Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
For those of us who had visions of Baker Mayfield or Lamar Jackson in Cardinal red dancing their way into the end zone, it's time to sit down, take a deep breath and accept the reality that those visions are never going to happen.
Well maybe it could happen years from now---when they are grizzled veterans.
If the Cardinals' priority was finally, at long last, to draft a QBOF and put him the hands of a QB guru (like John DeFilippo who has helped to develop Carson Wentz or Darrell Bevell who started a 5'11" rookie 3rd round draft pick from the moment he showed up in Seattle and turned him into a perennial Pro Bowler), well, then, the Cardinals wouldn't have appointed Mike McCoy as their new OC.
Perhaps it has something to do---once again this year---with winning two meaningless games at the end of the year which dropped the Cardinals out of the prime draft spots to select a QBOF...
Or perhaps it has something to do with the organization's penchant for signing veteran QBs at the tail end of their careers in the hope of a stunning swan song---and let's face it---Kurt Warner got the Cardinals to the Super Bowl in 2008---and Carson Palmer got the Cardinals to the NFC Championship game in 2015---so there is a track record of coming close---and---ever so close in 2008.
Mike McCoy is a veteran ex-head coach and OC who will bring---once again---a sophisticated offense (a la BA's) to Arizona, one that only a seasoned veteran can grasp within two or three seasons.
When Steve Wilks was so adamant that his new job as HC is a "retool" and not a rebuild---obviously he was completely serious. The only way that the hiring of McCoy makes sense is for the Cardinals to trade for or sign their next Kurt Warner or Carson Palmer.
Rumor has it that McCoy wants to bring QB Brock Osweiler with him---but Osweiler is not veteran enough---but, maybe he can be McCoy's version of Drew Stanton, the trusty backup who "knows the system"---but oh the irony---seeing as the head coach the Cardinals were rumored to want more than any other, Bill O'Brien, of the Texans, did everything he could to get rid of Osweiler---and now a year later O'Brien has a gem of a young QBOF in Deshaun Watson---the very QB last year whom the Cardinals supposedly wanted, but the Texans traded one spot ahead of to snatch.
So---if the Cardinals, as Steve Willks insists---are retooling and are going to be super aggressive in acquiring a QB through FA or a trade---who is that QB?
Alex Smith? Oh the irony of having to trade with Andy Reid again---and oh the irony of Reid's asking price---a 1st or 2nd rounder (sound familiar?). A combo of McCoy and Smith is intriguing and could be a good match. But, Smith becomes a UFA in 2019 (sound familiar?), so if the Cardinals trade a 1st or 2nd round pick for Smith, it would compel them to sign Smith to a long term deal.
Moreover, giving up this year's 1st or 2nd rounder after having traded away their 4th rounder (Bears), their 6th rounder (Saints), sixth round comp pick (for the AP trade) and their 7th rounder (Chiefs), means hat the Cardinals, with all of their needs from two years of ushering 25 free agents out the door, would now be left with 6 draft picks. How then could the Cardinals even consider taking a rookie QB in Round 1? Or Round 2 (if that's their first pick of the draft)? And what QBs would be available in Round 3? None of the top 7.
The point is---if you sign Alex Smith to a 3-4 year deal---a rookie 1st or 2nd rounder goes to waste.
How about going hard after Kirk Cousins? Wouldn't signing him to a $30M a year deal feel like buying a $30 steak at Appleby's?
Sam Bradford?
Trade for Andy Dalton? That actually might be a very good match: McCoy and Dalton. But what would the Bengals want in return? Dalton has 3 years left on his current deal at $13.M (2018), $16 (2019) and $17.5M (2020). Very reasonable.
I kid you not---I awoke in the middle of the night from a vivid dream once because the Cardinals had just won the Super Bowl and Andy "Big Red" Dalton was the Cardinals' MVP.
Hopefully, Steve Keim can find the best veteran QB for McCoy and have enough money and draft picks left over to add the other key pieces to make the retool a reality.
But, at least for this moment, it's difficult not to feel QBOF envy for our NFC West nemeses who all have their very good young QBs in their buildings for the next 10-12 years.
It's also difficult to try to accept once again that the Cardinals just cannot wrap their heads around deciding on---and pulling the trigger on---a 1st round QBOF. They misfired on Matt Leinart 12 years ago, who was beaten out by the veteran, Kurt Warner.
Maybe it's the ghost of Joe Namath who eschewed the Cardinals and their taking of him in the 1st round in favor of bolting to a new league called the AFL.
Maybe---actually---the Cardinals have thought this out to perfection---so that history would NOT repeat itself...let's say if, Baker Mayfield or Lamar Jackson would stand the Cardinals up and bolt for the XFL.
Well maybe it could happen years from now---when they are grizzled veterans.
If the Cardinals' priority was finally, at long last, to draft a QBOF and put him the hands of a QB guru (like John DeFilippo who has helped to develop Carson Wentz or Darrell Bevell who started a 5'11" rookie 3rd round draft pick from the moment he showed up in Seattle and turned him into a perennial Pro Bowler), well, then, the Cardinals wouldn't have appointed Mike McCoy as their new OC.
Perhaps it has something to do---once again this year---with winning two meaningless games at the end of the year which dropped the Cardinals out of the prime draft spots to select a QBOF...
Or perhaps it has something to do with the organization's penchant for signing veteran QBs at the tail end of their careers in the hope of a stunning swan song---and let's face it---Kurt Warner got the Cardinals to the Super Bowl in 2008---and Carson Palmer got the Cardinals to the NFC Championship game in 2015---so there is a track record of coming close---and---ever so close in 2008.
Mike McCoy is a veteran ex-head coach and OC who will bring---once again---a sophisticated offense (a la BA's) to Arizona, one that only a seasoned veteran can grasp within two or three seasons.
When Steve Wilks was so adamant that his new job as HC is a "retool" and not a rebuild---obviously he was completely serious. The only way that the hiring of McCoy makes sense is for the Cardinals to trade for or sign their next Kurt Warner or Carson Palmer.
Rumor has it that McCoy wants to bring QB Brock Osweiler with him---but Osweiler is not veteran enough---but, maybe he can be McCoy's version of Drew Stanton, the trusty backup who "knows the system"---but oh the irony---seeing as the head coach the Cardinals were rumored to want more than any other, Bill O'Brien, of the Texans, did everything he could to get rid of Osweiler---and now a year later O'Brien has a gem of a young QBOF in Deshaun Watson---the very QB last year whom the Cardinals supposedly wanted, but the Texans traded one spot ahead of to snatch.
So---if the Cardinals, as Steve Willks insists---are retooling and are going to be super aggressive in acquiring a QB through FA or a trade---who is that QB?
Alex Smith? Oh the irony of having to trade with Andy Reid again---and oh the irony of Reid's asking price---a 1st or 2nd rounder (sound familiar?). A combo of McCoy and Smith is intriguing and could be a good match. But, Smith becomes a UFA in 2019 (sound familiar?), so if the Cardinals trade a 1st or 2nd round pick for Smith, it would compel them to sign Smith to a long term deal.
Moreover, giving up this year's 1st or 2nd rounder after having traded away their 4th rounder (Bears), their 6th rounder (Saints), sixth round comp pick (for the AP trade) and their 7th rounder (Chiefs), means hat the Cardinals, with all of their needs from two years of ushering 25 free agents out the door, would now be left with 6 draft picks. How then could the Cardinals even consider taking a rookie QB in Round 1? Or Round 2 (if that's their first pick of the draft)? And what QBs would be available in Round 3? None of the top 7.
The point is---if you sign Alex Smith to a 3-4 year deal---a rookie 1st or 2nd rounder goes to waste.
How about going hard after Kirk Cousins? Wouldn't signing him to a $30M a year deal feel like buying a $30 steak at Appleby's?
Sam Bradford?
Trade for Andy Dalton? That actually might be a very good match: McCoy and Dalton. But what would the Bengals want in return? Dalton has 3 years left on his current deal at $13.M (2018), $16 (2019) and $17.5M (2020). Very reasonable.
I kid you not---I awoke in the middle of the night from a vivid dream once because the Cardinals had just won the Super Bowl and Andy "Big Red" Dalton was the Cardinals' MVP.
Hopefully, Steve Keim can find the best veteran QB for McCoy and have enough money and draft picks left over to add the other key pieces to make the retool a reality.
But, at least for this moment, it's difficult not to feel QBOF envy for our NFC West nemeses who all have their very good young QBs in their buildings for the next 10-12 years.
It's also difficult to try to accept once again that the Cardinals just cannot wrap their heads around deciding on---and pulling the trigger on---a 1st round QBOF. They misfired on Matt Leinart 12 years ago, who was beaten out by the veteran, Kurt Warner.
Maybe it's the ghost of Joe Namath who eschewed the Cardinals and their taking of him in the 1st round in favor of bolting to a new league called the AFL.
Maybe---actually---the Cardinals have thought this out to perfection---so that history would NOT repeat itself...let's say if, Baker Mayfield or Lamar Jackson would stand the Cardinals up and bolt for the XFL.
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