Cardinals Trade Anthony Sherman to Chiefs for cornerback Javier Arenas

[Mitch]

I am very excited about this trade.

Very happy for Anthony---who is pound for pound one of the toughest and most competitive high school football players I have ever seen.

While the Chiefs have a number of FB candidates---Sherman is going to run away with the starting job, and will help lead Jamaal Charles to a big year. Plus, Anthony was under-utlized as a receiver in AZ---he's got very good hands and will not go down on the first hit.

I didn't know what the Cardinals were receiving in this trade---so to come home from work today and discover it is CB Javier Arenas, I feel elated.

Covering the slot is going to be one of the greatest challenges for year to come in the NFC West. Every team needs depth there. I felt that the best part of William Gay's game was his ability to play and dog the slot. Well, Arenas is better at it, imo, than Gay.

Plus, this will give the Cardinals the flexibility to use Tyrann Mathieu as one of the nickel and dime free safeties...where he call be the ballhawk extraordinaire.

The other thing is---we want to keep fresh legs on Harvin and Austin, and now we have four very good options at the slot in Powers, Cason, Arenas and Mathieu. Comes in handy too against 4 WR sets versus twins and triples.

Moreover, it makes more sense than ever to groom Justin Bethel behind Yeremiah Bell at SS---and thanks to the recent signing of Tony Jefferson the Cardinals have a young safety who can play both in the box and in space.

This secondary is now the most talented and deepest we have ever had.

When BA&SK want to restock a position---they are proving time and time again that they are like Dominos---they deliver.

BTW---my source was one of Anthony's high school coaches whom I coached with at Avon (CT) for 3-4 years in the 80s---and we both wound up in MA teaching and coaching at rival schools.

You might be interested to know that two of Anthony's best friends in AZ were Kevin Kolb and Beanie Wells---he said that Beanie in particular took very good care of Anthony and took him under his wing. That speaks very well of Beanie, the person, imo.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

R.i.p Soc

 

[BigRedRage]

R.i.p Soc

please god

 

[dreamcastrocks]

BTW---my source was one of Anthony's high school coaches whom I coached with at Avon (CT) for 3-4 years in the 80s---and we both wound up in MA teaching and coaching at rival schools.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Schofield, who had great numbers as a College pass rusher, seems to wear down when asked to take three down responsibilties on the strong side.

Perhaps the addition of Okafor and the possibility of Shaughnessy taking snaps there, may allow him to be the designated pass rusher.

As a wise man once said, hope is not a plan.

It's hard to imagine Shaughnessy or a rookie switching to a 3/4 OLB having much of an impact, and Schofield is a rookie.

Not trying to thread-jack, but combine that with Washington being out a quarter of the season, and I'm really worried about pass rush. Maybe Campbell and Dockett will be greater perpetrators, but you look at the other 3/4 teams in our division and the NFL, and almost all of them have at least 1 (usually a couple) guys that can rush the passer.

We don't have one bona fide pass rusher, which forces us to bring numbers, straining the secondary.

I hope Bowles can hide this like Horton, but again...that thing about hope...

 

[kerouac9]

As a wise man once said, hope is not a plan.

It's hard to imagine Shaughnessy or a rookie switching to a 3/4 OLB having much of an impact, and Schofield is a rookie.

Not trying to thread-jack, but combine that with Washington being out a quarter of the season, and I'm really worried about pass rush. Maybe Campbell and Dockett will be greater perpetrators, but you look at the other 3/4 teams in our division and the NFL, and almost all of them have at least 1 (usually a couple) guys that can rush the passer.

We don't have one bona fide pass rusher, which forces us to bring numbers, straining the secondary.

I hope Bowles can hide this like Horton, but again...that thing about hope...

Don't worry... Lorenzo Alexander was one of the top 9 targets on Steve Keim's free agency board.

 

[BW52]

Hated to see Sherman go.Next up will be?Hoyer? Mike Gibson? Scott Wedige? Everette Thompson?

 

[Chopper0080]

Nice call Mitch. Nice haul Cardinals. Arenas is a good player.

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

As a wise man once said, hope is not a plan.

It's hard to imagine Shaughnessy or a rookie switching to a 3/4 OLB having much of an impact, and Schofield is a rookie.

Not trying to thread-jack, but combine that with Washington being out a quarter of the season, and I'm really worried about pass rush. Maybe Campbell and Dockett will be greater perpetrators, but you look at the other 3/4 teams in our division and the NFL, and almost all of them have at least 1 (usually a couple) guys that can rush the passer.

We don't have one bona fide pass rusher, which forces us to bring numbers, straining the secondary.

I hope Bowles can hide this like Horton, but again...that thing about hope...

I expect to see a big year from both CC and DD rushing the passer. Otherwise like you said we have to hope for some exotic blitzes or a breakout year from an unexpected player. Maybe all these solid DBs we have been bringing in will get us some coverage sacks as well. And don't forget what TM is capable of as a blitzer.

 

[Sleepy]

Good trade for the Cardinals.

I wish the best of luck to Anthony Sherman in Kansas city.

 

[red desert]

I really like Sherman. He is a throwback player that can excell on the right team. That obviously wasn't the Cardinals with BA running the offense.

The fact that Keim could get a decent player for a player that didn't have a home on this team, is a testimate to how much better Keim is compared to Graves.

This.

 

[juza76]

Okefor is listed de,, i think this defense will be more 4-3 set

 

[Mainstreet]

I like the competition in the secondary for the Cardinals. Perhaps if there is more than enough talent it might lead to another trade of sorts like an A.J. Jefferson, although it need not be an undrafted free agent that gets traded. One can only wish the Cardinals secondary might be that strong.

 

[CardLogic]

Keim and Co. will get some right and they will get some wrong. But I love the fact that there is a plan in place and they act upon it.

As a MCD so adroitly stated, "The fact that Keim could get a decent player for a player that didn't have a home on this team, is a testimate to how much better Keim is compared to Graves."

Between the acuteness of how the Cardinals executed free agency ("the offer is of the table once you leave our facility") to the skilled draft trades, and now continuing to get something for a player that either way was not going to make your squad. . .

Brilliant!


The NFL is all about speed - on the field and in the front office alike!

 

[Buckybird]

Really?

Yes really

 

[Bodha]

Im not thrilled about it.


We basically gave up a special teamer for a special teamer. The difference being Sherman was a team captain, great locker room presence and a very solid FB.

Arenas is obviously a bust being from the early 2nd round and he didnt pan out. Maybe he can resurrect his career here, but I doubt it. Plus hes only 5'9. The Seahawks have proven that large CBs are the way to go. Now we have 2 5'9-10 guys who might be on the field at the same time.

 

[Brian in Mesa]

Im not thrilled about it.

This makes me like the move even more.

 

[Red Dawn]

Nice scoop, Mitch!

 

[B-Dogg]

[ The Seahawks have proven that large CBs are the way to go. Now we have 2 5'9-10 guys who might be on the field at the same time.[/QUOTE]

The best corner in the league is still Revis and he is only 5'11 190 so i wouldnt say big corners are the only way to go and on top of that Tavon Austin and Percy Harvin were not in this division last year and bigger corners will have trouble covering those two...

 

[GuernseyCard]

Im not thrilled about it.


We basically gave up a special teamer for a special teamer. The difference being Sherman was a team captain, great locker room presence and a very solid FB.

Arenas is obviously a bust being from the early 2nd round and he didnt pan out. Maybe he can resurrect his career here, but I doubt it. Plus hes only 5'9. The Seahawks have proven that large CBs are the way to go. Now we have 2 5'9-10 guys who might be on the field at the same time.

???

We traded a guy who no longer had a position in the new "O" scheme for someone who answers our need for a slot CB.

Name me a 6 foot plus corner who has the quicks to cover a Wes Welker like slot receiver?

 

[Chopper0080]

???

We traded a guy who no longer had a position in the new "O" scheme for someone who answers our need for a slot CB.

Name me a 6 foot plus corner who has the quicks to cover a Wes Welker like slot receiver?

Yeah, at worst Arenas is a Mike Adams level player who also has return skills and is cheap. That is a good haul for a FB who had no place on this team.

Also, probably means Jim Dray keeps a roster spot because he can flex to the FB position if needed.

 

[Jetstream Green]

Bethel's a cornerback now (again).

EDIT: Which is to say that with a new coaching staff, it's possible to imagine a lot of scenarios where everyone whose names we know makes the roster, but it's just as easy to imagine that the coaching staff doesn't care what we invested to get Fleming and cuts him because he's not very good. Rugby did a good job of making his case last week that there might be a dozen roster spots or more open right now.

Our safety group is sad, but not as sad as our OLB group, where there might not be a single even average rush linebacker on the roster:

Okafor (officially listed as a DE--interesting)
Acho
Alexander
Schofield...

...And then a bunch of nobodies: Fugger, Giordano, Nash.

Yuck.

This, because I never understood why we took Fleming so early in the draft and thought the guy was more late round material. I never even saw the guy ranked too highly in any of the draft guides or mentioned much. Maybe Fleming will improve but at the moment Arenas is a better player in my opinion

 

[GuernseyCard]

Yeah, at worst Arenas is a Mike Adams level player who also has return skills and is cheap. That is a good haul for a FB who had no place on this team.

Also, probably means Jim Dray keeps a roster spot because he can flex to the FB position if needed.

Agree.

 

[Chopper0080]

???

We traded a guy who no longer had a position in the new "O" scheme for someone who answers our need for a slot CB.

Name me a 6 foot plus corner who has the quicks to cover a Wes Welker like slot receiver?

Yeah, at worst Arenas is a Mike Adams level player who also has return skills and is cheap. That is a good haul for a FB who had no place on this team.

Also, probably means Jim Dray keeps a roster spot because he can flex to the FB position if needed.

 

[binkar]

Some pretty interesting data here:

https://www.profootballfocus.com/blog/2013/04/24/neils-nfl-daily-april-24-2013/

I am not one who believes PFF data is gospel, but I think it's extremely interesting. Javier Arenas ranked as the 11th best CB in all of football at covering the slot. Patrick Peterson, though ranking great on the outside, is terrible covering the slot. With Austin and Harvin in our division now, this is a huge acquisition. This allows us to keep Peterson on the outside, maybe keep TM as a deep safety where he can best use his football instincts and recognition.