Keim's Epiphany?

[Mitch]

In trying to understand Steve Keim's approach to this off-season -- I am wondering how much of this year's off-season approach is tied to what the Cardinals were able to do in their two road wins versus the Seahawks and Rams in Weeks 16-17.

At the time, having been eliminated from playoff contention and having lost badly at home to the Saints, Keim, fearing that the players were throwing in the towel, issued the team an ultimatum. He told them that many of them were playing for their jobs and that he was very interested to see what players would step up the last two weeks of the year.

Curiously, even behind the most makeshift offensive line of the season (LT Wetzel, LG Iupati, C Shipley, RG Boehm, RT Watford), Carson Palmer played two of his cleanest games, throwing for multiple TDs and 0 interceptions.

By this time a number of players were out for the year:

WR Jaron Brown
TE Niklas
T Humphries
G Mathis
T Veldheer
WR Floyd (waived)
LB Bucannon
S Jefferson
S Mathieu
S Branch

However, here are some of the players who stepped up in Weeks 16-17 to help lead the Cardinals to road wins over the Seahawks and Rams:

QB Palmer---best 2 games of the season
RB D. Johnson---thank God his injury was not severe, was on his way to record 100+ yard games
RB K. Williams---has run his way into the RB rotation and made 4 STs tackles on kick coverage
TE Gresham---went into beast mode, got penalized on two poor occoasions, but played hard and well
T Wetzel---played well all year at T and G.
C Shipley---was the glue to an ever-changing lineup
G Boehm---was surprisingly solid
WR Fitzgerald---played hard all the way, got 100th TD and NFL lead in receptions
WR Nelson---emerged as a go-to guy
WR John Brown---started to look a little like his old self
WR Jeremy Ross---made solid contributions and a nice TD versus Rams
DT Xavier Williams---flashed
DE Rodney Gunter---emerged
DE Robert Nkemdiche---flashed
DE Josh Mauro---played superb versus the run
DE Campbell---dominated
DT Peters---locked down the middle
LB Moore---played spy on Russell Wilson as well anyone
LB Golden---12 sack season
LB Jones---11 sack season
CB Bethel---emerged as a nickel CB
CB Williams---started breaking up plays
S Swearinger---moved to SS and looked nearly as effective as Jefferson
S Miller---surprise plug-in starter at FS who made a big interception and kept plays in front of him
P Catanzaro---settled down and made the big GW versus Seahawks
P Wile---was an immediate upgrade

Now---if you look at this list of players who stepped up when Keim implored them to---

All of these players are returning except:

DE Calais Campbell---who got the monster deal at $15M a year from JAX
LB Sio Moore---who still might be signed
S Swearinger---who was signed by WAS to a $4.5M a year contract
K Catanzaro---who signed with the Jets

The rest return and Gresham and Jones were rewarded with big contracts. Shipley and Mauro were rewarded with a 2 year deal. Ross was re-signed

In recent days, BA has proclaimed that he intends to:

1. Give K. Williams the ball more this season as the #2 or #3 RB.
2. Start Boehm at RG
3. Start Humphries at LT and Veldheer at RT if Veldheer adapts well to the switch
3. Give Mauro, Gunter and Nkemdiche the chance to be great at DE in Calais' absence
4. Start Williams or Bethel at RCB
5. Keep Miller at FS
6. Lean on the veteran leaders they signed in LB Karlos Dansby, SS Antoine Bethea and K Phil Dawson (each of whom BA says has plenty of gas left in the tank)

More and more it appears that Weeks 16-17 helped to shape Steve Keim's and BA's approach to rewarding the players who answered the bell and to focus a great deal on team chemistry.

The question is -- are BA&SK over-romanticizing the wins in weeks 16-17? The Seahawks had already clinched and were nursing injuries and missing key players. And the Rams were ending a dreadful season with a lame duck head coach and a young QB whom they tried to spoon feed all season long.

I understand the reward factor --- but I wonder about several of these newly appointed starters being the right fits ability-wise. There seems to be a great deal of trust being put into potential --- will it pay off?

 

[kerouac9]

LOL.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Good read, and brings up a lot of questions.

At some point as an NFL team you have to roll the dice, and put those younger players out on the field, and see what you got.

Two games, does not make a season, but no doubt, there were a lot of players who saw time out on the field last season.

As for the 2017 football season, I think the fan base has to take the Cardinals at their actions and not at their words. Yeah, they are touting championships, and going for it. Yet, their actions are telling me this is a transition season. That does not mean the Cardinals won't win games, just that they are doing a lot of investing in the future by saying it is time to put players on the field.

Yes, you can point to free agency and say, but RM they just signed a bunch of veterans. Yup. They did that, but did they sign a cornerback, or a guard, or a running back, or a wide receiver ? They signed players at positions where they were either REALLY thin (safety), or where it is tough to find players (inside linebacker and center).

To quote Matt Leinart, the Cardinals are going to "ride or die" with the following:

- Elija Penny, HB
- John Brown, WR
- Evan Boehm, OG
- Robert Nkemdiche, DE
- Olson Pierre, DE
- Brandon Williams/Justin Bethel, CB

Those are some pretty big unknowns playing some MAJOR roles for this team. Personally, I would like to see the Evan Boehm move to guard work.

Going on that topic, I am starting to think the Cardinals are going to draft BPA, and shock a lot of people with who they draft and where. While the fans, and the local media see nothing but a roster filled with needs, I think the Cardinals are not looking at it that way:

The Cardinals seem to be "fine with":

Palmer, QB
Johnson, RB
John Brown, WR
Nelson, WR
Fitzgerald, WR
Gresham, TE
Humphries, LT
Iupatie, LG
Shipley, OC
Boehm, OG
Veldheer, RT

Nkemdiche, DE
Peters, NT
Mauro, DE
Golden, OLB
Jones, OLB
Dansby, ILB
Bucanon, ILB
Peterson, CB
Bethel, CB
Matheiu, S
Bethea, S

Not the best roster the Cardinals have put out on a field, but not even close to the worst either. Boehm, and Bethel are the biggest questions. Both could end up losing a spot to veteran signee post draft, but for now the Cardinals are looking at the draft and saying they do not "need" anything because they have this base going into 2017.

Say what you will but that is what their actions are saying right now from my point of view.

 

[kerouac9]

I think that the Cards are way more comfortable with their DL and OL group than we are. They have more information about the DL group, which is fine. The results of the OL group were out there on the field in the last quarter of the season, and they're gonna get internal upgrades from the return of Veldheer and a second camp for a lot of guys. Which is also fine.

I'm actually not sweating poor depth at RB and CB. This draft class is thick with those positions, and there are still name players out there in after agency. I think the Cards scan and will bolster both rooms come mid-April, and we'll feel a lot more confident.

In the NFL today, you just can't have 12 guys on your 52 who are proven vets on their 2nd contract. We'll have 5-8, and those guys are good enough to compete.

 

[football karma]

If you accept the premise that the Cards have a FO of average or better competence, I have a hard time believing that broad roster decisions were made on the basis of the last two games of the season.

No doubt certain tactical decisions were informed by those games - like Evan Boehm can play guard- I'm not ready to go much beyond that

 

[JeffGollin]

"Nothing succeeds like success"

(The psych folk refer to this as "positive reinforcement.")

Cards had 2 great games to close the season. Why not do what worked then?

No epiphany - Just human nature.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Ouchie and I talked about it and I think we came to an agreement... this off-season wasn't the ALL-IN off-season. That was last off-season and the team blew it. This is the we'll-give-it-one-last-shot-with-what-we-have-but-start-prepping-for the-rebuild-a-year-early-off-season.

I was initially pretty pissed about it, but the reality has sunk in that the window on the Palmer-Fitz title run has closed somewhat significantly, but the future is still pretty bright if we manage it correctly.

I think that all starts with FINALLY drafting a QB this year. Which I think we're finally going to do.

 

[WildBB]

"Nothing succeeds like success"

(The psych folk refer to this as "positive reinforcement.")

Cards had 2 great games to close the season. Why not do what worked then?

No epiphany - Just human nature.

Not great but just W's.
Competition was fair to poor. We competed.

 

[WildBB]

Ouchie and I talked about it and I think we came to an agreement... this off-season wasn't the ALL-IN off-season. That was last off-season and the team blew it. This is the we'll-give-it-one-last-shot-with-what-we-have-but-start-prepping-for the-rebuild-a-year-early-off-season.

I was initially pretty pissed about it, but the reality has sunk in that the window on the Palmer-Fitz title run has closed somewhat significantly, but the future is still pretty bright if we manage it correctly.

I think that all starts with FINALLY drafting a QB this year. Which I think we're finally going to do.

They're trying for both, but looking to get a little younger. Chandler was the major signing and a significant commitment. It's up in the air if given the opportunity, that they'll address the QBOF in this draft. I'm hoping they find a trade partner on draft day to pull it off and bring in the completion in the other areas and fair to say a starter. ST's have to be a focus also. PR/KR, and tackling. I'm pretty confident, they're in a good spot in the draft for a change at least better than lately to pull some real results.

 

[JeffGollin]

Just sayin' but:

Maybe there's no grand plan.

Maybe BA&SK are just taking one issue at a time and are just trying to make the best of it - under the assumption that, if you win enough individual "little battles", the big picture wil take care of itself.

 

[Reign Blood]

Mitch: I like this guy.

 

[BullheadCardFan]

I still would like to move Boehm to C and find a guard to play RG. Shipley gets pushed back too easily on pass plays and lacks push on run plays. He is vet, but below average IMO

 

[Harry]

I mentioned early in the off-season that the Cards were both surprised and pleased by Boehm's guard play. He looked better there than he had at center. They may still draft o-line help, but I doubt that moves Boehm back to center.

 

[Krangodnzr]

I still would like to move Boehm to C and find a guard to play RG. Shipley gets pushed back too easily on pass plays and lacks push on run plays. He is vet, but below average IMO

I disagree. I think Shipley was at least as good as Sendlein at his best, which makes him a league average center.

 

[Krangodnzr]

I mentioned early in the off-season that the Cards were both surprised and pleased by Boehm's guard play. He looked better there than he had at center. They may still draft o-line help, but I doubt that moves Boehm back to center.

Boehm likely struggles with the mental aspects. I think outside of looking a bit lost at times, Boehm played well. He showed he could match up physically which is more than half the battle.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

If you accept the premise that the Cards have a FO of average or better competence, I have a hard time believing that broad roster decisions were made on the basis of the last two games of the season.

No doubt certain tactical decisions were informed by those games - like Evan Boehm can play guard- I'm not ready to go much beyond that

I would put JJ Nelson in that group. He went from "that guy who is supposedly fast" to "an NFL wide receiver". The last quarter of the season Nelson really stepped up his game.

If you do not account for him when he is out there, he can burn you.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

I still would like to move Boehm to C and find a guard to play RG. Shipley gets pushed back too easily on pass plays and lacks push on run plays. He is vet, but below average IMO

I think that is still in the plans. Boehm will eventually be the center on this team, and the club will draft a guard, or sign one, or somethin' at some point in the next two years.

Centers are hard to come by just because there are so few of them out there, right guards are pretty plentiful.

If Humphries continues to improve the Cardinals have their best offensive linemen at the top 3 most important positions on the line, LT, LG, and RT.

 

[Reddog]

Boehm likely struggles with the mental aspects. I think outside of looking a bit lost at times, Boehm played well. He showed he could match up physically which is more than half the battle.

I don't think so. He is a coaches son and said to be a student of the game. I just don't think he was ready for prime time which seems to be a common thread among all the rookies we draft. We must use unusually difficult systems on both sides of the ball.

 

[Reddog]

Ouchie and I talked about it and I think we came to an agreement... this off-season wasn't the ALL-IN off-season. That was last off-season and the team blew it. This is the we'll-give-it-one-last-shot-with-what-we-have-but-start-prepping-for the-rebuild-a-year-early-off-season.

I was initially pretty pissed about it, but the reality has sunk in that the window on the Palmer-Fitz title run has closed somewhat significantly, but the future is still pretty bright if we manage it correctly.

I think that all starts with FINALLY drafting a QB this year. Which I think we're finally going to do.

I agree with you guys. When I read down the list of starters I am surprised at how capable we seem. Then you add in some draft picks for depth and the future and I can see a transition to keep winning. That starts with a QBOF, ILBOF and a CB of the present. A WROF wouldn't surprise me but would likely have to come in R1 and I'm not sure we bite on that.

 

[juza76]

I think that is still in the plans. Boehm will eventually be the center on this team, and the club will draft a guard, or sign one, or somethin' at some point in the next two years.

Centers are hard to come by just because there are so few of them out there, right guards are pretty plentiful.

If Humphries continues to improve the Cardinals have their best offensive linemen at the top 3 most important positions on the line, LT, LG, and RT.

Is a long shot before Humphries being a top 3 at LT position

 

[Mitch]

Good read, and brings up a lot of questions.

At some point as an NFL team you have to roll the dice, and put those younger players out on the field, and see what you got.

Two games, does not make a season, but no doubt, there were a lot of players who saw time out on the field last season.

As for the 2017 football season, I think the fan base has to take the Cardinals at their actions and not at their words. Yeah, they are touting championships, and going for it. Yet, their actions are telling me this is a transition season. That does not mean the Cardinals won't win games, just that they are doing a lot of investing in the future by saying it is time to put players on the field.

Yes, you can point to free agency and say, but RM they just signed a bunch of veterans. Yup. They did that, but did they sign a cornerback, or a guard, or a running back, or a wide receiver ? They signed players at positions where they were either REALLY thin (safety), or where it is tough to find players (inside linebacker and center).

To quote Matt Leinart, the Cardinals are going to "ride or die" with the following:

- Elija Penny, HB
- John Brown, WR
- Evan Boehm, OG
- Robert Nkemdiche, DE
- Olson Pierre, DE
- Brandon Williams/Justin Bethel, CB

Those are some pretty big unknowns playing some MAJOR roles for this team. Personally, I would like to see the Evan Boehm move to guard work.

Going on that topic, I am starting to think the Cardinals are going to draft BPA, and shock a lot of people with who they draft and where. While the fans, and the local media see nothing but a roster filled with needs, I think the Cardinals are not looking at it that way:

The Cardinals seem to be "fine with":

Palmer, QB
Johnson, RB
John Brown, WR
Nelson, WR
Fitzgerald, WR
Gresham, TE
Humphries, LT
Iupatie, LG
Shipley, OC
Boehm, OG
Veldheer, RT

Nkemdiche, DE
Peters, NT
Mauro, DE
Golden, OLB
Jones, OLB
Dansby, ILB
Bucanon, ILB
Peterson, CB
Bethel, CB
Matheiu, S
Bethea, S

Not the best roster the Cardinals have put out on a field, but not even close to the worst either. Boehm, and Bethel are the biggest questions. Both could end up losing a spot to veteran signee post draft, but for now the Cardinals are looking at the draft and saying they do not "need" anything because they have this base going into 2017.

Say what you will but that is what their actions are saying right now from my point of view.

Good post, Rugby.

At RG, the most naturally talented player at that position is Cole Toner. It surprised me that BA & staff elected to play Tyler Boggs later on in the season, rather than Toner. The coaches claimed that Toner isn't strong enough yet. However, his pre-season performances belied that assessment. BA said himself that because of the limited number of practices during the season where they could hit in pads that they couldn't even see what Boggs could do during the week they inserted him into the starting lineup. Thus, they couldn't get a good assessment on Toner either.

I also think that John Wetzel is a stronger option at RG because of his bruising style. But, like Boehm he is not as strong in the finesse aspects of the guard position with regard to the requisite footwork, pulling and getting to the second level.

The secondary as currently prescribed is chock-full of question marks. From the get-go it would appear very certain that the opponents will AGAIN pick on the RCB ad nauseum, as Williams and Bethel have yet to prove themselves as legit cover corners in the base defense.

The FS spot is vacant. Badger and Bethea are box players. Branch is a man cover nickel CB/S. Branch is not a hitter. Harlan Miller, because he hadn't played there all year, lined up 5 yards deeper than normal in order to try to keep everything in front of him. That aspect of the job he handled pretty well. But, when teams see this and prepare against it, they will make the Cardinals pay over the middle for keeping the FS too deep. Plus, the deeper the FS is, the harder it is to storm the alley on running plays, and the easier it is for a loose RB to make one cut past the on-charging FS and run to daylight.

This is what D.J. Swearinger was so good at...storming the alley and getting to the loose RB before he could make his cut. The timing of this is critical. If the FS doesn't move on a dime and get there before the RB can make a cut, it's a home run waiting to happen.

There are things that DJS did at FS that no Cardinal FS has done in years. I just don't get the whole 'he was bad for team chemistry" thing.

That said, I have high hopes that the Cardinals can find a way to draft Budda Baker from Washington. While many of the pundits believe Baker will go early in the 2nd round, there is no question in my mind that he is a 1st round talent. He's a better version of DJS because not only can he storm the alleys and finish off tackles the way DJS did, he's a fantastic cover FS in both man and zone. He is one of the best nickel cover men in this draft, CBs included.

 

[Mitch]

Ouchie and I talked about it and I think we came to an agreement... this off-season wasn't the ALL-IN off-season. That was last off-season and the team blew it. This is the we'll-give-it-one-last-shot-with-what-we-have-but-start-prepping-for the-rebuild-a-year-early-off-season.

I was initially pretty pissed about it, but the reality has sunk in that the window on the Palmer-Fitz title run has closed somewhat significantly, but the future is still pretty bright if we manage it correctly.

I think that all starts with FINALLY drafting a QB this year. Which I think we're finally going to do.

Cheese---last off-season the Cardinals made a couple of quick early moves (Jones trade, signing RG Mathis and cover S Branch) and then believed they had done enough. They didn't even sign a veteran long snapper or a veritable punt and kickoff return man or a cover ILB for the nickel to take Minter's place on 3rd downs, and they totally miscalculated the RCB position, which left an otherwise talented defense very vulnerable.

BA said that he thought that last year with such a veteran team they would be set to have another big year. But, the off-season last year was not nearly enough of an "All or Nothing" off-season. The roster wasn't as competitive as BA&SK thought. And with other teams knowing very well how to attack the Cardinals vulnerabilities (RCB, Minter in coverage and how to readily predict the Cardinals' schemes, and how to expose the Cardinals' STs as one of the worst in the NFL)...the Cardinals were easy pickings most of the time.

 

[football karma]

Ouchie and I talked about it and I think we came to an agreement... this off-season wasn't the ALL-IN off-season. That was last off-season and the team blew it. This is the we'll-give-it-one-last-shot-with-what-we-have-but-start-prepping-for the-rebuild-a-year-early-off-season.

I was initially pretty pissed about it, but the reality has sunk in that the window on the Palmer-Fitz title run has closed somewhat significantly, but the future is still pretty bright if we manage it correctly.

I think that all starts with FINALLY drafting a QB this year. Which I think we're finally going to do.

This is where having a GM not cowed by the HC is important. It's the balance of long and short term.

the team does need to start putting a couple prices in place so post Fitz and Palmer, the Cards don't become the 49ers

 

[WildBB]

Cheese---last off-season the Cardinals made a couple of quick early moves (Jones trade, signing RG Mathis and cover S Branch) and then believed they had done enough. They didn't even sign a veteran long snapper or a veritable punt and kickoff return man or a cover ILB for the nickel to take Minter's place on 3rd downs, and they totally miscalculated the RCB position, which left an otherwise talented defense very vulnerable.

BA said that he thought that last year with such a veteran team they would be set to have another big year. But, the off-season last year was not nearly enough of an "All or Nothing" off-season. The roster wasn't as competitive as BA&SK thought. And with other teams knowing very well how to attack the Cardinals vulnerabilities (RCB, Minter in coverage and how to readily predict the Cardinals' schemes, and how to expose the Cardinals' STs as one of the worst in the NFL)...the Cardinals were easy pickings most of the time.

I think they were counting on Mathis and Jenkins heavily last year. When they went down it left a big holes in the OL and secondary to fill and they failed early to find replacements. With the blown opportunity against NE to start the year they got off on the wrong foot. They got Cooper in soon after that, but starters continued to go down and Palmer being harassed wasn't as consistent. DJ' s season is the only real reason they stayed competitive throughout. That's my synopsis.

 

[Mitch]

I think they were counting on Mathis and Jenkins heavily last year. When they went down it left a big holes in the OL and secondary to fill and they failed early to find replacements. With the blown opportunity against NE to start the year they got off on the wrong foot. They got Cooper in soon after that, but starters continued to go down and Palmer being harassed wasn't as consistent. DJ' s season is the only real reason they stayed competitive throughout. That's my synopsis.

Yes, but both Mathis and Jenkins were injury risks from the get-go. Mathis missed 4 starts with a bad ankle for the Broncos in 2015. And he said he spent the whole summer rehabbing a number of injuries, including the ankle -- and the ankle gave out early in his season with the Cardinals.

Jenkins was coming off a 2 year stint in Tampa Bay -- in which he only started 5 of 32 games. 16 games were lost in his first year to a torn pec.

The Cardinals hoped to get lucky --- with Mathis it was more realistic, but with Jenkins he clearly has been on the decline for years.