What a week it's been! I am trying to keep my emotions somewhat in check, but deep down inside I am absolutlely ecstatic with what has already transpired...and equally fascinated with the prospects of what may transpire in the days ahead.
(1) QB: I love the way Jeff Blake came into town and took the bull by the horns. One has to love this man's moxie and his fortitude in staring down the so-called Arizona stigma. I think Mac is going to absolutely love what Blake will bring to the offense. He has guts and a take charge mentality. He's been staring down his own stigmas every year he's played in the NFL, so he's no stranger to rising from the ashes, so to speak. In this regard and by virtue of Blake's ability to provide a formidible vertical passing game, the likes of which we have not seen in Arizona since the days of Neil Lomax, Blake is a fantastic choice. What's the point of having a cadre of speed receivers if the QB can't get them the ball? This guy can.
(2) RB: Marcel Shipp is a dynamic, hard-nosed and productive RB. And now he has a 270 lb. lead destroyer in James Hodgins to blast him through the holes. Just as it's been years since we have been able to watch a vertical passing game in Arizona, it's been years since we have been able to watch a Cardinal FB strike fear in the hearts of would-be tacklers. Hodgins is a major acquisition...a Bill Parcell's type warrior...in fact, it's a boon for the Cardinals to have been able to sign this player because there was significant interest in him from other teams.
As for the possibility of adding Emmitt Smith, if the price is right and I have a feeling that if Mr. Bidwill and Rod Graves are willing to offer an incentive laden deal to Emmitt, this move could be brilliant. First of all, Marcel Shipp will not get lost in the shuffle, not in the least. Every team needs two good running backs throughout the course of each game and the sixteen game schedule. Secondly, having Emmitt Smith in the fold would inspire our potential juggernaut of an offensive line to become all the more dominating. Emmitt's the kind of back that no offensive linemen wants to let down. And, quite frankly, the offensive line could very well take on the mentality of Emmitt's old great lines in Dallas. Such a mentality is what this line is trying to summon...and Smith could be a catalyst. Thirdly, the integrity that Smith would bring to the organization would provide another significant impetus toward obliterating the Cardinals' organizational stigma.
(3) OL: The re-signing of Raleigh Roundtree and the addition of Frank Garcia were outstanding moves. Roundtree's versatility is something every NFL team covets in a backup offensive lineman. I still believe at Roundtree's age he's just starting to enter his prime and could very well emerge as a solid starter in time. Plus, with the continuing health concerns regarding Anthony Clement, having Roundtree in the mix is wise. As for Garcia, he is a solid, experienced center who can add stability in the middle. He and Jason Starkey will battle it out for the starting position at center, and I wouldn't give Starkey short shrift. I like the steady improvement he has made from year to year.
Cameron Spikes comes to town this week and I am drooling over the prospects of the Cardinals adding him to the roster. First of all, Spikes is a pile mover...he's big and tremendously strong. He needs to improve his pass protection techniques, but his ability to open holes in the running game is impressive. Were the Cardinals able to add Spikes, they are providing for further depth this year and more immediate options if Shelton were to be traded this year or lost in free agency next year. Spikes may be better suited to play guard, but he is versatile, much like Roundtree.
Left tackle is Leonard Davis' natural position. While he is a monster at RG, he has the ability to be one of the top three LTs in the game. For those of you like Northern Card who are quick to think that Davis would be frequently beaten by the quick rush ends on the right side...based on the few times (and I repeat, few...like once early to Michael Strahan and then shutting him down the rest of the game) Davis was beaten from the right side this year, Davis has played LT all his life until he came to the Cardinals...and playing LT is quite different for someone who is used to protecting from the left side than the right. It's an opposite slide and weight transfer.
If the Cardinals sign Spikes, and they can get a good WR or DE in a trade for Shelton, they could be set for year to come with Davis at LT, Kendall at LG, Starkey or Garcia at C, Spikes or Dishman at RG and Clement at RT.
(4) WR: This becomes the most critical area to address in the days ahead. Teams will now be loading the box to stop the run, which means the Cardinals can exploit opposing defenses with the vertical passing game. Jason McAddley and Bryan Gilmore are young burners who will have the opportunity to have breakout years, but obviously neither at this point can be considered #1 receivers. Kevin Kasper is a good possession-type and slot receiver. Now the team needs to add an experienced #1 WR. The team made a last minute run at Ricky Proehl, but Proehl is more likely a #3 WR..and I believe that Kasper can thrive in such a role. Martay still has good potential as a #2 and hopefully will be re-signed, even though he is on a free agent tour of North America right now. Somehow, some way, the Cardinals have to secure a #1 WR, especially since they have to take the sting out of losing David Boston.
(5) DL: Did anyone find yesterday's re-signing of Russell Davis a bit curious, especially in light of the notion that supposedly the Cardinals are leaning toward drafting a DT with the #6 pick? The Davis signing means that the Cardinals now have 5 DTs under contract: Bryant, Tanner, Bell, Davis and Dwyer. If the Cardinals intend to draft a DT early, Davis' signing seems moot and a waste of cap space. Most likely this would mean that the Cardinals are eying another position with the #6 pick.
Something doesn't feel right about Vonnie Holliday and hasn't from the get-go. Could be another Eric Swann. Forget about him. He's not a bona fide pass rusher anyway. Get back in the Okeafor hunt, make a move for Willie Whitehead and draft a pass rusher early in the draft.
(6) LB: James Darling is a nice addition. Solid player, speedy and aggressive and may win a starting job.
The question is: do the Cardinals trade for Junior Seau? One would think Seau would love to play in Arizona to be close to home. His cap hit this year would be a mere $3M and would rise to $5.5M in 2004 and 2005. Since the Chargers have to pay Seau's signing bonus, whoever picks up Seau's salary could release him after a year or two and not have to take a cap hit. What an injection of energy Seau could bring to this defense! Wow! He could play the role that Colvin would have assumed as an aggressive, attack the edge LB...only Colvin can't hold Seau's jock as a LBer. Seau's outstanding veteran leadership could galvanize the young talent on the defense. He had an injury plagued season last year and some think he's getting long in the tooth. If he stays healthy this year, the $3M investment would be one of the best deals for any team in the off-season...an investment, in my opinion, that the Cardinals would be crazy not to make....especially seeing as Seau would welcome a move to Arizona probably more than any other locale due to his desire to play close to home.
(7) DB: The addition of Dexter Jackson for essentially what the team was offering Kwamie Lassiter last year is a deal and a half. In Jackson the Cardinals are getting a complete safety...a hitter and rangy, super fast ballhawk. Having Jackson to man the deep patrol against the pass happy NFC West teams is just what the Cardinals need. A stellar acquisition.
This week CB Tod McBride of Green Bay comes for a visit. He's a tall, physical corner who may be able to dog the likes of Terrell Owens in the slot in the nickel and dime packages. This is yet another move to bolster the team's depth and special teams play.
Summary: Positions addressed: QB, FB, OL depth, LB depth, FS. Positions still needing to be addressed: WR, DE. Rating the Cardinals' moves this week: A
(1) QB: I love the way Jeff Blake came into town and took the bull by the horns. One has to love this man's moxie and his fortitude in staring down the so-called Arizona stigma. I think Mac is going to absolutely love what Blake will bring to the offense. He has guts and a take charge mentality. He's been staring down his own stigmas every year he's played in the NFL, so he's no stranger to rising from the ashes, so to speak. In this regard and by virtue of Blake's ability to provide a formidible vertical passing game, the likes of which we have not seen in Arizona since the days of Neil Lomax, Blake is a fantastic choice. What's the point of having a cadre of speed receivers if the QB can't get them the ball? This guy can.
(2) RB: Marcel Shipp is a dynamic, hard-nosed and productive RB. And now he has a 270 lb. lead destroyer in James Hodgins to blast him through the holes. Just as it's been years since we have been able to watch a vertical passing game in Arizona, it's been years since we have been able to watch a Cardinal FB strike fear in the hearts of would-be tacklers. Hodgins is a major acquisition...a Bill Parcell's type warrior...in fact, it's a boon for the Cardinals to have been able to sign this player because there was significant interest in him from other teams.
As for the possibility of adding Emmitt Smith, if the price is right and I have a feeling that if Mr. Bidwill and Rod Graves are willing to offer an incentive laden deal to Emmitt, this move could be brilliant. First of all, Marcel Shipp will not get lost in the shuffle, not in the least. Every team needs two good running backs throughout the course of each game and the sixteen game schedule. Secondly, having Emmitt Smith in the fold would inspire our potential juggernaut of an offensive line to become all the more dominating. Emmitt's the kind of back that no offensive linemen wants to let down. And, quite frankly, the offensive line could very well take on the mentality of Emmitt's old great lines in Dallas. Such a mentality is what this line is trying to summon...and Smith could be a catalyst. Thirdly, the integrity that Smith would bring to the organization would provide another significant impetus toward obliterating the Cardinals' organizational stigma.
(3) OL: The re-signing of Raleigh Roundtree and the addition of Frank Garcia were outstanding moves. Roundtree's versatility is something every NFL team covets in a backup offensive lineman. I still believe at Roundtree's age he's just starting to enter his prime and could very well emerge as a solid starter in time. Plus, with the continuing health concerns regarding Anthony Clement, having Roundtree in the mix is wise. As for Garcia, he is a solid, experienced center who can add stability in the middle. He and Jason Starkey will battle it out for the starting position at center, and I wouldn't give Starkey short shrift. I like the steady improvement he has made from year to year.
Cameron Spikes comes to town this week and I am drooling over the prospects of the Cardinals adding him to the roster. First of all, Spikes is a pile mover...he's big and tremendously strong. He needs to improve his pass protection techniques, but his ability to open holes in the running game is impressive. Were the Cardinals able to add Spikes, they are providing for further depth this year and more immediate options if Shelton were to be traded this year or lost in free agency next year. Spikes may be better suited to play guard, but he is versatile, much like Roundtree.
Left tackle is Leonard Davis' natural position. While he is a monster at RG, he has the ability to be one of the top three LTs in the game. For those of you like Northern Card who are quick to think that Davis would be frequently beaten by the quick rush ends on the right side...based on the few times (and I repeat, few...like once early to Michael Strahan and then shutting him down the rest of the game) Davis was beaten from the right side this year, Davis has played LT all his life until he came to the Cardinals...and playing LT is quite different for someone who is used to protecting from the left side than the right. It's an opposite slide and weight transfer.
If the Cardinals sign Spikes, and they can get a good WR or DE in a trade for Shelton, they could be set for year to come with Davis at LT, Kendall at LG, Starkey or Garcia at C, Spikes or Dishman at RG and Clement at RT.
(4) WR: This becomes the most critical area to address in the days ahead. Teams will now be loading the box to stop the run, which means the Cardinals can exploit opposing defenses with the vertical passing game. Jason McAddley and Bryan Gilmore are young burners who will have the opportunity to have breakout years, but obviously neither at this point can be considered #1 receivers. Kevin Kasper is a good possession-type and slot receiver. Now the team needs to add an experienced #1 WR. The team made a last minute run at Ricky Proehl, but Proehl is more likely a #3 WR..and I believe that Kasper can thrive in such a role. Martay still has good potential as a #2 and hopefully will be re-signed, even though he is on a free agent tour of North America right now. Somehow, some way, the Cardinals have to secure a #1 WR, especially since they have to take the sting out of losing David Boston.
(5) DL: Did anyone find yesterday's re-signing of Russell Davis a bit curious, especially in light of the notion that supposedly the Cardinals are leaning toward drafting a DT with the #6 pick? The Davis signing means that the Cardinals now have 5 DTs under contract: Bryant, Tanner, Bell, Davis and Dwyer. If the Cardinals intend to draft a DT early, Davis' signing seems moot and a waste of cap space. Most likely this would mean that the Cardinals are eying another position with the #6 pick.
Something doesn't feel right about Vonnie Holliday and hasn't from the get-go. Could be another Eric Swann. Forget about him. He's not a bona fide pass rusher anyway. Get back in the Okeafor hunt, make a move for Willie Whitehead and draft a pass rusher early in the draft.
(6) LB: James Darling is a nice addition. Solid player, speedy and aggressive and may win a starting job.
The question is: do the Cardinals trade for Junior Seau? One would think Seau would love to play in Arizona to be close to home. His cap hit this year would be a mere $3M and would rise to $5.5M in 2004 and 2005. Since the Chargers have to pay Seau's signing bonus, whoever picks up Seau's salary could release him after a year or two and not have to take a cap hit. What an injection of energy Seau could bring to this defense! Wow! He could play the role that Colvin would have assumed as an aggressive, attack the edge LB...only Colvin can't hold Seau's jock as a LBer. Seau's outstanding veteran leadership could galvanize the young talent on the defense. He had an injury plagued season last year and some think he's getting long in the tooth. If he stays healthy this year, the $3M investment would be one of the best deals for any team in the off-season...an investment, in my opinion, that the Cardinals would be crazy not to make....especially seeing as Seau would welcome a move to Arizona probably more than any other locale due to his desire to play close to home.
(7) DB: The addition of Dexter Jackson for essentially what the team was offering Kwamie Lassiter last year is a deal and a half. In Jackson the Cardinals are getting a complete safety...a hitter and rangy, super fast ballhawk. Having Jackson to man the deep patrol against the pass happy NFC West teams is just what the Cardinals need. A stellar acquisition.
This week CB Tod McBride of Green Bay comes for a visit. He's a tall, physical corner who may be able to dog the likes of Terrell Owens in the slot in the nickel and dime packages. This is yet another move to bolster the team's depth and special teams play.
Summary: Positions addressed: QB, FB, OL depth, LB depth, FS. Positions still needing to be addressed: WR, DE. Rating the Cardinals' moves this week: A
