Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
1. Here's my response to a post John the Draft Guy wrote today on azcardinals.com where he blames Steve Keim and his poor drafts for the team's woes:
JTDG---
As they say on ESPN: "C'mon, Man!"
Steve Keim has been far more a part of the solution than the problem.
His first big move was to hire BA...and allowed BA to make an unprecedented number of coaching hires.
Then, he made brilliant trades for Carson Palmer and Chandler Jones.
He has re-signed the CORE players (Fitzgerald, Palmer, Mathieu, Peterson, Bethel)---he has brought in quality FAs at bargain salaries (Veldheer, Iupati, C. Johnson, Rucker, Gresham, Abraham, Freeney, Dansby, Cromartie) and he has drafted some flat-out gems in Tyrann Mathieu, David Johnson, John Brown and Deone Bucannon, and he has fortified the roster with very good UCFA finds such as Tony Jefferson, Jaron Brown and Chandler Catanzaro.
Rookies are finding it hard to get playing time because the roster is so deep---because of Steve Keim.
If Keim has a flaw, perhaps it is listening too closely at times to the coaches---
* they told him that Justin Bethel would be fine as the starting CB and would be much improved this year---BA has always raved about Bethel's physical talents.
* they told him that re-signing Drew Stanton was a high priority.
* they suggested that he draft Logan Thomas.
Keim does not have a crystal ball (who does?)---thus your comments are aided and abetted by hindsight.
Plus---so much depends on how well the coaches develop the players. Playing for BA is no walk in the park. He takes some getting used to---and he is loath to play any rookies if he can help it otherwise.
Furthermore, Keim, like everyone else in the organization, has had a fair share of bad luck---an ACL for Carson Palmer---2 ACL's for Tyrann Mathieu---a rookie season ending leg fracture for Jonathan Cooper who was really coming on at the time---the injury to Drew Stanton when Palmer was already lost for the season. Nkemdiche has been battling leg injuries from day one of TC.
Just thew same, Steve Keim does make excuses for the team or anyone associated with it---and he is completely honest with himself. He is going to prevail---he's too diligent and passionate not to.
It wouldn't surprise me if Keim makes a bold move in the next week or two to try to give the team a much needed spark.
it also wouldn't surprise me if Keim puts his foot down and forces BA to make changes to his staff and to the roster.
2. Happy Birthday, BA! Despite this difficult start, I still love ya, big guy! I admire your patience the past two weeks with the team---and I hope you can light a fire under this team and get them having fun and playing good, winning football once again.
3. It's time to move Tyrann Mathieu up to the box---start D.J. Swearinger at FS---he will at least be a hard-hitting enforcer over the middle as he was in the Green Bay rout last year.
So, what does one do if the team's two best tacklers (Mathieu and Jefferson) are both strong safeties?
Why not dabble occasionally in a 5-3?---take Minter out---run gap control with the front five to keep ILB Deone Bucannon free---and have Jefferson and Mathieu on opposite sides where they have built in blitz and cover options and the ability to solve one of the defense's biggest weaknesses which is giving up contain to QBs, RBs and WRs and easy flat passes to the RBs.
if not that, why not try Jefferson in Minter's spot and move Tyrann Mathieu over to SS?---Jefferson is a better tackler and cover man. They key is having the front 5 occupy the o-line so that the ILBers can be free to flow to the ball. Jefferson shoots the gaps very well and he's instinctive.
4. It's time to abandon the zone coverages on 3rd downs---first of all, Bettcher doesn't even disguise the zone---which is why average passers have known right away where to go with the football. The Cardinals are giving it away pre-snap. Here the Cardinals are at home giving up 6/10 3rd down conversions to Jimmy G. and 6/13 to C. Keenum. The Cardinals are lousy zone players---they lack the safeties to make it work and they look like they have never been taught the man and help principals within the zone
5. It wouldn't be a surprise if Carson Plamer plays Thursday night after all. You just know he will be champing at the bit and if his concussion isn't that bad he will want to make his case.
6. A decision needs to be made about Justin Bethel. Did anyone else notice how he was favoring his foot last night? He still just isn't right. Plus, despite getting poked in the eye, it isn't like him to just quit on a play, especially a play with so much at stake late in the game.
7. Time to give Harold Simon a look at CB or in Tyvon Branch's role.
8. I was thinking it would be good to sign RB Kerwynn Williams---you know for all the talk about Stepfan Taylor on STs, when was the last time he made a big tackle on STs? Sure could have used him yesterday. But, I would also like to see RB Elijhaa Penny---we need a RB who will lower his shoulder and punish tacklers. That's not really DJ's thing--bit it is Penny's. This team needs a boost from some of the young talent.
9. Will the Cardinals take exception to what the Rams did to them? Will they pack a punch this week or pack it in? We will know a lot about the mettle of this team come Thursday night.
10. I hope BA holds a players only meeting with just him and them---let them tell him what it is going to take. BA loves giving the players some ownership---I think the players have the answers BA needs and could help make the changes that sway their fortunes back in the right direction.
JTDG---
As they say on ESPN: "C'mon, Man!"
Steve Keim has been far more a part of the solution than the problem.
His first big move was to hire BA...and allowed BA to make an unprecedented number of coaching hires.
Then, he made brilliant trades for Carson Palmer and Chandler Jones.
He has re-signed the CORE players (Fitzgerald, Palmer, Mathieu, Peterson, Bethel)---he has brought in quality FAs at bargain salaries (Veldheer, Iupati, C. Johnson, Rucker, Gresham, Abraham, Freeney, Dansby, Cromartie) and he has drafted some flat-out gems in Tyrann Mathieu, David Johnson, John Brown and Deone Bucannon, and he has fortified the roster with very good UCFA finds such as Tony Jefferson, Jaron Brown and Chandler Catanzaro.
Rookies are finding it hard to get playing time because the roster is so deep---because of Steve Keim.
If Keim has a flaw, perhaps it is listening too closely at times to the coaches---
* they told him that Justin Bethel would be fine as the starting CB and would be much improved this year---BA has always raved about Bethel's physical talents.
* they told him that re-signing Drew Stanton was a high priority.
* they suggested that he draft Logan Thomas.
Keim does not have a crystal ball (who does?)---thus your comments are aided and abetted by hindsight.
Plus---so much depends on how well the coaches develop the players. Playing for BA is no walk in the park. He takes some getting used to---and he is loath to play any rookies if he can help it otherwise.
Furthermore, Keim, like everyone else in the organization, has had a fair share of bad luck---an ACL for Carson Palmer---2 ACL's for Tyrann Mathieu---a rookie season ending leg fracture for Jonathan Cooper who was really coming on at the time---the injury to Drew Stanton when Palmer was already lost for the season. Nkemdiche has been battling leg injuries from day one of TC.
Just thew same, Steve Keim does make excuses for the team or anyone associated with it---and he is completely honest with himself. He is going to prevail---he's too diligent and passionate not to.
It wouldn't surprise me if Keim makes a bold move in the next week or two to try to give the team a much needed spark.
it also wouldn't surprise me if Keim puts his foot down and forces BA to make changes to his staff and to the roster.
2. Happy Birthday, BA! Despite this difficult start, I still love ya, big guy! I admire your patience the past two weeks with the team---and I hope you can light a fire under this team and get them having fun and playing good, winning football once again.
3. It's time to move Tyrann Mathieu up to the box---start D.J. Swearinger at FS---he will at least be a hard-hitting enforcer over the middle as he was in the Green Bay rout last year.
So, what does one do if the team's two best tacklers (Mathieu and Jefferson) are both strong safeties?
Why not dabble occasionally in a 5-3?---take Minter out---run gap control with the front five to keep ILB Deone Bucannon free---and have Jefferson and Mathieu on opposite sides where they have built in blitz and cover options and the ability to solve one of the defense's biggest weaknesses which is giving up contain to QBs, RBs and WRs and easy flat passes to the RBs.
if not that, why not try Jefferson in Minter's spot and move Tyrann Mathieu over to SS?---Jefferson is a better tackler and cover man. They key is having the front 5 occupy the o-line so that the ILBers can be free to flow to the ball. Jefferson shoots the gaps very well and he's instinctive.
4. It's time to abandon the zone coverages on 3rd downs---first of all, Bettcher doesn't even disguise the zone---which is why average passers have known right away where to go with the football. The Cardinals are giving it away pre-snap. Here the Cardinals are at home giving up 6/10 3rd down conversions to Jimmy G. and 6/13 to C. Keenum. The Cardinals are lousy zone players---they lack the safeties to make it work and they look like they have never been taught the man and help principals within the zone
5. It wouldn't be a surprise if Carson Plamer plays Thursday night after all. You just know he will be champing at the bit and if his concussion isn't that bad he will want to make his case.
6. A decision needs to be made about Justin Bethel. Did anyone else notice how he was favoring his foot last night? He still just isn't right. Plus, despite getting poked in the eye, it isn't like him to just quit on a play, especially a play with so much at stake late in the game.
7. Time to give Harold Simon a look at CB or in Tyvon Branch's role.
8. I was thinking it would be good to sign RB Kerwynn Williams---you know for all the talk about Stepfan Taylor on STs, when was the last time he made a big tackle on STs? Sure could have used him yesterday. But, I would also like to see RB Elijhaa Penny---we need a RB who will lower his shoulder and punish tacklers. That's not really DJ's thing--bit it is Penny's. This team needs a boost from some of the young talent.
9. Will the Cardinals take exception to what the Rams did to them? Will they pack a punch this week or pack it in? We will know a lot about the mettle of this team come Thursday night.
10. I hope BA holds a players only meeting with just him and them---let them tell him what it is going to take. BA loves giving the players some ownership---I think the players have the answers BA needs and could help make the changes that sway their fortunes back in the right direction.
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