A Few Random Thoughts

[Harry]

Thanks for the birthday greetings!

How do you think it felt to be Rod Graves during the Baltimore game as he watched guys he could have had or did have, kick his team’s tail?

The Cards’ upcoming potential roster bonus for Kolb means he starts when he can.

How do you think it feels to be Rod Graves and be the last one to know your offensive tackles can't play tackle?

In the next draft do you take an offensive tackle or a pass rusher?

How would it feel to be Rod Graves and know your two ILBs could be Washington and Dansby?

I’m betting Matt Leinart does well with Houston. This was another case of the Cardinals trying to force the player to adapt to a system rather than using a system that enhances the player’s skills. Note the change of fortune in Denver when they let Tebow play his game. He didn’t make them a Super Bowl team, but how many other QBs could have led that motley crew to 3 wins?

How must if feel to be Rod Graves and have spent $60 million for a QB when you may have had the guy you needed already on the roster for less than 1% of that cost. I still think it’s too early to give up on Kolb, but it also was far too early to give him $60 million (I know it’s not all guaranteed).

Anyone still think the Cards can run down the Niners?

How ought you feel if you were Rod Graves and your two million dollar plus OLBs couldn’t outplay a couple of 4th round draft picks?

I'm thinking Graves is not having a great year. Anyone want to tell me again about how Michael Bidwill was a different type of owner than dad? I betting since they still owe Graves money; he's back next year!

 

[MrYeahBut]

Is it ever going to be likely that the Bidwills would recognize, however dimly, that they could make their money and be a winner??? I suppose they are content with one of those 2 things-- money. Why they can't make winning a priority along with it is a mystery... they could have both. I guess it isn't worth the trouble and/or their loyalty to Graves blinds them to what seems to me to be a simple truth.

I guess what also has mystified me forever is, doesn't pride factor into the equation at some point after a freakin century of beatdowns? I couldn't look at myself in the mirror after being the object of ridicule for a lifetime... well, maybe that isn't true... I still look at myself in the mirror after being a fan of these prideless and cowardly owners football team for most of my adult life. I guess that's how it feels to be me.



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[gmabel830]

Here's a random thought.. Tim Tebow has 4 times as many wins as our starting QB!

 

[jf-08]

I always enjoy reading your stuff, Harry.

You have some great points to ponder.

 

[AZBoris]

Great post Harry.

Thanks for the birthday greetings!

Although im new here and idk you and its a little late, i wish you hb .

In the next draft do you take an offensive tackle or a pass rusher?

OT for sure imo, pass rusher is not top priority anymore. But still, i would take a pass rusher in later rounds.

How must if feel to be Rod Graves and have spent $60 million for a QB when you may have had the guy you needed already on the roster for less than 1% of that cost. I still think it’s too early to give up on Kolb, but it also was far too early to give him $60 million (I know it’s not all guaranteed).

+1, spot on, imo stupid, stupid trade for an unproven qb.

Anyone still think the Cards can run down the Niners?

With healthy Beanie and Skelton under center, i believe we can. Put Smith under constant pressure and he will make mistakes. The primary goal imo is to stop their running game, if we can do that, great things can happen.

 

[LarryStalling]

The problem for Graves with Kolb is that Whiz did not believe in Skelton and just guessing that Graves had poor guidance from Whiz on what avenue to take to shore up the position.

You are probably right about Graves being back next year, but in truthfulness, he should be out the door and Whiz at the end of the year. Both perform their duties with seemingly utter incompetence or don't perform.

 

[MadCardDisease]

How do you think it feels to be Rod Graves and be the last one to know your offensive tackles can't play tackle?

In the next draft do you take an offensive tackle or a pass rusher?

This one pisses me off more than any others. How do you invest big money in a new franchise QB but fail to address the OT position?



It's like bringing a gun without bullets to a fight.

 

[MadCardDisease]

The problem for Graves with Kolb is that Whiz did not believe in Skelton and just guessing that Graves had poor guidance from Whiz on what avenue to take to shore up the position.

You are probably right about Graves being back next year, but in truthfulness, he should be out the door and Whiz at the end of the year. Both perform their duties with seemingly utter incompetence or don't perform.

I couldn't disagree more.

If the Cardinals went into this season with Skelton as their starter the fans would have revolted and Fitzgerald would be half way to Minnesota already.

 

[conraddobler]

I couldn't disagree more.

If the Cardinals went into this season with Skelton as their starter the fans would have revolted and Fitzgerald would be half way to Minnesota already.

We're here because this dysfunctional bunch so called team managment thought it was a great idea to cut Matt then go on a voyage of disaster only to end up paying much more for a QB who's much worse than Matt.

 

[Duckjake]

I couldn't disagree more.

If the Cardinals went into this season with Skelton as their starter the fans would have revolted and Fitzgerald would be half way to Minnesota already.

But Fitz would have made an abrupt u-turn when Skelator had the Cards at 5-2 instead of 1-6 and the fans? The revolt would have ended with the win over the Giants at home to get the Cards to 4-0.

Sure there would have been some grumbling after losing to Pitt and Balt but then the wins the last two weeks would have us at 7-2 and getting ready to play the premier NFL game this week.

 

[Shane]

We're here because this dysfunctional bunch so called team managment thought it was a great idea to cut Matt then go on a voyage of disaster only to end up paying much more for a QB who's much worse than Matt.

This team would be in the same position today had Matt been starting last year. Wouldn't have won anymore games whatsoever. He stinks! It can't be argued that DA was a bad choice. But to think Matt would have sooo much better is laughable. The kid plays scared. Still would have had to find a QB this year.mso cutting him was irrelevant to this season.

 

[kerouac9]

I couldn't disagree more.

If the Cardinals went into this season with Skelton as their starter the fans would have revolted and Fitzgerald would be half way to Minnesota already.

Ugh. Can we stop setting up a false dichotomy where the choice is between either starting John Skelton Week 1 or making a terrible trade for Kevin Kolb?

It's disgusting that the last shelter for Whis/Kolb apologists is the assertion that the only option the Cards had besides Kevin Kolb was John Skelton.

 

[CFLredzoned]

But Fitz would have made an abrupt u-turn when Skelator had the Cards at 5-2 instead of 1-6 and the fans? The revolt would have ended with the win over the Giants at home to get the Cards to 4-0.

Yeah. This is true. And we would still have DRC. And a 2nd round pick. Oh well. In the end, we still got him! And as we saw last week, there is no price tag you can put on him. You'd trade half your team for the guy.

 

[Duckjake]

Yeah. This is true. And we would still have DRC. And a 2nd round pick. Oh well. In the end, we still got him! And as we saw last week, there is no price tag you can put on him. You'd trade half your team for the guy.

For Fitz I'd do a Mike Ditka. As long as Larry didn't do a magazine cover wearing a Wedding Dress.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Ugh. Can we stop setting up a false dichotomy where the choice is between either starting John Skelton Week 1 or making a terrible trade for Kevin Kolb?

It's disgusting that the last shelter for Whis/Kolb apologists is the assertion that the only option the Cards had besides Kevin Kolb was John Skelton.

That is not what I was saying. I was stating that if the Cardinals didn't address the QB position and went with Skelton as their starter they would have been crucified. It had nothing to do with Whis not believing in Skelton.

Obviosly there were other options at QB. My first choice was Matt Hasselbeck seeing as he could have been had for free(non trade).

So stop putting words in my mouth and learn to read.

 

[JeffGollin]

I could see us drafting the best player from the pool of available OT's or pass rushers - unless we helped ourselves at those positions in free agency.

But let me ask you this - if a player was available at another position who was far and away a better player than any other prospect (like...mmm...Andrew Luck), would you draft BPA, for need or possibly trade down? I'd think it would depend on specific circumstances - i.e. which FAs we could get, where we draft, who's available when we pick etc.

SF is an overwhelming favorite but so was Philly...so never say never.

The Kolb decision was a percentage play, but that didn't mean it would be a 100-percent lock (nor was the possibility that Skelton wouldn't do better than Kolb be a 100-percent "unlock."). It's just the way things are turning out and not necessarily imprudent decisions by the FO in both cases.

 

[az jam]

Reading Harry's comments, the bottom line for me would be to get rid of Graves.

 

[WildBB]

How do you think it feels to be Rod Graves?

Don't really want to know. But I do know, he knows he's rich either way, or whatever happens to the team.

I'm thinking Graves is not having a great year. Anyone want to tell me again about how Michael Bidwill was a different type of owner than dad? I betting since they still owe Graves money; he's back next year!

It seems to be the Cardinal way.

 

[WildBB]

We're here because this dysfunctional bunch so called team managment thought it was a great idea to cut Matt then go on a voyage of disaster only to end up paying much more for a QB who's much worse than Matt.

The jury may still be out on much worse. But I'll agree, he isn't better.

 

[conraddobler]

Don't really want to know. But I do know, he knows he's rich either way, or whatever happens to the team.




It seems to be the Cardinal way.

The salary cap and tv money cause hopelessly idiotic moves like paying a WR 100 million dollars because you have to pay someone the money.

Where team cheapness shows up now is not that they won't overpay a guy like LF, who I love by the way, it shows up in things like coaching contracts and assistant pay and scounting departments and overall management budget.

The Cardinals have a limited amount of money IMO, very limited, which in itself isn't that bad you could still compete given the cap it's just that the team that can least afford a group of people not worth what they're paid has probably IMO the highest percentage of them.

In other words simply we have very limited money to spend on coaches, scouts, GM's, etc, so everyone in those positons has to be worth what they're paid or better and instead almost all, but not all IMO aren't.

This is a formula for what we see on the field most of the time.

To get this right the decisions have to be better than they are by a lot.

P.S.

I am not sure any WR is worth 100 million dollars just because well, they are a WR, LF is not our problem, nor is his contract, I love the guy, we would of just wasted the money on someone else much worse etc.

It's just that we have no one to throw him the ball, this only compounds the idiocy of giving any WR that much money when your Oline is as bad as ours.

It's just a silly thing to do and reeks of bad overall strategy IMO but I don't really mind having LF on the team given the alternatives if that makes any sense?

 

[earthsci]

Anyone want to tell me again about how Michael Bidwill was a different type of owner than dad? I betting since they still owe Graves money; he's back next year!

Harry, I love reading your stuff but shouldn't we wait until Michael Bidwill is the owner before we question the type of owner that he is?

 

[Stout]

Conrad, the Cards don't have a 'very limited' amount of money. They are frickin' rolling in it, and though they don't have the money that Jerry Jones does, they have PLENTY of it to field not just a quality team, but a quality coaching staff and GM. The point is that they DON'T WANT to pay out that much money.