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AP: ba85ece5-7e31-494e-853b-52dabcf23b47
Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt, left, shakes hands with Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll after an NFL football game in Seattle, Sunday, Dec. 9, 2012. The Seahawks won 58-0. (AP Photo/John Froschauer)
It's part of the culture in sports. Even in the face of adversity, head coaches are tasked with always trying to find ways to spin negatives into positives.

Over the past few months, Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt held up quite nicely in the silver linings department despite his team's eight-game losing streak. Sure he was critical of his team with each passing loss, but the coach always made an effort to let the media and fans know that under his watch, the team would continue to play hard and find ways to improve.

However, none of those cliches were spewed after the team's worst loss in franchise history Sunday in Seattle. Instead, Whisenhunt sounded rather dejected and apologetic.

"All I can do is apologize for what happened out here today to our fans and our organization," Whisenhunt said following the Cardinals' 58-0 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

Whisenhunt, who is in sixth season with the organization, has been a part of some poor performances (47-7 against New England in 2008 and 41-7 to Atlanta in 2010) during his time in Arizona, but nothing like the clunker his team produced on Sunday.

To make matters worse, the team has now put together its longest streak (nine games) of futility since the organization was in Chicago back in 1944.

"It's embarrassing," said Whisenhunt. "We let a game get away from us today. It hurts, it really does because we have a lot more pride than that."

The Cardinals gave up a franchise-high 58 points in the loss and were shut out for the first time since September 2003.

Whisenhunt attributed the lopsided score to the six first half turnovers committed by Arizona, two of which were returned for touchdowns.

"It's hard to overcome that," said Whisenhunt of the game-changing giveaways. "And it did get away from us. There's not much you can do about it, and there is not much you can say about it. It hurts."

What might also hurt for Whisenhunt are the numbers going against him in recent years.

After leading the franchise two its first two division titles and a Super Bowl appearance back in 2008 and 2009, Whisenhunt is just 17-28 over his last three seasons. And after Sunday's drubbing the Cardinals have been mathematically eliminated from the postseason for the third consecutive year.

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  • Abuse
    Sensei wrote...
    Whis. lost the team
    Period.
  • Abuse
    The Chemist wrote...
    If Whisenhut had any decency
    ...he would resign immediately. This buffoon makes ~$5,000,000 a year!!! What an embarrassment!!!
  • Abuse
    FitzIsMyHero wrote...
    Still wna see him?
    try to lead the team now? He lost the offense. He now has lost the defense. Does anybody still believe he can be a good Head Coach?? Does anybody believe he can turn this offense around???
  • Abuse
    Jarrod P. wrote...
    4-12
    called it after week 3... This organization needs to be fired. poor drafts, poor coaching, ZERO effort getting a QB. The good thing is it is a league of parody This years worst team can make the playoffs next year-- there is hope..
  • Abuse
    FitzIsMyHero wrote...
    I told you...
    You would see why we need to fire him against the Seahawks. Why? No one believes in him including the players (I dont believe in him).
  • Abuse
    woman59 wrote...
    "Wiz" Must Go from an informed "FEMALE" fan
    Listening to the talk shows after the game. Hearing the uninformed male fans calling and placing blame for what is happening on Rod Graves, the Bidwells... Message to uninformed callers who continue to defend the "Wiz" ownership gave "Wiz" control over personnel decisions when they gave him a contract extension AFTER the Super Bowl. For God's sake, Wiz (as one caller correctly pointed out tonight)at one point chose to start MATT LINART over Kurt Warner! The Wiz OWNS the dog we call an offense because he WAS IN CONTROL of who got signed to play for the cards on Offense, Got to start with him.
  • Abuse
    Eric J. wrote...
    Fire the Ownership
    Year after year minus a few hiccups along the way this team loses and loses. We need to fire this organization, and produce an expansion team with new ownership (Colangelo ?), new team name, new logo, new everything. LA Cardinals sounding better every Sunday.
  • Abuse
    MrMwman wrote...
    Whiz finally lost the defense.
    What would one expect after fining one of your hardest working players and team leaders six digits for "Not throwing in the towel". This was a statement by the defense today on just that action. Yes, Dockett needed to be fined for principal but good lord! Whiz needs to go now before he pisses them all off and they bolt for other teams.
  • Abuse
    aznative97 wrote...
    Whiz
    how do you not fire him now? obviously the team has quit on him. can't afford to keep him around and if it was not for Kurt Warner I think whiz would have been gone a few years ago. Russ Grimm has also been a HUGE disappointment. When he was put on the staff I remember thinking, "finally the cards will have a good OL". Boy was I wrong. Would like to see Graves shown the door too, but not sure that will happen.
  • Abuse
    Bill W. wrote...
    Cardinals
    Can't any of you see what is happening? 1. Posturing for the draft 2. Bidwells have taken all the tax dollars & screw the team. Just like they did in St. Louis. 3. Whisenhunt deserves better than he is being given by all you sports experts. 4. Kevin Kolb was the biggest mistake made this year.
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