Rowen files grievance against Cards

[ducks]

Rowen files grievance against Cards

Don Banks, SI.com






Former Cardinals offensive coordinator Keith Rowen, relieved of his duties on Tuesday in the wake of Arizona's stunning 24-23 collapse at home against Chicago on Monday night, has filed a grievance to the NFL against the Cardinals regarding his limbo status with the team, a league source confirmed to SI.com on Friday.

In his grievance, Rowen is contesting whether the Cardinals have the right to require him to remain on staff as a re-assigned offensive assistant, given that head coach Dennis Green and the club initially gave no indication Rowen would stay on with the organization.

Rowen has been told by Green, the league source said, that he will be expected to fulfill his contract -- which runs out at the end of this season -- and serve as an offensive assistant for the rest of the year. His duties will include continuing to coach from the Cardinals' press-box booth and working the phones that connect the booth to the team's sideline. But Rowen's play-calling duties have been given to Mike Kruczek, who was Arizona's quarterbacks coach before being elevated to coordinator on Tuesday.

According to the league source, Rowen, a 23-year NFL coaching veteran, does not want to remain on Green's coaching staff in light of his demotion, and wants a league-appointed arbitrator to decide whether he should have to fulfill his contract for the final 10 games of this season. He is contending in the grievance that the club treated the move as a firing, not a demotion, and that even the Cardinals' Web site reports initially used the word "fired'' before different language was subs uted.

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"We're aware of the grievance, but until it's resolved it would not be appropriate to comment," Cardinals spokesperson Mark Dalton said.

Rowen has continued to report for work this week to the Cardinals team complex in Tempe, Ariz., and a date has yet to be set for his arbitration hearing. The Cardinals, 1-5 and losers of five in a row, play at Oakland (0-5) on Sunday.

A standard clause in every NFL coach's contract mandates he submit any dispute with his club to the league office for arbitration. Since coaches' contracts are not subject to the league's collective bargaining agreement as are players', the NFL Players Association can't represent a coach in his arbitration hearing. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell appoints one of the league's arbitrators to hear the grievance.

Kruczek becomes Green's third offensive coordinator in his less than 2 1/2 seasons in Arizona, following Rowen and Alex Wood, who was fired after the 2004 season. Under Rowen, the Cardinals in 2005 finished first overall in the NFL in passing, but ranked dead last (32nd) in rushing, for an overall ranking of No. 8 on offense.

In his Tuesday press conference announcing the change in offensive coordinators, Green said he made the move because the Cardinals have not been "scoring enough points.'' And yet Arizona put 23 points on the board against a Bears defense that entered the game having given up an NFL-low 36 points in Chicago's first five games. The Cardinals rank 17th in the league in scoring with 17.5 points per game, and 23rd in yards gain with 290.2.

Up 20-0 at the half against the undefeated Bears, the Cardinals went with a largely conservative play-calling approach in the second half, a move that has drawn widespread criticism this week in light of their late meltdown. Green absolved Rowen for any blame on the three plays on which Chicago scored second-half touchdowns, which is only logical since one came on a 3-yard fumble return by safety Mike Brown, another from a 40-yard fumble return by cornerback Charles Tillman, and the winning score, coming with less than three minutes to go, was an 83-yard punt return by Devin Hester.

Rowen is said to believe that he has been wrongly damaged by his firing/demotion, and wants to bring to light the fact that he wasn't calling plays for the Cardinals as their collapse unfolded Monday night. According to a league source close to the situation, Green took over the play calling at times from late in the second quarter on, after Arizona had built a 17-0 lead. The source said it was Green's plan heading into the game -- providing the Cardinals had a lead to protect -- to run Edgerrin James from a power formation, with two tight ends and two running backs, for much of the second half in an attempt to eat the clock.

The source cited the Cardinals' final drive of the first half as proof of Green's conservative approach. Up 17-0 and looking to take a commanding lead against Chicago, Arizona had a first down at the Bears' 13 with two minutes remaining. The Cardinals chose to run James twice into the middle of the line, for no gain both times, and then had rookie quarterback Matt Leinart throw a short, safe pass to running back Obafemi Ayanbadejo for three yards. Kicker Neil Rackers converted a 28-yard field goal on fourth down.

James carried 19 times in the second half, gaining just 28 yards, as Chicago repeatedly stacked the box with eight or nine defenders, daring the Cardinals to beat them via the pass. James finished with a staggering 36 carries in the game, for just 55 yards (1.5 average), one of the worst one-game rushing performances in recent NFL history.

The Cardinals had Leinart throw the ball 24 times in the second half, but nine of those pass plays came on their final two drives, when Arizona was either trailing or trying to stave off a Bears comeback that had produced 17 points from the dying moments of the third quarter on.

[JMarkJohns]

He's lucky he wasn't fired beforehand. His offense has sucked considering his weapons. His playcalling has left much to be desired.

When you have the Cardinals wideouts, you need to have that 2002 Raider-style of offense. Or even similer to Philly's offense the last couple of years (excluding last year). Run to keep defenses honest when it's there, but pick the defense apart via short/medium range passes to Edge, Pope, Bolden, Fitz, Johnson and Walters and then use Edge and Arrington in more screen sets.

They'd control the ball much better and eat up plenty of clock in the process.

[Zunni]

He's lucky he wasn't fired beforehand. His offense has sucked considering his weapons. His playcalling has left much to be desired.

When you have the Cardinals wideouts, you need to have that 2002 Raider-style of offense. Or even similer to Philly's offense the last couple of years (excluding last year). Run to keep defenses honest when it's there, but pick the defense apart via short/medium range passes to Edge, Pope, Bolden, Fitz, Johnson and Walters and then use Edge and Arrington in more screen sets.

They'd control the ball much better and eat up plenty of clock in the process.

OK, but if you're going to fire him, FIRE him. Don't require that he take a reduced role. That's horse . I think that's all he's looking for.

[JMarkJohns]

They redefined his position. He was demoted. He needs to suck it up, fulfill his contract in whatever role his bosses deem is best.

[Aggie Hoopsfan]

He doesn't need to suck it up, Dennis Green needs to be fired. Three OCs in 2.5 years, the only constant there is the HC.

[JMarkJohns]

I won't necessarily disagree that Green needs to be fired. However, that changes little with regards to Rowen's situation. Rowen's offense sucked. Plain and simple. Apparently the Cardinals ups deem him valuable enough to keep around in some form or another, he's just no longer calling plays.

It's his fault for the demotion (largely). He simply needs to do what's asked of him now, work out his contract and then go elsewhere.

He's still getting paid the same. The work has changed. I've had to do the same at a few jobs. Well, that's what his position is; a job. Therefore, he simply needs to stop whining and do it, no matter where it is within the offensive system. It's not like they've made him the janitor or something like that. He still works within the offense. Maybe this capacity will benefit him him later. He's probably too short-sighted to see that, however, be upset at how the organization threw him under the bus.

It's not like this new guy is doing anything. If Green fails to get to five wins, he's gone (along with his staff) at year's end.