If you are Graves Saturday morning.....

[JeffGollin]

1. Enter the Federal Witness Protection Program

2. If that doesn't work, give Dick Cheney a tweet - ask for permission to hole up at the legendary "undisclosed location."

3. Barring that, huddle up with Keim and others and develop a "payback strategy" to deliver a message to the rest of the NFL that the Cardinals will not be a trough from which other teams can drop in to feed without consequences. If necessary, overpay to grab a FA in order to drive home that point.

4. Add up all the dollars freed up by the departure of Warner, Berry, Q, 'Los and Antrel and use some of it to sign a high profile FA - as a message to both players and fans that you are still serious about competing. Right now, we're 0 for 5 (0 for 6 if you include Chike). The fan-base needs a "W."

 

[Buckybird]

1. Enter the Federal Witness Protection Program

2. If that doesn't work, give Dick Cheney a tweet - ask for permission to hole up at the legendary "undisclosed location."

3. Barring that, huddle up with Keim and others and develop a "payback strategy" to deliver a message to the rest of the NFL that the Cardinals will not be a trough from which other teams can drop in to feed without consequences. If necessary, overpay to grab a FA in order to drive home that point.

4. Add up all the dollars freed up by the departure of Warner, Berry, Q, 'Los and Antrel and use some of it to sign a high profile FA - as a message to both players and fans that you are still serious about competing. Right now, we're 0 for 5 (0 for 6 if you include Chike). The fan-base needs a "W."

Good points Jeff. This team can't treat this free agency period like previous seasons & sign the 3rd tier players like seasons past. We have a major gap the size of the Grand Canyon in the middle of our defense as of today. People can say that Rolle & Dansby sucks all they want, but they simply can't stay put with Ware (unsigned & a lesser player than Rolle) & Walker, Haggans or whomever else is on the roster at ILB and expect to be as good as last season. Throw in the fact our NT play is suspect & those 2 losses yesterday defensively & you see the big hole in the middle I was talking about. If we can't makes some noise towards solving these issues in the FA period we need to get really serious about making some major moves up the draft board to correct these gaping holes in the draft. Yesterday was a major letdown to many fans & players of this team mentally.

Face reality folks this teams isn't nearly as good as it was in January & those are facts. Get the wheels turning Wiz!!!

 

[Cardiac]

If I'm RG I start planning for the rest of FA and then the draft. Re-signing our own players at this point is simply a PR move and not a good use of my time. There are 300 + FA's out there, some that can actually help us.

I now also have an extra pick in Rd 3 and 4 and have a ton of options to help restock this team. I will be able to draft a FS, NT, ILB, CB, TE & ?? in the first 4 rounds.

Now I will extend DD and Breaston etc at some point this year, just not now as I have to address the loss of Los & Rolle.

 

[HookemCards]

Check the powder, make sure it isn't getting dripped on.

 

[40yearfan]

Hmmm, I'd of thought some on here might have the balls to come on here and admit their pre-judgements of Graves were a little harsh. When you get a little older, you'll realize that patience is a virtue, not a stumbling block.

 

[Sandan]

We will see

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Trade for Kerry Rhodes and tell all my haters to **** as its only Day 2 of the offseason and I still have time to make this all right.

 

[DieHardCardFan]

Nice!!! Well I am glad the snooze button was not hit to many times this morning. I am not a Graves hater in case that was the idea some of you got. I was just posing a question.

 

[Garthshort]

I'll feel good with the following:
1. Get a FS (Done)
2. Sign Joey Porter or another pass rush LB
3. Sign Larry Foote or another ILB
4. Sign Jake Delhomme
5. Draft a CB, NT, ILB, QB, WR, S, and TE in that approximate order (First three may be moved around)
6. Extend DD and Steve B.
If these things happen, even if some of them happen, I'll be a happy camper.

 

[Evil Ash]

I'll feel good with the following:
1. Get a FS (Done)
2. Sign Joey Porter or another pass rush LB
3. Sign Larry Foote or another ILB
4. Sign Jake Delhomme
5. Draft a CB, NT, ILB, QB, WR, S, and TE in that approximate order (First three may be moved around)
6. Extend DD and Steve B.
If these things happen, even if some of them happen, I'll be a happy camper.

I hope we sign a vet TE and would rather go with someone other than Delhomme but this list seems to be a very realistic.

 

[joeshmo]

We have tried to do 3 trades so far. 2 of which have gone through. That has the be the most surprising start to free agency ever for this FO.

Dansby and Rolle leaving was no surprise but the fact that according not by the press but according to the players themselves, we worked our butts up to keep them with large contract offers. It didn't work out in the end but it is by far not what this FO usually does.

Both issues meaning this is not the same FO it was 5 years ago, not the same it was 3 years ago, and not the same as it was just a year ago. Maturation process right before our eyes. When Wiz was extended all team insiders stated he wasn't only highly paid he also got some other things that went unnamed. Those things presumably being possible shaded field and promises from the owners and FO to be more active and give Wiz a bigger voice.

Anyways, there is only one thing I am sort of surprised by. I thought we would have some more guys re-signed by now. Some of our low tier depth guys, not all of them of course but at least one - Robinson, Gandy/Bridges, Becht, Krieder, Ware, Biesel, Rackers. Granted it isn't a necessity but its usually the first thing we do.

 

[BullheadCardFan]

Anyways, there is only one thing I am sort of surprised by. I thought we would have some more guys re-signed by now. Some of our low tier depth guys, not all of them of course but at least one - Robinson, Gandy/Bridges, Becht, Krieder, Ware, Biesel, Rackers. Granted it isn't a necessity but its usually the first thing we do.

Maybe they are working on more FA's or trades right now and want to get the moves done and money structured before moving on the other issues. We didn't wait 2 weeks to make a move this year.

 

[JeffGollin]

Maybe they are working on more FA's or trades right now and want to get the moves done and money structured before moving on the other issues. We didn't wait 2 weeks to make a move this year.

Point well taken - the more issues you can resolve early, the less vulnerable you'll be later on; which can only strengthen any future bargaining position.

Any time you can say to a potential trading partner: "We have no pressing needs are in good enough shape to move in any one of several directions", the stronger you can be when trying to cut a deal.