Garthshort
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I don't know how to do it, but the official Cardinals' site has a very good interview with BA about the OTA sessions. If someone could add the link, I think you would enjoy watching it.
OTA Wrap Up
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Cards Czar
The Bird is the Word
Here it is. In the middle of the article click on the video.
http://www.azcardinals.com/news-and...Side-Mix/07ac42db-e003-4715-bb8d-afbda8a47a1b
RugbyMuffin
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Highly Recommended watch.
Definitely a "selling tickets" interview, meaning it is very positive, but still it was nice to hear Arians talk about some players.
Highlights:
1 - Nate Potter showing value, and being in the discussion at RT. Meaning we may have a surplus of RT's on the team. With Potter being able to play OT and OG, that should make things interesting by the end of the preseason.
2 - Kareem Martin has already put on 10 lbs. Scary.
3 - Arians giving a shout out to Manahawkin, NJ native, Glenn Carson (LB from Penn State)
Chopper0080
2021 - Prove It
Won't be a shocker to see Brown overtake Ginn for the number 3 spot this year. He is there mentally which is allowing him to play up to his speed. With Ginn getting return duties, I imagine Brown will see his play % increase as the season goes on.
I have no idea what to expect from Kareem Martin, but he is very intriguing from a physical standpoint. When they took him I thought he would be asked to bulk up and play DE, but there has been talk about him playing OLB. We will see.
Much of this season is going to come down to health which is not a new thing. We are really thin at LT, LB, QB and RB. If Veldheer, Ellington, Palmer and any of our starters at LB get hurt, the drop off behind them is significant.
I have no idea what to expect from Kareem Martin, but he is very intriguing from a physical standpoint. When they took him I thought he would be asked to bulk up and play DE, but there has been talk about him playing OLB. We will see.
Much of this season is going to come down to health which is not a new thing. We are really thin at LT, LB, QB and RB. If Veldheer, Ellington, Palmer and any of our starters at LB get hurt, the drop off behind them is significant.
RugbyMuffin
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Agreed on it all, but every single team in the NFL is thin at LT, and QB.
That is the reality of those positions. There are just not enough good QB's and LT's in the league. That being said, Levi Brown has still not signed on with another team as of today. Mid-tier LT my putoot!
RugbyMuffin
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4 WR set with Ginn on the outside, and Brown in the slot. That will be pretty cool.
Chopper0080
2021 - Prove It
Keep in mind that Arians wants Ellington in passing sets and Arians loves having a TE on the field for the size mis-match and blocking versatility. My guess is we will see more 11 personnel. Fitz, Floyd, Brown/Ginn, Ellington and Nikklas/Carlson/Housler. Also, I could see more empty sets with Ellington in the slot.
I'd be shocked if Brown didn't overtake Ginn for the #3 spot by opening day.
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Jetstream Green
Kool Aid with a touch of vodka
I would not be shocked but Arians stressed one thing about Ginn and that is he cannot understand why Ginn has not been utilized more as a WR in his career. I mean a complete array of WR routes and not just a go route. Ginn showed a lot last year in Carolina and he is a vet... I think Brown will be great with the Cards but Ginn is not the 'Housler' some people seem to believe at catching the ball lol
Garthshort
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When you think about it, the Cardinals must have a LOT more talent than in years past. I went through the photos from the OTA's and I think that I saw one of Larry Fitz. In prior years it seemed that he was in 15 of every 20 photos. I may be exaggerating, but you know what I mean.
while we DO have more talent than any team I can ever recall us having. I think it's got much more to do with the attitude. Before, AZ was a job, a paycheck, and nothing else. It seemed to start changing around the time we got a real stadium, that bred more desire to see games, which brought more desire to want to play for the fans here, then suddenly we've got a big stadium always sold-out from great fans here to watch a seriously talented group of players being orchestrated by an amazingly talented group of coaches with a front office that actually knows what they're doing, has had back-to-back drafts addressing need without reaching at about every selection, is proactive in re-signing talent and shrewd in pulling in top-notch FAs. The entire culture around the Cards has shifted. From foundation up, we're a legitimate top-notch organization. We were the last ones to beat the SB champs (in their house, which otherwise hasn't been done in 2 years now) We have a serious shot at home-field advantage in this Super Bowl. These guys know that and are on board 100%. So we've had the best turnout ever out there, coupled with the fact that the talent is better. There's gonna be plenty of great shots for the media
Cardiac
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I agree that the talent level has improved but not just at the top. Yes PP, CC, DD, Juke, Veldheer, CP, Cooper, HB are all top level talent. Thing is we have far more solid to good depth players than ever before.
I also agree that the culture and attitude has vastly improved. It started when Michael made the new stadium happened and then got more and more control. His first hire of DG was solid but turned out to be a miss. Then he hired Whiz which was when the players attitude and a winning culture was established.
Now it looks like he has upgrade the HC position again with BA and finally was able to take over complete control of the team.
I think SK is the right choice for GM and love most of what he has done. The fact that he has brought in more competition at CB even though Powers was very decent last year. Cromartie's addition may push the Cards to the best CB duo in the league.
Then a speed WR is grabbed in FA and Ginn was on the top of my want list but then SK grabs Brown in the 3rd rd of the draft and another WR in the 6th Rd. Is it like 4 more "speed" WR's picked up after the draft?
SK is still looking at FA RT's as of yesterday even though we have 3 solid candidates with 3 or less years of experience. SK will never be sitting on his hands and will constantly look to upgrade and position on the team.
I also agree that the culture and attitude has vastly improved. It started when Michael made the new stadium happened and then got more and more control. His first hire of DG was solid but turned out to be a miss. Then he hired Whiz which was when the players attitude and a winning culture was established.
Now it looks like he has upgrade the HC position again with BA and finally was able to take over complete control of the team.
I think SK is the right choice for GM and love most of what he has done. The fact that he has brought in more competition at CB even though Powers was very decent last year. Cromartie's addition may push the Cards to the best CB duo in the league.
Then a speed WR is grabbed in FA and Ginn was on the top of my want list but then SK grabs Brown in the 3rd rd of the draft and another WR in the 6th Rd. Is it like 4 more "speed" WR's picked up after the draft?
SK is still looking at FA RT's as of yesterday even though we have 3 solid candidates with 3 or less years of experience. SK will never be sitting on his hands and will constantly look to upgrade and position on the team.
I didn't mean "top-notch" in terms of talent level. I meant it more in terms of their value. They're not all Pro Bowl level competitors like Veldheer and Cromartie. But guys like Ginn that fill a need perfectly at a good $ and have the ability to be important contributors. No contracts like Adam Snyder, or Levi Brown, or Darren Colledge. Over 2 years, he hasn't had a single free agency failure. Cason may have been a flop, but not a failure. And he still got Powers in the same free agency. Even re-signing Rashad Johnson. That was a hugely underrated move. He was a big-time contributor that the previous regime was ready to just let walk. His performance was overshadowed by the emergence of Mathieu. But he was very good in his own right last year. So while every move may not have been a smashing success. I can't think of one that was a failure. Unlike Graves, who had many, per year. The IQ of our front office has been impressive to say the least.
the best way I can describe the new feeling here is that every year our future looks brighter. Even going back to when we had Warner, the current was great, but the future was shaky. But year by year, little by little, there were things added that made our future look a little better each time. And as our future bled into the present, our current squads improved year by year, little by little. Until finally we arrive that this current situation. Granted, QB is a bit shaky for the future, but I believe Stanton can take the help efficiently for at least a couple years after Palmer (who looked terrible often while leading us to 10 wins last year), but almost everywhere else, we have talent AND youth. It paints a very optimistic picture for the future. Unfortunately, the rest of the NFCW franchises have all moved in the same direction somehow. It'll be interesting to see how it plays out
Matt L
formerly known as mattyboy
I think this is more accurate.
