TEMPE, Ariz. -- Vince Tobin, who coached Arizona to its
first playoff victory in 51 years two seasons ago, was fired Monday
a day after the Cardinals lost to the Dallas Cowboys 48-7.
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Monday, Oct. 23
Two years ago the Arizona Cardinals were a playoff team. The expectations were very high after the '98 season. Once a team is in that position, it has to keep improving and working toward its ultimate goal -- the Super Bowl.
But the Cardinals went backwards. There are always certain things beyond a head coach's control, and some were in Vince Tobin's case. Injuries, holdouts, and even a car accident can share the blame in Arizona. No fired head coach has ever been 100 percent of blame for his team's performance. But regardless of fault, Tobin's responsibility was to win and live up to the bar he raised for himself. The reality of the NFL is a coach must win to keep his job, and the Cardinals didn't.
Dave McGinnis has been considered for head coaching jobs before. His situation is very similar to recently hired Dick LeBeau's in Cincinnati. The players will respond to McGinnis and his reputation as a players coach. He is sensitive to where his players' hearts are. But he has been hired to be a leader and a dictator. He surely will not be a pushover. If the Cardinals show significant improvement, McGinnis should be able to shed the "interim" tag.
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Defensive coordinator Dave McGinnis was named interim coach for the remainder of the season.
"We decided that it would be in the interest of the team to
make a coaching change," owner Bill Bidwill said during an
afternoon news conference. "I felt it was time."
Tobin is a very fine man, Bidwill said. "He's worked very, very
hard here. I wish him well in the future."
Bidwill said Maginnis will be considered for a permanent job
after the season.
"Dave McGinnis brings a great deal of experience and enthusiasm to the job," Bidwill said. "We anticipate that hopefully there
will be a different Cardinal team on the field this Sunday."
McGinnis said he was honored by the faith Bidwill placed in him.
"If they come to you with the job, take it and run with it,
take it and run with it, and that is what I intend to do," he
said. "I took this football job because I believe in the players
we have here."
"I'm very sad to see coach Tobin go," quarterback Jake Plummer
said, "but at the same time I'm excited in a way to see coach
McGinnis come in and bring some new philosophies and some things
that might help this team. I think you're going to see a fired-up
ballclub that's going to be ready to play."
The firing came with the Cardinals in last place in the NFC East and two weeks before a vote in Maricopa County on a proposed $331 million stadium for the team.
Tobin had a 29-44 record in 4½ seasons as head coach. In 1998, he directed the team to a 9-7 regular season, its only winning
campaign since the franchise moved to Arizona from St. Louis in
1988.
|  | | A 2-5 start to 2000 and the 48-7 defeat at the hands of Dallas on Sunday cost Arizona coach Vince Tobin his job. |
The Cardinals made the playoffs for the first time since 1982,
then beat the Cowboys in Dallas for their first playoff victory
since the NFL championship game 51 years earlier.
However, the team stumbled to 6-10 last season and was 2-5 this year.
Plummer said he would always be grateful to Tobin for making him
a starter as a rookie and sticking with him through some tough
times.
"Obviously you can't fire 54 players," Plummer said. "The
sick thing is we are good, talented football players. You look at
the guys we have, a lot of them could start on other teams. Why is
it not happening? We have to find that answer.
"Whether coach was a scapegoat or not, we still have nine games left, we have to find an answer and get it done and win this
weekend."
The defeat in Dallas was the Cardinals largest margin of defeat since coming to Arizona, and team president William Bidwill would not endorse Tobin afterward.
"We're all disappointed, but now is not the time to go beyond
that," Bidwill said.
Defensive end Andre Wadsworth, still not playing while
recovering from knee surgery, said he noticed that the morale had
been at an all-time low the past couple of weeks.
"As the head coach, he takes the brunt of everything,"
Wadsworth said. "You can't blame him for everything. He's part of
it, but we're all to blame."
Tobin, quiet and mild-mannered, was often referred to in the
local media as "Coach Beige." He grew up in a small town in
Missouri, and was defensive coordinator for the Philadelphia
Eagles, Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts before he was named
head coach of the Cardinals in 1996.
Tobin was hired to replace Buddy Ryan, who was 4-12 in his
second season with Arizona.
McGinnis, whose fiery personality is in marked contrast to
Tobin's, nearly took the head coaching job with the Chicago Bears
last year, but pulled out moments before he was to appear at a news
conference. McGinnis was linebackers coach for the Bears from 1986
to 1995.
The Cardinals are investing heavily in the stadium vote. There
is widespread speculation that the team might move elsewhere if the
vote is not successful.
The measure would use hotel and motel tax revenue to fund most of the stadium's cost.
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VIDEO
  Dave McGinnis replaces Vince Tobin as the head coach in Arizona. RealVideo: 28.8  Dave McGinnis is prepared to take on the responsibility of turning the Cardinals around. wav: 131 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Cardinals owner Bill Bidwill wanted to make a change in the head coaching position. wav: 342 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Dave McGinnis took over the reins of the Cardinals with Vince Tobin's blessing. wav: 117 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Dave McGinnis talks about taking over head coaching responsibilities in Arizona. wav: 1436 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Dave McGinnis on the difficulty in taking over the Cardinals 8 weeks into the season. wav: 1285 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 Will McDonough of the Boston Globe on how the firing process is done in Arizona. wav: 1457 kRealAudio: 14.4 | 28.8 | 56.6 |
