My QB plan for the Cards.

[Cbus cardsfan]

The Cards QB play, needless to say, has been a mess and will continue to be if they keep going with guys like Lindley, Kolb and Skelton. With Lindley and Skelton, you can't teach accuracy, and I have maintained that for years. With Kolb, you can't count on him for more than a handful of games.
Here's my off season plan:
1- Purge the current QB's off the roster. Maybe keep Lindley as the 3rd QB becuase that's all he's ever going to be.
2- Trade for Philip Rivers. SD is going in the tank and they're likely going into rebuild mode. I would offer SD a conditional #1 in 2014 and a mid round, 4th, this year. Or some combination of draft picks.
3-In this year's draft, trade into late 1st or up in the early 2nd, or even wait to see if he falls to the Cards in round 2, and take Tyler Wilson.

You have Rivers at the helm for 2-3 years, more if he's playing well, and then you can make a smooth transition to Wilson when he's ready to take over. This gives you continuuity and stability at the QB position for the foreseeable future. And, if Wilson turns out as good as alot of us think, you're set at QB for the next decade +.

There's no more hoping a wildy inaccurate late round pick is going to come in and save the day. Rivers would give the offense an identity and add some fire and leadership to the offense. Speaking of leadership, it's sorely lacking on the offense. Fitz is a quiet leader and kind of goes with the flow. There is no one taking the lead on the offensive side of the ball. Warner did, but there hasn't been a take charge guy anywhere on the offense since. We all have seen Rivers and he'll come in and hold guys accountable, speak his mind, and be the leader.

Also, barring an injury, the Cards won't be throwing a young QB into the fire before he's ready like has been the case with Skelton and Lindley. Wilson gets to be put in a simlar situation to Rodgers and can learn from one of the better QB's in the league of what it takes to be successful and a leader. Even if Wilsonwould turn out to be not very good, you still have Rivers in the interim and you're not throwing all your eggs into a rokkies basket like I think will be the case if the Cards draft a QB high #1.

Having Rivers also gives the Cards a great chance to win and be significant before Fitz starts slowing down. It'd be a shame to waste Fitz's prime years by throwing bad QB after bad QB out there to get him the ball. Also, realistically, if the Cards go with a touted rookie, it's going to take a few years to be legitimate again, which again puts Fitz in his declining years when the young QB is ready to win.

 

[Mitch]

The Cards QB play, needless to say, has been a mess and will continue to be if they keep going with guys like Lindley, Kolb and Skelton. With Lindley and Skelton, you can't teach accuracy, and I have maintained that for years. With Kolb, you can't count on him for more than a handful of games.
Here's my off season plan:
1- Purge the current QB's off the roster. Maybe keep Lindley as the 3rd QB becuase that's all he's ever going to be.
2- Trade for Philip Rivers. SD is going in the tank and they're likely going into rebuild mode. I would offer SD a conditional #1 in 2014 and a mid round, 4th, this year. Or some combination of draft picks.
3-In this year's draft, trade into late 1st or up in the early 2nd, or even wait to see if he falls to the Cards in round 2, and take Tyler Wilson.

You have Rivers at the helm for 2-3 years, more if he's playing well, and then you can make a smooth transition to Wilson when he's ready to take over. This gives you continuuity and stability at the QB position for the foreseeable future. And, if Wilson turns out as good as alot of us think, you're set at QB for the next decade +.

There's no more hoping a wildy inaccurate late round pick is going to come in and save the day. Rivers would give the offense an identity and add some fire and leadership to the offense. Speaking of leadership, it's sorely lacking on the offense. Fitz is a quiet leader and kind of goes with the flow. There is no one taking the lead on the offensive side of the ball. Warner did, but there hasn't been a take charge guy anywhere on the offense since. We all have seen Rivers and he'll come in and hold guys accountable, speak his mind, and be the leader.

Also, barring an injury, the Cards won't be throwing a young QB into the fire before he's ready like has been the case with Skelton and Lindley. Wilson gets to be put in a simlar situation to Rodgers and can learn from one of the better QB's in the league of what it takes to be successful and a leader. Even if Wilsonwould turn out to be not very good, you still have Rivers in the interim and you're not throwing all your eggs into a rokkies basket like I think will be the case if the Cards draft a QB high #1.

Having Rivers also gives the Cards a great chance to win and be significant before Fitz starts slowing down. It'd be a shame to waste Fitz's prime years by throwing bad QB after bad QB out there to get him the ball. Also, realistically, if the Cards go with a touted rookie, it's going to take a few years to be legitimate again, which again puts Fitz in his declining years when the young QB is ready to win.

It's an excellent plan---imagine too if Ray Horton is promoted to HC and we could get Norv Turner to be OC.

The two stumbling blocks are: (1) would the Chargers trade him? They certainly are not going to go into next season with Charlie Whitehurst as their QB and the free agent QB market is weak---thus, it would probably take the Cardinals offering their #1 pick this year so that the Chargers can draft a QB high and have another first rounder in which to take another need player; (2) Rivers' salary---2013: $12M; 2014: $13.8M; 2015: $15.75M.

In your plan, which was good thinking, Wilson becomes the starting QB in year #3---which means they could let Rivers go in 2015 and not have to pay the $15.75M.

While $12M and $13.8M are reasonable for a top-line QB---one has to wonder whether the recent decline in his play the past two seasons (34 interceptions and counting) still warrant this kind of salary.

But one thing you said is very key---if the Cardinals go with a young QB, then Fitz could continue to waste away in what's left of his prime years.

If the Cardinals do go young at QB---do they trade Fitz?

 

[Snakester]

Getting Rivers would give us instant offense. If we could pull that trade off it would be well worth it. Taking Tyler Wilson in the second round would be a good pick up as well. At this point we know Kolb isn't worth the money and he will never stay healthy so cut him. John Skelton just got the Matt Leinart treatment from wiz so we might as well get rid of him to. His confidence has probably been shattered by wiz. Lindley can be the third guy.
The best thing we can do is get rid of Whiz at this point. We won't win another game this year with Lindley starting and the team will not have any confidence in Whiz after losing 12 straight games.

 

[Zeno]

Good plan...but as Mitch says what will it take to get Rivers from SD? They don't have a replacement waiting in the wings, not sure they will go all Miami Marlins and have a fire sale.

I'd be even happier if the plan includes an entirely new offensive coaching staff.

 

[RON_IN_OC]

If SD trades Rivers, they aren't going to wait for a 2014 draft pick. They will want immediate picks.

 

[Dr. Jones]

I like the Rivers trade. I hate then picking up a young backup early. Especially if Rivers can give us 6 to 8 years at the position. We still need to fix our pass protection. Even with Rivers, I would not be happy protecting him with Levi, DC, LS, Adam freaking Snyder, and Massie.

Bringing in two highly rated lineman like Joekel (sp?) or Warmack and then a good 2nd rounder would be perfect IMO.

And we still need to address our pass rush. Getting pressure with just 4 rushers is imperative. We would be devastating on defense if we had a premier rusher.

 

[kerouac9]

I don't think that San Diego is going to settle for a 2014 1st and a 4th rounder. I wouldn't mind using our 2013 2nd rounder for Rivers, then drafting Warmack in the 1st and trading our 2014 1st and 2013 3rd to get back into the late 20s to get Wilson.

 

[football karma]

Lets assume for a moment that SD will trade Rivers. It likely will take at least this years 1st, and likely next years 3rd

So -- at that point, Tyler Wilson is out unless he slips to the 2nd

That also means the team would have to do something to address the online in free agency -- not sure what will be out there at that time.

 

[Mulli]

Is it needless to say needless to say?

 

[kerouac9]

Lets assume for a moment that SD will trade Rivers. It likely will take at least this years 1st, and likely next years 3rd

So -- at that point, Tyler Wilson is out unless he slips to the 2nd

That also means the team would have to do something to address the online in free agency -- not sure what will be out there at that time.

Why? Rivers has a massive contract and been playing like garbage the last two years. There have been extenuating circumstances between his OL and his receiving corps, but he just isn't playing at the same level that he was before the NFL lockout, when he was maybe the best quarterback in the NFL who hadn't won a championship.

If there's a desperate team (like the Jets) who is a quarterback away from saving a front office's career, then they'll give up a first for him, but our first-round pick is going to be in the Top 8. That's too much for Phil Rivers in 2012.

 

[OmahaCardsFan]

Why? Rivers has a massive contract and been playing like garbage the last two years. There have been extenuating circumstances between his OL and his receiving corps, but he just isn't playing at the same level that he was before the NFL lockout, when he was maybe the best quarterback in the NFL who hadn't won a championship.

If there's a desperate team (like the Jets) who is a quarterback away from saving a front office's career, then they'll give up a first for him, but our first-round pick is going to be in the Top 8. That's too much for Phil Rivers in 2012.

Agreed! Feels like too much to give up and we have too many needs. If we were a QB away, then I'd pull that trigger, but we are not. We are an entire OL, RB, and pass rusher away in addition to the QB need. sigh....

 

[Dr. Jones]

Why would we get Rivers then also draft another QB that high? Rivers will be 31 at the start of next season. He should be able to give us 6 to 8 solid years at a minimum.

Skelton as a #2 (assuming our #1 is not injury prone. And Rivers isn't injury prone) and Lindley as a #3 are MORE than fine for next year.

OT, OG, OLB, LB. This has to be our focus IMO. Rivers or no Rivers.... We must fix our pass protection.

 

[Chopper0080]

I don't think that San Diego is going to settle for a 2014 1st and a 4th rounder. I wouldn't mind using our 2013 2nd rounder for Rivers, then drafting Warmack in the 1st and trading our 2014 1st and 2013 3rd to get back into the late 20s to get Wilson.

I am pretty ok with this idea. I was saying to a friend the other day that any draft that gets us Warmack and Wilson is a pretty perfect scenario.

 

[Capt'nCard]

I don't think that San Diego is going to settle for a 2014 1st and a 4th rounder. I wouldn't mind using our 2013 2nd rounder for Rivers, then drafting Warmack in the 1st and trading our 2014 1st and 2013 3rd to get back into the late 20s to get Wilson.

Trading away draft picks is not the answer for this team. They need to be accumulating picks to address several issues. Trading for Rivers and trading up for Wilson only mortgages the Cards future for what? Maybe a playoff game? So you lose a future 1st and mid round pick for Rivers, then lose another pick to move up for Wilson, on top of that you let Wilson sit for years which essentially is another lost draft pick in the short term. That's four picks that could be used to address issues now! Good teams gather picks while bad teams trade them away (Oakland). Look, it simply doesn't matter who's QBing the team with this line. That has to be addressed first with high draft picks for the next couple of years. Address the line first, then you can talk about investing in a QB. If the line is strong, you can lean on a run game until you find the answer at QB. At this point, they should not be trading any draft picks and only drafting players that will contribute immediately versus projects like Floyd.

 

[Chopper0080]

Trading away draft picks is not the answer for this team. They need to be accumulating picks to address several issues. Trading for Rivers and trading up for Wilson only mortgages the Cards future for what? Maybe a playoff game? So you lose a future 1st and mid round pick for Rivers, then lose another pick to move up for Wilson, on top of that you let Wilson sit for years which essentially is another lost draft pick in the short term. That's four picks that could be used to address issues now! Good teams gather picks while bad teams trade them away (Oakland). Look, it simply doesn't matter who's QBing the team with this line. That has to be addressed first with high draft picks for the next couple of years. Address the line first, then you can talk about investing in a QB. If the line is strong, you can lean on a run game until you find the answer at QB. At this point, they should not be trading any draft picks and only drafting players that will contribute immediately versus projects like Floyd.

Normally I would agree with you, but the NFL and Cardinals history has shown us that productivity from the QB position is the most important aspect of the game. An offseason of trading to get a vet QB for the immediate future, upgrading at OG with a top prospect, and then drafting a developmental QB with pretty good tools is the offseason we need if we really want to change the direction of this team.

 

[Catfish]

Cbus-----Your plan is an excellent one. It is well conceived and thought out. If Rivers is available, it is certainly workable. I sincerely hope that the Cards are thinking along this line. The biggest draw-back seems to be the questionable availability of Rivers in the off season. The next biggest draw-back is whether or not we have anyone in the FO who will recognize the feasibility of such a plan, AND take action on it before everyone else does.

 

[football karma]

Why? Rivers has a massive contract and been playing like garbage the last two years. There have been extenuating circumstances between his OL and his receiving corps, but he just isn't playing at the same level that he was before the NFL lockout, when he was maybe the best quarterback in the NFL who hadn't won a championship.

If there's a desperate team (like the Jets) who is a quarterback away from saving a front office's career, then they'll give up a first for him, but our first-round pick is going to be in the Top 8. That's too much for Phil Rivers in 2012.

Your is likely a rational valuation: But in a QB needy league-- someone will pay that price to get a quality starting QB, whose failures can be rationalized by the exodus of the players around him.

Jets ,Eagles, Bills, are all teams that likely bid on an available Rivers

 

[Bodha]

Why pursue both Rivers and Wilson?


In total, we might be moving 5 valuable picks for these 2 guys.




I dont like the "Let Wilson sit and groom him in 2-3 years". Because what if 2-3 years comes by and we find out he sucks? Thats 2-3 years wasted and we're back to square 1.


No, thats BS.

Colin Kaepernick, Luck, RG3, Ginger Mcgoo in Cinci, Year 1 Cam, Year 2 Ponder, Russell Wilson.

All these guys were green and killed it. Either you have it, or you dont.

 

[Capt'nCard]

Normally I would agree with you, but the NFL and Cardinals history has shown us that productivity from the QB position is the most important aspect of the game. An offseason of trading to get a vet QB for the immediate future, upgrading at OG with a top prospect, and then drafting a developmental QB with pretty good tools is the offseason we need if we really want to change the direction of this team.

The problem is, who do you trade for? Quality QB's do not become available through FA or trade (please don't cite Peyton Manning). This is the same tired philosophy the Cards have been using for years and it hasn't work. I'm tired of the Kolbs, Andersons and Shaun Kings of the world. This team continues to do things that don't work. This site always seems the think were a player or two away. This team is far from competing for a championship. They need to draft a QB high and play him. Invest in all areas of the Oline through FA and whatever you don't fill there you draft. The only way you solve the QB situation is through the draft. Of the starting QBs in the league only 10 are not 1st rd picks, and two of those are Brady and Brees. The rest are teams like BUF, CLE, AZ and KC. The chances of landing a successful QB outside of the draft are slim.

 

[Capt'nCard]

Why pursue both Rivers and Wilson?


In total, we might be moving 5 valuable picks for these 2 guys.




I dont like the "Let Wilson sit and groom him in 2-3 years". Because what if 2-3 years comes by and we find out he sucks? Thats 2-3 years wasted and we're back to square 1.


No, thats BS.

Colin Kaepernick, Luck, RG3, Ginger Mcgoo in Cinci, Year 1 Cam, Year 2 Ponder, Russell Wilson.

All these guys were green and killed it. Either you have it, or you dont.

This is the best post in this thread so far. Why lose valuable draft picks for someone elses garbage with the possibility of not getting better.

 

[sportznutt]

I could almost see them release the guy........

the only QB worth looking at in UFA is Flacco.

 

[Jetstream Green]

If we want Rivers, I think we can get him. The QB position is so important that I would not mind giving up our first for him. If there is one thing he can do which all our QBs, including Kolb, have not on a regular basis is push the ball deep up field. Fitz needs a QB like Rivers.

 

[Duckjake]

The problem is, who do you trade for? Quality QB's do not become available through FA or trade (please don't cite Peyton Manning). This is the same tired philosophy the Cards have been using for years and it hasn't work. I'm tired of the Kolbs, Andersons and Shaun Kings of the world. This team continues to do things that don't work. This site always seems the think were a player or two away. This team is far from competing for a championship. They need to draft a QB high and play him. Invest in all areas of the Oline through FA and whatever you don't fill there you draft. The only way you solve the QB situation is through the draft. Of the starting QBs in the league only 10 are not 1st rd picks, and two of those are Brady and Brees. The rest are teams like BUF, CLE, AZ and KC. The chances of landing a successful QB outside of the draft are slim.

Ok I'll cite Drew Brees and Kurt Warner instead.

 

[Jetstream Green]

This is the best post in this thread so far. Why lose valuable draft picks for someone elses garbage with the possibility of not getting better.

Because there are a lot of QBs who did not 'kill it' the first year. Rodgers, Aikman and Eli Manning did not exactly light everyone up the first chance they got if I remember correctly.

 

[Buckybird]

IMO trading for Romo would be a much better move for the Cards. Rivers I believe is older & more of a INT turnover machine the last 2-3 years.