After former Cardinals coach Don Coryell unfortunately passed on Thursday as the winning-est(41 wins) coach in modern team history, that got me thinking: Can Ken Whisenhunt become that coach? He currently holds 27 wins from the last three seasons. If he averages at least eight wins the next two seasons he'll own the most wins in Cardinals history. But how easy will that task be with the 49ers and Seahawks making improvements this past offseason?
The Cardinals will likely be a force in the NFC West, but with the departure of several key players this offseason, there are several unknowns heading into 2010. How will Matt Leinart perform? Can the offensive line improve? Will the defense stop high-scoring teams? Also factor in the fact that assistant coach Russ Grimm may be leaving to take a head coaching job soon and it's easy to believe that Ken Whisenhunt has some adversity to face.
If anyone can fight through complex situations however, it's Whisenhunt. We've seen the Cardinals win despite starting an aging quarterback in 2007, a non-existent running game in 2008, and the losses of both offensive and defensive coordinators in 2009. There's a reason they call him the 'Whiz', and he may live up to that name next season when he faces his most difficult task at hand.
Ken Whisenhunt is the ideal coach to go down as the greatest in Cardinals history. He's led the Cardinals to an average or winning record since he's been in Arizona and did the improbable by taking one of the worst teams in NFL history to the Super Bowl. He's loved by the fans and the players and it may only be a matter of time before he becomes the winning-est coach in Cardinals history.