JJ clearly behind Shipp ...

[BullheadCardFan]

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J.J. Arrington-RB-CardinalsApr. 17 - 9:20 am et

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J.J. Arrington was "clearly" behind Marcel Shipp on the depth chart at the Cardinals' first minicamp.

Not a surprise; Shipp was one of the first players signed to a contract extension when new head coach Ken Whisenhunt took over. If Arizona drafts a rookie, Arrington's roster spot could be in jeopardy.

Source: East Valley Tribune
Related: Marcel Shipp


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Sounds like "tiptoe" isn't taking advantage of the offseason to grow a set ... I can't figure this kid out .. is he still hearing footsteps from Williams or is he just a player who can't run with confidence .. ?? he had better find out before he is shown the door ...

 

[JC_AZ]

IMHO... This is GOOD News...but I still want AP!

 

[Divide Et Impera]

He's a poor man's Leland McElroy....

It's too bad. Really, the Cards didn't flub on that pick, per se, because he was highly regarded coming into the league, but we could have had Barber or the big RB from NYG (his name escapes me even though he was on my FF League all year )....

 

[abomb]

It's too bad. Really, the Cards didn't flub on that pick, per se, because he was highly regarded coming into the league, but we could have had Barber or the big RB from NYG (his name escapes me even though he was on my FF League all year )....

Brandon Jacobs.

 

[Mitch]

Brandon Jacobs.

I will be very interested too see what J.J. does this year.

It is true that it took some good RBs a few years to play well in the NFL...Thomas Jones is a perfect example.

Heck, the RB who many consider to be the 2nd best RB in the NFL right now, Larry Johnson (Chiefs), was being proclaimed as a total bust his first couple years.

Arrington did run harder and tougher last year. And the experience of running back kickoffs may have toughened him up some too.

I don't think it's right to write him off yet.

 

[Duckjake]

He's a poor man's Leland McElroy....

It's too bad. Really, the Cards didn't flub on that pick, per se, because he was highly regarded coming into the league, but we could have had Barber or the big RB from NYG (his name escapes me even though he was on my FF League all year )....

Looking back at the 2005 draft discussions the majority of posters were very happy with the Arrington selection. Maybe he'll show something this year but to me he's just not as quick as people thought.

Here's an interesting note on that draft. There was a poll posted on ASFN in 2005 asking who you would take with the #75 selection, the Cards 3rd round pick. The Cards eventually got three of the 6 guys listed in the poll. Blackstock, Elton Brown, and Eric Green.

 

[Stins]

Mitch, I agree to not "give-up" on JJ. I believe he will be much more effective in a power running game than the past finesse blocking schemes that Cards imployed last year. I also believe that the offensive line will be much improved over JJ's previous two. I just hope that the Cards draft offensive line in the first round, either Thomas or Brown. After these two the quality drops off quite a bit. Grimm can keep relating to the world that the OT position is strong, but this is just smoke. By the way Mitch I enjoy your articles thoroughly and the pomotion of much discussion.

 

[joko4]

I am not defending JJ at all, but, you can not evaluate JJ's running ability in the NFL yet, because he has never ran behind a decent line. If you put JJ on the Broncos you probably would like to trade for him. OL is the key.
MY prediction.
Every thing will come into place when Cards trade down a couple spots take
Levi Brown,then, hoping Baylock makes it too 38, if Cards feel somebody is going
to take Baylock ahead of them that's when they will use the extra pick to make sure they get him. I think with Whiz at the helm and his smash mouth football style what better way to start the 2007 season with not one, but two smash mouth brute offensive tackles.
See guys, draft predictions are so easy....

 

[Russ Smith]

Looking back at the 2005 draft discussions the majority of posters were very happy with the Arrington selection. Maybe he'll show something this year but to me he's just not as quick as people thought.

Here's an interesting note on that draft. There was a poll posted on ASFN in 2005 asking who you would take with the #75 selection, the Cards 3rd round pick. The Cards eventually got three of the 6 guys listed in the poll. Blackstock, Elton Brown, and Eric Green.

I always thought we took him a round too early but I am quite surprised he's been this bad.

But let's be honest, if he's running behind Shipp in his 3rd camp, he should be on the fence for getting cut. Shipp is a tough guy who plays hard but his best days are long behind him, if you can't beat out Shipp, you're not going to stick around much longer with the Cards.

I hope JJ improves but seeing that so far Whiz isn't that high on him has to be a red flag.

 

[lobo]

He will be history if they draft AP. Quite frankly he should be history in any case. One of the easiest position if not the easiest, to prove yourself is RB or KR

You know pretty quickly if what you bought was as advertised. Poor line inclusive.

 

[earthsci]

You know pretty quickly if what you bought was as advertised. Poor line inclusive.

Just like Thomas Jones?

 

[Duckjake]

Just like Thomas Jones?

There's another guy who couldn't take the RB position away from Shipp.
He also couldn't win out over Pittman in two different cities and now has been traded to make room for Cedric Benson. Yet he puts up good numbers in Chicago. You have to wonder what's going on off the field with some of these guys that we don't know about.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Looking back at the 2005 draft discussions the majority of posters were very happy with the Arrington selection. Maybe he'll show something this year but to me he's just not as quick as people thought.

Here's an interesting note on that draft. There was a poll posted on ASFN in 2005 asking who you would take with the #75 selection, the Cards 3rd round pick. The Cards eventually got three of the 6 guys listed in the poll. Blackstock, Elton Brown, and Eric Green.

I know that i wasn't one of them wanting JJ. I remember seeing him run in college and he never got touched until he was about 7 yards downfield,if then.At that time he was at top speed,could put one move on and be gone. He has nice speed but he was definitely a product of his OL. He's another example of reaching for a need and coming up on the wrong end of it.

 

[Zeno]

I know that i wasn't one of them wanting JJ. I remember seeing him run in college and he never got touched until he was about 7 yards downfield,if then.At that time he was at top speed,could put one move on and be gone. He has nice speed but he was definitely a product of his OL. He's another example of reaching for a need and coming up on the wrong end of it.

I don't think anyone thought that was a reach on draft day. Everyone had him projected to go high-mid second round.

Now in hindsight we probably could have drafted a more productive player but he wasn't a reach.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

I don't think anyone thought that was a reach on draft day. Everyone had him projected to go high-mid second round.

Now in hindsight we probably could have drafted a more productive player but he wasn't a reach.

You mean like Frank Gore?

 

[Russ Smith]

I don't think anyone thought that was a reach on draft day. Everyone had him projected to go high-mid second round.

Now in hindsight we probably could have drafted a more productive player but he wasn't a reach.

My objection was he moved from 3rd round to 2nd round by running a fast 40 at the combine and pro day. I said on draft day good player but one round early.

Still even as a 3rd rounder he'd have been a disappointment to now.

I will say in his defense, yes his college numbers were inflated by his OL some, but his NFL numbers have been DEflated by his OL too. But he's had 2 full years to show any sign of improvement so the fact that he's still behind Shipp now tells me its' not going to happen for JJ here.

He's better than he showed as a rookie(he barely played RB last season) but if he can't beat out Shipp right now, I don't see much future for him here.

 

[Mitch]

My objection was he moved from 3rd round to 2nd round by running a fast 40 at the combine and pro day. I said on draft day good player but one round early.

Still even as a 3rd rounder he'd have been a disappointment to now.

I will say in his defense, yes his college numbers were inflated by his OL some, but his NFL numbers have been DEflated by his OL too. But he's had 2 full years to show any sign of improvement so the fact that he's still behind Shipp now tells me its' not going to happen for JJ here.

He's better than he showed as a rookie(he barely played RB last season) but if he can't beat out Shipp right now, I don't see much future for him here.

Hey, Russ. Good to see you, man. Where you been?

Let's just wait until the pads come on and there's contact...right now the depth charts are moot. If J.J. starts hitting the holes faster and just as hard as anyone else, he'll get his touches.

Of course, all of this could be rendered moot if the Cards draft AP.

BTW, would you take AP at #5 with Thomas and Brown still available, Russ?

 

[Redheart]

... Shipp is ... but his best days are long behind him, ...

I can't begin to say how much I disagree with that; I believe it is exactly the opposite. I expect Shipp to have the best year of his career; he is healthy and hungry.

 

[BigRedArk]

Yeah I've missed ya too Russ. Keep on posting man!

 

[cardsfanmd]

I will be very interested too see what J.J. does this year.

It is true that it took some good RBs a few years to play well in the NFL...Thomas Jones is a perfect example.

Heck, the RB who many consider to be the 2nd best RB in the NFL right now, Larry Johnson (Chiefs), was being proclaimed as a total bust his first couple years.

Arrington did run harder and tougher last year. And the experience of running back kickoffs may have toughened him up some too.

I don't think it's right to write him off yet.

Since we were just talking about Jacobs, dont forget Tiki, who is a great example of a guy who took awhile.

 

[kerouac9]

I can't begin to say how much I disagree with that; I believe it is exactly the opposite. I expect Shipp to have the best year of his career; he is healthy and hungry.

 

[Duckjake]

Hey, don't be laughing at a guy who has been the Cardinals leading rusher 3 of the last 5 seasons!



How can the Cardinals be so bad at running the football for so long while sending one wide receiver after another to the pro-bowl. You would think that their success at passing the ball would open up the run game at some point but it never has.

Counting Larry Centers as a receiver, because that's what got him his pro-bowl selections not his running ability, the Cards have had 5 different guys make the pro bowl since moving to AZ(8 total appearances). Only one RB has been selected. A Cardinal WR has been at the pro-bowl in 4 of the last 5 years. It has been 16 seasons since the last RB was selected.

Total appearances since 1974:

WR's - 17
RB's - 7

 

[Mulli]

Hey, don't be laughing at a guy who has been the Cardinals leading rusher 3 of the last 5 seasons!



How can the Cardinals be so bad at running the football for so long while sending one wide receiver after another to the pro-bowl. You would think that their success at passing the ball would open up the run game at some point but it never has.

Counting Larry Centers as a receiver, because that's what got him his pro-bowl selections not his running ability, the Cards have had 5 different guys make the pro bowl since moving to AZ(8 total appearances). Only one RB has been selected. A Cardinal WR has been at the pro-bowl in 4 of the last 5 years. It has been 16 seasons since the last RB was selected.

Total appearances since 1974:

WR's - 17
RB's - 7

Perhaps, it is all of the games the Cards had to throw the ball because they were trailing instead of running the ball to use up the clock.

 

[Duckjake]

Perhaps, it is all of the games the Cards had to throw the ball because they were trailing instead of running the ball to use up the clock.

Maybe the Cards were trailing in all those games because they couldn't run the ball?

25 years with only one RB making a pro-bowl appearance is amazing.

All you have to do is compare the players who have been the leading receiver with those who have been the leading rusher to see that the Cards have been much better at selecting receiving talent.

Roy Green, JT Smith, Ricky Proehl, Larry Centers, Frank Sanders, Rob Moore, David Boston, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin vs Johnny Johnson, Leland McElroy, Garrison Hearst, Ron Moore, LeShon Johnson, Adrian Murrell, Michael Pittman, Emmit Smith and Marcel Shipp.

 

[lobo]

Just like Thomas Jones?

Yeah just like Thomas Jones. Care to
spend a few months going up and back on RB's who developed versus guys with big pr who failed. I don't think you care to do that as the results are overwhelming.

RB is one of the easiest positions to hit the ground running if you really have the goods. Notice how few OL apply early to get drafted. Guess why?