A Quick Assessment of Day One

[Harry]

Well, sadly the Cards ended up where I was afraid they might two months ago when I wrote my off-season wrap-up. They painted themselves into a corner and were stuck with Brown. It’s not that he’s a terrible tackle; he’s just not a number 5 pick. The other problem is he’s a bad fit. I didn’t like Thomas either at this spot, but he was a better fit on the left due to his speed and footwork. Brown is best suited to play right tackle, because he would not face most of the elite speed rushers on that side. That is his biggest weakness. The problem is that the right is Leinart’s back and that could be bad news as well. Grimm will improve Brown’s game, but I don’t think he can make him quicker or more agile. Brown will help the running game. That said, he needs to sustain blocks better, use his hands more and get meaner.

BTW, the Gandy acquisition harkens back to Joyce for you older Cards. He’s a versatile player who is best used as a spot starter or in a rotation. He will play most effectively at left guard and I would agree he is an upgrade over the other Brown at that position. Gandy has lost a step, but he makes up for it in guile. He helps, but he’s a temporary fix at best. He can provide some badly needed leadership and that may be his top asset.

The Branch pick in the second says this team thinks they can do what their predecessors couldn’t accomplish with Gabe Watson. That is to get an underachiever to sustain effort and not take off plays. In college this guy had a two cylinder motor. Branch is better than Watson, but not hugely so. Like the Watson pick, you win big with these choices when you win, but this strikes me as funny coming from a regime that has criticized the past group for not getting production from day two. These guys gave away the best pick on day two and maybe their second best pick on day one. It’s not a horrible call, as I am on record as saying this isn’t a deep draft and apparently the Cards agree. It will be interesting to see if they pair him with Dockett or Clancy, assuming Branch starts. If he doesn’t step up enough to start against the current group, he’s a wasted pick.

A pick you will really enjoy is Buster Davis. He has an unreal motor and really is a sideline to sideline player. I don’t think he can play on the outside, so I’m guessing the staff has doubts on Hayes in the middle. Davis is quicker than Hayes and will allow the Cards to run better stunts up the middle. The liability is that with his height, it’s hard for him to get deep enough quickly enough in zone coverage. He will be a monster on special teams. He is likely a situational player, but the guy in front of him better play at a high level or he will force the issue. I’ve watch him play 20 times or more and seen him in person. He plays faster than he times. He’s a leader. He’s the kind of guy you want on your team.

BTW, what would I have done at pick five if I was going to take Brown and no trading partner could be found? I would have let the 15 minutes expire and see what happened. Washington wouldn't have taken Brown and if it's true no one would trade up to get him (shows what they think of the pick), the Cards could have let Washington pick and saved $1.5 million in cap room.

 

[SeattleCard]

Interesting idea on letting the clock expire, I didn't think about that. I am sure the Cards didn't have the nerve to do that.

Thanks for the writeup, Harry.

 

[Codeofhammurabi]

This board would have been in meltdown mode if we would have let the clock run out.

 

[football karma]

This board would have been in meltdown mode if we would have let the clock run out.

So true

the Cards are still senstive to the reputation -- and passing on the pick would have saved them money, but I doubt anybody in the media or otherwise would be congratulating them for a savvy move -- quite the opposite I beleive

 

[perivolaki]

This board would have been in meltdown mode if we would have let the clock run out.

I agree with you. I'm sure it's tongue in cheek but it's hard to to be critical of the Cards when that is your alternate plan.

 

[Pariah]

the Cards are still senstive to the reputation --

I don't think a less true statement has ever been uttred. I don't think Mr. B. gives two hoots what people think about how he runs the team. If he did they might have a few more wins under their belt.

 

[Brighteyes]

I also think that's a bad way to start a relationship with Brown. The guy is thrilled right now; why take that away to try to save a few bucks?

 

[cardsunsfan]

I also think that's a bad way to start a relationship with Brown. The guy is thrilled right now; why take that away to try to save a few bucks?

A few bucks? I'll take 1.5 million lol you must be doing pretty well at your job.


I was thinking the same thing allowing the clock to run out. I think it would have given the Cardinals an even worse reputation then they have now and also you know Brown's agent would say we were trying to do delay. I think it was the best pick we could have made. Maybe if Peterson had no injuries concerns I would have picked him, but since we already have a stable of running backs and it's not our greatest needs plus Peterson's concerns it just wasn't worth the chance in my opinion.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

I stopped reading after: "Well, sadly the Cards ended up, blah, blah..."

Reaction from around the football world to the Cards' selection of Penn State's Levi Brown:

Levi Brown is a mauler who perfectly fits OL coach Russ Grimm's style of play. He is a big, physical, dominating mauler who could re-establish the line of scrimmage and create running lanes for Edgerrin James where there were none a year ago.

After letting Leonard Davis walk in free agency, the Cardinals needed to replace him and Brown could step in at right tackle and protect Matt Leinart's blind side. Brown's footwork and technique need a lot of massaging, but with Grimm in Arizona, expect Brown to make huge strides in a short amount of time.

Although this pick might seem rich for the slot right now like Jammal Brown did two years ago when the Saints selected him 13th overall, I expect Brown will be competing for a spot in the Pro Bowl in a relatively short time. Grimm is one of the best offensive line coaches in the league, if not the best, and he has all the clay he needs in Brown to mold him into an elite talent.
-Pro Football Weekly


Brown's nastiness and strength as a run blocker make him a perfect fit in Ken Whisenhunt's Whiehunt's power running game. With southpaw Matt Leinart, an elite pass blocker at left tackle isn't as much of a requirement. Brown, however, blessed with the balance and foot quickness to remain at left tackle in a traditional offense, is more than capable of protecting the passer as well as being a dominator in the running game.
-NFL Draft Scouts Inc.


This is a need pick, but they should have taken Adrian Peterson. Brown's a good player, and will start right away, but Peterson is the next Eric Dickerson. C+
-CBS Sportsline's Pete Priscoe


A bit of a surprise here, but in talking to some of the Arizona coaches they actually had Levi Brown rated ahead of Joe Thomas. Brown, the left tackle at Penns State - a lot of teams projecting him to the right side … that's a perfect fit for the Arizona Cardinals who have a left-handed quarterback in Matt Leinart, so he will be now be protecting Leinart's back side.

New offensive line coach Russ Grimm - he's had a tremendous coaching career working with young offensive linemen. I think Levi Brown, because of the athletic ability, because of the strength, you plug him in right there at that right tackle position, and all of a sudden this explosive Arizona Cardinals offense looks a lot better in 2007.
-Scouts Inc.'s Jeremy Green

 

[CardinalChris]

Two things..... I have heard Davis can play the SAM. If not, he could be in the middle and Hayes moved outside, where he played early in his career. I do think Davis, like Branch also gives us some 3-4 flexibility. I don't think it is an indication of the staff's view of Hayes.

Somebody pointed out that the difference between the 33rd and 38th pick was 60 points according to the chart. Now, realizing that the chart is not the definite authority on a pick's value, our 4th was 84 points (slightly overpaying) and our 5th was only 35 points (about the same amount undervalued). Consider that the 6th we gave up for Gorin is worth 20 points and you can see why draft picks are a premium. We may have been able to give up a 5th and 6th instead of our 4th, but that wasn't even an option because we spent it on a player who couldn't even sniff the field.

 

[Scot1]

My impression from a number of profiles is that Brown's footwork is much better than LD's. He will be at least OK in protection against speed rushers. So I think Harry is too pessimistic. Also, the better we are at running, and the more we can thereby pass unexpectedly rather than predictably, the less of a worry it is (not that we can shrug it off). His father was a marine, he had a double major at Penn State...he sounds much better in motivation than LD, who was, after all, deeply flawed but also a pro bolw alternate etc. etc. etc.--see the threads on franchising him. Except for Brown being a rookie, we are much better off than last year.

About Branch, I have the same worry. Profiles do make him sound more reliable than Watson, but how big the gap is, and how close that makes him to being a non-platoon player, I don't know. Wish we had a Grimm on the defensive side--but then we had Mean Joe for a while, sigh.... Anyhow, till the first preseason game (and if I had any sense, till about Game 5), I'm willing to drink the Kool-aid about him & Davis.

 

[OldDirtMcGirt]

We need to dispell this rumor about Branch being an underachiever. He isn't. He's always been productive at Michigan, he just let his weight get out of hand.

 

[WildBB]

Brown's nastiness and strength as a run blocker make him a perfect fit in Ken Whisenhunt's Whiehunt's power running game. With southpaw Matt Leinart, an elite pass blocker at left tackle isn't as much of a requirement. Brown, however, blessed with the balance and foot quickness to remain at left tackle in a traditional offense, is more than capable of protecting the passer as well as being a dominator in the running game.
-NFL Draft Scouts Inc.


A bit of a surprise here, but in talking to some of the Arizona coaches they actually had Levi Brown rated ahead of Joe Thomas. Brown, the left tackle at Penns State - a lot of teams projecting him to the right side … that's a perfect fit for the Arizona Cardinals who have a left-handed quarterback in Matt Leinart, so he will be now be protecting Leinart's back side.

New offensive line coach Russ Grimm - he's had a tremendous coaching career working with young offensive linemen. I think Levi Brown, because of the athletic ability, because of the strength, you plug him in right there at that right tackle position, and all of a sudden this explosive Arizona Cardinals offense looks a lot better in 2007.
-Scouts Inc.'s Jeremy Green

So is he playing LT or RT. Someone I talked to yesterday that belonged to the Cardinals media staff seemed to think LT. So which is it?

 

[Crazy Canuck]

Brown said in his news conference that he'd been asked to lineup at RIGHT TACKLE at mini-camp.

 

[Vermont Maverick]

The other problem is he’s a bad fit. I didn’t like Thomas either at this spot, but he was a better fit on the left due to his speed and footwork. Brown is best suited to play right tackle, because he would not face most of the elite speed rushers on that side. That is his biggest weakness. Brown will help the running game. That said, he needs to sustain blocks better, use his hands more and get meaner.

The Branch pick in the second says this team thinks they can do what their predecessors couldn’t accomplish with Gabe Watson.

A pick you will really enjoy is Buster Davis... He’s the kind of guy you want on your team.

BTW, what would I have done at pick five if I was going to take Brown and no trading partner could be found? I would have let the 15 minutes expire and see what happened. Washington wouldn't have taken Brown and if it's true no one would trade up to get him (shows what they think of the pick), the Cards could have let Washington pick and saved $1.5 million in cap room.

Harry,

Usually love your posts, but can't agree on much here. Brown, though not as talented is a better FIT than Thomas. He can be moved to RT, since he is such a powerful run blocker, and a good enough pass blocker against the slower LDEs than RDEs. Backside or not. The problem with lefty QBs is that you must have 2 good tackles. Because the left side is protecting the better pass rushers and the right side is protecting the blind side. With a right handed QB, it's an "all your eggs in one basket" where the best rushers are also blind side. For the Browns and all other teams with right-handed QBs, Thomas was the best fit. Further, with Wis wanting to establish the run, Brown is further a "good fit".

Brown is not MEAN enough. What? Players have stated they hated playing against him, and would rather play against Thomas when it come to playing nasty.

The Branch pick says "We think he's a first rounder, we want a huge man in the middle to stop the run, and we will give up a fourth rounder to make it happen". It's about time the Cards found a coach that understands you must stop the run with big tackles. Not rocket science.

I do agree with you on Buster Davis. 100%.

Minnesota tried that tactic a few years ago. It saved them nothing, as the Agent pointed out what a bush move it is to not select, and then think you have the right to screw the player. I'm really surprised at this statement. Talk about the opportunity to say "same old Cardinals". Imagine what would be said, and rightfully so, if the Cards tried to pull this.

 

[az1965]

I usually like Harry's views but would disagree with him here. I think all three picks are solid. Not great, but solid.

 

[az1965]

Harry,

The Branch pick says "We think he's a first rounder, we want a huge man in the middle to stop the run, and we will give up a fourth rounder to make it happen". It's about time the Cards found a coach that understands you must stop the run with big tackles. Not rocket science.

Also, on taking plays off, coaches explained that he was there on the field all the time and a player his size gets worn out.