Former Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt was fired following the 2012 season on what is known as "Black Monday", but he wasn't out of a job for too long.
According to sources who spoke to ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter, Whisenhunt is set to become the offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers, joining former Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, who was hired as the new head coach earlier on Monday.
Whisenhunt was fired in Arizona after going 5-11 for the second time in three seasons. He owns the record for most wins as Cardinals coach and led the team to its only Super Bowl appearance, but the team was a disappointment in 2012. Whisenhunt went 49-53 in Arizona, including 4-2 in two playoff appearances.
This past season the Cardinals were dreadful on offense and ranked 32nd in the league in rushing and 28th in passing while averaging just 15 points per game, second worst in the league.
Arizona started off as one of the surprise teams in the league after going 4-0, but lost 11 of the final 12 games to finish 5-11 for the second time in three seasons. The only win for the team over that stretch was a 38-10 victory over the Detroit Lions on Dec. 16.
Whisenhunt is an offensive-minded coach and was the coordinator with the Steelers before becoming Arizona's head coach. He had much greater success in past years, including from 2007 to 2009 with quarterback Kurt Warner, who had the offense ranked 12th, fourth and 14th in total yards during those years.
This season the Cardinals had horrible play at quarterback and split time with Kevin Kolb, John Skelton and Ryan Lindley. Whisenhunt will have a major upgrade in Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers. He started his coaching career at Vanderbilt and later worked with the Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns and the New York Jets before joining the Pittsburgh staff in 2001.
Whisenhunt interviewed for the Chargers' head coaching job last week, but the team opted to go with McCoy instead. The Cardinals suffered a franchise-worst 58-0 loss against the Seahawks this season.
"I have great respect for the San Diego Chargers," Whisenhunt told the team's official website. "Every time I've played them, they've been good football teams and we had battles whether I was in the AFC or the NFC. (I'm impressed) with the way they do business, so I have a tremendous amount of respect for them. Playing here at this stadium, it's always been a tough place to play. The fans from what I've seen, they've always been great. That's something where any time you get home-field advantage like that, it's a big positive."
The Chargers will offer a new opportunity for both McCoy and Whisenhunt. The franchise fired both head coach Norv Turner and general manager A.J. Smith and will try to move on from a number of disappointing seasons that saw the team miss the playoffs for the third straight year after going 7-9.
Smith added many talented players to the Chargers over the years, including quarterback Philip Rivers, Nate Kaeding, Shawne Merriman and Antonio Gates, but the roster never turned into a Super Bowl contender. Although the team had its first losing season since 2003, the team hasn't made the playoffs for three straight seasons.
The team was disappointing on offense this year, ranking 24th in the league in passing and 27th in rushing. The team scored just 21 points per game, which ranked 20th in the NFL. San Diego was known as an offensive powerhouse in past years but has regressed over the past couple seasons.
The Chargers dealt with injuries to running back Ryan Mathews and wideout Malcom Floyd, but the team has a lot of talent and could bounce back next season with the right coach. The team opened the year with a two game winning streak, but fell in Week 3 to the Falcons 27-3. The early game against Atlanta was a sign of the offensive struggles to come.
The team defeated the Chiefs the following week, but then lost three in a row, including a 7-6 road loss to the Cleveland Browns. The Chargers defeated Kansas City once again, but then lost the next four games in a row, including a 20-13 defeat at home against the Bengals. The Chargers finished the season with two straight wins but were wildly inconsistent during 2012, scoring less than 20 points five times.
Both McCoy and Whisenhunt will give the Chargers a chance to reboot on offense and will offer the team a chance to overtake the Broncos in the division. The team still has issues with their running backs as well as on defense, but a solid draft and some smart free agent signings could make the Chargers one of the teams to beat in the AFC.
