Gill---Giordano---Gottlieb---Harris---Hill

[Mitch]

10 Gill, Robert, WR, 5-10, 175, 29, 1, Texas St. Arena League WR who played for the Kansas City Command---had a big year in 2011: 58/811/14.0/12 tds. Has blazing 4.27 speed---was considered the "fastest man in AFL." Makes acrobatic catches---show very good hands. Stretches the field. Check out his highlights---pretty amazing even if it's the AFL:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijmHLteOyP8


48 Giordano, Dan, OLB/DE, 6-4, 260, 23, UCFA, Cincinnati. High motor football player who plays with tenacity on the edge. Was voted First team All-Big East in 2012 by the coaches, after recording 51 tackles (21 solo), 6 tackles for loss, 12 QB hurries, 5 sacks, a force fumble, 2 fumble recoveries and two pass breakups. Reminds me a little of John Simon---plays hard every snap and plays all-out to the whistle. Help to lead a pesky Bearcat run defense that only gave up 132 yards per game. Tends to dive for the QBs legs at times---a bad habit he can correct, but it seems when he knows he isn't quite close enough to get the sack, he is just trying to spoil the QB's release. Ran a 4.95 40. Workout warrior. This kid has an outside chance at making the roster, because of his aggressive style of play and his work ethic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkH-O_Jadlo


80 Gottlieb, Alex, TE, 6-4, 255, 22, 1, William & Mary. Another prospect who possesses an excellent work ethic. This kid reminds me of a slightly less bulky version of Jeff King. Fights hard as a blocker (bends his hips and really gets after it), and runs good routes. Like King, is not a seam buster, per se, but is good at finding the soft spots in zones and getting open on outs and drags in man.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2NiyCFWHGE


41 Harris, Javon, S, 5-11, 206, 22, UCFA, Oklahoma. Ball-hawing safety who intercepted 9 passes the past two years, one for a TD. Had 86 tackles in 2012 (28 solo) and broke up 5 passes in addition to his 6 interceptions. Good STs player. Good feet and ball awareness. Has a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6AF9wR5HF4


42 Hill, Josh, FS/CB, 5-10, 203, 23, UCFA, California. Led the Cal team in tackles this year with 87. Had 10 passes defended, 9 pass breakups, 1 interception and 1 forced fumble. Can play FS or CB. Has leadership qualities. 32 career starts at California.

http://www.californiagoldenblogs.co...12-media-day-cal-baers-josh-hill-keenan-allen

 

[CardsSunsDbacks]

Gill will be a name that I will be paying attention to during the off-season. Blazing speed and apparently good hands as well? If he can run NFL routes decently than he could be a big play-maker in the NFL. Though something tells me there is a reason he has been playing in the AFL and not the NFL.

 

[juza76]

Mitch i appreciate a lot your work, u are a great asset for the site but could please say when a player suck,,cause it seems like all these player are good...95% wont make the team

 

[kerouac9]

Mitch i appreciate a lot your work, u are a great asset for the site but could please say when a player suck,,cause it seems like all these player are good...95% wont make the team

To be fair, only about 40% won't make the team.

 

[juza76]

To be fair, only about 40% won't make the team.

I was talking about those body camp and udfa

 

[kerouac9]

I was talking about those body camp and udfa

So was I. 88 players on the roster, only 53 make the team.

 

[binkar]

Gill is interesting. I completely missed him as a singing by the Cards. I'm sure his chances of making the team are extremely slim, but I always get overly excited about guys with elite speed. I'm sure at the end of the day he'll end up being camp fodder though.

Good stuff.

 

[Mitch]

Mitch i appreciate a lot your work, u are a great asset for the site but could please say when a player suck,,cause it seems like all these player are good...95% wont make the team

All of these players have some upside, which is the reason why the Cardinals signed them. Last year it wouldn't have appeared very likely that OLB Zach Nash from Sacramento St. had much of a chance...yet he would up making the roster and contributing.

The rookies have a very good opportunity to showcase their talents, as BA and the coaching staff will be working with them for several weeks---if any begin to stand out, they will get longer looks and more reps in mini-camp and in training camp.

For younger players there's the possibility of making the practice squad and being called up at some point like Nash was.

The ones who have the greatest uphill battle are street free agents---because they likely won't get the kind of reps that would enable them to garner serious roster consideration.

However, when a street free agent like WR Robert Gill comes in with 4.27 speed---he could very well surprise and move his way up the depth charts.

My purpose in writing these threads is to point out the reasons why the Cardinals thought enough of these players to draft or sign them.

As far as I am concerned, and I have always felt this way, everyone has a chance. And I genuinely respect what these players have accomplished in order to pursue their dreams of playing in the NFL. Imo, they deserve to be treated with respect---and at times it's kind of nice to pull for the underdog, isn't it?

 

[RugbyMuffin]

48 Giordano, Dan, OLB/DE, 6-4, 260, 23, UCFA, Cincinnati. High motor football player who plays with tenacity on the edge. Was voted First team All-Big East in 2012 by the coaches, after recording 51 tackles (21 solo), 6 tackles for loss, 12 QB hurries, 5 sacks, a force fumble, 2 fumble recoveries and two pass breakups. Reminds me a little of John Simon---plays hard every snap and plays all-out to the whistle. Help to lead a pesky Bearcat run defense that only gave up 132 yards per game. Tends to dive for the QBs legs at times---a bad habit he can correct, but it seems when he knows he isn't quite close enough to get the sack, he is just trying to spoil the QB's release. Ran a 4.95 40. Workout warrior. This kid has an outside chance at making the roster, because of his aggressive style of play and his work ethic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fkH-O_Jadlo

Better UDFA signing then Tony Jefferson, IMO.

Yep, I said it.

 

[Garthshort]

Mitch, in all probability none of the UDFA's make the team, though Bleacher Report has three, Jefferson, Harris and Scott on the final 53. And many would agree with the Jefferson guess. I think, that when you're finished with your analysis, you'll give us your opinion on who will make the PS. And we should keep in mind that some of the PS comes from other teams' cuts. Thanks for the effort.

 

[Lagerfilled]

Don't count out Gottlieb to replace Leach and his salary. He's a long snapper as well, not to mention a decent tight end with some upside. Bet he and Giordano make the squad.

 

[Garthshort]

Rugby, I agree that Dan Giordano looked awesome in the You Tube video. However, he played strictly as a DE, in the video, with the question being, can he play OLB? He did look like a VG player. Looking forward to seeing him in the PS games.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Rugby, I agree that Dan Giordano looked awesome in the You Tube video. However, he played strictly as a DE, in the video, with the question being, can he play OLB? He did look like a VG player. Looking forward to seeing him in the PS games.

The reason I like the kid so much is because I think he can make the transition easily.

I am a big fan of Cincy, and their defensive style, both coaching and schematic.

Furthermore, if the guy can get to the QB, there is no too much concern for other areas. See O'Brien Schofield

 

[Duckjake]

So was I. 88 players on the roster, only 53 make the team.

If I remember correctly only 2 UDFA's picked by the Cards after the draft last season made the 53 man roster. LaRon Byrd and Zach Nash. Scott Wedige was released and then brought back when Sendlein went on IR.

That's 2 out of 17. Or less than 12%.

 

[kerouac9]

If I remember correctly only 2 UDFA's picked by the Cards after the draft last season made the 53 man roster. LaRon Byrd and Zach Nash. Scott Wedige was released and then brought back when Sendlein went on IR.

That's 2 out of 17. Or less than 12%.

That may be true, but we also had more of a veteran presence on the roster then than we do this year. I don't remember how many UDFAs we brought to camp last year, but I have difficulty believing that it was the 18 or so that we will bring this August.

At the same time, the new coaching staff washes away all the established relationships, and Mitch and others are right that the rookies in some way have a leg up because they'll have extra time with the coaching staff before camp opens.

Just off the top of my head, this team doesn't have the bottom-of-the-roster type guys like D'Anthony Batiste, Mike Adams, that Safety we got from the Pats, Clark Haggans, etc., etc. It's very possible that those guys are replaced by UDFAs and not journeyman veterans.

 

[Duckjake]

That may be true, but we also had more of a veteran presence on the roster then than we do this year. I don't remember how many UDFAs we brought to camp last year, but I have difficulty believing that it was the 18 or so that we will bring this August.

At the same time, the new coaching staff washes away all the established relationships, and Mitch and others are right that the rookies in some way have a leg up because they'll have extra time with the coaching staff before camp opens.

Just off the top of my head, this team doesn't have the bottom-of-the-roster type guys like D'Anthony Batiste, Mike Adams, that Safety we got from the Pats, Clark Haggans, etc., etc. It's very possible that those guys are replaced by UDFAs and not journeyman veterans.

According to AZCentral we brought in 17 UDFA's last year.

http://www.azcentral.com/sports/car...izona-cardinals-17-undrafted-free-agents.html

According to kffl the Cards have signed 18 veteran free agents who were with other teams last year. Plus 6 of their own.

From what I can tell they've lost 20 players from last seasons roster. So if all the drafted players, 9, stick that leaves 11 spots open. Hey Rugby you're the roster guy am I off base on this?

 

[Gandhi]

The reason I like the kid so much is because I think he can make the transition easily.

I am a big fan of Cincy, and their defensive style, both coaching and schematic.

Furthermore, if the guy can get to the QB, there is no too much concern for other areas. See O'Brien Schofield

I really hoped that the Cardinals would take a chance on his counterpart at Cincinnati, Walter Stewart. Actually, I still do since he has not signed with any team.

Midway through the season Stewart got a neck injury. After countless examinations and X-rays it was concluded that he had a congenital abnormality in his spine. Team doctors would not let him play after that though he played for three years prior to this with the injury.

You can read his story here. http://www.nfl.com/combine/story/0a...es-inspirational-path-to-nfl-scouting-combine

I am pretty sure he would have been drafted in the first three rounds if his health were fine. He is that good. To me, his situation is not that different from the one with Jarvis Jones. That is, from everything I have read anyway. The main different is that Jones discovered his injury in his nerve system when he was a freshman. So he had time to switch college to a place where they would allow him to play. Stewart did not have that option. I think there is just as much risk with regards to Jones.

According to the Bearcat Journal the reason Stewart is not signed yet is that no teams are ready to take the major publicity risk that comes with him. I completely understand that. I mean, think about the headlines if something were to happen – “Young kid paralyzed because of the Arizona Cardinals”. I just think it might be worth it to give him a tryout. Obviously I have no idea if the team doctors have already looked at him but if not they could do that as well. It could pay of big time.

Also, Stewart simply refuses to give up. After the doctors at Cincinnati denied him from playing both his coach and his father said his career was over. Stewart however wanted to hear it from different doctors first. Some of them said that in their opinion several NFL-players have the same diagnosis, but the thing is it is only discovered through X-rays of a person’s spine and those are obviously not conducted that often. After the draft a lot of teams has told him no but still he are not ready to give in. First of all, he is still reaching out to teams, but recently he said that he might play some in Canada, if a team is willing to take the chance, simply to show NFL-teams that he can still play. I just think that when a person is that eager to prove his worth, and is at an age where he can take his own decisions and clearly is aware of the situation, well then maybe he should get that chance.

 

[Garthshort]

Mitch, I wouldn't be surprised if you had this in the back of your mind, when you started this thread:

If they don't make it with the Cardinals, they'd make a great law firm-

"Gill, Giordano, Gottlieb, Harris and Hill"