Fitzgerald: Blame the players, not Whisenhunt

With Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt rumored to be on the hot seat, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald stepped in to say that fans should be blaming the players, not the coach.

“There’s nothing wrong with what he’s teaching,” Fitzgerald said Thursday on Arizona Sports 620’s Big Red Rage. “It’s the same concepts that he was running in Pittsburgh when he was winning championships, it’s the same concepts we were running a couple years ago when we were division titles.”

The lack of offense created by Fitz, along with new quarterback Kevin Kolb, has caused some to doubt Whisenhunt’s tenure, at least as an offensive coordinator, but Fitz insisted the problem is not with Whiz. Instead, he said the blame lies elsewhere.

“There’s nothing that the coaches are doing wrong,” Fitzgerald said. “At some point, players need to take the onus, we have to take responsibility for what’s going on out on the field. Coaches can only do so much.”

The Cards went into this season with high hopes, having made some decent acquisitions in the offseason and signing Fitz to a long-term deal that practically makes him a Card for life (barring any trades), but the season has not gone so well. The Cardinals are coming off of their bye week with a 1-4 record and face a formidable opponent on Sunday with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

“Talk is talk and actions are actions and we need more action,” Fitzgerald said.

You’re right, Fitz. Your team needs more action. Your coaches need more action. Whiz’s job — and a season — depend on it.

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