Green Names Kruczek New Offensive Coordinator Kate Brandt azcardinals.com Following a heartbreaking 24-23 loss on Monday Night Football to the Chicago Bears last night, Cardinals Head Coach Dennis Green announced Tuesday morning that the team will relieve offensive coordinator Keith Rowen of his duties, and quarterback?s coach Mike Kruczek will take over as offensive coordinator. Kruczek, an all-America quarterback at Boston College and owner of two Super Bowl rings while a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers, joined the Cardinals in 2004 after 19 seasons at the University of Central Florida, including six as head coach. ?I just don?t think we?ve been scoring enough points,? commented Green. ?Every week I?ve been saying that. We have not been as efficient. We?re 23rd in the NFL in total offense and we?re probably worse than that in scoring offense. Again, it doesn?t all fall on one guy, but there is a job that has to be done and I?m going to give another guy a chance to do that job.? Kruczek is currently in his third year as an NFL assistant and Cardinals? quarterbacks coach. ?Mike Kruczek has been here from the onset, and I think his on the field and also his close working relationship with Matt Leinart will give us a better chance,? added Green. ?At certain times you have to feel like you have to do something different. Something that we hope will be better for us. I think Mike is a very demanding, taskmaster type of guy and he is ?old school? all the way. I think that is what we need right now.? Unlike Rowen, Kruczek will call the plays from the field. ?He?ll call the plays from the sidelines,? confirmed Green. ?I?ll help him, like I do with (Defensive Coordinator) Clancy (Pendergast) in any possible way I can.? Keith Rowen is in his 23rd season in the NFL and his second with the Cardinals. He joined the team as offensive coordinator in January 2005 succeeding Alex Wood following Green?s first season with the Cardinals. Rowen came to the Cardinals after spending the previous six seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs as tight ends coach. The move to Arizona reunited Rowen with Green, who he worked under while the pair coached together in Minnesota from 1994-1996. ?Keith Rowen and I are still discussing what his role will be,? continued Green. ?I?ve known Keith for a long time and I have the outmost respect for him, but we are not scoring enough points. That does not just fall on me. That does not just fall on the offensive coordinator.? This coaching move marks the third offensive coordinator in the last three seasons under Green. ?I don?t hesitate to make changes,? Green confirmed. ?That is just who I am and I like things to go a certain way and if they don?t, I normally do something about it. That is just the way I am and I?m not going to change.? Green is hoping the change will also allow some other faces on the Cards? roster to emerge as leaders. ?I think we need a little more leadership on our offense,? stated Green. ?If I say who are our leaders, defensively I could give you six names just like that and that is one of the reasons we play with a certain amount of assertiveness on defense. I could not do that offensively and that has hurt us.? The Cards are heading into a two game road stretch against two teams with a combined total of one win this season. ?Now we?re moving into a category of teams who have not done as well,? said Green on the Cards upcoming games at Oakland (0-5) and Green Bay (1-4). ?Hopefully we?ll continue to play the same way except with more productivity and the same level of intensity.?
