NFL Cardinals axe offensive coordinator after humbling loss

Arizona offensive coordinator Mike McCoy, was fired Friday as his rookie quarterback Josh Rosen struggled

Mike McCoy was fired Friday as offensive coordinator of the NFL Arizona Cardinals only hours after a humiliating 45-10 loss to Denver, which fired McCoy from the same job last season. The Cardinals, with the NFL's worst record at 1-6, rank last in the league in yards per game, rushing yards, possession time and third-down conversion percentage. They are second-worst among the 32 teams in passing yards and points per game, averaging only 13.1. "We got to find ways to move this in the right direction," Cardinals coach Steve Wilks said after the defeat. "Definitely embarrassing effort... unacceptable. We've got to find ways to get this thing corrected." Arizona hopes the answer lies with quarterbacks coach Byron Leftwich, who was promoted to the offensive coordinator role vacated by McCoy. Who was fired by the Broncos last yeat after a six-game losing skid, and as the San Diego Chargers coach after the 2016 campaign. Leftwich played nine NFL seasons as a quarterback from 2003-2012, serving as a backup to Ben Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh's 2009 Super Bowl victory over Arizona. Former Cardinals coach Bruce Arians brought him to the coaching staff as an intern in 2016 and made him the quarterbacks coach last year, even having him call some plays in 2017 pre-season games. The Cardinals, whose next game in October 28 at home against San Francisco, have not produced more than 269 offensive yards in a game this season, with rookie quarterback Josh Rosen giving up five turnovers in the Denver defeat.