Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin puts sole focus on Green Bay

TEMPE, Ariz. – Sometimes just getting a foot in the door can be the biggest break for a person.

Arizona Cardinals offensive coordinator Harold Goodwin cracked open the door marked NFL head coach with his interview with Tampa Bay last week.

“A great experience,” he said Wednesday.

For Goodwin, it was his first opportunity to interview for a head coaching position in the NFL.

“When you’re starting to get interviews, that’s a good thing,” said Bruce Arians, who brought Goodwin with him to Arizona in 2013 after the two had worked together in Indianapolis as well as Pittsburgh. “We’re pulling for him. He’s more than ready.”

Goodwin, 42, is in charge of the league’s top-ranked offense.

While Arians calls the plays on game-day, Goodwin is one of the larger voices in setting up that week’s game-plan with Arians, Tom Moore (assistant head coach/offense) and Freddie Kitchens (quarterbacks coach).

Goodwin runs the meetings and leads the offensive line.

Since Goodwin’s arrival, the Cardinals’ offense has gone from the league’s worst—ranked 32nd overall in 2012—to one of its best. This season the Cardinals led the league in total yards and ranked second in points scored.

In addition, the Cardinals finished eighth in rushing, averaging 119.8 yards per game, almost 40 yards better than the season before when the Cardinals ranked second-to-last.

Under Goodwin’s watch, the offensive line allowed 27 sacks, the fourth-fewest mark in the NFL.

“He has been great,” quarterback Carson Palmer said of Goodwin. “He has been in the system for a while now. He is an offensive lineman himself. He’s a stickler for little things. He’s hard on those guys and he is a phenomenal coach top to bottom. He has had a chance here and there to call plays, and you can just tell he is going to be great at it when he gets his opportunity. I don’t think B.A. wants to give that up anytime soon, but he has been tremendous and those guys have been playing tremendous.”

Tampa Bay is widely believed to be leaning towards hiring from within and naming offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, the one-time Arizona State head coach, to replace the fired Lovie Smith.

However, reports suggest Goodwin’s interview with general manager Jason Licht went very well on Friday, perhaps causing Tampa Bay to rethink its options.

Goodwin and Licht have a history, going back to Licht’s days in the Cardinals front office.

“It was an honor and a blessing, but that’s not my focus right now,” Goodwin said, referring to the interview.

Pressed further for details, Goodwin stood steadfast.

“I’m not worried about that right now. I really don’t want to talk about that,” he said. “My focus is on the Green Bay Packers.”

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