Roster thoughts, I'm sure some (if not a good chunk) will be retread thoughts that I just haven't read (been out of the loop for a while).
QB: Looks set from where I sit. You have Warner the veteran QB who still has a good bit left in the tank (as long as he doesn't try to shove the ball in to triple coverage
), and Leinart who's supposed to be the face of the franchise for the next decade. As for the third quarterback (and I think it's been shown we need to keep a third), we should just sign Rattay to a lower dollar contract, he'd probably be the best third stringer in the league (not saying much I know but the guy can start in a pinch and seemed to settle down a great deal after his first game on short notice)
RB: Edge has shown he can run behind a line that most backs couldn't. Yes, he's not as fast and not a home run threat, but the man gets the job done. Shipp is more relegated to goal line and ST roles. Arrington can't carry the load as an every down back, but is a nice change of pace who seems to have found his niche.
The Cards need to find a successor for Edge though, pick up a young back who can handle the load. Ideally, Edge would be the man for 2008 with the youngster taking cares to give him a breather. Hopefully we find a back similiar to Mendenhall or Jackson coming out of college.
FB: Smith works well, he helped out Edge when the line failed, but there's only so much a FB can do when the house falls down.
WR: Fitz and Boldin healthy.....nuff said about the starters except for the usual "BOLDIN IS GOD!" Alright, I think we should resign BJ, if he doesn't try to play hardball/price himself out of a 3rd WR slot. Breaston needs to see more time as a 4th speedster to stretch the field for Fitz, Q, and BJ. Urban will probably not make the roster, but is a very solid if sometimes prone to lapses number 5.
TE: Pope is the starter and gives us a threat down the seam and in the redzone. The problem is his blocking still remains suspect. Thankfully he is young and seems to be willing to work (I haven't heard anything negative about his work ethic when he was in camp or here at UGA). Extra time spent with Russ Grimm would benefit him greatly and make him more complete. Patrick was a very pleasant surprise for a 7th round pick, but has much of the same problems as Pope, but Grimm can hopefully fix that. Bienamen (spelled wrong I'm sure) is a solid 3rd TE but I don't see him sticking, he'll probably be cut for a blocking TE since he is very similiar to Pope/Patrick.
OL: This group needs a nasty attitude infused in it. Levi looks to need a little more seasoning but seems solid and a good player to fix in on the right side. Gandy provided steady play at LT, but is not the long term answer. Ross, lost to injury for the whole season, will provide competition and at worst decent depth at the tackle spot.
Guards Deuce and Wells were a mixed bag. Deuce looked solid for a second year man, but had a few mental breakdowns that left you wondering. Wells is not at the position that he should be, he is more of a tackle as was proven by last year (2006). To help the interior line I would be unbelievably happy to see the Cardinals sign Faneca. The man is a beast and would bring that nasty attitude and leadership needed in the front five, not to mention open some holes for Edge and keep the QB upright.
Center Al Johnson was solid, granted not spectacular but solid for the Cardinals. Seidlan (sorry for misspelling again) surprised me greatly with his ability to step in when Johnson was injured, he should be kept Grimm could work some magic with this kid.
DL: Berry and Chike falling early hurt the line greatly. Berry was drawing blockers and being a solid leader for the line before his injury, which led to a great job done by Dockett in the first half of the year. Berry's run here in AZ is probably over with his cap number and inability to stay healthy (not that I'm blasting him for injuries that he has no control over). Chike will be back and should make a very solid DE/LB like he has for his whole career. Yes he's not dominant, but he's someone who has to be accounted for on every play which will help whoever takes over Berry's spot and the interior lineman. Tafoya is an effort guy but, let's be honest, best as just depth. Smith played solid and made some big plays but needs another year of seasoning and just is not overly gifted physically.
Branch and Watson should make a solid NT rotation, but we need more DLinemen to help with that. Branch wasn't the monster we hoped he would be when we traded up, but has shown some flashes. Watson seems to be steady and solid but needs to keep working to stay ahead of Branch. Dockett at the other tackle has turned a corner. He was a monster in the first half of the year but his production was hampered in the second half of the year due to the injuries on the front and teams keying on him. But 9 sacks from a DT is impressive and leads to a collapsed pocket causing turnovers.
LB: Dansby must be resigned. The team plays different when he is on the field. He (coupled with Wilson at SS) is the heart of the D and must be brought back. He is an amazing athlete who does well at all facets of the game and seems to be improving each year. Pace was a VERY welcome suprise at LB and should be resigned at a midlevel contract. The lightbulb seems to have finally come on for the former 1st rounder. Hayes is solid in the middle but needs to be more of a leader on the team. The silent leader stuff just doesn't seem to translate to the field, as seen when Dansby and Wilson were not on the field and the D seemed to be more timid.
Biesel is a high energy backup but seems to be more tailor made for the ST. He'll be worth keeping even for just that reason. As for the rest, none really jump out and depth is a serious need for the team.
DB: Hood was a very solid CB and, apart from some mental lapses, was the man to beat at CB. Hood would benefit greatly from being able to slide to the #2 CB rather than #1. Green is a hard hitter, but a slight bit slow and seems to have a strange mental game of up and down play. That said Green would make a decent fit as the third corner and at least shows up to play. Ware and Brown are the standard fare you can expect as 4 and 5 corners, but if they could be upgraded that would help greatly (though I doubt help is on the way that deep).
Upgrades for CB would be the Raiders corner that was slated to possibly be a FA (not sure on his situation completely and I can't spell the dang name), but it looks like he'll be retained, the Raiders would be morons to let him go......huh, maybe they will. Drayton Florence from SD would be another option, and would be an upgrade at the starter spot. The most interesting option in the draft, at least for me, is Cason. He'd give us a potential lockdown corner for 7-10 years.
At safety the situation is muddy. Let's face it, beyond Wilson the safety spot needs to be revamped. Wilson is, like Dansby, the heart and soul of this defense. He does tend to make mistakes from time to time, but makes up for it with huge plays. Fransisco is more of a ST ace then a S. This leaves little backup help there. Celestine proved he was not the answer to depth when he was plugged in; we have to keep looking. Holt was a flop at FS and is just not the player to hold that spot. Rolle, yes I know I didn't mention him in the corners, would make a good replacement. Yes yes I know, everyone's already said it, but he operates better in space and when he can roam (see the Bengals game) then when locked on a receiver. Rolle would be an improvement over Holt. Holt could be kept for depth, but not as a starter. Look to the later rounds or mid to low level free agents for back up depth here.
ST: Sean Morrey (yes I know, not mentioned at WR) was worth his contract. Sean did his job and seemed to bring a bit of an attitude to the ST. If anyone is a captain on ST it's this guy.
Punter is a nasty situation. Let's face it Matt Barr was a younger Scott Player so the switch made no sense to me, but after the second 'Frisco game he was gone. In walks Berger...not much better, expect him to be gone next season as long as the coaching staff brings in a young leg.
Kicker......nuff said? Ok, Rackers bashing has become sort of a hobby lately....so I'll do it too. Yes, I realize that the argument can and should be made that we shouldn't have allowed to let the game get that close in the first place; but you have to be able to rely on your kicker in those tight games. I think they need to bring in a young kicker to push Rackers and hold that threat of being replaced by someone if he fails to come through in the clutch. Something is wrong with Rackers, he just doesn't seem to have the leg he had and has clutch and consistency problems....it seems to be time to a change.
Returner: I think we are set with Breaston, he seemed to win the field position battle everytime and was a threat for the homerun every time he touched the ball.....that's nice....
that's it....that's all I got, feel free to rip me a new one for being wrong as all get out. And on a side note, I'm off to Shreveport, Louisiana for the Southeast Regional fights on the 12th...I'll let you guys know how it went.
QB: Looks set from where I sit. You have Warner the veteran QB who still has a good bit left in the tank (as long as he doesn't try to shove the ball in to triple coverage
), and Leinart who's supposed to be the face of the franchise for the next decade. As for the third quarterback (and I think it's been shown we need to keep a third), we should just sign Rattay to a lower dollar contract, he'd probably be the best third stringer in the league (not saying much I know but the guy can start in a pinch and seemed to settle down a great deal after his first game on short notice)RB: Edge has shown he can run behind a line that most backs couldn't. Yes, he's not as fast and not a home run threat, but the man gets the job done. Shipp is more relegated to goal line and ST roles. Arrington can't carry the load as an every down back, but is a nice change of pace who seems to have found his niche.
The Cards need to find a successor for Edge though, pick up a young back who can handle the load. Ideally, Edge would be the man for 2008 with the youngster taking cares to give him a breather. Hopefully we find a back similiar to Mendenhall or Jackson coming out of college.
FB: Smith works well, he helped out Edge when the line failed, but there's only so much a FB can do when the house falls down.
WR: Fitz and Boldin healthy.....nuff said about the starters except for the usual "BOLDIN IS GOD!" Alright, I think we should resign BJ, if he doesn't try to play hardball/price himself out of a 3rd WR slot. Breaston needs to see more time as a 4th speedster to stretch the field for Fitz, Q, and BJ. Urban will probably not make the roster, but is a very solid if sometimes prone to lapses number 5.
TE: Pope is the starter and gives us a threat down the seam and in the redzone. The problem is his blocking still remains suspect. Thankfully he is young and seems to be willing to work (I haven't heard anything negative about his work ethic when he was in camp or here at UGA). Extra time spent with Russ Grimm would benefit him greatly and make him more complete. Patrick was a very pleasant surprise for a 7th round pick, but has much of the same problems as Pope, but Grimm can hopefully fix that. Bienamen (spelled wrong I'm sure) is a solid 3rd TE but I don't see him sticking, he'll probably be cut for a blocking TE since he is very similiar to Pope/Patrick.
OL: This group needs a nasty attitude infused in it. Levi looks to need a little more seasoning but seems solid and a good player to fix in on the right side. Gandy provided steady play at LT, but is not the long term answer. Ross, lost to injury for the whole season, will provide competition and at worst decent depth at the tackle spot.
Guards Deuce and Wells were a mixed bag. Deuce looked solid for a second year man, but had a few mental breakdowns that left you wondering. Wells is not at the position that he should be, he is more of a tackle as was proven by last year (2006). To help the interior line I would be unbelievably happy to see the Cardinals sign Faneca. The man is a beast and would bring that nasty attitude and leadership needed in the front five, not to mention open some holes for Edge and keep the QB upright.
Center Al Johnson was solid, granted not spectacular but solid for the Cardinals. Seidlan (sorry for misspelling again) surprised me greatly with his ability to step in when Johnson was injured, he should be kept Grimm could work some magic with this kid.
DL: Berry and Chike falling early hurt the line greatly. Berry was drawing blockers and being a solid leader for the line before his injury, which led to a great job done by Dockett in the first half of the year. Berry's run here in AZ is probably over with his cap number and inability to stay healthy (not that I'm blasting him for injuries that he has no control over). Chike will be back and should make a very solid DE/LB like he has for his whole career. Yes he's not dominant, but he's someone who has to be accounted for on every play which will help whoever takes over Berry's spot and the interior lineman. Tafoya is an effort guy but, let's be honest, best as just depth. Smith played solid and made some big plays but needs another year of seasoning and just is not overly gifted physically.
Branch and Watson should make a solid NT rotation, but we need more DLinemen to help with that. Branch wasn't the monster we hoped he would be when we traded up, but has shown some flashes. Watson seems to be steady and solid but needs to keep working to stay ahead of Branch. Dockett at the other tackle has turned a corner. He was a monster in the first half of the year but his production was hampered in the second half of the year due to the injuries on the front and teams keying on him. But 9 sacks from a DT is impressive and leads to a collapsed pocket causing turnovers.
LB: Dansby must be resigned. The team plays different when he is on the field. He (coupled with Wilson at SS) is the heart of the D and must be brought back. He is an amazing athlete who does well at all facets of the game and seems to be improving each year. Pace was a VERY welcome suprise at LB and should be resigned at a midlevel contract. The lightbulb seems to have finally come on for the former 1st rounder. Hayes is solid in the middle but needs to be more of a leader on the team. The silent leader stuff just doesn't seem to translate to the field, as seen when Dansby and Wilson were not on the field and the D seemed to be more timid.
Biesel is a high energy backup but seems to be more tailor made for the ST. He'll be worth keeping even for just that reason. As for the rest, none really jump out and depth is a serious need for the team.
DB: Hood was a very solid CB and, apart from some mental lapses, was the man to beat at CB. Hood would benefit greatly from being able to slide to the #2 CB rather than #1. Green is a hard hitter, but a slight bit slow and seems to have a strange mental game of up and down play. That said Green would make a decent fit as the third corner and at least shows up to play. Ware and Brown are the standard fare you can expect as 4 and 5 corners, but if they could be upgraded that would help greatly (though I doubt help is on the way that deep).
Upgrades for CB would be the Raiders corner that was slated to possibly be a FA (not sure on his situation completely and I can't spell the dang name), but it looks like he'll be retained, the Raiders would be morons to let him go......huh, maybe they will. Drayton Florence from SD would be another option, and would be an upgrade at the starter spot. The most interesting option in the draft, at least for me, is Cason. He'd give us a potential lockdown corner for 7-10 years.
At safety the situation is muddy. Let's face it, beyond Wilson the safety spot needs to be revamped. Wilson is, like Dansby, the heart and soul of this defense. He does tend to make mistakes from time to time, but makes up for it with huge plays. Fransisco is more of a ST ace then a S. This leaves little backup help there. Celestine proved he was not the answer to depth when he was plugged in; we have to keep looking. Holt was a flop at FS and is just not the player to hold that spot. Rolle, yes I know I didn't mention him in the corners, would make a good replacement. Yes yes I know, everyone's already said it, but he operates better in space and when he can roam (see the Bengals game) then when locked on a receiver. Rolle would be an improvement over Holt. Holt could be kept for depth, but not as a starter. Look to the later rounds or mid to low level free agents for back up depth here.
ST: Sean Morrey (yes I know, not mentioned at WR) was worth his contract. Sean did his job and seemed to bring a bit of an attitude to the ST. If anyone is a captain on ST it's this guy.
Punter is a nasty situation. Let's face it Matt Barr was a younger Scott Player so the switch made no sense to me, but after the second 'Frisco game he was gone. In walks Berger...not much better, expect him to be gone next season as long as the coaching staff brings in a young leg.
Kicker......nuff said? Ok, Rackers bashing has become sort of a hobby lately....so I'll do it too. Yes, I realize that the argument can and should be made that we shouldn't have allowed to let the game get that close in the first place; but you have to be able to rely on your kicker in those tight games. I think they need to bring in a young kicker to push Rackers and hold that threat of being replaced by someone if he fails to come through in the clutch. Something is wrong with Rackers, he just doesn't seem to have the leg he had and has clutch and consistency problems....it seems to be time to a change.
Returner: I think we are set with Breaston, he seemed to win the field position battle everytime and was a threat for the homerun every time he touched the ball.....that's nice....
that's it....that's all I got, feel free to rip me a new one for being wrong as all get out. And on a side note, I'm off to Shreveport, Louisiana for the Southeast Regional fights on the 12th...I'll let you guys know how it went.
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good to see the board still has a sense of humor
