Cardinals change offensive coordinators
ESPN.com news services
The Monday Night Meltdown claimed its first victim on Tuesday, when Arizona Cardinals coach Dennis Green announced he had fired offensive coordinator Keith Rowen and promoted quarterbacks coach Mike Kruczek to the position.
The move came hours after the Cardinals blew a 20-point lead and lost to the Chicago Bears 24-23 on Monday night.
"I've known Keith for a long time. I have the utmost respect for him," Green said. "We are not scoring enough points."
Green announced the change at his press conference on Tuesday, hours after exploding in front of the media following the Cardinals' stunning loss on Monday Night Football.
The Cardinals offense bogged down in the second half, allowing the Chicago Bears to erase a 20-point halftime deficit for a 24-23 comeback victory. The failure of the Cardinals' running game and blocking breakdowns that led to a fumble recovery for a touchdown helped fuel the Bears' comeback.
"At certain times you feel like you have to do something different," Green said. "[Kruczek] is old-school all the way and that's what I think we need right now."
Kruczek becomes Green's third offensive coordinator in the coach's 2½ seasons in Arizona.
Green said he was talking with Rowen about what other position he might take on the staff.
Kruczek has been quarterbacks coach since Green arrived.
"I think his close working relationship with Matt Leinart will give us a better chance," Green said.
Kruczek was a quarterback at Boston College and backup to Terry Bradshaw with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was head coach at Central Florida for six years before joining Green's staff.
At his Tuesday news conference, Green noted that Rowen had nothing to do with the strange series of late plays that led to the Monday night collapse:
• The blindside sack of Leinart that led to Mike Brown's 3-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
• The 40-yard return of Edgerrin James' fumble by Charles Tillman for another score.
• Devin Hester's 83-yard punt return for the go-ahead touchdown.
• Neil Rackers' miss of a 41-yard field goal attempt with 53 seconds to play.
Rowen was the second offensive coordinator to be relieved of his duties on Tuesday. Earlier, Baltimore Ravens coach Brian Billick fired Jim Fassel as coordinator and announced he would take over offensive play-calling duties during games.
Arizona has lost five straight since a season-opening victory over San Francisco and is 12-26 since Green took over. The Cardinals play at winless Oakland on Sunday.
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