Bad Bad Levi Brown...

[Duckjake]

How can you say it is time to let go, when Josh McCown still gets discussion here?

People's hatred of this guy runs deep. It is hilarious.

Scapegoats get fairly large when you put a disasterous, heartbreaking, season like last year on top of three straight double digit loss seasons.

Since LD was already fairly large he becomes an extremely large scapegoat.

 

[Mulli]

How can you say it is time to let go, when Josh McCown still gets discussion here?

People's hatred of this guy runs deep. It is hilarious.

I dislike This_Guy!

 

[Crazy Canuck]

Well, he's still the starting LT. Wouldn't everyone be happy(er) with Davis as starting LT and Brown as starting RT? Wouldn't this team be better (especially at running the ball) with them on the outside? Wouldn't that be worth the cost?

The question isn't whether this year's line will be better than last year's. It's whether this year's line would have been better with LD being coached by Russ Grimm and a renewed committment to running the ball than this year's line with Oliver Ross as starting LT.

You would have the first to pan the selection of Levi Brown if we still had Big on the roster.

 

[KingLouieLouie]

I'm trying to figure out why several bring-up the fact that Davis was a pro-bowl alternate last season. He waited until his contract season to have his best year. A player drafted 2nd over-all should have reached the status of a pro-bowl alternate his first 2 seasons and then been in the pro-bowl on a regular basis afterwards.

I just have this feeling that Brown will make more of an impact than Davis ever did and soon will make everyone forget about "BIG".

 

[Mulli]

I'm trying to figure out why several bring-up the fact that Davis was a pro-bowl alternate last season. He waited until his contract season to have his best year. A player drafted 2nd over-all should have reached the status of a pro-bowl alternate his first 2 seasons and then been in the pro-bowl on a regular basis afterwards.

I just have this feeling that Brown will make more of an impact than Davis ever did and soon will make everyone forget about "BIG".

Who?

 

[vinnymac]

I blame the whole offensive line for last season. Not just Davis. The discussion in the beginning is Davis worth the Franchise Tag. Hell no he not. I greatfully thank Davis for knowing it was time to get a fresh start somewhere else. He is taking Jerry Jones 18 million dollars and playing for the cowboys this season. Wish him well like i have all the former Cardinals( including Rice). You don't see me discussing McCown. He moved on and wish him good health in Oakland. He going to need it with that offensive line.

 

[kerouac9]

I'm trying to figure out why several bring-up the fact that Davis was a pro-bowl alternate last season. He waited until his contract season to have his best year. A player drafted 2nd over-all should have reached the status of a pro-bowl alternate his first 2 seasons and then been in the pro-bowl on a regular basis afterwards.

I just have this feeling that Brown will make more of an impact than Davis ever did and soon will make everyone forget about "BIG".

He was a Pro Bowl alternate the year before, also.

 

[kerouac9]

You would have the first to pan the selection of Levi Brown if we still had Big on the roster.

Not really. Actually, it would have been a good, forward-looking move. Just like I would have been happy if the Cards had drafted an OT last season instead of a worthless player like Brandon Johnson or Jonathon Lewis. Or the year prior instead of J.J. Arrington or Daryl Blackstock.

Graves is good at immediately trying to patch the holes that he creates. We saw that when he drafted 3 WRs to replace one good one he let go in David Boston. But he's not good at anticipating weak spots on the roster (that we all see coming), and then having a plan in place to fill it. That's what good teams have.

I.e., the Colts drafting Ugoh before anyone on the OL leaves to retirement of free agency.

 

[Heucrazy]

Not really. Actually, it would have been a good, forward-looking move. Just like I would have been happy if the Cards had drafted an OT last season instead of a worthless player like Brandon Johnson or Jonathon Lewis. Or the year prior instead of J.J. Arrington or Daryl Blackstock.

Graves is good at immediately trying to patch the holes that he creates. We saw that when he drafted 3 WRs to replace one good one he let go in David Boston. But he's not good at anticipating weak spots on the roster (that we all see coming), and then having a plan in place to fill it. That's what good teams have.

I.e., the Colts drafting Ugoh before anyone on the OL leaves to retirement of free agency.

So if we still had Davis you would be cool with picking Levi?

But since we don't have Davis, Levi is a bad pick and shows that Graves is lacking?

I'm not trying to be confrontational, I'm just trying figure out where you're coming from.

 

[Dback Jon]

How can you say it is time to let go, when Josh McCown still gets discussion here?

People's hatred of this guy runs deep. It is hilarious.

So is people's fascination with him.

 

[Mulli]

So is people's fascination with him.

You were "fascinated" with This_Guy?

 

[dreamcastrocks]

So if we still had Davis you would be cool with picking Levi?

I would be. We truly needed a RT before Big left. After he left, we needed a starting LT and RT. All of the tackles that we have now are good depth players, not starters.

In fact, I was praying that Staley would fall to the 2nd round so that we could have both Brown and Staley.

 

[Assface]

He was a Pro Bowl alternate the year before, also.

In other words, LD wasn't even the third best at his position in his conference.

 

[Mulli]

In other words, LD wasn't even the third best at his position in his conference.

Hah! .

 

[kerouac9]

So if we still had Davis you would be cool with picking Levi?

But since we don't have Davis, Levi is a bad pick and shows that Graves is lacking?

I'm not trying to be confrontational, I'm just trying figure out where you're coming from.

If he were the best player available, which he may have been. It's much more difficult to swallow that argument from a front office and coaching staff that knew there was a yawning void at maybe both tackle positions heading into the draft.

After drafting Brown, we only have a yawning void at one tackle spot. I just think that that void could have been filled by Leonard Davis. If Graves had correctly predicted the free agent market, then a $40 million 5 year contract (which Davis likely would have signed before free agency opened) would have been viewed as a bargain, and likely would have been for some time. Davis has been much closer to a Pro Bowl than Steinbach, Dockery, or Stinchcomb have been.

 

[kerouac9]

In other words, LD wasn't even the third best at his position in his conference.

Yeah, a conference featuring 16 teams, not 10. And I don't think any of those 16 teams was Illinois.

 

[Mulli]

Yeah, a conference featuring 16 teams, not 10. And I don't think any of those 16 teams was Illinois.

What about the NFC West? Still third best?

 

[dreamcastrocks]

What about the NFC West? Still third best?

 

[kerouac9]

What about the NFC West? Still third best?

Not last season. With the number of sacks that Walter Jones gave up, you could argue that he was the best OLT in the NFC West. He was definitely better than Orlando Pace.

It seems that Todd McShay at Scouts Inc agrees with some of us:

Worst pick: Levi Brown, OT, Penn State. Brown is a very good prospect. With improved technique he could emerge as a longtime blindside protector for QB Matt Leinart at right tackle. However, Brown was hardly the fifth-best player in the 2007 class. The Cardinals will ultimately be sorry they passed on Oklahoma RB Adrian Peterson.

I think that people are confusing critics like me with saying that Brown is Calvin Pace. That's not the issue. For me, Brown strikes me a lot like Antrel Rolle. You can make the case that he was a good value. There's no question that he was one of the better players in the draft at his position. But do you really want to be picking the clear second-best option in the draft in the Top 5?

 

[Assface]

But do you really want to be picking the clear second-best option in the draft in the Top 5?

Depends on the players and the draft. If the next best player at that position is Calvin Pace, no. IF you have a Marvin Harrisson and Tory Holt in the same draft then, yes, both can go top 5. The only other 2 good value picks at #5 were Peterson and Landry. While it looks like Laron will be a star in this league we already have AW. It's hard for a safety to be a playmaker unless they're schemed in a position to make plays. Chances are LL wouldn't be put near the line much so we wouldn't be fully utilizing his talents. Peterson is a straight line runner, most of his big plays that I saw were him being faster than everyone else on the field. Even with Big on the field, I don't think we'd be opening holes for him to run through.

I'm with you in that we only have 1 OT spot filled. The thought of Ross starting makes me sick. I hope Wells beats him out be the time the season starts. On the bright side, both Baker and Long are in the draft next year and possibly Gaither and Oher. If we can get one of those tackles than our bookends are set for years. Now THAT is something that brings a smile to my face.

 

[BigRedArk]

So is people's fascination with him.

I'm not fascinated with LD. I am fascinated with several things that surrounded him.

One, RG letting him walk without anything in return (he was a former #1 draft pick of this team let's not forget). As K9 said he probably would have signed an extension for around 40 mil if it had been offered during the season to him. Graves could have counseled him and told him something to the effect of "we know you really want to be in big D and after you sign I will do everything in my ability to make a deal with Jerry Jones." Instead he didn't even make an offer to him if I remember correctly. That then gave credence perhaps to the "he didn't want to be in AZ" chatter on here. Maybe he didn't want to be here because he wasn't wanted here? Did anyone ever consider that?

Two we still have a huge hole after this draft at LT that we had before it. Keeping Big or getting another draft pick in return would not make that hole seem as large perhaps. This is what I am fascinated about.

 

[Dback Jon]

And AP could just as easily be a bust.

 

[kerouac9]

And AP could just as easily be a bust.

And if that were the case, we'd at least have Edge, Shipp, and Arrington. If Brown ends up a bust, we have two guys that aren't much better than Cardinals.Ken at OT (either side): Oliver Ross and Mike Gandy.

 

[cardsfanmd]

We shall see I guess.

Tell you what: If you think I'm mis-guided, I'll bet you a bottle of Patron right now that we pick in the top 6 next year.

Deal?

I'll take that bet.

 

[Dback Jon]

And if that were the case, we'd at least have Edge, Shipp, and Arrington. If Brown ends up a bust, we have two guys that aren't much better than Cardinals.Ken at OT (either side): Oliver Ross and Mike Gandy.

So you'd rather sacrifice strengthing the OL for ANOTHER RB??