Just Talked to MJ and Jody

[Mitch]

The point I tried to make was that I remembered very clearly watching feed from BA's very first practice two years ago and I found it curious that the player he leaned on and turned to for leadership right from the beginning was Darnell Dockett: "Break em down, Dock," BA said.

At the time I felt that it was interesting that BA didn't say, "Break em down Fitz." Or, "Break em down Carson."

What I have been trying to do is understand how Dockett must feel right now. He totally sucked it up for the team this year. Most guys when they tear an ACL disappear into the rehab cocoon. See 2014 offensive captain, Carson Palmer. See DE John Abraham.

We know how passionate Dockett is about going back to Florida. Dockett stayed the whole time in AZ and rallied his Birdgang through every contest. He took all the flights and logged all the miles. He was there---in the moment---giving all he could to his teammates.

Now---don't get me wrong---even Dock himself had to know even when he signed his 5 year deal that the odds of realizing the $9.6M in the last year of his deal were very slim.

However, clearly in light of Dock's tweets last week, he is not happy with what the Cardinals have offered in the restructure.

What compounds Dock's situation is the timing of these negotiations in that the Cardinals have recently worked out the Larry Fitzgerald situation---wherein Fitz, at his age, is still making top money from the Cardinals.

Sure---Fitz has earned a little more money---not that he really needs it---but when people talk about Fitz's contract they talk about the value of Fitz's leadership.

But---what I beg to ask and---this is what I asked MJ and Jody---what about Dock's leadership? Does he deserve a little added compensation for that?

As the reality of this situation is settling in---man, my own vision of what it going to feel like if the Arizona Cardinals ever hoist the Lombardi---that vision has always included Darnell Dockett, whom I think is one of the rare players who helped turn this hapless franchise around. And if anyone ever asked me---I think Dockett should be a slam dunk for the Cardinals' Ring of Honor. 1 All-Pro season, 3 Pro Bowls, 4-2 in the playoffs with him playing, 3 sacks in the Super Bowl.

 

[BigRedRage]

The point I tried to make was that I remembered very clearly watching feed from BA's very first practice two years ago and I found it curious that the player he leaned on and turned to for leadership right from the beginning was Darnell Dockett: "Break em down, Dock," BA said.

At the time I felt that it was interesting that BA didn't say, "Break em down Fitz." Or, "Break em down Carson."

What I have been trying to do is understand how Dockett must feel right now. He totally sucked it up for the team this year. Most guys when they tear an ACL disappear into the rehab cocoon. See 2014 offensive captain, Carson Palmer. See DE John Abraham.

We know how passionate Dockett is about going back to Florida. Dockett stayed the whole time in AZ and rallied his Birdgang through every contest. He took all the flights and logged all the miles. He was there---in the moment---giving all he could to his teammates.

Now---don't get me wrong---even Dock himself had to know even when he signed his 5 year deal that the odds of realizing the $9.6M in the last year of his deal.

However, clearly in light of Dock's tweets last week, he is not happy with what the Cardinals have offered in the restructure.

What compounds Dock's situation is the timing of these negotiations in that the Cardinals have recently worked out the Larry Fitzgerald situation---wherein Fitz, at his age, is still making top money from the Cardinals.

Sure---Fitz has earned a little more money---not that he really needs it---but when people talk about Fitz's contract they talk about the value of Fitz's leadership.

But---what I beg to ask and---this is what I asked MJ and Jody---what about Dock's leadership? Does he deserve a little added compensation for that?

As the reality of this situation is settling in---man, my own vision of what it going to feel like if the Arizona Cardinals ever hoist the Lombardi---that vision has always included Darnell Dockett, whom I think is one of the rare players who helped turn this hapless franchise around. And if anyone ever asked me---I think Dockett should be a slam dunk for the Cardinals' Ring of Honor. 1 All-Pro season, 3 Pro Bowls, 4-2 in the playoffs with him playing, 3 sacks in the Super Bowl.

Nice post Mitch

 

[Jetstream Green]

Ok, you spoke to MJ and Jody... what did they say

 

[Osbern61]

Great post, Mitch.

 

[Mitch]

Ok, you spoke to MJ and Jody... what did they say

I think they were surprised (first that someone was calling from Foxborough MA) because all the other callers were saying---and understandably so---that this is the way it is in the NFL especially for aging veterans in the last year of lucrative contracts, compounded by the fact in Dock's case that he is coming off an ACL injury.

MJ and Jody said they appreciated the passionate response to Dock's situation---and reiterated that while the ball is now in Dock's court, that he could find that the market isn't there for him and he still could return to the Cardinals.

 

[Jetstream Green]

I think they were surprised (first that someone was calling from Foxborough MA) because all the other callers were saying---and understandably so---that this is the way it is in the NFL especially for aging veterans in the last year of lucrative contracts, compounded by the fact in Dock's case that he is coming off an ACL injury.

MJ and Jody said they appreciated the passionate response to Dock's situation---and reiterated that while the ball is now in Dock's court, that he could find that the market isn't there for him and he still could return to the Cardinals.

Thanks Mitch!

 

[Mitch]

Nice post Mitch

Thank you BRR and Osbern---

There is no question in my mind that Darnell Dockett makes us a tougher team---he is one of the few players we've had who actually has a "beast" mode.

The way he's been rehabbing---and the exemplary commitment he showed to the team this past season (which, imo, helped him to be so determined in his rehab)---suggest to me that he is going to show up as determined as ever this year.

We saw what happened when Q left.

And while some fans are arguing that the defense didn't miss Dockett this past year, I beg to differ. The defense melted down the stretch and they turned soft.

When we get those rare tough guys---who can flip into the beast mode---we need to keep them.

To Fitz's credit, we have seen that he can flip that switch, even when he's injured. But Fitz is soft-spoken. He leads by example. And that's OK. But every team needs a voice that's more resonant than the rest and Darnell Dockett has been that voice.

We need Dockett's voice and his passion. There's a reason why BA has leaned on Dock since he arrived. There is no one on the roster quite like him.

 

[cardncubfan]

As the reality of this situation is settling in---man, my own vision of what it going to feel like if the Arizona Cardinals ever hoist the Lombardi---that vision has always included Darnell Dockett, whom I think is one of the rare players who helped turn this hapless franchise around. And if anyone ever asked me---I think Dockett should be a slam dunk for the Cardinals' Ring of Honor. 1 All-Pro season, 3 Pro Bowls, 4-2 in the playoffs with him playing, 3 sacks in the Super Bowl.

Completely agree with this Walter. DD bleeds Cardinal Red & is the epitome of Birdgang. I hope he comes back & re-signs.

 

[Jetstream Green]

I just don't get why they won't pay Williams and Docket both when one considers the generosity they applied to Fitz even with the new contract. I cannot praise Keim at the moment for this after how they honored Fitz. Fitz is still a player but not his former self... does not Dockett and especially Williams deserve this if Fitz gets the loyalty and they are less of a cap burden combined than Larry

 

[dreday]

And while some fans are arguing that the defense didn't miss Dockett this past year, I beg to differ. The defense melted down the stretch and they turned soft.

When we get those rare tough guys---who can flip into the beast mode---we need to keep them.

Don't get me wrong Mitch, I love Docket and would hate to see him play in another uniform but he turned soft at the end of 2012 along with the rest of the defense. Perhaps they were trying to get Whiz ousted but he was no 'beast'.

I wish he would have restructured and we were able to keep Dan Williams.

 

[Mitch]

I just don't get why they won't pay Williams and Docket both when one considers the generosity they applied to Fitz even with the new contract. I cannot praise Keim at the moment for this after how they honored Fitz. Fitz is still a player but not his former self... does not Dockett and especially Williams deserve this if Fitz gets the loyalty and they are less of a cap burden combined than Larry

I agree where Dockett is concerned.

JGreen: I will never forget that debacle of a Jets game where CKW played out his vendetta against Skelton to the utter detriment of the team and Lindley went a miserable 3 and out on every possession and the defense was on the field the entire game--- and were playing their arses off---especially Dockett and then came the word from the sidelines late in the game to let the Jets score a TD. You remember, I know. We all do. Darnell Dockett stood up like the man he is and said no freaking way.

Darnell Dockett is a winner---he is one of the rare players we have ever had who even has a beast mode. He intimidates. He hits hard. He plays with tremendous desire and passion.

Plus---he is a galvanizing force in the building.

Letting him go is an egregious mistake, imo. Darnell Dockett is a rare breed of Cardinal, the likes of which is near impossible to replace.

 

[Mitch]

Don't get me wrong Mitch, I love Docket and would hate to see him play in another uniform but he turned soft at the end of 2012 along with the rest of the defense. Perhaps they were trying to get Whiz ousted but he was no 'beast'.

I wish he would have restructured and we were able to keep Dan Williams.

dreday---please if you can go back and watch that Jets game in 2012. Darnell Dockett played his ever-living tail off in a role that he hated (Horton's 2 gap).

After that game the players knew CKW had quit on them. The whole handling of that team was an utter debacle.

Fast forward to 2013---Dockett was one of the main reasons why we were top 3 in NFL versus the run and he wreaked havoc on pass plays. He had 45 tackles and 4.5 sacks and copious penetrations and pressures. Dock was rejuvenated. Watch the Seahawk game where he and the d-line laid the hammer on Marshawn Lynch. How dis that game go this year when it mattered most? We missed Dockett in that game more than any other.

 

[Reddog]

I agree where Dockett is concerned.

JGreen: I will never forget that debacle of a Jets game where CKW played out his vendetta against Skelton to the utter detriment of the team and Lindley went a miserable 3 and out on every possession and the defense was on the field the entire game--- and were playing their arses off---especially Dockett and then came the word from the sidelines late in the game to let the Jets score a TD. You remember, I know. We all do. Darnell Dockett stood up like the man he is and said no freaking way.

Darnell Dockett is a winner---he is one of the rare players we have ever had who even has a beast mode. He intimidates. He hits hard. He plays with tremendous desire and passion.

Plus---he is a galvanizing force in the building.

Letting him go is an egregious mistake, imo. Darnell Dockett is a rare breed of Cardinal, the likes of which is near impossible to replace.

I love the guy but if he was unwilling to take a pay cut we had no choice.
Haven't seen any comments from him but my hope is they let him go this early as a courtesy that he appreciates and the plan is for first right of refusal. My fear is that isn't the case and DD will be bitter and never dawn the redbird again. Him not anticipate the need to redo his deal the minute he went down with the ACL would be surprising.

 

[Shane]

Completely agree with this Walter. DD bleeds Cardinal Red & is the epitome of Birdgang. I hope he comes back & re-signs.

You'll find out how much red he "bleeds" if he comes back

 

[Jetstream Green]

I agree where Dockett is concerned.

JGreen: I will never forget that debacle of a Jets game where CKW played out his vendetta against Skelton to the utter detriment of the team and Lindley went a miserable 3 and out on every possession and the defense was on the field the entire game--- and were playing their arses off---especially Dockett and then came the word from the sidelines late in the game to let the Jets score a TD. You remember, I know. We all do. Darnell Dockett stood up like the man he is and said no freaking way.

Darnell Dockett is a winner---he is one of the rare players we have ever had who even has a beast mode. He intimidates. He hits hard. He plays with tremendous desire and passion.

Plus---he is a galvanizing force in the building.

Letting him go is an egregious mistake, imo. Darnell Dockett is a rare breed of Cardinal, the likes of which is near impossible to replace.

People can talk about sportsmanship and playing fair and all that junk all day long but like hockey, every team in the NFL has one guy on defense, if they are any good, that sets the tone and enforces the physical aspect. The NFL is a violent sport. Dockett is the character of this defense. Simply put he is the b@lls and not the heart of the team and you need those too haha. I dig Campbell, but he has a teddy bear attitude compared to Dockett lol

 

[Russ Smith]

I get that Dockett has been good but how many new contracts has he gotten and did he really think he'd get that last years' salary? That was strictly a salary cap thing and he knew it when he signed.

It sucks but it's a business

 

[redheat]

He must have a better offer already if he didn't take ours. Doubt we see him back.

 

[TRW]

Love me some 9-0 and will be rockin' the black 9-0 jersey I bought a few years back.

But, I think that it was a matter of the Cards had a number and 9-0 had a number and he thought their number sucked.

He is one of my favorite players and I agree that his fire and passion will be missed. The business side of things can be messed up.

I can't get too upset and wring my hands about this situation though. The Cards have settled in a pretty good system and I will wait and see what, if any, repercussions this move holds.

I will still hope 9-0 ends up here. If he doesn't, that's life in the salary cap world.

 

[joeshmo]

MJ mentioned at the beginning of the show that other players in the locker room were starting to roll their eyes at Docketts "leadership". Dockets white board message to Raiders fans being one of those moments. Which players and how many, he did not mention it. Surprised he brought it up, him and Dockett are pretty tight, at least as tight as a media guy can be with a football player.

 

[jbjarko]

Great post Mitch. This makes me wonder if this was solely a SK decision. You bring up a great point and I envision BA in his office vehemently upset. Guess we'll never know. But it is obvious BA loves the guy.

 

[Darkside]

The point I tried to make was that I remembered very clearly watching feed from BA's very first practice two years ago and I found it curious that the player he leaned on and turned to for leadership right from the beginning was Darnell Dockett: "Break em down, Dock," BA said.

At the time I felt that it was interesting that BA didn't say, "Break em down Fitz." Or, "Break em down Carson."

What I have been trying to do is understand how Dockett must feel right now. He totally sucked it up for the team this year. Most guys when they tear an ACL disappear into the rehab cocoon. See 2014 offensive captain, Carson Palmer. See DE John Abraham.

We know how passionate Dockett is about going back to Florida. Dockett stayed the whole time in AZ and rallied his Birdgang through every contest. He took all the flights and logged all the miles. He was there---in the moment---giving all he could to his teammates.

Now---don't get me wrong---even Dock himself had to know even when he signed his 5 year deal that the odds of realizing the $9.6M in the last year of his deal were very slim.

However, clearly in light of Dock's tweets last week, he is not happy with what the Cardinals have offered in the restructure.

What compounds Dock's situation is the timing of these negotiations in that the Cardinals have recently worked out the Larry Fitzgerald situation---wherein Fitz, at his age, is still making top money from the Cardinals.

Sure---Fitz has earned a little more money---not that he really needs it---but when people talk about Fitz's contract they talk about the value of Fitz's leadership.

But---what I beg to ask and---this is what I asked MJ and Jody---what about Dock's leadership? Does he deserve a little added compensation for that?

As the reality of this situation is settling in---man, my own vision of what it going to feel like if the Arizona Cardinals ever hoist the Lombardi---that vision has always included Darnell Dockett, whom I think is one of the rare players who helped turn this hapless franchise around. And if anyone ever asked me---I think Dockett should be a slam dunk for the Cardinals' Ring of Honor. 1 All-Pro season, 3 Pro Bowls, 4-2 in the playoffs with him playing, 3 sacks in the Super Bowl.

Agree with all of this.

However, on the flip side, we've seen GM's hang on to players too long out of loyalty, and it seems like every game we were screaming, why, with diminishing skills, is he still starting. Adub is the most recent example I can think of, but there are others. And I love Adub, I think he and Dock, specifically those two, helped usher in the new Cardinals.

Also, we don't know what happened behind closed doors, whether they tried to renegotiate at a lower price, and maybe he just wasn't having it.

The era of FA killed loyalty. Players wanted the freedom to pick and choose for the highest bidder, but it goes both ways.

I just have a feeling Dock overplayed his hand by thinking he could get more in FA (than the renegotiated price) and tried to use it as leverage. Keim has proven he doesn't play that way. He has a metrics spreadsheet somewhere representing what a player is worth at his age after an injury like that and he doesn't deviate. It's #s, not loyalty.

I'd bet nowhere on that spreadsheet is there a column representing # of years played in AZ.

GMs can't afford to get emotional. Keim is playing with real money, and it isn't his.

 

[WildBB]

I met Adrian Wilson as well. You could tell his heart is still beating Cardinals Red.

And WHEN Big Red raises that Lombardi, you can bet he and Darnell will be right in the center of the celebrations.

 

[GatorAZ]

The point I tried to make was that I remembered very clearly watching feed from BA's very first practice two years ago and I found it curious that the player he leaned on and turned to for leadership right from the beginning was Darnell Dockett: "Break em down, Dock," BA said.

At the time I felt that it was interesting that BA didn't say, "Break em down Fitz." Or, "Break em down Carson."

What I have been trying to do is understand how Dockett must feel right now. He totally sucked it up for the team this year. Most guys when they tear an ACL disappear into the rehab cocoon. See 2014 offensive captain, Carson Palmer. See DE John Abraham.

We know how passionate Dockett is about going back to Florida. Dockett stayed the whole time in AZ and rallied his Birdgang through every contest. He took all the flights and logged all the miles. He was there---in the moment---giving all he could to his teammates.

Now---don't get me wrong---even Dock himself had to know even when he signed his 5 year deal that the odds of realizing the $9.6M in the last year of his deal were very slim.

However, clearly in light of Dock's tweets last week, he is not happy with what the Cardinals have offered in the restructure.

What compounds Dock's situation is the timing of these negotiations in that the Cardinals have recently worked out the Larry Fitzgerald situation---wherein Fitz, at his age, is still making top money from the Cardinals.

Sure---Fitz has earned a little more money---not that he really needs it---but when people talk about Fitz's contract they talk about the value of Fitz's leadership.

But---what I beg to ask and---this is what I asked MJ and Jody---what about Dock's leadership? Does he deserve a little added compensation for that?

As the reality of this situation is settling in---man, my own vision of what it going to feel like if the Arizona Cardinals ever hoist the Lombardi---that vision has always included Darnell Dockett, whom I think is one of the rare players who helped turn this hapless franchise around. And if anyone ever asked me---I think Dockett should be a slam dunk for the Cardinals' Ring of Honor. 1 All-Pro season, 3 Pro Bowls, 4-2 in the playoffs with him playing, 3 sacks in the Super Bowl.

They made him one of the highest paid DT's in NFL history and gave him the largest contract in team history (at the time). They owe him absolutely nothing. Keim can't run the team like a fan would.

 

[speedy]

Thank you BRR and Osbern---

There is no question in my mind that Darnell Dockett makes us a tougher team---he is one of the few players we've had who actually has a "beast" mode.

The way he's been rehabbing---and the exemplary commitment he showed to the team this past season (which, imo, helped him to be so determined in his rehab)---suggest to me that he is going to show up as determined as ever this year.

We saw what happened when Q left.

And while some fans are arguing that the defense didn't miss Dockett this past year, I beg to differ. The defense melted down the stretch and they turned soft.

When we get those rare tough guys---who can flip into the beast mode---we need to keep them.

To Fitz's credit, we have seen that he can flip that switch, even when he's injured. But Fitz is soft-spoken. He leads by example. And that's OK. But every team needs a voice that's more resonant than the rest and Darnell Dockett has been that voice.

We need Dockett's voice and his passion. There's a reason why BA has leaned on Dock since he arrived. There is no one on the roster quite like him.

Not the same thing dude. Dockett isn't anywhere close to the leader Q was. Totally different people IMO.

 

[Finito]

Not the same thing dude. Dockett isn't anywhere close to the leader Q was. Totally different people IMO.

Your kidding right.