Off-Season Moves 2012

[CardLogic]

This new CBA dropped player prices...

Not true - starting when the new TV contracts kick-in; 2014, I think; the salary cap will be nearly doubled what it was this past season.

Player salaries are going to skyrocket - not decrease.

 

[sundevil04]

I agree with Mitch on nearly everything except I'd like to see Bradley in camp to see if he can pick up on the 3-4 with a full offseason.

It jumps out at me that this offseason doesnt address our two biggest needs OT and WR2. With this offseason having Doucet leave we have Roberts and wr2 and no one worth noting after him.

Id like to see Levi resigned especially considering the lack of starting caliber OT in this FA class, however I'd like to see him moved to RT. If Reiff and martin are gone by pick 13, Id go after a player like Andrew Datko in rd3, a high boom bust type due to a shoulder injury this season.

The one big FA move I think we have to make is WR2. WR one of the strongest positions in this FA class, I think we MUST make a move for one and move Roberts to WR3.

In the draft I agree with Decastro and Keuchley maybe a rush end like Upshaw or Perry from USC if one jumps out at us as a stud

 

[Goodyear Card]

Not true - starting when the new TV contracts kick-in; 2014, I think; the salary cap will be nearly doubled what it was this past season.

Player salaries are going to skyrocket - not decrease.

Question 1.2 and 1.2a should help answer your question. I don't see the salary cap doubling.

http://www.askthecommish.com/salarycap/faq.asp


In terms of minimum salary for each team, the salary floor is 89% of the cap. However, that does not start until 2013. Hence, there is in essence no salary floor in 2011 or 2012. (Note this point, as there is plenty of misinformation about this running rampant in the press!)


League-wide, teams must spend 99% of the cap in 2011 and 2012. In 2013 and beyond, they must spend 95% of the cap.

 

[CardLogic]

Question 1.2 and 1.2a should help answer your question. I don't see the salary cap doubling.

http://www.askthecommish.com/salarycap/faq.asp


In terms of minimum salary for each team, the salary floor is 89% of the cap. However, that does not start until 2013. Hence, there is in essence no salary floor in 2011 or 2012. (Note this point, as there is plenty of misinformation about this running rampant in the press!)


League-wide, teams must spend 99% of the cap in 2011 and 2012. In 2013 and beyond, they must spend 95% of the cap.

Ok, so perhaps double is not accurate, but they are going to greatly increase when the increased TV contracts kick-in.

Salary cap, and therefore players salaries, will not be de-escalating; which was the premise in Thesmel's original statement on the topic with which I disagree.

Edit: By the way, nice website you provided the link for, Goodyear!

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Your thoughts? Are these moves in line with what YOU would do?

This is what I would do, or at least see happening.

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/f4/2012-new-year-offseason-preview-174511.html

Bradley will be back.

Why on earth would Levi Brown get 25 million dollars ? If we are going to spend that type of money then go after Demetrius Bell in free agency.

 

[Mainstreet]

Not to be ignored, the Cardinals need another RB. I wouldn't mind drafting another CB either. Linebacker help is an obvious need and use a later round pick for a QB. I'm not sure if the Cardinals should draft a tackle in the first round or not (perhaps it is their biggest need) but I like going BPA throughout the draft.

 

[ajcardfan]

Most of the free agents we'll go after are guys no one will mention until they are here signing their deals. Guys like Sean Morey, Chansi Stuckey, Rex Hadnot and Richard Marshall, etc.

 

[Stout]

Not sure if you have to draft him but I'd be interested in Cal punter Bryan Anger.

Well over 40 per punt all 4 years at Cal including 45.6 as a junior. Seems to get good hangtime, has been good at the coffin corner and drawing fair catches in the open field. Also a pretty good athlete which is sometimes valuable.

Wasn't overly thrilled with Zastudil.

People might laugh at the thought that Punter is a high priority, but I'm right there with you, Russ. When Graham was booming them, field position was constantly our ally. It is incredibly important to be able to shift field position, especially when backed up in our own end. I'm not saying we should spend a high or even a mid-level draft pick on one, but we should definitely be looking at upgrading the position.

 

[Jetstream Green]

Feely is not going anywhere. It is hard enough to find a kicker in the clutch and you can't tell till he is put in the situation. Feely is hardly perfect but beats the hell out of the Rackers of the league

 

[Dayman]

Not to be ignored, the Cardinals need another RB.

Agreed. We need a replacement for Jason Wright. Beanie is Beanie, there's no guarantee Williams will be the same player when he comes back and Hyphen isn't suited to be a primary backup.

Re-signing Campbell long-term is obviously the number one priority. I feel like using the franchise tag on him will only make things worse in the future. I'd like to see Marshall brought back, although I fear his price will be much higher than we expect. He was lobbying for a huge contract in Carolina for years. And, like pretty much everyone else, I'd love to see a legitimate WR2 on the roster next year.

I'd also like to see a receiver with legitimate speed brought in. I believe Todd Watkins was the last potential deep threat we drafted.

Finally, bring in an actual QB coach. Chris Miller might be great friends with Whis, but he is blatantly under-qualified for his position. With the problems Skelton and Kolb need to correct, we need a legitimate position coach for the most important position on the field.

 

[RON_IN_OC]

It's going to be a relatively quiet off-season for the Cardinals.

Why?

Going 7-2 in the last 9 games has assured the FO that there is already enough talent on the roster to win with.

The FO--after it gives QB Kevin Kolb his $7M bonus---after it re-signs DE Calais Campbell to a deal quite similar to the 6/$56M deal that Darnell Dockett signed (if not, they will franchise tag him)---after it re-signs CB Richard Marshall to a 4/$14M deal---after it restructures T Levi Brown's deal at 3/$25M---will stand pat.

Gone?

LB Stewart Bradley---didn't fit.
WR Early Doucet---didn't do enough.
RB Chester Taylor---one year rental.
LB Joey Porter---lost his edge.
LB Clark Haggans---should retire.
K Jay Feely---not enough love from the coaches.
G Deuce Lutui---out of favor.

Back (new contracts---near or at the minimum)?

LS Mike Leach
P Dave Zastudil
T D'Anthony Batiste
T Brandon Keith
CB Greg Toler
S Hamza Abdullah
RB LaRod Stephens-Howling (3/$7.5M)
S Rashad Johnson
QB Rich Bartel
WR Stephen Williams
DE Ronald Talley
DE Vonnie Holliday? (1/$1.5M? if he doesn't retire)

Free Agents?

No big splashes.

Draft?

Likely 1 of these 4:

David DeCastro, G, Stanford
Jonathon Martin, T, Stanford
Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama
Luke Kuechly, ILB, Boston College

Sleeper: SS Mark Barron, Alabama (in a trade down scenario)

Coaching Staff Changes?

None.

Your thoughts? Are these moves in line with what YOU would do?

Porter should retire...but Haggans should definitely be back. He's not washed up, yet. If he get's beat out as a starter, he is perfect for a rotation position. Also, I think Feely is back...good guy on and off the field. Doucet will be back, unless they address the need in the draft on day 2.

 

[long_season]

early better be gone

IR'd two seasons (or missed significant time two seasons)
has made too many idiot plays
either not made plays that were there (4th down hit in middle of chest wide open - fall down on cinci game - there are others)
made bone headed penalties a couple times - getting in skirmishes after ball is dead - hold me back hold me back


if I have to see the chipmunk smile again next year when he does something stupid I will puke.

Its time someone says they were wrong and lets him walk....he is not Boldins replacement and never EVER will be.

We need boldins replacement!! We need breaston replacement!!

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

I think the Cards will bring in a WR via free agency. I think Bradley will be kept around for 1 more year. However, they key to the off season is what they decide with Levi. That not only affects free agency but the draft as well. If they let him go, they may pigeon-hole themselves into taking a tackle at 13 which could result in a reach pick like Mike Adams.

Also, I agree that a punter may be grabbed in the late rounds.

 

[Garthshort]

Mitch, thanks. Like many others, I feel that Bradley will be back, therefore eliminating the BC ILB as a draft possibility. Also feel that Haggens will be back, giving us some veteran leadership at the OLB position. Though I do feel that we need another pass rushing OLB. I hope that Levi is back, provided the team can adjust the money on his contract. All signs point to us selecting either an OL or an OLB in the first round, but recently the Cardinals have gone BPA in the first so we may be surprised. All in all, next season's success will depend on the QB position, so we'll see.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Mitch, thanks. Like many others, I feel that Bradley will be back, therefore eliminating the BC ILB as a draft possibility. Also feel that Haggens will be back, giving us some veteran leadership at the OLB position. Though I do feel that we need another pass rushing OLB. I hope that Levi is back, provided the team can adjust the money on his contract. All signs point to us selecting either an OL or an OLB in the first round, but recently the Cardinals have gone BPA in the first so we may be surprised. All in all, next season's success will depend on the QB position, so we'll see.

I don't think Bradley being back should preclude the Cards from drafting Kuechly. I only think Bradley will be back because of the atrociously bad contract that, according to some in the Polian thread, our suddenly superstar of a GM gave him, makes it cap prohibitive to cut him.

 

[az jam]

Feely is not going anywhere. It is hard enough to find a kicker in the clutch and you can't tell till he is put in the situation. Feely is hardly perfect but beats the hell out of the Rackers of the league

Agree, Rackers would have missed the winning OT field goal against the Seahawks this past Sunday.

 

[Totally_Red]

Upgrade special teams!!!

I would most definitely keep Paris Lenon thru his final contract year of 2012 and sign Clark Haggans for one more year.

One area I really think the Cardinals need to address is special teams. That mean seem strange to say with the exploits of Patrick Peterson this season, but I really was not impressed with our coverage units and punter this past season. Look around the division and you can see the huge advantage the other three teams have over the Cardinals at the punter position. It shouldn't cost that much to upgrade the position.

As for coverage units, your backup linebackers are one of the keys to good coverage units in my opinion. The Cardinals have Walker and Bradley, one is adequate, the other poor on special teams IMO. I suspect we are stuck with Bradley for another year, but for heaven's sake upgrade Walker.

Backup wide receiver is another area that should contribute on special teams, and again the Cardinals are lacking. Early Doucet played special teams, but rarely stood out. And I can't remember any of the other WR backups contributing at all. Remember Sean Morey? He didn't bring much as a receiver, but he was a special teams phenom. The Cardinals need at least one of their receivers to make a substanial contribution on special teams.

One final complaint! When is Michael Adams ever going to actually make the tackle in punt coverage. He repeatedly flies past the returner, while other teams gunners actually make tackles.

Go Cardinals!

 

[Totally_Red]

IR'd two seasons (or missed significant time two seasons)
has made too many idiot plays
either not made plays that were there (4th down hit in middle of chest wide open - fall down on cinci game - there are others)
made bone headed penalties a couple times - getting in skirmishes after ball is dead - hold me back hold me back


if I have to see the chipmunk smile again next year when he does something stupid I will puke.

Its time someone says they were wrong and lets him walk....he is not Boldins replacement and never EVER will be.

We need boldins replacement!! We need breaston replacement!!

I suspect yet another assinine personal foul on Sunday sealed Early's fate. I like Early, but Andre Roberts should/could become a solid #3 for us and one of our offseason priorities should be acquiring a solid #2 wide receiver to take some pressure off Fitz.

 

[crisper57]

Feely's gone, huh? That would surprise me. I wouldn't be surprised to see them bring in competition in training camp, but I would be shocked if he was let go outright.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Agree, Rackers would have missed the winning OT field goal against the Seahawks this past Sunday.

100% certain of that.

And Urban had the stupidity to call the kick "anit-climatic", does that fool have that short of a memory ?

Rackers has scarred me for life. There is never a kick that I feel is a "sure thing" or even a 50-50 thing.

 

[Chopper0080]

100% certain of that.

And Urban had the stupidity to call the kick "anit-climatic", does that fool have that short of a memory ?

Rackers has scarred me for life. There is never a kick that I feel is a "sure thing" or even a 50-50 thing.

great when you need an onside kick though.

 

[Chopper0080]

In the spirit of this thread, yes, it will be a quiet offseason. But, three things will happen.

1-We will overhaul our offensive line, but not necessarily the OT position. Before you get pissed, keep this in mind, it is better to get all pro guards then mediocre tackles. This is a great offseason for OGs (FA and the draft) and the offensive line works from the inside out, so some relief outside can come from the inside.

2-We will add depth in the front 7. I'm not sure if if we will draft a top edge rusher, but you will see LB's and DLinemen added/resigned.

3-I doubt we see a top WR signed, but don't suprised if we get a vet like Robert Meachem or Harry Douglas to stretch the field.

 

[BigRedArk]

Is Todd Heap under contract for 2012?

 

[187]

3-I doubt we see a top WR signed, but don't suprised if we get a vet like Robert Meachem or Harry Douglas to stretch the field.

I am 100% on the Robert Meachem train if we look for a smaller name #2 WR via free agency. He's got good size, 4.39 speed and is a big play/deep threat, and has excelled in Nola when either Colston or Moore are out of the lineup. 10 of his career 18 TD's are when Colston or Moore are not playing; 12 games with one of those two gone he's accumulated 10 TD's. Understandable because Brees has a ton of weapons and loves to spread the ball around, so when everyone is healthy you'll have games where you aren't targeted much.

 

[Chopper0080]

Is Todd Heap under contract for 2012?

Yes.