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| Thursday, January 4 Associated Press | |||
| TEMPE, Ariz. -- Cardinals offensive coordinator Marc Trestman and three other assistants were fired Tuesday as head coach Dave McGinnis started his promised shakeup.
Trestman had been offensive coordinator since 1998. Quarterbacks coach John Garrett, tight ends coach Don Lawrence and wide receivers coach Vic Rapp also were dismissed.
Trestman, offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers under George Seifert in 1995-96, was highly criticized for an offense that ranked 24th in the NFL overall, 27th in rushing and 17th in passing.
In Trestman's first season in the post, Arizona went 9-7 and
earned its first playoff victory in 52 years. But the offense was
awful the last two seasons, and quarterback Jake Plummer struggled to make the right decisions in Trestman's West Coast offense.
Arizona was 3-13 this season, the franchise's worst winning percentage since 1959.
McGinnis, promoted from defensive coordinator to interim coach when Vince Tobin was fired seven games into the season, has been given significant authority along with a four-year contract by owner Bill Bidwill.
McGinnis has vowed to make changes in the staff and personnel.
He also wants to hire someone who can foster a close
relationship with Plummer, as Geep Chryst did in 1998 before he
left his job as quarterbacks coach to be offensive coordinator of
the San Diego Chargers.
Trestman also was on the staff with Detroit, Minnesota,
Cleveland and Tampa Bay in 13 NFL seasons.
Garrett spent two seasons as quarterbacks coach after four
seasons as an assistant coach at Cincinnati. Lawrence, who has
coached in the NFL for 18 years, was on the Cardinals' staff just
one season.
Rapp was with Arizona for five seasons, overseeing a receiving
corps that includes Rob Moore, Frank Sanders and David Boston.
Injuries were a major problem on offense this season. Moore went down with a season-ending knee injury in the preseason. Center Mike Gruttadauria was lost to a neck injury that threatens his career.
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Turner interested in Cardinals' offensive coordinator job | ||