Best ever all-around Cardinal player

[dreamcastrocks]

Kurt Warner

No way.

 

[JeffGollin]

All 'round? Ollie Matson, anyone?

As an athlete (track star) yes.

But I'd have to go with Roy Green - originally signed as a DB and later converted to WR.

 

[wa52lz]

Fred Wakefield- started games @ DE, OT and TE.

6.5 sacks, 1 int for a TD, 2-24 receiving, 1-7 as a kick returner.

 

[Buckybird]

Fred Wakefield- started games @ DE, OT and TE.

6.5 sacks, 1 int for a TD, 2-24 receiving, 1-7 as a kick returner.

The great Fred Wakefield...no wonder those Cards teams sucked

 

[Russ Smith]

Thanks goodness for those injuries. Cedrick Mack experiment didnt go so well.

The funny thing about 1984 is that had the Cards somehow won that last game in RFK by O'Shankoghues kick or the BS penalty on EJ Juniors sack of Theismann that led to the winning dive, the Cards might have been able to shock the world that year. Dynamic O, solid D...what if?

To be fair, Mack was actually really good, he got open like nobody's business, the problem is he couldn't catch the damn ball. I always remember reading that they said the Cards DB's simply could not cover Mack in practice, when he first played in a game I think it was against Philly he got wide open for a TD on a bomb and dropped it, then dropped another one wide open and they sort of ended the experiment after that.

Roy Green was amazing, I don't know if he was faster than Darrell Green but he was as fast as he needed to be to get the ball, seemed like it was impossible to overthrow him.

 

[Pariah]

Boldin might belong in this conversation, too. He lined up at three different positions - WR (excelling at both wide-out and slot receiver), RB and QB.

Not saying he's THE best, but just that he deserves a mention.

 

[Indiana Hoosier]

DuckJake, I'm a long time Cards fan also. Bobby Joe was unbelievable. Watched him play often at Yankee Stadium, when I lived in New Jersey. My favorite in that era was John David Crow, he had terrible knee injuries and never really showed what he could do. Both, Bobby Joe and John David came from the same University, Texas A M. Sure were good ole boy Texas names. Larry Wilson, John David, Bobby Joe, and Sonny Randle, they don't make them like they use to be, but I coud go on and on.

 

[Duckjake]

DuckJake, I'm a long time Cards fan also. Bobby Joe was unbelievable. Watched him play often at Yankee Stadium, when I lived in New Jersey. My favorite in that era was John David Crow, he had terrible knee injuries and never really showed what he could do. Both, Bobby Joe and John David came from the same University, Texas A M. Sure were good ole boy Texas names. Larry Wilson, John David, Bobby Joe, and Sonny Randle, they don't make them like they use to be, but I could go on and on.

One more Texas boy from San Saba Texas, Ken Gray. Played for the Cards for 11 seasons. 6 pro bowls and 2 times All-Pro.

Ken Gray, Bob DeMarco, Irv Goode, Bob Reynolds and Ernie McMillan. Great offensive linemen. Shame that all those good seasons in the '60s came when there was only one playoff game.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Boldin might belong in this conversation, too. He lined up at three different positions - WR (excelling at both wide-out and slot receiver), RB and QB.

Not saying he's THE best, but just that he deserves a mention.

Way more of a mention than Warner IMO.

 

[Duckjake]

Boldin might belong in this conversation, too. He lined up at three different positions - WR (excelling at both wide-out and slot receiver), RB and QB.

Not saying he's THE best, but just that he deserves a mention.

Boldin also returned punts his rookie season. But his poor record at QB, 0-2 with 1 INT, moves him down the list.

 

[Black Jesus]

I'd go with Boldin.

 

[BW52]

One more Texas boy from San Saba Texas, Ken Gray. Played for the Cards for 11 seasons. 6 pro bowls and 2 times All-Pro.

Ken Gray, Bob DeMarco, Irv Goode, Bob Reynolds and Ernie McMillan. Great offensive linemen. Shame that all those good seasons in the '60s came when there was only one playoff game.

Ken Gray was a GB Packer draft pick.Goes to show Vince Lombardi missed a few alsf course GB had a couple of good OGs in Jerry Kramer and Fuzzy Thurston.For some interesting facts check out Cards dradft picks in the late 50`s and early 60`s that the Cards lost to the AFL.


1960.Jacky Lee QB
Goose Gonsoulin DB
1961
Ken Rice T
Fred Arbanas TE
Glenn Bass WR
Al Bemiller C

1962
George Gross DT

1963
Dan Brabham LB

1965
Joe Namath QB
Glen Ray Hines T


For whatever reason Cards didn`t sign these guys.Many became All-AFL players Al BeMiller,Glen Hines T and that Namath guy turned out okay too.

 

[Duckjake]

We also need to add Charley Trippi. He passed for 16 TDs, scored 23 TDs rushing, 11 Receiving and returned an INT for a TD. He also punted and won an NFL Championship.

 

[CardLogic]

One of these guys:

http://www.azcardinals.com/history/hall-of-fame.html

I'd go with Jim Thorpe, who played one game as a Chicago Cardinal in 1928.

 

[FrustratedFan04]

Damn that team broke my heart.I was hoping for a All Cardinal championship.The baseball Cards beat the damn Yankees and the Football Cards lost out by a half game to freaking Browns.

Cards were 9-3-2, Browns 10-3-1. We tied the Browns then beat them handily the 2nd to last game of the year so if we had tied for the Div we'd have won.. Browns went on to win the Championship. The NYGiants were 2-12-2 that year and one of the ties was 10-10 against us in week 12.

I will see that 10-10 tie in my mind's eye on my death bed. Big Red turned the ball over on a fumble and Charley threw 2 INT's all inside the Giant's 20.

 

[AzStevenCal]

Jake Plummer. Started PLAYS on offense, finished them on defense.

Steve

 

[Duckjake]

Cards were 9-3-2, Browns 10-3-1. We tied the Browns then beat them handily the 2nd to last game of the year so if we had tied for the Div we'd have won.. Browns went on to win the Championship. The NYGiants were 2-12-2 that year and one of the ties was 10-10 against us in week 12.

I will see that 10-10 tie in my mind's eye on my death bed. Big Red turned the ball over on a fumble and Charley threw 2 INT's all inside the Giant's 20.

That was the year the Cards played 5 straight road games to open the season and went 3-1-1.

The Cards repeated that same scenario in 1970 when they beat Dallas 20-7 and then 38-0. The Cowboys went to the Super Bowl the Cards didn't even make the playoffs because they lost 3 straight to end the season after getting to 8-2-1. Got beat 35-17 by the Giants then played 6 games where they only gave up a total of 36 points and then lost to the Giants again 34-17.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Aeneas, no question about it.

Could completely shut down half the field, tackle'd like a mother and provided run support.

One of the greatest Defensive players of all time IMO.

 

[Duckjake]

Aeneas, no question about it.

Could completely shut down half the field, tackle'd like a mother and provided run support.

One of the greatest Defensive players of all time IMO.

True but he wasn't a multi-purpose player. You have to have at least played both defense and offense or returned punts or kickoffs in addition to being a regular WR or RB or CB or whatever.

Guys like Conrad who scored touchdowns rushing, receiving, and on punt returns, and threw for a TD in addition to kicking PATs and FGs and intercepted 4 passes as a DB and was first team All-Pro as a WR.

Green scored rushing, receiving, and on both a kickoff return and a punt return as well as having 4 INTS as a DB and was twice selected first team all pro.

Fred Wakefield wins worst ever Cardinal multi-purpose player.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

We also need to add Charley Trippi. He passed for 16 TDs, scored 23 TDs rushing, 11 Receiving and returned an INT for a TD. He also punted and won an NFL Championship.

He would be my choice.

 

[Southpaw]

Jackie Smith also punted for 3 years for the Cards.

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SmitJa00.htm

 

[john h]

If somebody can top this guy let me know.

Bobby Joe Conrad:

Played 11 years for the Cardinals.

Caught 422 passes for 5,902 yards and 38 TDs as WR.

Ran for 441 yards and two TDs as a HB.

Had 462 yards on 51 punt returns including 2 for TDs

Garnered 813 yards on 33 Kickoff returns

Had 4 Interceptions as a DB.

Kicked 14 Field Goals and 95 extra points.

Was first team All-Pro in 1963.

My all-time favorite player.

I did not have to think one second about this. Charlie Trippi could do it all in college and in the pros. His award room must take up several rooms. Probably only me and Jeff are old enough to have watched him play in the Dream Backfield of 1947. He was a tripple threat passer, runner, punt returner and kickoff returner.

NFL career

Trippi was a big part in the battling between the NFL and AAFC. The AAFC's New York Yankees were sure they had signed Trippi, but Charles W. Bidwill Sr. of the Cardinals signed Trippi to a four year contract worth $100,000.

Trippi's addition completed Bidwill’s quest for a "Dream Backfield." Although Bidwill did not live to see it, Charley became the game breaker in a talented corps that included Paul Christman, Pat Harder, Marshall Goldberg and, later, Elmer Angsman.

Never was Trippi more magnificent than in the 1947 NFL Championship Game when the Cardinals defeated the Philadelphia Eagles, 28-21. Playing on an icy field in Chicago, Charley wore basketball shoes for better traction and totaled 206 yards, including 102 yards on two punt returns. He scored touchdowns on a 44-yard run and a 75-yard punt return.

Trippi played as a left halfback for four seasons before switching to quarterback for two seasons. Charley then moved back to offensive halfback for one season before changing to defensive in 1954 and 1955. He also was the Cardinals' punter and he excelled on the punt and kickoff return teams.

He is the only player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame with 1000 yards of receiving, 1000 yards passing, and 1000 yards rushing (two other players that are not in the hall of fame--George Taliaferro and Bob Hoernschemeyer--have that distinction as well)

 

[Lloydian]

Not in my lifetime, but Paddy Driscoll made the Cardinals a winning machine. Dumping him put them into a 20 year drought.

 

[Duckjake]

Not in my lifetime, but Paddy Driscoll made the Cardinals a winning machine. Dumping him put them into a 20 year drought.

Going all the way back to the 1920's! Hall of Fame though and could drop kick!

Not bad.

 

[mojorizen7]

Only going back as far as '88 here:
I too am going to ignore the technical criteria for this thread and say Larry Centers.
Dude was the heart and soul(much like Aneas was)and a beast.

In his 14 NFL seasons, Centers rushed for 2,188 yards, caught 827 passes for 6,797 yards, returned five punts for 30 yards, returned 33 kickoffs for 617 yards and scored 42 touchdowns (14 rushing/28 receiving).