Fitz: "Whiz gets too much of a bad rap"

[Shane]

http://blog.azcardinals.com/2011/10/17/fitz-whiz-has-taken-too-much-of-a-bad-rap/

Apparently Kurt Warner agrees.

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

Careful Shane, lest others tab you as a mindless homer!

 

[kerouac9]

So we're exactly where we were last year with Anderson, Hall, and Skelton.

Good trade! I look forward to seeing our 2012 second-round pick playing for the Philadelphia Eagles. It'll probably be the offensive lineman that we totally don't need.

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

So we're exactly where we were last year with Anderson, Hall, and Skelton.

Wrong...we were 3-2 after 5 games last year.

 

[Cheesebeef]

good thing Todd Heap's injury concerns have had no effect on him this sea-- oh, wait.

can't wait to see what old, injury prone wash-out we depend on next year when we go "all in!"

 

[kerouac9]

good thing Todd Heap's injury concerns have had no effect on him this sea-- oh, wait.

can't wait to see what old, injury prone wash-out we depend on next year when we go "all in!"

You can watch him on Sunday. His name's Aaron Smith, and he plays for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

35 years old? Check
Former Steeler? Check
Replacing a younger draft pick? Check (Calais Campbell, soon to be a Pro Bowl DE for the Dallas Cowboys or Buffalo Bills)
Games appeared in the last two years? 11 of a possible 32

All in!

Also: You'll be glad to hear that Limas Sweed will reach free agency in 2012, so we'll finally have that #2 WR to pair with Fitz. Smith and Sweed are the only pending Free Agents for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2012. Not the only free agents of note, the only free agents. Their front office is incredible.

 

[OmeneX]

Well it's good that Fitz is sticking up for Whis and hopefully the rest of the players feel the same.

 

[Buckybird]

I've agreed with Fitz & Warner all along. Does Wiz & Co deserve blame...yes. I still say that this 1-4 start is mostly on these players. If these players would have somehow performed in the end against the Skins & Gmen to be 3-2 you guys wouldnt be after Wiz with pitchforks like he's Frankenstein.

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

I've agreed with Fitz & Warner all along. Does Wiz & Co deserve blame...yes. I still say that this 1-4 start is mostly on these players. If these players would have somehow performed in the end against the Skins & Gmen to be 3-2 you guys wouldnt be after Wiz with pitchforks like he's Frankenstein's Monster.

Fixed

 

[kerouac9]

I've agreed with Fitz & Warner all along. Does Wiz & Co deserve blame...yes. I still say that this 1-4 start is mostly on these players. If these players would have somehow performed in the end against the Skins & Gmen to be 3-2 you guys wouldnt be after Wiz with pitchforks like he's Frankenstein.

Who chose the players? Whis & Co. are the guys who ran off pretty much every player except Dockett and Fitz who were part of the Super Bowl team and replaced them with Pittsburgh retreads (both on the field and on the coaching staff). Why don't they ask themselves why the plays aren't being made?

As for Fitz, he should be worrying about his own position among the elite WRs in the NFL. Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson are clearly better than him. Mike Wallace is better. Greg Jennings is probably better.

Right now, it's a toss up among Fitz, Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, Kenny Britt, Wes Welker, and Desean Jackson-Trying-not-to-get-injured for the 5th spot.

 

[b8rtm8nn]

I completely agree with Fitz and Warner, if we had payers who were making plays, we would be winning - Whisenhunt is (possibly) a good coach, now we just have to focus the on blame on the guy who brings in these current non-playmakers. Let's get rid of that guy.

 

[OmeneX]

Originally Posted by Buckybird
I've agreed with Fitz & Warner all along. Does Wiz & Co deserve blame...yes. I still say that this 1-4 start is mostly on these players. If these players would have somehow performed in the end against the Skins & Gmen to be 3-2 you guys wouldnt be after Wiz with pitchforks like he's Frankenstein's Monster.

Fixed

Haha.. "Monster" good catch. Happens a lot.

 

[Buckybird]

I completely agree with Fitz and Warner, if we had payers who were making plays, we would be winning - Whisenhunt is (possibly) a good coach, now we just have to focus the on blame on the guy who brings in these current non-playmakers. Let's get rid of that guy.

Wiz does have a say, but I'm in x1000 in getting rid of the human snail

 

[thephoenixson28]

voice of reason

 

[OmeneX]

As for Fitz, he should be worrying about his own position among the elite WRs in the NFL. Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson are clearly better than him.

Hey K9? Clearly better because of their stats or performance? Or are they out performing him because they most deff get the ball more then him currently? Due to our teams overall bad performances?

I think he's still capable of being the Fitz we know. Which is at Calvin's and Johnson's level. IMO

 

[kerouac9]

Hey K9? Clearly better because of their stats or performance? Or are they out performing him because they most deff get the ball more then him currently? Due to our teams overall bad performances?

I think he's still capable of being the Fitz we know. Which is at Calvin's and Johnson's level. IMO

Because of performance. Andre Johnson has 6 fewer targets than Fitz does. Calvin Johnson has 15 more, but I don't think that Matt Stafford is that good and I'm ready to give Megatron the title of the NFL's Best Receiver right now. He's faster than either Andre or Fitz, and is more of a matchup nightmare.

Mike Wallace has 2 more targets than Fitz does, but Roethlisberger is playing under more duress (self-inflicted or otherwise) than Kolb is. Wallace Catch Rate is 10% higher than Fitz's (!!!!). So is Greg Jenning's, who has twice as many TDs as Fitz.

If you think that 1 more target a game is what's separating Fitz from returning to the elite class of NFL WRs, you should maybe watch some of the other games around the NFL.

 

[Duckjake]

1-4 and out of contention after only 6 weeks. 3-13 since the bye week last season. Everyone on the team is to blame.

But CKW is in charge of the mess so he deserves the most heat.

He's the guy who blew up the offensive line not once but twice. He's the guy who hasn't been able to put a decent defense on the field for 4 of his 5 seasons in Arizona. He's the guy who has had every single QB other than Warner fail. Kolb makes 6 but he does have a chance to turn it around. To date though he is a failure.

Sure the players need to take some of the blame but when all 53 of them are playing like morons it has to go back to coaching.

 

[New Mexico]

When players feel the need to publicly support their coach it means that the end is near for the coach. I think Whiz and company have destroyed this team at an alarming rate with their inability to keep good players and piss poor FA pickups and drafts. This team can't evaluate talent worth a damn and the play calling has been terrible. I hate turnover as much as the next guy, but it's time to turn the page on this chapter. I keep seeing the same mistakes over and over and over and a coach to stubborn to do anything different because he thinks he has a formula to win which he doesn't. He just happened to inherit a team with good talent, but most of the talent is gone and hasn't been replaced.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

Because of performance. Andre Johnson has 6 fewer targets than Fitz does. Calvin Johnson has 15 more, but I don't think that Matt Stafford is that good and I'm ready to give Megatron the title of the NFL's Best Receiver right now. He's faster than either Andre or Fitz, and is more of a matchup nightmare.

Mike Wallace has 2 more targets than Fitz does, but Roethlisberger is playing under more duress (self-inflicted or otherwise) than Kolb is. Wallace Catch Rate is 10% higher than Fitz's (!!!!). So is Greg Jenning's, who has twice as many TDs as Fitz.

If you think that 1 more target a game is what's separating Fitz from returning to the elite class of NFL WRs, you should maybe watch some of the other games around the NFL.

Agreed, these guys are dominating games regardless of the circumstances. Fitz is not. He's been decent so far this year, but they sure as hell aren't paying him to be decent. I know it's heresy to criticize Fitz in the least in Cards land, but I've expected more out of him the last couple years, circumstances notwithstanding. People can say as much as they want about QB play and other excuses, but Q put up pretty nice numbers with the Jeff Blake experiment.

 

[Duckjake]

Goes back to the thread on why other teams can get the ball to their star players but the Cardinals can't.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

but I don't think that Matt Stafford is that good.

Yet you think Alex Smith is . Wow.

 

[Buckybird]

Who chose the players? Whis & Co. are the guys who ran off pretty much every player except Dockett and Fitz who were part of the Super Bowl team and replaced them with Pittsburgh retreads (both on the field and on the coaching staff). Why don't they ask themselves why the plays aren't being made?

As for Fitz, he should be worrying about his own position among the elite WRs in the NFL. Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson are clearly better than him. Mike Wallace is better. Greg Jennings is probably better.

Right now, it's a toss up among Fitz, Steve Smith, Hakeem Nicks, Kenny Britt, Wes Welker, and Desean Jackson-Trying-not-to-get-injured for the 5th spot.

I'm not letting Wiz off the hook K9, trust me & I said so. But like players, coaches & some here have said plays are getting left on the field every week. As I wrote after the Vikes win, 10 plays out of 120 decided the Cards fate in Minnesota. And most of those were mistakes, or a play missed by the Cardinals players. One breakdown of 11 on a football team on any given play usually isn't a good result.

All the talent thats gone isn't all on Wiz...the RG & Bidwill ($$$) factor played a role also. Wiz deserves some criticism but IMO not nearly as much that has been passed around by the fans.

 

[Russ Smith]

Because of performance. Andre Johnson has 6 fewer targets than Fitz does. Calvin Johnson has 15 more, but I don't think that Matt Stafford is that good and I'm ready to give Megatron the title of the NFL's Best Receiver right now. He's faster than either Andre or Fitz, and is more of a matchup nightmare.

Mike Wallace has 2 more targets than Fitz does, but Roethlisberger is playing under more duress (self-inflicted or otherwise) than Kolb is. Wallace Catch Rate is 10% higher than Fitz's (!!!!). So is Greg Jenning's, who has twice as many TDs as Fitz.

If you think that 1 more target a game is what's separating Fitz from returning to the elite class of NFL WRs, you should maybe watch some of the other games around the NFL.

I think it's tough because Fitz is obviously getting doubled and yet Kolb is still trying to go to him obviously quite often. It gets back to the comment guys are wide open. If they really are, Kolb has to get them the damn ball and make defenses pay.

i've seen Kolb misfire to open guys but it's hard for me on tv to see guys runnign wide open unless FOX shows me on replay who was open.

Fitz has never been a get wide open guy just not fast or quick enough, so you have a QB being told he's always open and a guy who was already locking on larry and the result is not good.

I don't wish injury on anybody but I hope we sit Heap another week and start Housler again. He was really close to having a big day last game had a big drop, a TD that Kolb missed and another wide open Kolb didn't see.

 

[82CardsGrad]

I think it's tough because Fitz is obviously getting doubled and yet Kolb is still trying to go to him obviously quite often. It gets back to the comment guys are wide open. If they really are, Kolb has to get them the damn ball and make defenses pay.

i've seen Kolb misfire to open guys but it's hard for me on tv to see guys runnign wide open unless FOX shows me on replay who was open.

Fitz has never been a get wide open guy just not fast or quick enough, so you have a QB being told he's always open and a guy who was already locking on larry and the result is not good.

I don't wish injury on anybody but I hope we sit Heap another week and start Housler again. He was really close to having a big day last game had a big drop, a TD that Kolb missed and another wide open Kolb didn't see.

Fitz is truly one of the greats. And like many great WR's, he is open a lot of the time. The issue is timing. Kurt was masterful at knowing when Fitz would be open during his route. A lot of times it was early in the route. In other cases it was mid-route or even later...
Kurt was masterful at this because he was uniquely capable of stepping to the line and reading the coverage. Therefore, he would know precisely when Fitz would be open, or, less covered...
Aaron Rogers is at this level now. Brady too of course. And Peyton.

Kolb has a long way to go to get to this level of play... if ever. It's just too early on in his starting career to know if he can. Rogers, Brady and Manning only had one offense to deal with. Kolb is coming in from an entirely different offense... I don't believe Kolb will ever be anything close to Kurt, or the other 3 I've mentioned here. Still, that doesn't mean he won't be successful in his own right. Just too early to tell at this moment.

 

[kerouac9]

Yet you think Alex Smith is . Wow.

Matt Stafford is better than Alex Smith, but it's not, IMO, as good as even a guy like Matt Schaub. He's (right now) a third-tier QB after the elite tier (Rodgers, Brees, Roethlisberger, Brady, Rivers) and the very good tier (Flacco, E. Manning, J. Freeman, Sanchez, Schaub, Vick).

Stafford is on the next tier with guys like Sam Bradford, Jason Campbell, Cam Newton, Andy Dalton, etc. The transitional guys whose good games you can still remember, but are probably on the way up or on the way down.

Kevin Kolb is playing ball with Chad Henne and Kyle Orton right now. Good company.

But we're burying the lede. We're four weeks away from Terrelle Pryor starting an NFL game, everyone! Tim Tebow and Terrelle Pryor will be starting in the same division! Unfortinately, Denver and Oakland meet in their last matchup on the season November 11, so unless Kyle Boller is so bad that he gets replaced in four weeks, we're not going to see them on the same field.