Warner: Why Haley and Cards weren’t a match
Jan 24, 2012, 3:48 AM | Updated: 5:17 am
Now that it appears Todd Haley will not be coming home again, former Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback Kurt Warner weighs in on what went wrong.
The former Kansas City Chiefs head coach’s name was linked to the Arizona Cardinals’ quarterback coaches position earlier this offseason. Haley, who served as the Cardinals’ offensive coordinator from 2007-2008, seemed like a natural fit to join a system he had great familiarity with. But as time passed, so has the likelihood of a Haley homecoming in the desert.
Amid reports that head coach Ken Whisenhunt doesn’t plan to make major changes to his current coaching staff nor sees a proper fit for his former offensive coordinator, former Cardinals’ quarterback Kurt Warner told Arizona Sports 620’s Burns and Gambo Monday that he understands why the timing may not be right for Haley and the Redbirds.
“I felt it would be tough for Todd to come back in a capacity that was less than an offensive coordinator with what’s he’s done and being a head coach and what he did here as a coordinator and just the way he likes to coach and what he brings to the table,” Warner said.
The two-time NFL MVP believes Haley would have been a great hire for Arizona, if circumstances were different.
“Obviously, I thought Todd would be a great fit — familiar with players, the system and obviously the coaching staff,” Warner stated.
But with offensive coordinator Mike Miller entrenched in his role with the Cardinals, Warner doesn’t see Haley accepting a lesser role at this stage of his coaching career or for Miller to have to look over his shoulder.
“The one thing that I felt was going to be difficult from day one was that coach Whiz is an extremely loyal guy,” Warner explained. “And when he brought Mike Miller here and Mike’s paid his dues and moved up to that offensive coordinator position, I knew it was going to be tough for Whiz to demote Mike or change that dynamic because Mike did a tremendous job down the stretch and really has earned his stripes there.”
Haley and Miller are believed to have a mutual respect for each other and it’s understandable that neither would want to be thrust into a position where their every move or decision is watched or questioned.
Still, there is no doubt that Haley would have brought a plethora of ideas and schemes to the table in any capacity on the Cardinals’ staff, but the level of responsibility he would expect to hold just isn’t available.
“It would be difficult to be in that hierarchy where you really feel like you know what you should do in this situation or what you should call or what plays you should design and to know that there are still two people above you that can kind of veto you — is a difficult thing to do,” Warner stated.
The Cardinals are rumored to have turned their attention to former Oakland Raiders head coach Hue Jackson to serve as their QB coach. The outspoken and fiery Jackson — who coached the Raiders to an 8-8 season in 2011 — is believed to be interviewing with the team this week.
