering at Georgia Tech. He grew up in Augusta, Ga., where he used to work the scoreboard at Augusta National during the Masters. But when the Atlanta Falcons were looking for a head coach a few years ago, did they choose Whisenhunt - who was then the offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh?

Nope.

The Falcons chose Bobby Petrino. It didn't exactly work out.

Atlanta's blunder became Arizona's wonder, though, allowing the Cardinals to sign the man who gave purpose and direction to a team that used to wander aimlessly in the desert. Now the Cardinals are in the Super Bowl, and Arizona is on speaking terms with the football gods once more.

"He pretty much embodies everything you want in a head coach," Cardinals defensive tackle Bertrand Berry said.

"We feel very fortunate that he's here with us."

Stays Under Control

Whisenhunt could have wound up in another place, of course. He could have been standing in Mike Tomlin's shoes, on the Pittsburgh sideline. Whisenhunt spent six years at Pittsburgh and was the offensive coordinator when the Steelers won the 2006 Super Bowl.

He wanted the head coaching position when Bill Cowher quit two years ago, but was losing the in-house battle to another Steelers assistant, Russ Grimm. He didn't wait to see how the drama ended. Good call. Tomlin wound up with the Pittsburgh job anyway, and Arizona's outlook began to change.

Cardinals players say their coach can laugh and joke with them, but the first impression you get of this guy is all business. You don't have to wonder who's in charge.

His eyes are sharp, focused, and could probably slice through a player guilty of sloppy play. His demeanor is controlled. At Georgia Tech, a teammate once admonished him to speak up in the huddle because his teammates couldn't hear him, but his voice is measured and distinct now.

Maybe being methodical and directed is a golf thing. Besides working at August National, he also played the course several times. He shot 72 there a couple of years ago, including an eagle on the 11th hole, the par-4 that is the first stop on Amen Corner.

So maybe it's not so surprising that he was the one to change the culture of futility that had dogged the Cardinals for decades. There was, as we have seen this season, lots of talent waiting in the valley for the new coach. That talent was beaten down, though, and needed reasons to believe Whisenhunt wasn't like every other coach who sat in his chair.

Success Helped Springboard

They got their answer. Arizona finished 8-8 last season and finished strong, winning its final two games. The Cardinals closed with a 48-19 win over the Rams, Arizona's highest point total since 1977. The players believed.

"I think any time you come into a program, players want to know if what you are going to do can work," Whisenhunt said. "The only way to reinforce that is obviously to have some success, and we did that. Even though it was on a minor standpoint last year, it helped set us up this year."

So the man who posted numbers at Augusta is one win from being master of his sport. And the Arizona Cardinals are one win from the kind of heights they never could have imagined while living in the valley.

"I think the course that took me here as a head coach never could have been anticipated," he said. "My core belief is in teamwork. There is no sport like football that requires teamwork more than any other. That is the reason I have a passion for this sport and the reason I enjoy doing it so much. When you see a team come together like our team has, that's really what it's all about."

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