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TEMPE, Ariz. (Jan. 9, 2007) -- Pittsburgh Steelers assistant Russ Grimm was interviewed as the final candidate to replace the fired Dennis Green as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
Grimm, the assistant head coach and offensive line coach of the Steelers, didn't arrive until the afternoon and hadn't completed his interview when he took a break to talk to reporters.
"I like what I see," he said. "I like what the organization has to offer. I think it's headed in the right direction. I think you're going to see a lot of exciting times out here in the desert, whether it's myself or somebody else."
Grimm, who helped the Washington Commanders win three Super Bowls in his 11 seasons as a starting guard, was the second Steelers assistant to be interviewed by the Cardinals. Offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt was interviewed on Jan. 5.
Both also are leading candidates to replace Bill Cowher, who resigned as the Steelers' coach. Grimm interviewed for the Pittsburgh job on Jan. 8 and Whisenhunt did so on Jan. 9.
In all, the Cardinals interviewed eight candidates to become the franchise's eighth head coach since it moved to Arizona in 1988.
Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow met with the Cardinals in Tempe on Jan. 8.
Three were interviewed out of town because their teams are in the playoffs: Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, Indianapolis Colts assistant head coach-quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell and San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.
Former Green Bay Packers head coach and current Houston Texans assistant Mike Sherman talked with the Cardinals in Tempe last week. The team also interviewed Clancy Pendergast, defensive coordinator of the Cardinals under Green, but that was believed to be only as a courtesy.
Even though the team has had just one winning season, and one playoff appearance, since 1984, Grimm believes owner Bill Bidwill and his family are serious about building a winning team.
"Part of the interview process is myself interviewing them to see how an organization is run from top to bottom," Grimm said, "to see how things are handled. I'm not going to get excited about a job or I'm not going to look to take a job where I don't feel comfortable about things. I feel comfortable so far, but we've got some more things to talk about."
He said he watched tape on the flight from Pittsburgh and found a lot of talent and players who play hard.
"I think there's a lot of guys that want to win and kind of are fed up with the way things have gone up to this point," Grimm said.
He said he would want a balanced offense and an attacking, hard-hitting, crowd-pleasing defense.
"People come to the game, they want to see big hits, they want to see people flying around," Grimm said. "You don't go to the rodeo to watch the cowboy ride the bull. Everybody sits there and says 'I hope he gets thrown off.' That's human nature. People come for the excitement."
He also defended Bidwill's ownership.
"I've known Mr. Bidwill and his family since I was playing with the Commanders back in the early '80s," Grimm said. "I've never felt there would be a negative as far as what this family has done with this organization. They've made the effort to make it first class. I think they do a lot to help put things back into this community that may not always be appreciated because there may not be enough wins over the past couple of years."
Of course, the lack of wins goes back a lot longer than that.
"But as far as Mr. Bidwill and his family are concerned," Grimm said, "it's a class owner and an organization. It just needs to turn some things around and get a little bit more in the 'W' column."
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TEMPE, Ariz. (Jan. 9, 2007) -- Pittsburgh Steelers assistant Russ Grimm was interviewed as the final candidate to replace the fired Dennis Green as head coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
Grimm, the assistant head coach and offensive line coach of the Steelers, didn't arrive until the afternoon and hadn't completed his interview when he took a break to talk to reporters.
"I like what I see," he said. "I like what the organization has to offer. I think it's headed in the right direction. I think you're going to see a lot of exciting times out here in the desert, whether it's myself or somebody else."
Grimm, who helped the Washington Commanders win three Super Bowls in his 11 seasons as a starting guard, was the second Steelers assistant to be interviewed by the Cardinals. Offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt was interviewed on Jan. 5.
Both also are leading candidates to replace Bill Cowher, who resigned as the Steelers' coach. Grimm interviewed for the Pittsburgh job on Jan. 8 and Whisenhunt did so on Jan. 9.
In all, the Cardinals interviewed eight candidates to become the franchise's eighth head coach since it moved to Arizona in 1988.
Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Norm Chow met with the Cardinals in Tempe on Jan. 8.
Three were interviewed out of town because their teams are in the playoffs: Chicago Bears defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, Indianapolis Colts assistant head coach-quarterbacks coach Jim Caldwell and San Diego Chargers offensive coordinator Cam Cameron.
Former Green Bay Packers head coach and current Houston Texans assistant Mike Sherman talked with the Cardinals in Tempe last week. The team also interviewed Clancy Pendergast, defensive coordinator of the Cardinals under Green, but that was believed to be only as a courtesy.
Even though the team has had just one winning season, and one playoff appearance, since 1984, Grimm believes owner Bill Bidwill and his family are serious about building a winning team.
"Part of the interview process is myself interviewing them to see how an organization is run from top to bottom," Grimm said, "to see how things are handled. I'm not going to get excited about a job or I'm not going to look to take a job where I don't feel comfortable about things. I feel comfortable so far, but we've got some more things to talk about."
He said he watched tape on the flight from Pittsburgh and found a lot of talent and players who play hard.
"I think there's a lot of guys that want to win and kind of are fed up with the way things have gone up to this point," Grimm said.
He said he would want a balanced offense and an attacking, hard-hitting, crowd-pleasing defense.
"People come to the game, they want to see big hits, they want to see people flying around," Grimm said. "You don't go to the rodeo to watch the cowboy ride the bull. Everybody sits there and says 'I hope he gets thrown off.' That's human nature. People come for the excitement."
He also defended Bidwill's ownership.
"I've known Mr. Bidwill and his family since I was playing with the Commanders back in the early '80s," Grimm said. "I've never felt there would be a negative as far as what this family has done with this organization. They've made the effort to make it first class. I think they do a lot to help put things back into this community that may not always be appreciated because there may not be enough wins over the past couple of years."
Of course, the lack of wins goes back a lot longer than that.
"But as far as Mr. Bidwill and his family are concerned," Grimm said, "it's a class owner and an organization. It just needs to turn some things around and get a little bit more in the 'W' column."
LINK[URL/]