1. Saturday 1/1/11 4 PM EST. The significance of this is that teams have until then to re-sign players AND be able to assign portions of the signing bonuses to this year's team salary figures (capless year).
With all the $$$ the Bidwills saved this year...it sure would be nice to get contracts secured for G Deuce Lutui, WR Steve Breaston, C Lyle Sendlein, DE Alan Branch, etc.
While they are at it...how about using some of the saved money to make WR Larry Fitzgerald a career Arizona Cardinal---the date 1-1-11 is an auspicious sign for doing right by Fitz.
2. I believe that over the past few years the team learned more about winning from QB Kurt Warner than any of the coaches---do you remember Warner being interviewed following games that preceded the playoffs? Do you remember how often Warner talked about the "mentality" it takes to win playoff games---and how he had been instructing his teammates about what it takes to prepare and win?
The thing that is glaringly missing without Warner is the spontaneous in-game play calls in key situations---where Warner and the WRs would discuss what they thought would be wide open in the right situations (especially on 3rd downs and in the Red Zone) and they would even draw the plays in the dirt if they had to.
What Whiz was so smart about was giving Warner the autonomy to make such adjustments---much the way Tony Dungy and Tom Moore did with Peyton Manning.
One of the most lasting images I have of Warner is how the cameras showed him taking notes on the sidelines while the team was getting their butts handed to them by the Packers in the last regular season game last year. There is no question in my mind that Warner was drafting the blueprint for the following week's stunning victory...a victory which required Warner and the offense to score virtually every time they touched the ball---which is practically what Warner and the offense did.
I think that Packer game may be the best and most clutch quarterbacked game I have ever seen---certainly for a Cardinal QB.
For all of these reasons and more...I would do everything and anything possible to sign Warner as the offensive coordinator---and I would even be tempted to sign him as the head coach.
While Warner may appear to be content working as a FOX analyst---and he's pretty darned good at it already---there is little doubt that Warner thrives on competition (especially the mental part of it) so much that the offer to have him coach might excite him very much.
Interestingly, there was an article about the Chiefs recently where Todd Haley told the media how he learned "in recent years" that sometimes it is best to "draw up plays in the dirt" because making spontaneous in-game adjustments can mean the difference between winning and losing.
Wonder where Haley got that from?
I think of the sheer fun Warner and Haley had drawing up plays each week and on the plane rides...as they did on the way to Carolina where they conjured up the flea flicker pass to Fitz...to cite one example.
I will say this...all we've been hearing from Whiz in his remarks about John Skelton is how he's leaving many plays out there because he's not finding the open WRs...well, Warner would take care of this, because with Warner the primary and secondary options and progressions would be much clearer and much more quickly and effectively communicated.
I am not saying that Whiz is throughly incompetent at this. I just strongly believe that Warner is brilliant at it...Warner played the position---he mastered it and he understands it---he knows what a QB sees and thinks better than anyone else. And he picks up on the nuances of coverages so much faster---which is why teams were doo-dooing in their pants at the thought of blitzing him.
Another major reason for turning to Warner as OC is that Whiz is too tough a coach on QBs---he's too exacting---too non-commital (can he ever decide on a QB?)---too vague in his communication. Warner knows what environment a QB needs in order to be consistently successful---and he himself---despite having to play every year for his job under Whisenhunt, ugh, save the last one---managed to wrest the ultimate control of the offense away from Whiz---and Whiz was smart to let it go.
Moreover---Warner was about the HUNGRIEST QB the Cardinals have ever seen---not only for wins---but for STATS. Warner was insatiable when it came to his desire to put up huge numbers---not only for himself but especially for his WRs and his RBs.
THAT has been alarmingly absent this year---especially in Whiz, who never met a 4th and 1 he liked this year---which is why he punted and punted and punted...worst of all, he punted several times on 4th and inches.
Shows no confidence in the offense and the QB---and damages their morale.
3. I would like to know who Kurt Warner would want the Cardinals to sign as a free agent QB next year. I wonder what he really thinks about Marc Bulger.
The thing is...Bulger in recent years seemed to have very little HUNGER for winning or for stats. One Ram player last year said that Bulger brought "no presence" to the position. And---be honest---did you ever worry about playing the Rams with Bulger at QB?
In my Predicting the 2010 Roster thread...I was predicting what the Cardinals will do---not what I would do.
I don't like Bulger. I only liked him when he was playing soft against us.
But...if Kurt Warner thought he could whip Bulger up...that he could get him hungry...I'd be very interested to see what would happen.
The matchup of Whiz and Bulger seems like a disaster---
Whiz likes his QBs tough---first and foremost---like Warner was, tough as nails.
The minute Bulger takes a dive the way DA did on a few occasions this year---Whiz will be looking over to the bench.
4. This is why John Skelton has a fighting chance to make it as the Cardinals starting QB. He does not play afraid. Plus, he's so sturdy in the pocket and can maneuver well with his feet. That's a special ability.
Max Hall doesn't play afraid either---but he's like the terrier who barks at a coyote---the problem is---he will have to get much stronger physically, the way Drew Bress did, and he has to be much more clever about how to duck, slither and avoid the big hits.
But can you imagine how prepared Skelton would be with Kurt Warner walking him through the paces?
Wow.
Kurt Warner was the best thing to ever happen to the Arizona Cardinals.
Go and bring him back.
