Krangodnzr
Captain of Team Conner
QB-
Overall Kevin Kolb had a -7.1 rating. His best game was a 3.0 against the Cowboys, with 3 positive performances overall (CAR, WAS, DAL) and six negative performances. John Skelton fared far worse according to their ratings; Skelton had an overall -26.9 rating with no positive rated performances. His worst performance was was a -8.8 against the SF Niners away, and his best performance was against CLV with a -0.1. Clearly the guys at Profootball Focus aren't enamored with either QB, but they evaluated Kolb as the better of the two QBs.
RB-
Overall our top ranked RB was LSH. He carried a 4.5 rating, with his best performance a 2.1 against Dal. He generally performed well with 5 negatively rated games. Beanie Wells didn't perform as well; He carried a -3.9 rating overall, largely due to his lack of performance in the passing game. He carried a negative grade as a pass catcher (-5.5) and pass blocker (-0.2). As a runner he was alright (3.6), but they believe that he clearly could be easily replaced. Interestingly enough, Alfonso Smith carried a positive grade (0.6) largely due to his good pass blocking skills (1.5). Additionally their observations on Sherman confirm what we thought (2.3), Sherman is a keeper despite limited opportunities.
WR/TE-
Larry Fitzgerald and Todd Heap were the only offensive weapons to receive positive grades; Fitz received a 23.2 rating and Heap received a 5.7, largely due to his run blocking (5.4). I argued this point with other posters that I thought Heap was a much better run blocker than King and Profootball Focus clearly agreed with this point. Ironically King fared well as a pass catcher (5.4) versus the more regarded Heap (0.7). King was awful as both a run blocker and pass blocker (-4.3 and -3.3). My observations is that King can be overpowered when engaged by bigger defensive line and easily outquicked by ends and linebackers. Maybe the talk of cutting Heap are shortsighted? Roberts (-11.4), Doucet (-8.4), Sampson (-1.3), Stuckey (-3.1), Housler (-2.7), and Dray (-5.5) were a pitiful bunch.
OL-
The offensive line graded out as one would expect, the only starting offensive lineman to receive a positive grade was Lyle Sendlein (3.6). Brown (-17.6), Colledge (-3.8), Hadnot (-5.9), Keith/Bridges (-8.1/-7.7) all were rated poorly, which was to be expected. But Profootball Focus noticed what many Cardinals fans did, that the offensive line played much better over the second half of the season. From week 11 on, Levi Brown consistently posted positive ratings (except a -0.7 CIN game), with an exceptional 5.1 game against CLV. Colledge didn't improve as much, but he did have a 6.7 mauling of SL. Hadnot was the exception of the offensive line playing better. Hadnot posted five consecutive positive performance to start the year then only three more the rest of the way. Bridges posted only one negative performance after week 11 as well. What does this mean? I truly believe the offensive line started to gel a little after week 11, but John Skelton's ability to stand in the pocket factors in this as well. One interesting note is that 3/5 O lineman graded positively on run blocking (Brown, Colledge, and Sendlein). While we expect improvement on the offensive line this year, let's not forget the newcomer, Adam Snyder. He was the third worst guard in football, posting a -26.5 rating. Truly one of the single worst starting linemen in the league last year.
DL-
Calais Campbell had a magnificent year (34.1), but so did the entire defensive line. Dockett (11.7), Williams (1.8), Carter (2.0), and Holliday (6.1) all rated positively. Eason fared poorly (-13.7!); whether lined up at end or NT it didn't matter. Eason only had 1 sack, 1 QB Hit and 2 QB pressures on 257 snaps! For those calling Campbell's deal overpriced, he logged 47 "stops", which are tackles/sacks that constitute an offensive failure and 9 batted passes. That's seven more stops than second ranked JJ Watt (40) and 17 more than Justin Smith. Campbell is quickly becoming the best 3-4 end in football, and even if he maintains last years performance, the deal will be more than worth it. Calais Campbell is an elite defensive player, and it's ridiculous that he hasn't gotten recognized yet.
LB-
Daryl Washington leads this group and was the only one who received a positive rating (17.6). Already, Washington is among the elite playmakers at LB, but he must improve dramatically as a run defender since he led the ball club with 12 missed tackles. I expect Washington to improve here and become the best ILB in the game outside of Bowman/Willis, but he'll likely be better if he approaches their ability as run defenders. He's already a top ten ILB. The Cardinals other LBs didn't fare as well; Acho (-6.2), Schofield (-3.7), Haggans (-6.7), Lenon (-15.8!!), and Bradley (-3.9). Acho MUST improve as a run defender; he rated miserably (-6.2). The Cardinals could really take a leap forward if this group improves; Schofield and Acho must take gigantic leaps in their 3rd and 2nd years respectably.
CB-
I know this part will get flamed, but I agree with their ratings. Our worst cornerback last year was Patrick Peterson. By a large margin too; Peterson rated awfully (-12.6). The first 11 games, Peterson posted two positively rated games (SEA 1.6 and NYG 0.1). But he did post 4/5 positive ratings in the last five games, with an impressive performance against SF (he was torched for a -6.6 rating in the first match up). None of our corners graded well overall with Marshall (-1.2), Jefferson (-3.1), and Adams (-3.3) all having a negative impact for the most part. Jefferson started out the season fairly well with 4/5 positive games, but then had two stinkers (BAL -4.1 and PIT -4.0). After those two disasters, Jefferson only posted 3 positive games the rest of the way. Now on to our addition; some have stated that opposing teams will often state that players are garbage just because they are leaving, and according to Profootball Focus this is the case with William Gay. Gay didn't rate well (0.0), but he performed better than all the rest of our CBs. QBs had a 67.2 QB rating throwing into his area, which is pretty good even considering the Steelers superior pass rush. While I know many on this board say that the addition of Jameel Fleming is likely a threat to Jefferson's roster spot, I would add that the team was clearly enamored with his special teams ability. That's a clear threat to Money Mike, who's only real strength is special teams. Adams has withstood challenges to his roster spot every one of past 3-4 years, but I don't think he makes it out of training camp this year.
S-
Adrian Wilson had one of his finer seasons in a remarkable career. Wilson was Profootball Focus' second ranked safety (16.1) behind Troy Polamalu. The problem with S is that the Cardinals desperately need some young prospects to step up. Rhodes posted a ho-hum 0.5 rating and Rashad Johnson posted a -2.4 rating (largely due to his poor run support). Johnson also posted a goose egg as a playmaker with only one batted passes, zero interceptions, zero pressures/sacks, and zero forced fumbles/recoveries. Johnson must improve here, but there isn't any real threat to remove him from the roster (James Sanders -7.3).
Overall Kevin Kolb had a -7.1 rating. His best game was a 3.0 against the Cowboys, with 3 positive performances overall (CAR, WAS, DAL) and six negative performances. John Skelton fared far worse according to their ratings; Skelton had an overall -26.9 rating with no positive rated performances. His worst performance was was a -8.8 against the SF Niners away, and his best performance was against CLV with a -0.1. Clearly the guys at Profootball Focus aren't enamored with either QB, but they evaluated Kolb as the better of the two QBs.
RB-
Overall our top ranked RB was LSH. He carried a 4.5 rating, with his best performance a 2.1 against Dal. He generally performed well with 5 negatively rated games. Beanie Wells didn't perform as well; He carried a -3.9 rating overall, largely due to his lack of performance in the passing game. He carried a negative grade as a pass catcher (-5.5) and pass blocker (-0.2). As a runner he was alright (3.6), but they believe that he clearly could be easily replaced. Interestingly enough, Alfonso Smith carried a positive grade (0.6) largely due to his good pass blocking skills (1.5). Additionally their observations on Sherman confirm what we thought (2.3), Sherman is a keeper despite limited opportunities.
WR/TE-
Larry Fitzgerald and Todd Heap were the only offensive weapons to receive positive grades; Fitz received a 23.2 rating and Heap received a 5.7, largely due to his run blocking (5.4). I argued this point with other posters that I thought Heap was a much better run blocker than King and Profootball Focus clearly agreed with this point. Ironically King fared well as a pass catcher (5.4) versus the more regarded Heap (0.7). King was awful as both a run blocker and pass blocker (-4.3 and -3.3). My observations is that King can be overpowered when engaged by bigger defensive line and easily outquicked by ends and linebackers. Maybe the talk of cutting Heap are shortsighted? Roberts (-11.4), Doucet (-8.4), Sampson (-1.3), Stuckey (-3.1), Housler (-2.7), and Dray (-5.5) were a pitiful bunch.
OL-
The offensive line graded out as one would expect, the only starting offensive lineman to receive a positive grade was Lyle Sendlein (3.6). Brown (-17.6), Colledge (-3.8), Hadnot (-5.9), Keith/Bridges (-8.1/-7.7) all were rated poorly, which was to be expected. But Profootball Focus noticed what many Cardinals fans did, that the offensive line played much better over the second half of the season. From week 11 on, Levi Brown consistently posted positive ratings (except a -0.7 CIN game), with an exceptional 5.1 game against CLV. Colledge didn't improve as much, but he did have a 6.7 mauling of SL. Hadnot was the exception of the offensive line playing better. Hadnot posted five consecutive positive performance to start the year then only three more the rest of the way. Bridges posted only one negative performance after week 11 as well. What does this mean? I truly believe the offensive line started to gel a little after week 11, but John Skelton's ability to stand in the pocket factors in this as well. One interesting note is that 3/5 O lineman graded positively on run blocking (Brown, Colledge, and Sendlein). While we expect improvement on the offensive line this year, let's not forget the newcomer, Adam Snyder. He was the third worst guard in football, posting a -26.5 rating. Truly one of the single worst starting linemen in the league last year.
DL-
Calais Campbell had a magnificent year (34.1), but so did the entire defensive line. Dockett (11.7), Williams (1.8), Carter (2.0), and Holliday (6.1) all rated positively. Eason fared poorly (-13.7!); whether lined up at end or NT it didn't matter. Eason only had 1 sack, 1 QB Hit and 2 QB pressures on 257 snaps! For those calling Campbell's deal overpriced, he logged 47 "stops", which are tackles/sacks that constitute an offensive failure and 9 batted passes. That's seven more stops than second ranked JJ Watt (40) and 17 more than Justin Smith. Campbell is quickly becoming the best 3-4 end in football, and even if he maintains last years performance, the deal will be more than worth it. Calais Campbell is an elite defensive player, and it's ridiculous that he hasn't gotten recognized yet.
LB-
Daryl Washington leads this group and was the only one who received a positive rating (17.6). Already, Washington is among the elite playmakers at LB, but he must improve dramatically as a run defender since he led the ball club with 12 missed tackles. I expect Washington to improve here and become the best ILB in the game outside of Bowman/Willis, but he'll likely be better if he approaches their ability as run defenders. He's already a top ten ILB. The Cardinals other LBs didn't fare as well; Acho (-6.2), Schofield (-3.7), Haggans (-6.7), Lenon (-15.8!!), and Bradley (-3.9). Acho MUST improve as a run defender; he rated miserably (-6.2). The Cardinals could really take a leap forward if this group improves; Schofield and Acho must take gigantic leaps in their 3rd and 2nd years respectably.
CB-
I know this part will get flamed, but I agree with their ratings. Our worst cornerback last year was Patrick Peterson. By a large margin too; Peterson rated awfully (-12.6). The first 11 games, Peterson posted two positively rated games (SEA 1.6 and NYG 0.1). But he did post 4/5 positive ratings in the last five games, with an impressive performance against SF (he was torched for a -6.6 rating in the first match up). None of our corners graded well overall with Marshall (-1.2), Jefferson (-3.1), and Adams (-3.3) all having a negative impact for the most part. Jefferson started out the season fairly well with 4/5 positive games, but then had two stinkers (BAL -4.1 and PIT -4.0). After those two disasters, Jefferson only posted 3 positive games the rest of the way. Now on to our addition; some have stated that opposing teams will often state that players are garbage just because they are leaving, and according to Profootball Focus this is the case with William Gay. Gay didn't rate well (0.0), but he performed better than all the rest of our CBs. QBs had a 67.2 QB rating throwing into his area, which is pretty good even considering the Steelers superior pass rush. While I know many on this board say that the addition of Jameel Fleming is likely a threat to Jefferson's roster spot, I would add that the team was clearly enamored with his special teams ability. That's a clear threat to Money Mike, who's only real strength is special teams. Adams has withstood challenges to his roster spot every one of past 3-4 years, but I don't think he makes it out of training camp this year.
S-
Adrian Wilson had one of his finer seasons in a remarkable career. Wilson was Profootball Focus' second ranked safety (16.1) behind Troy Polamalu. The problem with S is that the Cardinals desperately need some young prospects to step up. Rhodes posted a ho-hum 0.5 rating and Rashad Johnson posted a -2.4 rating (largely due to his poor run support). Johnson also posted a goose egg as a playmaker with only one batted passes, zero interceptions, zero pressures/sacks, and zero forced fumbles/recoveries. Johnson must improve here, but there isn't any real threat to remove him from the roster (James Sanders -7.3).
