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Joined the Cardinals on 1/15/04 when he became the team’s defensive coordinator; was one of two assistants retained by new head coach Ken Whisenhunt (Rick Courtright was the other)
In his first season at defensive coordinator in 2004, improved the team’s overall defensive ranking from 26th to 12th. In 2005, Pendergast’s defense improved to 8th overall, the unit’s first top ten ranking since 1994 (3rd).
Helped guide strong safety Adrian Wilson to his first Pro Bowl selection in 2006 and defensive end Bertrand Berry to an NFC leading 14.5 sacks in 2004, earning the free agent acquisition his first Pro Bowl appearance.
His defense has forced 89 takeaways over the past three seasons, good for 10th in the NFL during that span and the most in a three year stretch by a Cardinals team since 1994-96.
Tolleson (AZ) High School graduate who stayed out west and graduated from the University of Arizona in 1990.
Phoenix native and University of Arizona alum Clancy Pendergast returns for his fourth year as the Cardinals defensive coordinator. Pendergast’s coaching dossier includes 12 seasons in the NFL including stints with the Cleveland Browns (2003), Dallas Cowboys (1996-2002), and the Houston Oilers (1995) and five more seasons on the major college level.
His 2006 defense was highlighted by strong safety Adrian Wilson’s first trip to the Pro Bowl. Wilson recorded four interceptions to tie a career high set in 2002 and also scored on a pair of 99-yard TD’s (fumble and interception return) to become the first player in NFL history with two defensive touchdowns of 99 yards. Pendergast’s unit forced 33 turnovers (17 fumble recoveries, 16 interceptions) in 2006, the most for a Cardinals defense since 1998 and the second time in the past three years the defense finished with 30+ takeaways. Linebacker Gerald Hayes led the team with a career high 111 stops in his first season as the starting middle linebacker and the team’s redzone defense was 4th best in the NFC and 11th best in the NFL.
Pendergast’s defensive unit improved from 26th to 12th in his first season as coordinator and then jumped from 12th to 8th in 2005. Even with missing four regular starters for most of the 2005 season (DE Bertrand Berry, DT Russell Davis, Hayes, CB Antrel Rolle) and having his defensive players miss a combined 101 games due to injury, the Cardinals defense finished the season with the 10th best rush defense and the 12th best pass defense in 2005. The 8th overall ranking was the best finish for the Cardinals defense since 1994 when they finished 3rd overall. The 2005 defense also finished 7th in the NFL in first downs allowed (272) and 4th in third-down efficiency (34.2%). Wilson, a Pro Bowl alternate and 16-game starter in 2005, led the team with a career high 112 tackles and eight sacks. The 8.0 sacks were the most in the NFL by a defensive back since sacks became an official statistic in 1982. Wilson also became the first defensive back in Cardinals history to lead the team in sacks. Outside linebacker Karlos Dansby finished third on the team with 103 tackles and collected 4.0 sacks and 3 interceptions, becoming one of only six NFL players in 2005 to collect more than three sacks and three interceptions.
In 2004, Pendergast’s defense improved its overall rank from 26th at the end of ’03 to 12th. His unit was particularly tough in the red zone where its 45.0 TD percentage ranked second-best in the NFL (up from 60.7 in ’03). Other key categories of defensive improvement were in third down defense (fourth in ’04 and 32nd in ’03); total sacks were up from 20 to 38; total touchdowns allowed dropped from 55 to 35; and total takeaways improved from 23 to 30. Overall, the Cards plus-minus improved from minus-13 in 2003 to plus-1 in ’04 and the team allowed 130 fewer total points (452 to 322) which moved them from last in the NFL in 2003 to 12th in the league. Passing yards per game dropped from 224.4 in ’03 to 189.8 in ’04 (29th in ’03 to 9th in ’04) and first downs allowed dropped from 326 in ’03 to 282 in ’04. The defense didn’t allow a touchdown in three games (Rams, Falcons and Saints) and allowed just one TD in three others (Rams, Jets and Bucs). Linebacker James Darling set a career and team high with 104 tackles and defensive end Bertrand Berry earned his first Pro Bowl berth with an NFC leading 14.5 sacks.
Prior to joining the Cardinals as defensive coordinator, Pendergast spent a year in Cleveland as linebackers coach. That came after spending seven seasons on the staff in Dallas, first as a defensive assistant/quality control/linebackers (1996-99), then extended additional responsibilities to coach nickel defense packages (2000) and overall secondary (2001-02). Dallas fielded the youngest starting defensive backfield in the NFL in 2002 with two rookies (first-round draft pick Roy Williams and Derek Ross), a second-year player (Tony Dixon) and a third-year veteran (Mario Edwards). Williams, the eighth-overall selection, and Ross, a third-rounder and 75th overall, tied for the team lead with five interceptions. Pendergast’s prize pupil, Williams, achieved numerous all-rookie honors. In both 2000 and 2001, the Cowboys finished third in the NFL in pass defense. In 2001, Pendergast’s first year overseeing the secondary, Dallas finished the season as the NFL’s third-best pass defense for the second consecutive season. Despite starting five different lineups and eight different players in the secondary, Pendergast’s management of the Dallas nickel package in 2000 helped the unit finish third in pass defense.
During his first four seasons with the Cowboys (1996-99), Pendergast focused primarily on the linebackers and helped mold a unit which was part of a defense that improved from 24th in 1997 to 12th in 1998. During that period, Fred Strickland recorded a career-best 153 tackles (1996), Dexter Coakley set a club rookie record with 136 tackles (1997), Strickland, Coakley, and Randall Godfrey finished 2-3-4 on the club in tackles (1998), and Coakley earned his first Pro Bowl selection and led the club with four interceptions (1999).
Born on November 29, 1967 in Phoenix, Pendergast earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona in Tucson in 1990, then worked with wide receivers and as an advance scout as a graduate assistant at Mississippi State (1991) and a defensive assistant at Southern California (1992). He spent the next two seasons (1993-94) at the University of Oklahoma as a graduate assistant advance scout and coaching the tight ends, then was named the tight ends coach at Alabama-Birmingham in 1995 before joining the Oilers as a defensive assistant and quality control coach. | 