Cardinals | Levi Brown likely to hit free agency

[LVCARDFREAK]

It all comes down to money. Brown's agent already has an idea what he would command in free agency. It is probably more than what the Cardinals think he's worth, and they've seen him up close and personal for several seasons. The Cowboys overpaid for Leonard Davis in my opinion. Some other team will do the same for Levi. He isn't a core player, so the Cardinals aren't going to break the bank to keep him.

Nothing baffling about it to me, it is just dollars and cents and the value placed on a player. Rod Graves said as much at the combine.

In order to execute a plan you have to have one. No one is syaing LB is an all-pro, but my god, I cant wait to hear this board when the Cards are starting a rookie LT next season.

Sure you never want to over pay but soemtimes its required. In this case the dollars and cents dont factor in how much you are going to lose by starting a rookie LT or one of the has beens in FA. None will come cheap and LB is the Cards best option right now.

 

[Buckybird]

So... you're willing to go in to the 2012 football season with D'Anthony Bapiste at starting left tackle because you can then send Levi Brown a message that he's "not worth" the $7-8 million per year that he'll get on the open market?

How does that make sense?

We will get someone K9 & Baptiste won't be starting here, take it to the bank!

It doesn't matter anyway what we think in the scheme of things because Levi is soon to be a former Cardinal. Our Oline has been an underachieving group for years, so IMO bring on the next crew because hopefully we will finally get it right.

We don't overpay for guys like Rolle, Dansby, Breaston, Pace, etc but you want to overpay for Levi? Come on...tell me that makes sense? Levi was one of the WORST OT's in the NFL!

 

[52brandon]

Okay... so let's keep Levi Brown in-house and improve the other tackle position. I'd rather keep Levi Brown at $8 million per year than Brandon Keith at the veteran minimum plus a $3 million signing bonus.

Otherwise, you're hoping that you can improve in TWO positions through free agency and the draft, as well as adding on at WR, holding on to Richard Marshall or getting another cornerback, and adding more pieces at OLB.

That's a tall bill for any front office, much less this one.

Toler will be healthy next year. Will take a little pressure off the Marshall situation. But I do like Marshall too and hope we can keep him around

If Levi would take less, I'd be ok with putting him back on the right side, but I just don't see it. And he's not worth $8M/yr. If we're gonna overpay for a Tackle, I'd rather it be for Gaither or Bell. IMO, between those 2 and Kalil, Reiff and Martin. There are 5 players we could add for an immediate improvement

 

[LVCARDFREAK]

Do you really believe #75 is worth more than $5 mil/yr? Showing him the money doesn't mean he's a better than average OT. He simply has no reason so sign with us for that rate when everyone knows he's probably going to get $7-8 mil. Average player who deserves average wages.

He's going to get more in the open market...so see ya!!! Cut your loses & don't reach for an average player...again.

The real money question is if paying LB 8 million a year worth the difference in bringing in a nobody from Free Agency who you'll pay 4-5 million to? Or a rookie you'll end up paying close to what LB is going to get?

Sometimes its the cost you dont see that hurts the most.

 

[Buckybird]

The real money question is if paying LB 8 million a year worth the difference in bringing in a nobody from Free Agency who you'll pay 4-5 million to? Or a rookie you'll end up paying close to what LB is going to get?

Sometimes its the cost you dont see that hurts the most.

I'm quite comfortable moving on from an average player who's going to be wayyyyy overpaid for his production. This is exactly the reason the Cards will let him sign with someone else.

 

[LVCARDFREAK]

We will get someone K9 & Baptiste won't be starting here, take it to the bank!

It doesn't matter anyway what we think in the scheme of things because Levi is soon to be a former Cardinal. Our Oline has been an underachieving group for years, so IMO bring on the next crew because hopefully we will finally get it right.

We don't overpay for guys like Rolle, Dansby, Breaston, Pace, etc but you want to overpay for Levi? Come on...tell me that makes sense? Levi was one of the WORST OT's in the NFL!

How can you be concerned about dollars paid when your answer to the Tackle situation is "We will get someone ". whom? and what if the Cards only pay that person 1 million a year and he is awful? Will that make you feel better knowing the Cards only paid 1 million for a terrible LT when Kolb, (or whomever) is getting killed every game? That doesnt make any sense to me.

 

[52brandon]

Well, their opinion as to Levi's worth will be counted in the millions. Yours, plus 2-bucks, will buy a cup of coffee.

lol, yeah, I'm getting a good deal. I gain a cup of coffee and they lose all the fans the team had to scratch and claw to gain over the past 5-10 years, plus all those millions that they invest based on said opinion

 

[BullheadCardFan]

Gaither will not be easy to sign, or cheap.There will be other teams looking at him. And with the way the Cards move (slow) it will be tough.

Chargers, Jared Gaither talking about new deal

Jared Gaither was a pleasant surprise for the Chargers after they claimed him off waivers from the Chiefs last season and San Diego seems interested in keeping him around.

http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/03/05/chargers-jared-gaither-talking-about-new-deal/

 

[Chopper0080]

I would love the Cardinals to re-sign Levi Brown for 6-7 million, however the FA market will most likely puch that to 8+ million.

 

[Crazy Canuck]

lol, yeah, I'm getting a good deal. I gain a cup of coffee and they lose all the fans the team had to scratch and claw to gain over the past 5-10 years, plus all those millions that they invest based on said opinion

????

Did I get this right... Fans will quit the team if they sign Levi?

 

[Totally_Red]

In order to execute a plan you have to have one. No one is syaing LB is an all-pro, but my god, I cant wait to hear this board when the Cards are starting a rookie LT next season.

Sure you never want to over pay but soemtimes its required. In this case the dollars and cents dont factor in how much you are going to lose by starting a rookie LT or one of the has beens in FA. None will come cheap and LB is the Cards best option right now.

Ideally they would franchise him for ONE season. But the way they structured his contract, that is not an option. Besides they can't seem to get anything done with Calais Campbell anyway. I don't like giving him a long-term deal with significant guaranteed money. He hasn't earned it IMO.

 

[Reddog]

He isn't a core player, so the Cardinals aren't going to break the bank to keep him.

Nothing baffling about it to me, it is just dollars and cents and the value placed on a player. Rod Graves said as much at the combine.

Maybe not but he plays a core position and he plays it better than anyone else on our roster, and getting a better one at #13 is far from a certainty as is getting one in FA. Bottom line is we have painted ourselves into a corner and LB will benefit again as we reach for an OT (him) in FA. Ideally we resign him, get a decent FA and we draft one and move the parts around to where they best suit us. At some point LB may be a great, overpaid OG.

 

[kerouac9]

We will get someone K9 & Baptiste won't be starting here, take it to the bank!

It doesn't matter anyway what we think in the scheme of things because Levi is soon to be a former Cardinal. Our Oline has been an underachieving group for years, so IMO bring on the next crew because hopefully we will finally get it right.

We don't overpay for guys like Rolle, Dansby, Breaston, Pace, etc but you want to overpay for Levi? Come on...tell me that makes sense? Levi was one of the WORST OT's in the NFL!

The bolded is EXACTLY what people were saying about Leonard Davis leaving town. That netted us Levi Brown. Are you going to be happy getting worse results at a slightly lower price because it sends Levi Brown a message? That doesn't make any sense.

I was against letting Rolle, Dansby, and Breaston leave. The Cards have done a terrible job preparing for the future, and that's in part why we're desperate going into this free agency period with so little in the cupboard.

We're at the point now where we could likely enter training camp with both D'Anthony Baptiste AND Jeremy Bridges as your starting offensive tackles.

That'll show Levi Brown for starting 75 consecutive games for us.

 

[Buckybird]

I just don't get all the infatuation for Levi now.

People bad mouth him when he's getting our QB killed early in the season like every year, now they're mad that he's probably going to move on. This isn't Boldin, Pace, Rolle, Breaston, etc this is Levi freaking Brown...one of the worst OT's in the NFL!!!

Sure it's another 1st rd pick gone, but this guy is just another guy IMO.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I gotta agree. i never thought Big was terrible and couldn't believe we let him go for absolutely nothing... but Levi? The guy is atrocious. He plays average for 8 games out of 75 and that means he deserves to choke 8 million dollars of our cap? We can get someone just as horrible for much cheaper and if we're going to have someone horrible (which is what Levi is IMO), we might as well pay accordingly so we can spend money elsewhere to bolster the team.

 

[Mitch]

I would love the Cardinals to re-sign Levi Brown for 6-7 million, however the FA market will most likely puch that to 8+ million.

I agree. Brown made $8.2M last year---just out of principle, he won't accept anything less than that to remain with the Cardinals. He will take less to go somewhere else---

But---the interesting thing is, will someone sign him and kick him inside to G where he can dominate?

The problem with that scenario is that guards tend to make $2-3M less than tackles...unless they are signed by the likes of Jerry Jones, who sensed that Leonard Davis would be an All Pro at guard and figured the price for that was reasonable.

I don't think Brown will be seen quite in the same light---

So---with as weak a T class as this is in FA---Brown will likely be signed to play RT somewhere.

 

[Duckjake]

I agree. Brown made $8.2M last year---just out of principle, he won't accept anything less than that to remain with the Cardinals. He will take less to go somewhere else---

But---the interesting thing is, will someone sign him and kick him inside to G where he can dominate?

The problem with that scenario is that guards tend to make $2-3M less than tackles...unless they are signed by the likes of Jerry Jones, who sensed that Leonard Davis would be an All Pro at guard and figured the price for that was reasonable.

I don't think Brown will be seen quite in the same light---

So---with as weak a T class as this is in FA---Brown will likely be signed to play RT somewhere.

The sad thing was that Leonard Davis played Guard for 2 of his first 3 seasons in the AZ and only played RT the other because of Clement's bad back. Leonard ended up starting almost twice as many games at RG (94) than he did at LT. (48)

I'm with Bucky it doesn't matter who the Cards put on the oline. They'll suck. In 2002 the Cards had on their oline: LJ Shelton-first round, Pete Kendall first round, Leonard Davis first round and the Cards finished 29th in points scored.

 

[52brandon]

????

Did I get this right... Fans will quit the team if they sign Levi?

not the day (if) he signs on the dotted line. But indirectly, yes. Him re-signing will lead to QBs getting killed, which will lead to more losses, which will make fans lose interest in the "same old Cardinals"

 

[Crazy Canuck]

not the day (if) he signs on the dotted line. But indirectly, yes. Him re-signing will lead to QBs getting killed, which will lead to more losses, which will make fans lose interest in the "same old Cardinals"

Well, no one is going to accuse you of understatment.

 

[Stout]

It really is baffeling to me that people are OK with LB leaving. Look, he is no Orlando Pace, but he is a legit starting LT in the league. When you consider his possible replacement (see draft pick) and the impact a new LT will have on the continuity of this Oline, its really going to be a bad loss.

Sometimes the grass isnt always greener and I think this is one of those cases. Pay Levi, because once he hits FA he is not coming back. Someone will show him the money.

Well, that easily explains your confusion. A lot of us see this as a complete fallacy. IMO, he is probably the worst starting LT out there. I'd take a draft pick over him for certain, but I'm betting we see a vet like Bell and a draft pick.

The real problem is that we need TWO starting OTs. That's a tough order to fill.

 

[AzStevenCal]

not the day (if) he signs on the dotted line. But indirectly, yes. Him re-signing will lead to QBs getting killed, which will lead to more losses, which will make fans lose interest in the "same old Cardinals"

I've seen our quarterbacks. Are you sure getting them "killed" is such a bad thing?

Steve

 

[THESMEL]

Kinda sorta

I can't blame dominate Run Blockers like Deuce and Levi only reaching our first SB pass protecting 66% of the time.

They are not ones with the bad football IQ! Think that would have happened with Bil Cower? just saying that is stupid, they succeeded while put in position to fail. my hat goes off to them.

2007 draft link

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draf...ard=-1&collegecoach=-1&highschool=-1&x=42&y=5

The sad thing was that Leonard Davis played Guard for 2 of his first 3 seasons in the AZ and only played RT the other because of Clement's bad back. Leonard ended up starting almost twice as many games at RG (94) than he did at LT. (48)

I'm with Bucky it doesn't matter who the Cards put on the oline. They'll suck. In 2002 the Cards had on their oline: LJ Shelton-first round, Pete Kendall first round, Leonard Davis first round and the Cards finished 29th in points scored.

 

[52brandon]

I've seen our quarterbacks. Are you sure getting them "killed" is such a bad thing?

Steve

lol, good point. If by some miracle Peyton makes the move to the wild west it would be an awful thing. But that's a bridge we'll cross when we get there I guess. But I don't think an argument can be made that fan excitement in the cardinals hasn't fallen off since we lost our last good QB

 

[RugbyMuffin]

not the day (if) he signs on the dotted line. But indirectly, yes. Him re-signing will lead to QBs getting killed, which will lead to more losses, which will make fans lose interest in the "same old Cardinals"

I think the 2010 season shook all of the band wagon fans off the wagon, and the beginning of last season kept them off.

I have been waiting to see when the fans will revolt for years.....they never do.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

I keep saying, "Pick a lane" while reading this thread.

I cannot fathom how so many who could not stand Levi Brown as our LT, are now saying he will make or break this team.

The farthest I have made it with Levi Brown and his importance is that it would be nice to have Brown on the team, but I would be looking for his replacement. He would be a band-aid, not a solution.

If some other team wants to pay him top LT starting money, then fine, let him go. 8 average games is not going to suddenly change my perspective on Brown and his ability.

IMO, we are worrying about losing the LeVar Woods of OT.

The best arguement I have seen comes from CardsMD. He thinks the free agent pool at OT is way worse than Levi Brown, thus it makes sense he would want Brown to stay, being the best option.

I think there are upgrades available at LT, so Brown either signs a middle of the road contract, or leaves, and I am fine with that.

Watching our QB get slaughtered because of Levi Brown's poor play, or some other free agent's poor play still results with the QB on the ground.