24 Hours to Finally Know Once and For All...How Cheap the Cardinals Really Are

[Mitch]

Y'know, I am starting to understand Anquan Boldin more and more these days. I hate that one of my all-time favorite Cardinals grew so sour on the organization, especially at a time when the lowly Cardinals ascended from their perennial spot in the NFL cellar, to rise to unprecedented heights.

Y'now the Cardinals may be just what Q thinks they are: they are flat-out CHEAP.

I want to allude back to last summer...which was, IMO, a disgraceful time for this organization, front-office wise.

First of all, not getting a deal done with Larry Fitzgerald in a timely fashion cost the Cardinals the opportunity to sign All Pro LG Alan Faneca, who clearly wanted to play in Arizona for Whiz and Grimm.

What we will never know...is what Faneca's presence would have done for our already explosive offense. But, I bet you this...he would have brought a mentality to the offensive line that they haven't seen since the days of Dan Dierdorf and Conrad Dobler.

Fortunately, the Cardinals did finally get a deal done with Fitzgerald, at the expense of guaranteeing him that he won't be franchised at the end of his deal. But the deal worked in the Cardinals' favor otherwise. At least the Cardinals did not have to devote over $16m of last year's cap on Fitzgerald, which enabled them to sign such bargain free agents as Clark Haggans and Bryan Robinson.

In the meantime the Cardinals left superstar Anquan Boldin twisting in the wind, thinking that the Cardinals' promise to redo his contract would be forthcoming. The Cardinals did make an offer, which apparently Coach Whisenhunt urged Q to sign. But, let's face it, the offer which was glaringly void of guaranteeed money was a slap in the face to a two-time Pro Bowler...the same face, which ironically got smashed to near smithereens in New York a few months later.

Then there was the absolute debacle surrounding Kurt Warner, who, with one arm virtually tied behind his back, put on a second half of the season passing display which no one has EVER seen in Arizona...only...immediately following the season, the Cardinals announced Matt Leinart, who had been on the IR with a broken collarbone following a, quite frankly, rough transition into a new offense, and was significantly outplayed by Kurt Warner, as their starting QB in 2008-2009.

I smelled a rat at the time...and I will stand by it. Go back if you want and read my Warner Rant.

There was NO WAY, Kurt Warner didn't at least deserve an open competition for the starting job this past year. NO WAY.

So why did the Cardinals decide so emphatically to put the ball in Leinart's hands?

At the time I sensed this and I said so...because the Cardinals are CHEAP.

What would have happened if the Cardinals announced that Kurt Warner would be the starter instead?

Kurt Warner would have wanted the appropriate compensation. And who could blame him?

Starting NFL QBs who rank in the top 7 of the league don't get paid $5m a year.

And then...the Cardinals had the temerity to try to sign Warner to a "backup" QB contract extension.

Let me clue you all in if you didn't know it already. Kurt Warner was going to be the starting QB this season well before anyone else knew it. Leinart had one bad half the entire pre-season, otherwise he acquitted himself rather well. Not great, per se, but not bad. But, Warner was going to be plucked out of the weeds by game one.

Even ESPN knew it and reported it...which infuriated the front office and Coach Whiz...because they could have been spotted with their pants down.

But...by naming Leinart the starter, it eliminated all possible talk from Warner's camp about receiving starter's compensation.

What the Cardinals got for the $5M they paid Warner this past year...despite humilating him after last year's performance by at least not billing him from the get-go as one of two candidates to win the starting job...was one of the greatest single season QB performances in NFL history...for a franchise that has been the laughing stock of the NFL for seemingly forever.

Kurt Warner and his near 30 points per game (a carry-over from the second half of last season) not only got the Cardinals in the playoffs and their FIRST HOME PLAYOFF GAME SINCE THE 1940s...he HAD the Super Bowl won if the Cardinal defense hadn't laid such a pitiful egg in the last 2:37. Warner had that game won. And he and Larry Fitzgerald should have been the co-MVPs.

All this for a measly $5M.
]
Did I even mention starting NFC QB in the Pro Bowl?

The Cardinals' front office played their hand like a casino stud.

But now...

Especially now...

Payback is more than due...

In Warner the Cardinals know they have a player who can get the ball in the hands of their best playmakers...in him they know, he's capable of winning them the Super Bowl...heck, Warner took the Cardinals down the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City...when all the Cardinals have ever been is stuck on the oppressive and desolate Kansas prairie.

The Cardinals rode his back...

And now he wants payback...

If the Cardinals actually make the egregious mistake of dangling Warner out there in free agency (and don't think for one second Todd Haley won't be begging Scott Pioli to make Warner a Chief with a two to three year window to win a Super Bowl...heck if the Cardinals could get there, why can't the Chiefs?)...

Shame on all the Bidwills and on Rod Graves.

Symbolically this signing before free agency is IMPERATIVE...

You cannot penny pinch at all times...

Sometimes you have to provide a just reward...

And I bet you, if they asked Kurt Warner to take into consideration the team needs and asked him to name his price at what he thinks is best for everyone, Warner would be exactly right on the salary.

Get the pen in Warner's hands asap.

Do that and get Q signed...and the CHEAP tag will finally be lifted...and the next thing that might finally be lifted??? is a Lombardi.

 

[abomb]

How many farking threads do we need on this?

Get over it.

 

[Mitch]

How many farking threads do we need on this?

Get over it.

You know what, abomb, from now on YOU write the THREADS, since you're such the arbiter around here.

 

[D-Dogg]

Who...cares.

Let's all jump off a cliff because the Cardinals won't pay a 37 year old QB 14 million a year when they have other needs to address, and they aren't trading the young QB on the roster like the OP wants.

Not giving Warner his 14 million isn't going to destroy this team. In fact, we overpaid a QB a decade a go for a nice playoff run, and let the rest of the team walk and have paid the price ever since.

RE-LAX.

The proof is on the field, not in the front office. They could go out and drop money like water, and have nothing to show for it. See Snyder, Daniel.

 

[Buckybird]

everything you write seems so true. I wondered have times really changed earlier today. Dansby, Kurt, Q, Rolle and none of them have been redone. Maybe its the up front money and cash flow. Seems a little strange doesn't it? Maybe Graves isn't the problem. Next in line: Levi, Leinart. Maybe times haven't changed!!!

 

[LVG]

Y'now the Cardinals may be just what Q thinks they are: they are flat-out CHEAP.

Jeez, it sure looks that way, doesn't it.

 

[red desert]

You know what, abomb, from now on YOU write the THREADS, since you're such the arbiter around here.

Thank you, Mitch.

Your post was brutally honest. Just like mine was about how the Biwills use Graves as a puppet and that they really don't care about the cardinals, or us, they care about who the hell knows.

 

[ny redbird]

Mitch : love your posts. I rarely post, but read almost every day. Dont let a negative person stop your awesome work! thanks for your efforts!

 

[joeshmo]

You call the Cards Cheap on one hand yet still think we lost out on an opportunity to get Faneca and his huge contract? You cant have it both ways.

Now lets stop this madness with this cheap tag with some actual facts instead of assumptions and dramatic hyperbole. The last 5 years the Cards in in the top 10 in total player salary. That is not cheap. You may not like who they spend their money on and I would agree with probably most of it, See Al Johnson, but the cheap tag is a complete fallacy, backed up with hard facts that cannot be denied.

Finally the CArds are offering Warner fair market value at 1- to 12 mill with half it gauranteed. 12.1 mill is the the average of the top 5 QB contracts in the league. I already posted why the 1.5 exclusive rights tag is flawed considering Rodgers 26 mill price tag last year was used in making that top 3 average that Cassell got. Cards are not being cheap on this issue not even a little bit.

 

[RolleRocks]

Great post, Mitch.

Seems we've watched this movie before!!

 

[Hazzard29]

Great post Mitch... I cant argue with any of the points you brought up. Its time for management to step up and repay Warner for everything he has done for this team and this city over the last year. If he wants 14 Mil (and Im sure he'd sign for less), give it to him... he's earned every last penny of it.

 

[joeshmo]

everything you write seems so true. I wondered have times really changed earlier today. Dansby, Kurt, Q, Rolle and none of them have been redone. Maybe its the up front money and cash flow. Seems a little strange doesn't it? Maybe Graves isn't the problem. Next in line: Levi, Leinart. Maybe times haven't changed!!!

Why does Rolle have to be done. He fits just fine under the cap with two years to go. Boldin is also signed 2 more years.

 

[red desert]

Who...cares.

Let's all jump off a cliff because the Cardinals won't pay a 37 year old QB 14 million a year when they have other needs to address, and they aren't trading the young QB on the roster like the OP wants.

Not giving Warner his 14 million isn't going to destroy this team. In fact, we overpaid a QB a decade a go for a nice playoff run, and let the rest of the team walk and have paid the price ever since.

RE-LAX.

The proof is on the field, not in the front office. They could go out and drop money like water, and have nothing to show for it. See Snyder, Daniel.

Are you kidding me, Donald? Bad post, IMO.

Weren't you at the superbowl? I know you experienced what I did. I know you cried like I did. Nothing short of the superbowl will ever matter to me again. Ever. Don't you feel the same way? I want more of that. I want nothing less than that. Don't you? You think the Bidwills do? Honestly?

Or you think they are somewhere else?

Dude, graves is in over his head. Always has been.

 

[Buckybird]

Why does Rolle have to be done. He fits just fine under the cap with two years to go. Boldin is also signed 2 more years.

Rolle has a roster bonus of $5mil due according to Kent Somers

 

[D-Dogg]

red desert, I don't think giving Warner 14 million for two years is the crux of getting back to the super bowl. What I want is a playoff team year after year. That comes from not overpaying for an old QB who more than likely WON'T catch lightning in a bottle again, while one of your top WRs will probably get traded, or play under duress. What we NEED is a more solid defense. What we NEED is a running game.

Kurt has a fair offer on the table. He chose not to take it. That's not something I'm going to get mad at Graves for.

I tend to agree with joeshmoe more than Mitch.

 

[ThunderCard]

Top 10 post. I thought we should have done Antonio Smith's contract last year as well.

 

[D-Dogg]

Rolle has a roster bonus of $5mil due according to Kent Somers

Then maybe Kent Somers should read Darren Urban's blog.

http://azcardinals.com/blog/post.php?author=1&id=1651

There has been a lot of speculation about the situation with free safety Antrel Rolle’s contract and what it means for this offseason. Here is the deal: Rolle has two years remaining on his rookie contract. While his 2008 playing time will add some incentive/escalator money on top of the $1.66 million in salary he is scheduled to get in 2009, it won’t be anything the Cards can’t handle.

Now, Rolle’s 2010 salary is a different animal. According to the NFLPA website, Rolle is slated to make $8.11 million, which is much more than the Cards will want to pay. I recall when Rolle signed his rookie deal, then-agent Ben Dogra (Rolle has Drew Rosenhaus these days, but then again, who doesn’t on the Cardinals?) said the 2010 salary virtually would work as a voidable year because the salary was so high. Dogra was/is right. Rolle isn’t going anywhere – the Cards felt he made nice strides learning to play safety from cornerback, although Rolle has improvements (like angles on his tackles) to make -- but the 2010 money will need to be re-worked.

 

[Buckybird]

Then maybe Kent Somers should read Darren Urban's blog.

http://azcardinals.com/blog/post.php?author=1&id=1651

someones wrong

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/KentSomers/46772

 

[D-Dogg]

someones wrong

http://www.azcentral.com/members/Blog/KentSomers/46772

In a case like this, I tend to side with the numbers from the guy who works for the team.

 

[red desert]

red desert, I don't think giving Warner 14 million for two years is the crux of getting back to the super bowl. What I want is a playoff team year after year. That comes from not overpaying for an old QB who more than likely WON'T catch lightning in a bottle again, while one of your top WRs will probably get traded, or play under duress. What we NEED is a more solid defense. What we NEED is a running game.

Kurt has a fair offer on the table. He chose not to take it. That's not something I'm going to get mad at Graves for.

I tend to agree with joeshmoe more than Mitch.

Okay. Fair enough. Totally disagree though.

Do i think we should give Kurt 14 mil for two years? No.

But I think a savvy FO could talk him into 12, or even 10. Graves falls short.

I think Boldin could be talked to by a MAN. I mean that - A MAN. Graves falls short.

Donald, I know you love cards. I know that. But HONESTLY ask yourself this: if you just won the lotto for 900 mil and had the opportunity to purchase the cards, would you honestly even consider keeping Graves?

 

[Carddan]

Mitch, we won't know if it's "cheap" or "smart" for a while yet. Even after this saga is over, it is not until the games are played that anyone can say "I told you so". The same goes for Boldin. Is it "cheap" not to pay him Fitz money, or are your odds of winning the SB better with the money spent on other parts of the team? If Warner signs for around 10 mil instead of 14 mil, were the Cards smart or cheap? I say it depends on how the future goes. I understand your frustration, but we have gone from 5-11 to 8-8 to 9-7+Division Championship+NFC Championship. This is not the time I would criticize the organization. I am afraid they might screw up their success but it isn't over until it's over.

 

[D-Dogg]

But I think a savvy FO could talk him into 12, or even 10. Graves falls short.

Ten is my ceiling for Kurt. Anything over that, I'd pull the deal. He ain't getting 10 from anyone else out there that has a weapon like Larry, weather like AZ and a division ripe for the plucking like ours. WE have the leverage, not Kurt. I want him at 8, with some incentives. That's me though.

if you just won the lotto for 900 mil and had the opportunity to purchase the cards, would you honestly even consider keeping Graves?

Not a chance. But as I said in another thread, I refuse to totally melt down about business decisions I am not making or have no say in. Graves is a bit below average, and I'd be the kind of owner looking for the most brilliant player/talent evaluators and negotiators for my GM and staff.

 

[Buckybird]

Mitch, we won't know if it's "cheap" or "smart" for a while yet. Even after this saga is over, it is not until the games are played that anyone can say "I told you so". The same goes for Boldin. Is it "cheap" not to pay him Fitz money, or are your odds of winning the SB better with the money spent on other parts of the team? If Warner signs for around 10 mil instead of 14 mil, were the Cards smart or cheap? I say it depends on how the future goes. I understand your frustration, but we have gone from 5-11 to 8-8 to 9-7+Division Championship+NFC Championship. This is not the time I would criticize the organization. I am afraid they might screw up their success but it isn't over until it's over.

you have to find ways to get better and can't rely on what happened last year. Why did we change coaches with Clancy and Rutledge? Wiz wants to get better. You're right Carddan, but the lack of moves haven't helped us make a step in getting better any easier.

 

[RON_IN_OC]

So, Warner's $5 Mil this season was a bargain...I'll give you that. But what about his 1st few years here, when he stunk up the joint and everyone was calling for his head. His $4-5 Mil/per was more than he deserved, based on his production. He's lucky Whis stuck with him and gave him the opportunity to comeback and prove he could still play and produce. Can't we just call it even and move on?

 

[red desert]

Ten is my ceiling for Kurt. Anything over that, I'd pull the deal. He ain't getting 10 from anyone else out there that has a weapon like Larry, weather like AZ and a division ripe for the plucking like ours. WE have the leverage, not Kurt. I want him at 8, with some incentives. That's me though.




Not a chance. But as I said in another thread, I refuse to totally melt down about business decisions I am not making or have no say in. Graves is a bit below average, and I'd be the kind of owner looking for the most brilliant player/talent evaluators and negotiators for my GM and staff.

Okay. I can absolutely agree with the last part of your post.

But I'm telling you, Donald, Kurt is our only chance at even making the playoffs next season. Please be ready to bring the post back up in december if we don't resgign Kurt.