kerouac9
Klowned by Keim
Since we're still killing some time before the real training camp starts, and the discussion on my NFL Power Rankings seems to have petered out (y'all are going to be surprised by the Vikes, guys! Don't sleep on them!), I thought I'd post a quick 53-man roster/depth chart prediction:
OFFENSE: 25 total
QB (3): Matt Leinart, Kurt Warner, Shane Boyd. Whis would really prefer to only keep 2 QBs, but Warner's made of glass and there's no guarantee that Leinart can make it through 16 games this season.
RB (3): Edgerrin James, Marcel Shipp, J.J. Arrington. Arrington will show in the preseason that he can be depended upon to work in a committee should the worst happen to James.
FB (1): Terrelle Smith. Smith hasn't missed a game in 3 years in Cleveland. Whis is going to guess that he can keep that streak alive.
WR (6): Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, Bryant Johnson, Sean Morey, Michael Spurlock, Steve Breaston. The first four are locks to make the roster. Spurlock stays because he can work in trick plays, go over the middle, and be a heady contributor on special teams.
TE (3): Leonard Pope, Troy Bienemann, Ben Patrick. Likely one of the latter two players will be demoted to the practice squad when the Cards acquire a veteran blocking TE after Week 1. Patrick has a lot to prove in this camp.
OT (4): Mike Gandy (L), Levi Brown (R), Oliver Ross (R), Brandon Gorin (L). Gorin's spot is the least secure, but they'll likely keep 4 tackles.
OG (3): Duce Lutui (R), Reggie Wells (L), Elton Brown. Oliver Ross gives the Cards additional depth at Guard, while Wells gives the Cards extra depth at Tackle. Both are insurance policies against Elton Brown having to play a down.
OC (2): Al Johnson, Nick Leckey. This will be the training camp battle that never was. Giving Johnson all that money was a huge risk for General Manager Rod Graves, if Leckey ends up starting it would be a PR disaster.
DEFENSE: 25 total
NT (3): Gabe Watson, Alan Branch, Jonathan Lewis. Watson will be the starter, but both gentlemen at the top of the depth chart should see plenty of time. Pendergast will hope Lewis can contribute similarly to how Jonathan Babineaux was able to perform his first season in Atlanta.
DE (4): Darnell Dockett, Antonio Smith, Rodney Bailey, Chris Cooper. This is easily the weakest position in the Cards transition to the 3-4 defense. They lack a playmaker like the Dallas Cowboys' Marcus Spears or San Diego's Luis Castillo, as well as solid depth. They are toing to have to settle with a mismatched player in Dockett and three lunchpail guys who will do whatever you ask them to.
OLB (4): Bertrand Berry (L), Chike Okeafor (R), Calvin Pace, Daryl Blackstock. There's actually solid depth in this unit, as long as Berry is able to make a swift transition to the 3-4 OLB position (the single biggest story of the Arizona Cardinals training camp). Both backups will contribute.
ILB (4): Gerald Hayes (R), Karlos Dansby (L), Monty Beisel, Buster Davis. This is the unit that probably has the most pressure on its shoulders and the most to prove. Dansby's in a contract year, but the pressure is on all the players. Beisel and Davis should excel on special teams.
S (4): Adrian Wilson (S), Terrance Holt (F), Aaron Francisco (S), Hanik Milligan (S). The three players at the top of the depth chart will see tons of time during the games, as Pendergast likes to deploy 3 safety sets in obvious passing situations.
DC (6): Antrel Rolle (R), Roderick Hood (L), Eric Green, Ralph Brown, Darrell Hunter, Matt Ware. While there'll be a lot of pressure on the ILBs, the most scrutiny will be on this group. The top 3 are probably just below average, but as a 5 man group--well, they kind of speak for themselves. Ware earns a roster spot over the other nobodies because of his NFL experience and the fact that he can contribute as a free safety in a pinch.
Special teams (3):
LS : Nate Hodel
P: Scott Player
K: Neil Rackers
Practice Squad (8):
CB: Travarious Bain, Michael Adams
FB: BranDon Snow
FS: Brandon Keeler
G: Brian Johnson
LB: Brandon Johnson
OT: Elliot Vallejo
WR: Matt Trannon
OFFENSE: 25 total
QB (3): Matt Leinart, Kurt Warner, Shane Boyd. Whis would really prefer to only keep 2 QBs, but Warner's made of glass and there's no guarantee that Leinart can make it through 16 games this season.
RB (3): Edgerrin James, Marcel Shipp, J.J. Arrington. Arrington will show in the preseason that he can be depended upon to work in a committee should the worst happen to James.
FB (1): Terrelle Smith. Smith hasn't missed a game in 3 years in Cleveland. Whis is going to guess that he can keep that streak alive.
WR (6): Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, Bryant Johnson, Sean Morey, Michael Spurlock, Steve Breaston. The first four are locks to make the roster. Spurlock stays because he can work in trick plays, go over the middle, and be a heady contributor on special teams.
TE (3): Leonard Pope, Troy Bienemann, Ben Patrick. Likely one of the latter two players will be demoted to the practice squad when the Cards acquire a veteran blocking TE after Week 1. Patrick has a lot to prove in this camp.
OT (4): Mike Gandy (L), Levi Brown (R), Oliver Ross (R), Brandon Gorin (L). Gorin's spot is the least secure, but they'll likely keep 4 tackles.
OG (3): Duce Lutui (R), Reggie Wells (L), Elton Brown. Oliver Ross gives the Cards additional depth at Guard, while Wells gives the Cards extra depth at Tackle. Both are insurance policies against Elton Brown having to play a down.
OC (2): Al Johnson, Nick Leckey. This will be the training camp battle that never was. Giving Johnson all that money was a huge risk for General Manager Rod Graves, if Leckey ends up starting it would be a PR disaster.
DEFENSE: 25 total
NT (3): Gabe Watson, Alan Branch, Jonathan Lewis. Watson will be the starter, but both gentlemen at the top of the depth chart should see plenty of time. Pendergast will hope Lewis can contribute similarly to how Jonathan Babineaux was able to perform his first season in Atlanta.
DE (4): Darnell Dockett, Antonio Smith, Rodney Bailey, Chris Cooper. This is easily the weakest position in the Cards transition to the 3-4 defense. They lack a playmaker like the Dallas Cowboys' Marcus Spears or San Diego's Luis Castillo, as well as solid depth. They are toing to have to settle with a mismatched player in Dockett and three lunchpail guys who will do whatever you ask them to.
OLB (4): Bertrand Berry (L), Chike Okeafor (R), Calvin Pace, Daryl Blackstock. There's actually solid depth in this unit, as long as Berry is able to make a swift transition to the 3-4 OLB position (the single biggest story of the Arizona Cardinals training camp). Both backups will contribute.
ILB (4): Gerald Hayes (R), Karlos Dansby (L), Monty Beisel, Buster Davis. This is the unit that probably has the most pressure on its shoulders and the most to prove. Dansby's in a contract year, but the pressure is on all the players. Beisel and Davis should excel on special teams.
S (4): Adrian Wilson (S), Terrance Holt (F), Aaron Francisco (S), Hanik Milligan (S). The three players at the top of the depth chart will see tons of time during the games, as Pendergast likes to deploy 3 safety sets in obvious passing situations.
DC (6): Antrel Rolle (R), Roderick Hood (L), Eric Green, Ralph Brown, Darrell Hunter, Matt Ware. While there'll be a lot of pressure on the ILBs, the most scrutiny will be on this group. The top 3 are probably just below average, but as a 5 man group--well, they kind of speak for themselves. Ware earns a roster spot over the other nobodies because of his NFL experience and the fact that he can contribute as a free safety in a pinch.
Special teams (3):
LS : Nate Hodel
P: Scott Player
K: Neil Rackers
Practice Squad (8):
CB: Travarious Bain, Michael Adams
FB: BranDon Snow
FS: Brandon Keeler
G: Brian Johnson
LB: Brandon Johnson
OT: Elliot Vallejo
WR: Matt Trannon
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