As the Cardinals were wrapping up a horrendous regular season, there was a sense that the Cardinals would fire coach Ken Whisenhunt in part to ensure that defensive coordinator Ray Horton would be retained, via a promotion.
The concern was that Horton would be a hot head-coaching candidate elsewhere, and that if the Cardinals didn’t elevate Horton, someone else would.
But interviews with the Bills and Browns didn’t result in Horton hearing an offer, which gives the Cardinals an opportunity to keep Horton without bumping him up. And that could be what they try to do.
According to Ian Rapaport of NFL Network, the Cardinals are “prepared to make a big push” for Broncos offensive coordinator Mike McCoy — and in turn to keep Horton as the defensive coordinator. Per Rapaport, other teams would be interested in hiring Horton as a defensive coordinator, but the Cardinals won’t let him go.
It could be awkward, to say the least, for McCoy to work with someone who was passed over for the job. But it didn’t hurt the 2008 Ravens when Rex Ryan didn’t get the job, John Harbaugh did, and Rex stayed for a season as the defensive coordinator.
Meanwhile, McCoy’s star apparently hasn’t been affected by some ultra-conservative play-calling late in regulation of the game the Broncos would/should/could have won, including a curious decision to run on third and seven with a late lead and the decision to go into a play-for-overtime shell with 30 seconds left in a tie game.