K9's Offseason Plan 1.0 (including Top 5 mock draft)

[Mulli]

***not hijacking thread***

I just think that Cam Newton brings something unique to the team that drafts him that is valuable. I think that he's a great leader on the field and that his mechanics aren't as messy as people here suggest. I think that his mobility is something that is going to transfer to the next level to the offensive coaches who can use it right, and I think that he has short, intermediate, and deep touch and accuracy that can succeed at the next level (it's the accuracy that worries me about John Skelton for the long term). As I've said before, taking a chance on Cam Newton is taking a chance that he'll develop into a transcendent talent--a faster Ben Roethlisberger whose team will rally around and look to as a leader--a more polished Vince Young. At #5 overall, the downside risk of that chance is a little too high for me.

I worried about Bradford's durability at the NFL level (largely) and whether his productivity would transfer out of the spread offense and playing with real competition. Have those reservations been totally dismissed by now? He certainly made his teammates better. But he had a 76.5 QB rating as a rookie, and FootballOutsiders had him rated below Alex Smith in their deep rankings. I think that Bradford can be a very good quarterback in the mold of (but not the productivity of) Peyton Manning.

***end not hijacked thread***

If I'm spending a 2nd round pick on a player, I expect him to be an above-average player within two years if he's not a QB. I think that Beal will sub for Clark Haggans as a rookie and then compete for the starting job with Will Davis his second season. Do I think he'll be a 15-sack player? I don't know if you can say that with any assurance. But I have high hopes for O'Brien Schofield's development in his second season.

Great. Do you think that the Cards can have a defense along the lines of the Jets who have a solid front seven but not really a stud pass rusher?

 

[kerouac9]

Great. Do you think that the Cards can have a defense along the lines of the Jets who have a solid front seven but not really a stud pass rusher?

Right now? No. Because we're not physical enough in the front seven, and because we don't have the leadership or attitude in that group to put that together. I think that we could have a defense like the Chargers had for a couple of seasons, the kind that Wade Phillips designs, that is built around speed instead of size at the linebacker level.

We seem to be playing this Pittsburgh/Parcells model in our front seven, and we wonder why 240 lbs Paris Lenon gets blown out of the play over and over.

 

[Mulli]

Right now? No. Because we're not physical enough in the front seven, and because we don't have the leadership or attitude in that group to put that together. I think that we could have a defense like the Chargers had for a couple of seasons, the kind that Wade Phillips designs, that is built around speed instead of size at the linebacker level.

We seem to be playing this Pittsburgh/Parcells model in our front seven, and we wonder why 240 lbs Paris Lenon gets blown out of the play over and over.

Yep. If you look at the Pittsb lbers, they look twice the size of the Cards LBs.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

I like the draft. I'd like to se another OG brought in during FA. Mankins is my dream signing but we know how Graves operates so that's not happening.
Whoever said Cannon has bad feet is mistaken. He's supposedly one the top athletes on the team and has very light for a 350 pounder, if there is such a thing as light feet for a 350 lber .

 

[kerouac9]

On extending Levi Brown

No one is a bigger Levi Brown skeptic than I, and certainly he hasn't played up to his draft status. But I'm not eager to repeat the mistakes of Leonard Davis and every other offensive lineman that we've brought in.

Levi Brown can play in the NFL. He's not going to play to the level of a Top 5 pick, and that's unfortunate. But the choice is releasing him and getting nothing for him after 2011, or making him a part of your roster for the long term. If you can get Levi Brown for the next 8 years averaging $6.25 million per year, isn't that a deal you'd make?

The problem with the OL seems to me to be 1) scheme, 2) continuity, 3) coaching, and 4) talent, in that order. You don't have to not add pieces if you lock up Levi Brown, you just push the lowest guy on the roster off. Levi Brown is here for 2011; the choice is whether you watch another top 10 pick leave for nothing in 2012 and start over again at LT, or you draft and develop a guy who doesn't have to start immediately.

I like the option of Levi Brown competing with a legit OT candidate in 2012 more than a legit OT prospect "competing" with a B.S. veteran like Oliver Ross or Trumaine McBride like we've seen in years past.

 

[kerouac9]

I like the draft. I'd like to se another OG brought in during FA. Mankins is my dream signing but we know how Graves operates so that's not happening.
Whoever said Cannon has bad feet is mistaken. He's supposedly one the top athletes on the team and has very light for a 350 pounder, if there is such a thing as light feet for a 350 lber .

We probably will. There'll be a lot of roster filling, especially once Faneca figures out his future. We might see a guy like David Baas (SF) brought in or something like that. It'll be a numbers thing, and I'd rather have a legit FA brought in than fill that spot with an undrafted free agent.

Tom Peastock will be in the mix next offseason. Losing Herman Johnson from the practice squad hurt our OL depth because we're old.

The alternative is starting with 3 new OL (with Brandon Keith only having half a season of experience) next season. That didn't work out too well for us this year.

 

[Cheesebeef]

No one is a bigger Levi Brown skeptic than I, and certainly he hasn't played up to his draft status. But I'm not eager to repeat the mistakes of Leonard Davis and every other offensive lineman that we've brought in.

Levi Brown can play in the NFL. He's not going to play to the level of a Top 5 pick, and that's unfortunate. But the choice is releasing him and getting nothing for him after 2011, or making him a part of your roster for the long term. If you can get Levi Brown for the next 8 years averaging $6.25 million per year, isn't that a deal you'd make?

um... NO. I don't even care that he hasn't played like a 5th pick... he just freaking stinks and seeing him on the team for EIGHT MORE YEARS is mind-boggling to me.

 

[kerouac9]

um... NO. I don't even care that he hasn't played like a 5th pick... he just freaking stinks and seeing him on the team for EIGHT MORE YEARS is mind-boggling to me.

• The New York Jets have their last 7 first-round picks still on the roster.
• The Green Bay Packers have 7 of their last 8 first-round picks still on the roster.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers have 8 of their last 10 first-round picks still on their roster, and another of them will be playing for the other team next week.
• The Indianapolis Colts have 8 of their last 11 first-round picks playing for them.
• The New England Patriots have 6 of their last 8 first round picks playing for them, and they traded another to move up 2 rounds in the NFL draft.

Not all of these teams' first round picks became marquee players at their positions, but they stay good in the NFL because they don't cast aside players in whom they have invested time and treasure because they're not what they hoped to be.

The Arizona Cardinals have 5 of their last 15 first-round draft picks still on the roster. Since 2003 we've signed exactly one first-round draft pick to a contract extension. I swear to God: you wonder why this team is perennially bad, and then you want to throw out a developed player because he isn't what we wanted him to be when we drafted him.

 

[bg7brd]

If you're looking at both Quinn and Peterson on the board at 5, who would you go with?

 

[kerouac9]

If you're looking at both Quinn and Peterson on the board at 5, who would you go with?

Peterson. I hate Quinn as a prospect. When was there a player who missed an entire season of college football and succeeded? Bo Jackson? Eric Swann? Why is this kid's name being bandied about in the media as a top prospect? No scout has seen him play in over a year.

 

[Shane]

Time to change the signature K9

 

[WildBB]

The Jets clogged up the Pats lethal passing attack by letting their corners go 1 on 1 on the outside, and letting the other 5 defenders concentrate on the middle of the field. Having Peterson would allow the Cardinals to play that kind of coverage.

Actually they have two very solid candidates at #5 in Peterson and Amukamara could do vertually the same. He'd be solid as well.

After watching the secondary getting repeatedly burned, after QB it's my #1 priority. At some point the unit has to step up on it's own and this past season it didn't happen.

 

[Buckybird]

Lawson can be that guy, IMO.

Never has & wouldn't think that he turns studly after 6 years.

 

[football karma]

It's especially not going to be a lightweight like Luke Stocker. 6'6", 240 lbs? There's no way. Heath Miller is 6'5", 256. Jason Witten is 6'6", 263. There's no chance we're going to draft a receiving TE early in the draft.

Stocker is listed at 6-6, 253. I am sure he has room for another 5-10lbs eventually.

Stocker is also a good blocker -- unlike most TEs who come out these days that can catch.

 

[CardLogic]

No one is a bigger Levi Brown skeptic than I, and certainly he hasn't played up to his draft status. But I'm not eager to repeat the mistakes of Leonard Davis and every other offensive lineman that we've brought in.

Levi Brown can play in the NFL. He's not going to play to the level of a Top 5 pick, and that's unfortunate. But the choice is releasing him and getting nothing for him after 2011, or making him a part of your roster for the long term. If you can get Levi Brown for the next 8 years averaging $6.25 million per year, isn't that a deal you'd make?

The problem with the OL seems to me to be 1) scheme, 2) continuity, 3) coaching, and 4) talent, in that order. You don't have to not add pieces if you lock up Levi Brown, you just push the lowest guy on the roster off. Levi Brown is here for 2011; the choice is whether you watch another top 10 pick leave for nothing in 2012 and start over again at LT, or you draft and develop a guy who doesn't have to start immediately.

I like the option of Levi Brown competing with a legit OT candidate in 2012 more than a legit OT prospect "competing" with a B.S. veteran like Oliver Ross or Trumaine McBride like we've seen in years past.

• The New York Jets have their last 7 first-round picks still on the roster.
• The Green Bay Packers have 7 of their last 8 first-round picks still on the roster.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers have 8 of their last 10 first-round picks still on their roster, and another of them will be playing for the other team next week.
• The Indianapolis Colts have 8 of their last 11 first-round picks playing for them.
• The New England Patriots have 6 of their last 8 first round picks playing for them, and they traded another to move up 2 rounds in the NFL draft.

Not all of these teams' first round picks became marquee players at their positions, but they stay good in the NFL because they don't cast aside players in whom they have invested time and treasure because they're not what they hoped to be.

The Arizona Cardinals have 5 of their last 15 first-round draft picks still on the roster. Since 2003 we've signed exactly one first-round draft pick to a contract extension. I swear to God: you wonder why this team is perennially bad, and then you want to throw out a developed player because he isn't what we wanted him to be when we drafted him.

Solid perspective, k9.

 

[az1965]

The FA will be considered a disaster. Levi at best has been average... not sure about that extension.

 

[splitsecond]

• The New York Jets have their last 7 first-round picks still on the roster.
• The Green Bay Packers have 7 of their last 8 first-round picks still on the roster.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers have 8 of their last 10 first-round picks still on their roster, and another of them will be playing for the other team next week.
• The Indianapolis Colts have 8 of their last 11 first-round picks playing for them.
• The New England Patriots have 6 of their last 8 first round picks playing for them, and they traded another to move up 2 rounds in the NFL draft.

Not all of these teams' first round picks became marquee players at their positions, but they stay good in the NFL because they don't cast aside players in whom they have invested time and treasure because they're not what they hoped to be.

The Arizona Cardinals have 5 of their last 15 first-round draft picks still on the roster. Since 2003 we've signed exactly one first-round draft pick to a contract extension. I swear to God: you wonder why this team is perennially bad, and then you want to throw out a developed player because he isn't what we wanted him to be when we drafted him.

Someone needs to fax this post to Michael bidwill 10x a day, every day, until he fires Rod Graves.

 

[vinnymac]

I agree with your assetment of keeping your 1st round pick. I would return Levi back to right tackle or try him at guard Just like Lenoard Davis. I believe that would better suite him and the Cardinals.

I agree with signing Marc Bulger, Alex Smith, and Manny Lawson. Smith and Lawson are both #1 draft picks and played with divisional foes. So they know the players who play in the division well. So does Bulger. That would be a big plus for the Cardinals.

I do agree the Cardinals need a cb or a mean ass dl. This team needs some mean nasty players on the defensive side of the ball. I didn't see that this past season.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

• The New York Jets have their last 7 first-round picks still on the roster.
• The Green Bay Packers have 7 of their last 8 first-round picks still on the roster.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers have 8 of their last 10 first-round picks still on their roster, and another of them will be playing for the other team next week.
• The Indianapolis Colts have 8 of their last 11 first-round picks playing for them.
• The New England Patriots have 6 of their last 8 first round picks playing for them, and they traded another to move up 2 rounds in the NFL draft.

Not all of these teams' first round picks became marquee players at their positions, but they stay good in the NFL because they don't cast aside players in whom they have invested time and treasure because they're not what they hoped to be.

The Arizona Cardinals have 5 of their last 15 first-round draft picks still on the roster. Since 2003 we've signed exactly one first-round draft pick to a contract extension. I swear to God: you wonder why this team is perennially bad, and then you want to throw out a developed player because he isn't what we wanted him to be when we drafted him.

No, we want to throw out Levi because he sucks out loud. He's developed, but unfortunately he's developed into a crappy player, and a sub par starter. Now you want to reward him with a ridiculous extension because he was a first round pick?

You're preaching to the choir when you say that we need to draft better, especially in the first round. There is no doubt about that. There's no point in compounding the problem by rewarding a player that has only regressed. Hell, I'd rather see Jeremy Bridges in there at LT, and he's mediocre at best.

 

[overseascardfan]

Assumptions:

1. CBA doesn't get resolved before the draft, so no free agency to fill holes.
2. The Huddle Report Player Value Rankings for draft assumptions. No one above our choice is available (after my Top 5 mock)
3. I don't forecast trades, because they're unpredictable, but I'll mention when they're possible.

Re-signings/extensions before CBA expiration:

1. Lyle Sendlein, OC. 4 years, $10 million, $4 million guaranteed. He should jump at this deal after making the NFL minimum for four seasons. Good player with experience even if he has to battle for a starting job.

2. Deuce Lutui, RG. 6 years, $30 million, $10 million guaranteed. He's a B-plus lineman, and the best in our unit. I'd include $500K workout bonuses every season to make sure that he's in the program and 2010's offseason doesn't happen again.

3. Levi Brown, LT. 6 years, $50 million, $18 million guaranteed. It's not what it seems, though. The Cards essentially guarantee the next two years of Brown's contract (which should be in the ballpark of $16-18 million) and have $5 million or so salaries the rest of the contract. Brown hasn't played up to his draft position, but he's been healthy and you can always move him back to the right side.

NFL DRAFT
PANTHERS: DaQuan Bowers, DE, Clemson. The Panthers know what a marquee defensive end can do for a franchise.
BRONCOS: Nick Fairley, DT, Auburn. The MVP of the National Championship game gives the Broncos a playmaker as they transition (back) to a 4-3 defense.
BILLS: Blaine Gabbert, QB, Mizzou. Building the defense doesn't sell tickets in Buffalo or Toronto. Hope sells tickets. Gabbert has the arm strength to push the ball through the winds upstate New York.
BENGALS: Robert Quinn, DE, North Carolina. The Bengals might like to trade out of this spot. The Bengals defense has some continuity, but they lack a premier pass rush specialist who can play every down. Surprisingly, the Bengals take a character risk on a player.

1 (5). Patrick Peterson, CB, LSU. Cards take BPA here to help push Michael Adams down the depth chart and provide competition with both Greg Toler and DRC. Peterson is a special player.
2 (38). DE/OLB Jeremy Beal, Oklahoma. Cards reach a little bit with OT and OG prospects on the board, but Beal has great intensity and football instincts that will help spell both OLB positions. He's not a pass rushing demon, though.
3 (69). Marcus Cannon, OT/OG, TCU. Cards apparently like Horned Frogs. Cannon has good size and will take the Brandon Keith/Herman Johnson role of being trained inside before moving to tackle.
4 (102). Mason Foster, LB, Washington. The 6'2", 244 lbs. Foster will provide a physical presence on special teams and a developmental thumper at the SILB position.
5 (133). Casey Matthews, LB, Oregon. If you could put Matthews's mind in Daryl Washington's body, you'd have a perrennial Pro Bowl linebacker. Matthews will be a sub player and a demon on special teams.
6A (166). Weslye Saunders, TE, South Carolina. Something has to be done at the tight end position. At 6'5", 280 lbs., Saunders will be the 6th offensive lineman (5th if you don't count Brandon Keith) that the Cards seem to want at the position.
6B (179). Chase Beeler, OC, Stanford. Bigger player at the position, and you know he's smart.

2011 NFL Free Agency

Marc Bulger, QB (Ravens). Coach Whis gets the guy he wanted last summer.

Alex Smith, QB (49ers). Smith and Bulger will go into camp with an open competition.

Brian Leonard, FB (Bengals). Leonard will compete for the starting FB job, but will more likely replace Jason Wright's veteran presence in the RB corps.

Brad Smith, WR (Jets). Smith can play the slot WR role and be the kind of short-yardage outlet that Anquan Boldin was for a number of Arizona Quarterbacks over the years.

Manny Lawson, OLB (49ers). Lawson failed to build on the 6.5 sacks he recorded in 2009, but he's is a discounted veteran who will be able to play in the base defense while O'Brien Schofield hones his pass rush techniques. Lawson is excellent in coverage (6 passes defensed, 1 INT in 2010)

Playing by your scenarios, I could live with most of what you have, a couple of differences in opinion.

- Love first 2 picks in draft but would substitute Lee Ziemba for Marcus Cannon, more experience as OT.

- In FA, I would go with:
OLB Kamerion Wimbley
QB Donovan McNabb
DE Marcus Spears
TE Marcedes Lewis

I would also re-sign Steve Breaston.

 

[187]

Carlos Dunlap had 10 sacks in 11 games with cinci as a rookie this season, they found their pass rusher. Quinn will be a cardinal

 

[Krangodnzr]

1) I love Da'Quan Bowers, but he is NOT the best player in the draft. That distinction goes to Nick Fairley who was the defensive equivalent of Cam Newton.

2) Teams don't usually draft BPA. They draft Best Player at a Position of Need. Carolina doesn't need an end (Charles Johnson and the so-so combination of Greg Hardy and Everette Brown), but they aren't great at tackle. And Fairley promises to be dynamic at tackle.

3) I seriously doubt we sign two veteran QBs. I think the team will take the cheap route and say "Hey we've got a solid back up in John Skelton!" which actually isn't a bad idea.

4) I'm joining your camp on keeping the OL together. Tearing it apart won't necessarily make it better. Bad NFL offensive lines have become good overnight by playing together for a few years, getting better, gaining experience, and having a good young guy beat out a veteran over time. Keeping these guys maintains the status quo; what we really need to address is bringing maybe another solid veteran and improving the depth on the offensive line. That way guys aren't leaving because they were cut or not resigned, but are leaving because they lost they roster spot to someone better. Lastly, resigning Brown and Sendlein now is cheaper than waiting.

5) I'm much higher on Robert Quinn than you are. If he has stayed in shape, the guy would be an animal on this defense. Think of a OLB corps of Robert Quinn, Lawson/Wimbley, Schofield, and Davis. That's a young group that could be pretty good. My issue with drafting Peterson is that I don't think corner was that bad, I think we need more pressure and less zone schemes. DRC is a completely different player in man coverage, IMO a dominant player. He's average to below average in zone. I think we have a decent CB corps with Money Mike emerging this year as a decent nickelback.

6) I think you're right in that we won't add the Logan Mankins and LaMarr Woodleys of free agent. But I wouldn't be that excited with Lawson. He's just not a great pass rusher, a notch below Haggans IMO (or at least a young Haggans). I like Ahmad Brooks a lot more, but he's not a free agent this year. If Lawson bolts, I bet they don't miss him with Brooks on the roster.

7) I wager you haven't watch Weslye Saunders much based on your description. I have and he's more of a receiving TE prospect. But he would be a heck of a pick that late in the draft. He didn't play last year, was kicked off the team, but he might be the best TE prospect in the draft. I mentioned this in other threads, but South Carolina has a few players to watch this season. Go watch film on Alshon Jeffery, he was IMO the best WR in the country this year. Freakish size/speed combination, amazing hands and great on the jumpball.

http://www.newsobserver.com/2011/01/13/917665/saunders-nfl-stock-uncertain.html

 

[Krangodnzr]

DE Marcus Spears

As depth to replace Alan Branch? Spears has been a bit of the proverbial "Looks like Tarzan, plays like Jane".

He's not leaving Dallas as a free agent, he's just not being resigned. By that I mean they don't want him.

 

[Krangodnzr]

We have one of the worst o-lines in the league and we're gonna re-sign/extend three of the five starters? Including Levi Brown?! Anything less than cutting him during the offseason is a disappointment

As badly as Brown played last year, he's had stretches where he has played well in the past.

I remember everyone talking about how great he was in the playoffs during the Super Bowl run.

People on this board act as if replacing Brown with anyone will be an upgrade. That's clearly not the case evinced by the glut of worse LTs I've seen on the Cardinals roster in the past.

 

[Cheesebeef]

No, we want to throw out Levi because he sucks out loud. He's developed, but unfortunately he's developed into a crappy player, and a sub par starter. Now you want to reward him with a ridiculous extension because he was a first round pick?

You're preaching to the choir when you say that we need to draft better, especially in the first round. There is no doubt about that. There's no point in compounding the problem by rewarding a player that has only regressed. Hell, I'd rather see Jeremy Bridges in there at LT, and he's mediocre at best.

agreed all around. K9, it's not like you're talking to people who don't recognize how pathetic this team is at signing it's own... but we want them to sign it's own WHO DESERVE those contracts, not just because we drafted him. the guy is dog-crap for a 5th rounder in the draft just as much as he is a 5th overall pick.