Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
Heading into training camp the WR unit is one of the most talented and multi-dimensional on the team.
Bruce Arians wants this unit to play fast---so much so he went out and hired a speed coach in Roger Kingdom. Last year Arians played the hand he was dealt and curbed his desire to take 4-5 deep shots a game, largely because the WR unit lacked speed and Carson Palmer lacked time in the pocket. Perhaps some of the more notable deep completions were made to complimentary speed WRs such as Brittan Golden and Teddy Williams. The hope was occasionally to hit the deep home run to Patrick Peterson---but, alas, that never happened.
This year Arians has added speed in free agency and the draft. But---the reality is---he wants all his WRs to play fast and to "take the top off the defense," as he likes to say.
Here's a guesstimate of the Cardinals' current WR totem pole.
#1: Larry Fitzgerald (6-3, 218, 30, 11, Pittsburgh). Adding depth and speed at the WR position may mean fewer targets in some games for Fitz---but several more targets in other other games, as defenses try to account for Floyd, Ginn and the Brown Boys (Jaron and John). Teams will try to disguise coverages and tilt the safety toward Fitz in order to influence Carson Palmer to look elsewhere---but at the snap the safety will slide to cover one of the deep thirds or shift to double another WR or TE. No doubt, if Palmer doesn't read the coverage well three steps into his drop, this will frustrate Fitz who, more often than ever, will find himself in single coverage. One adjustment is to send Fitz in motion more often---which Arians loves to do. And while Fitz will get his fair share of looks on the perimeter, Arians will want to use Fitz in attacking the soft middle, much the way the Patriots do with their TEs. Arians likes keeping Fitz tight to the slot because Fitz has also developed into a solid blocker. While Fitz's father may have issue with this, Fitz takes pride in this aspect of his game and in doing what it takes to help the team win.
#1A: Michael Floyd (6-3, 225. 24, 3, Notre Dame). The Cardinals are one of the rare teams that boast two #1 WRs. Floyd, despite an injury-riddled 2013, emerged as Palmer's go-to receiver in big play situations. Floyd responded: 65/1,041/16.0/5 TD. Not only did Floyd make good on clutch third down conversions over the middle, he established himself as a legit deep threat. His 91 yard TD reception that was a deciding play on the road versus the Jaguars late in Week 11 was a thing of beauty, as Floyd caught the intermediate post pass and broke three tackles and still was able to outrun chasing DBs:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-...-Miss-Play-Michael-Floyd-91-yard-TD-reception
What we see in that play are all of Floyd's talents at once---his precise route running, impressive target span, soft hands, physical toughness and sneaky breakaway speed.
#3 Ted Ginn, Jr. (5-11, 185, 29, 8, Ohio St.). Ginn is coming off his best and most productive season as a WR: 36/556/15.4/47/5 TDs in addition to remaining one of the most electric return men in the NFL. In watching Ginn elevate his game last season during a long winning streak by the Panthers it was clear that not only had Ginn picked up on the nuances of the position, thanks perhaps to Steve Smith's influence, Ginn was particularly tough catching balls over the middle in clutch situations. Ginn is spirited player who has suffered from lapses in concentration in the past, but has battled through them with a keener awareness and focus on fundamentals.
#4 Jaron Brown (6-2, 205, 24, 2, Clemson). What was so impressive about Jaron Brown as a rookie is how at ease and focused he is on the football field. He's a big target with good speed and excellent hands. In addition, he is a good STs player---which is what you want from your #4/#5 WRs.
#5 John Brown (5-10, 179, 24, R, Pittsburg St. KS). Blazed his way through the Combine and right up the draft boards. The worry may have been how quickly he could assimilate into an NFL offense as sophisticated at BA's. The early indications are that Brown's assimilation has been as fast as his 4.3 speed. He fits right into the Antonio Brown/T.Y. Hilton mold in BA's offense. BA will try as best he can to get Brown a handful of touches per game in a variety of different ways---much in the way BA tried to use Peterson.
#6 Walt Powell (6-0, 187, 22, R, Murray St.). The Cardinals selected a RB in the 5th round last year (Stepfan Taylor) and wound up surprising draft pundits by taking Andre Ellington in the 6th round. The same holds true this year with the Cardinals selecting John Brown in the 3rd round and then using their 6th round and final pick on Walt Powell. What this suggests is that the Cardinals envision an immediate role for Powell as a ST ace and complimentary WR. The one thing Ellington and Powell have very much in common is their ability to make defenders miss. Powell has a nifty array of jukes and sidesteps which makes it very difficult for DBs to defend.
#7 Brittan Golden (5-11, 186, 25, 2, West Texas A&M). If he stays healthy this time around, Golden is a speedy playmaker who can take intermediate passes to the house.
#7A Dan Buckner (6-5, 215, 24, 1, Arizona). Real student of the game who plays super tough. If he doesn't make the roster, he may very well get claimed this tike off waivers.
#9 Kevin Ozier (6-2, 200, 23, R, Arizona St.). He is the Jaron Brown of this year's UCFA class. Gifted, smooth athlete who relishes the role of underdog.
#10 Kelsey Pope (6-0, 198, 22, R, Samford). Apparently, the Cardinals tried to trade back into the 7th round to try to draft Pope (who was told this on the phone by WR coach Darryl Drake---who convinced Pope to sign with the Cardinals instead of the Dolphins). Pope is a possession WR who makes chain-moving catches and plays faster than his timed speed. Drake told Pope that he sees a good deal of Earl Bennett in him, who Drake helped to develop while with the Bears.
Bruce Arians wants this unit to play fast---so much so he went out and hired a speed coach in Roger Kingdom. Last year Arians played the hand he was dealt and curbed his desire to take 4-5 deep shots a game, largely because the WR unit lacked speed and Carson Palmer lacked time in the pocket. Perhaps some of the more notable deep completions were made to complimentary speed WRs such as Brittan Golden and Teddy Williams. The hope was occasionally to hit the deep home run to Patrick Peterson---but, alas, that never happened.
This year Arians has added speed in free agency and the draft. But---the reality is---he wants all his WRs to play fast and to "take the top off the defense," as he likes to say.
Here's a guesstimate of the Cardinals' current WR totem pole.
#1: Larry Fitzgerald (6-3, 218, 30, 11, Pittsburgh). Adding depth and speed at the WR position may mean fewer targets in some games for Fitz---but several more targets in other other games, as defenses try to account for Floyd, Ginn and the Brown Boys (Jaron and John). Teams will try to disguise coverages and tilt the safety toward Fitz in order to influence Carson Palmer to look elsewhere---but at the snap the safety will slide to cover one of the deep thirds or shift to double another WR or TE. No doubt, if Palmer doesn't read the coverage well three steps into his drop, this will frustrate Fitz who, more often than ever, will find himself in single coverage. One adjustment is to send Fitz in motion more often---which Arians loves to do. And while Fitz will get his fair share of looks on the perimeter, Arians will want to use Fitz in attacking the soft middle, much the way the Patriots do with their TEs. Arians likes keeping Fitz tight to the slot because Fitz has also developed into a solid blocker. While Fitz's father may have issue with this, Fitz takes pride in this aspect of his game and in doing what it takes to help the team win.
#1A: Michael Floyd (6-3, 225. 24, 3, Notre Dame). The Cardinals are one of the rare teams that boast two #1 WRs. Floyd, despite an injury-riddled 2013, emerged as Palmer's go-to receiver in big play situations. Floyd responded: 65/1,041/16.0/5 TD. Not only did Floyd make good on clutch third down conversions over the middle, he established himself as a legit deep threat. His 91 yard TD reception that was a deciding play on the road versus the Jaguars late in Week 11 was a thing of beauty, as Floyd caught the intermediate post pass and broke three tackles and still was able to outrun chasing DBs:
http://www.nfl.com/videos/nfl-cant-...-Miss-Play-Michael-Floyd-91-yard-TD-reception
What we see in that play are all of Floyd's talents at once---his precise route running, impressive target span, soft hands, physical toughness and sneaky breakaway speed.
#3 Ted Ginn, Jr. (5-11, 185, 29, 8, Ohio St.). Ginn is coming off his best and most productive season as a WR: 36/556/15.4/47/5 TDs in addition to remaining one of the most electric return men in the NFL. In watching Ginn elevate his game last season during a long winning streak by the Panthers it was clear that not only had Ginn picked up on the nuances of the position, thanks perhaps to Steve Smith's influence, Ginn was particularly tough catching balls over the middle in clutch situations. Ginn is spirited player who has suffered from lapses in concentration in the past, but has battled through them with a keener awareness and focus on fundamentals.
#4 Jaron Brown (6-2, 205, 24, 2, Clemson). What was so impressive about Jaron Brown as a rookie is how at ease and focused he is on the football field. He's a big target with good speed and excellent hands. In addition, he is a good STs player---which is what you want from your #4/#5 WRs.
#5 John Brown (5-10, 179, 24, R, Pittsburg St. KS). Blazed his way through the Combine and right up the draft boards. The worry may have been how quickly he could assimilate into an NFL offense as sophisticated at BA's. The early indications are that Brown's assimilation has been as fast as his 4.3 speed. He fits right into the Antonio Brown/T.Y. Hilton mold in BA's offense. BA will try as best he can to get Brown a handful of touches per game in a variety of different ways---much in the way BA tried to use Peterson.
#6 Walt Powell (6-0, 187, 22, R, Murray St.). The Cardinals selected a RB in the 5th round last year (Stepfan Taylor) and wound up surprising draft pundits by taking Andre Ellington in the 6th round. The same holds true this year with the Cardinals selecting John Brown in the 3rd round and then using their 6th round and final pick on Walt Powell. What this suggests is that the Cardinals envision an immediate role for Powell as a ST ace and complimentary WR. The one thing Ellington and Powell have very much in common is their ability to make defenders miss. Powell has a nifty array of jukes and sidesteps which makes it very difficult for DBs to defend.
#7 Brittan Golden (5-11, 186, 25, 2, West Texas A&M). If he stays healthy this time around, Golden is a speedy playmaker who can take intermediate passes to the house.
#7A Dan Buckner (6-5, 215, 24, 1, Arizona). Real student of the game who plays super tough. If he doesn't make the roster, he may very well get claimed this tike off waivers.
#9 Kevin Ozier (6-2, 200, 23, R, Arizona St.). He is the Jaron Brown of this year's UCFA class. Gifted, smooth athlete who relishes the role of underdog.
#10 Kelsey Pope (6-0, 198, 22, R, Samford). Apparently, the Cardinals tried to trade back into the 7th round to try to draft Pope (who was told this on the phone by WR coach Darryl Drake---who convinced Pope to sign with the Cardinals instead of the Dolphins). Pope is a possession WR who makes chain-moving catches and plays faster than his timed speed. Drake told Pope that he sees a good deal of Earl Bennett in him, who Drake helped to develop while with the Bears.
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