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Mike Jurecki of XTRA 910 in Phoenix tweeted Monday that the Arizona Cardinals were having "internal conversations regarding Ray Horton." While that is somewhat vague, it does insinuate that the front office could be looking to make a head coaching move, whether it be this year or next:
Who said it was going to happen during season. @jiggyear "talks" are all they are. Whiz will not be fired in-season. U can bet on that.
— Mike Jurecki (@mikejurecki) December 4, 2012
If Ken Whisenhunt is on the chopping block, Horton, the current defensive coordinator, could certainly have a run at replacing him, at the very least in an interim capacity. Where the Cardinals offense has only gotten worse as the quarterback situation unraveled following Kevin Kolb's injury, it's been the Horton-led defense that has kept Arizona somewhat respectable despite a current eight-game losing streak.
Arizona is a top-three defense in passing yards allowed per game and No. 7 in points allowed per game. The Cardinals as a whole are a plus-seven in turnover differential this season thanks to producing 27 turnovers, which is good enough for third in the NFL.
Meanwhile, the eight-game losing streak has much to do with a struggling offense, and Whisenhunt has juggled quarterbacks John Skelton and Ryan Lindley to no avail.