Ken Whisenhunt hasn’t fared well after the bye
When a team is struggling, the bye week is generally
greeted with open arms as an opportunity to get things
back on track.
At least, it should be?
If getting things back on track means coming out of the
extra week of rest with a victory, Cardinals head coach
Ken Whisenhunt hasn’t been known for being cliché.
In the previous four seasons under Whisenhunt the
Cardinals are 1-3 in games played after the bye.
Last year’s 22-10 loss at Seattle put Cardinals fans
through a double-dipping of poor quarterback play with
Derek Anderson and Max Hall splitting snaps, combining for
a total of 132 yards.
The Cardinals played a close game in 2008, losing to Jake
Delhomme and the Carolina Panthers 27-23. Warner’s 381
yards and two touchdowns weren’t enough as John Kasay’s 50
yard field goal in the fourth quarter sealed the victory
for the Panthers.
In 2007, in the midst of an 8-8 season, it was Kurt Warner
who struggled to throw the ball against the Tampa Bay
Buccaneers in a 17-10 loss. Warner completed 10 of 30
passes with no touchdowns and two interceptions. Arizona’s
offense mustered a total of 195 yards with running back
Edgerrin James scoring the Cardinals lone touchdown.
The lone win in Whisenhunt’s tenure came in 2009 when
Warner and Texans quarterback Matt Schaub combined for 88
total passes and 673 yards. The Cards won 28-21 in
Arizona.
Coming out of the bye, Whisenhunt’s teams average 17.8
points for and 21.8 points against.
However, there is a silver lining of hope for this week’s
matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers: it is a home
game. All three losses after the bye have come on the road
for Whisenhunt.
