Players No Longer Ruling the Nest in Arizona

[NeverSayDieFan]

The SENSATIONAL SIX = LEADERSHIP & SUCCESS

Excellent post, Mitch. When I look at today's Cardinals I see so many positive changes that have taken place over the past few years. I attribute this directly to what I now refer to as the "Sensational Six". (ie; Owner Michael B., Coaches Whiz' & Grimm, Strength & Conditioning Coach-John Lott, Steve Keim-Head of Scouting Dept. and G.M. Rod Graves.)

Michael B. came on-board and I remember reading that one of the VERY 1st things he did was to examine how the successful teams in the NFL were being run. Realizing how antiquated we were in our ways he started implementing change top to bottom. This immediately ruffled alot of feathers but he persevered and never lost sight of the goal: To make the Cards a winner and see Mr. B. hold that Championship trophy above his head. Then came the hiring of Coaches Whiz' & Grimm which has proved to be a stroke of genius. When Coach speaks at pressers, etc. I always come away feeling, He gets it. He knows how to get us where we want to be. Grimm has brought improvement to the O-line and we are watching as it continues to morph into a force. ...And I'll add that mgmt. opened the purse to hire quality asst's. Coaches respected around the league. NOT guys just happy to have jobs in the NFL.

Also included in my "Sensational Six" are John Lott and Steve Keim. In the past (2) years I have heard more comments about a strength & conditioning coach than I have in being a football fan of 40+ years. What do we hear all the time now? Wait till John Lott gets ahold of him. He'll make him into something special. ...And then there's Steve Keim leading our scouting dept. Under his leadership there have been ALOT more hits than misses. This is VERY important as it not only provides future quality players on a continuing basis (ie; the life-blood of your team) it also re-energizes your fan-base which has been pretty much been dormant since Feb. I feel a sense of confidence in our draft approach that I never had in years' past. Now when I hear a name like Greg Tollner I don't react with ^*(&*&)() WHO is Greg Tollner?? In the past I would've quickly tried to find something, ANYTHING, positive on the guy only to find next to nothing. Now, when we read about the Greg Tollner's we realize, Hey, could be one of those hidden "gems" everyone hopes to find. The point is, the Cards have now earned the benefit of the doubt. I have a feeling that the # of scouts we have scattered thru-out the country has increased dramatically as well. The other day during the draft they mentioned that the Bengals had a very small # of scouts on staff. I'd say you can see a direct correlation between # of quality scouts & a quality draft.

...And lastly to raise a few eyebrows, I'll add Rod Graves to the list. I'd be the 1st to tell you I don't understand salary caps, etc. so I think he has one of the toughest jobs in the NFL to do. I do get the feeling that he's a very good PR man rather than a #'s cruncher. BUT, the bottom-line is under his watch we made it to the Super Bowl. 'Nuff said!

So, there you have my "sensational six". The players will come-n-go. They have since the beginning of free agency. BUT if the leadership core stays intact I think we'll be "treated" to many more EXCITING Cardinal seasons in the years ahead. ...And I use the word "treated" because to me that's what this is. Am I the only one that smiles when I hear "What do the Cardinals have to do to get back to the Super Bowl??" I don't think so. After being considered nothing for so many painful years we are now in the mix. ...And I truly believe the rest of the league & its' fans are in for a surprise in the years' ahead. They may see 1-hit wonder, flash-in-the-pan...BUT that's because they don't know about the "Sensational Six". Before I close I do want to tip my Cardinal hat to (2) others who have played a large role in this AMAZING turn-around. I give credit to Mr. B. for letting Michael B. take the reins. In so many cases, ego's are more important the success of the team and that leads to ruin. ...And to Denny Green. I didn't care for him much as a coach but the man could judge talent. Finally, NONE of this works with-out US!! We're the gas that makes the car go. The energy. The excitement. The passion. Cardinal football is alive & well in the GREAT state of Arizona. Long may it be so!! GO CARDS!! P.S. My apologies if this thing doesn't get spaced/paragraphed properly. I'm some-what computer-challenged!

 

[lauraw]

Thank you, Mitch, your positivity towards the Cards Brass is refreshing in light of the last week or so on the board, my posts especially! I'll try to clean it up as far as the Blame Game goes, and I agree all forward thinking starts with Michael Bidwill's Influence, at least. If it wasn't then for Whizz, MB couldn't pull off the community "We Do this together". Whizz has pulled it off In-House, so MB has a much easier sell with Whizz as frontman to the public because of the Product on the field. ALL positivesinyour life, Mitch!

 

[az1965]

Dansby sucks and is a d-bag? Boldin and Dockett, are cry-babies and need to be demoted? Maybe ESPN is right about Cardinal fans being the worst in the NFL.

I really believe it is your type of fans ESPN is talking about... who have no clue.

 

[az1965]

True, but how many did Boldin and Dockett win before Whisenhunt got here?

+1

 

[Duckjake]

I really believe it is your type of fans ESPN is talking about... who have no clue.

No, they are talking about clueless lemming fans like you who nastily turn on the players at a drop of a hat and want to go back to the days of 5-11 by demoting or cutting high calibler NFL talent.

And it is especially ridiculous to do it to players who were instrumental in bringing the Cards and fans their first ever NFC Championship and Super Bowl appearance.

BTW: How many games did the Cards win with Warner or Wilson before Whisenhunt got here?

 

[joeshmo]

Amen! Do people really think that Larry and Kurt are just blowing smoke when they say they want Q here and are willing to restructure and/or lower their contracts to keep him here.

Yes. For one simple reason it wasnt their idea it was the media's idea for Fitz. They asked him a question and Fitz said yes. It wasnt not his idea and he has never brought it up unless a media person askes about it. Of course he will say yes. And A restructurer for Fitz will actually cost more money, and the players now this so its an empty gesture for any player to say they would do it.

As for Warner it to was an empty promise, because logistically it could not work under the CBA, people keep failing to realize that. Warner cannot put into his contract a clause that gives another player money as his own incentive. Plus it was mostly a media tool to get the fans on his side during a contract negotiation. Never overlook that fact.

 

[Treefiddy]

BTW: How many games did the Cards win with Warner or Wilson before Whisenhunt got here?

Warner: 10 - 22 (31%)
Wilson: 32 - 64 (33%)
Boldin: 20 - 44 (31%)
Docket: 16 - 32 (33%)

Seems like a wash to me. All are equally ineffective when it comes to winning games without Whiz.

It almost seems like the organization is taking care of the people who's contracts are coming to due sooner rather than later.

 

[azsouthendzone]

Damn that was a long article.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

cheese and i were talking about this very thing the other day. we no longer feel like players have the upper hand. though i'm not sure i'd pin it on the FO as much as push ALL the credit to whis (and yes, i understand the FO had to hire whis - so tiny credit to them for finally making the right pick). when i hear whis's quips they remind me of something bill parcells or bill cowher would say about their players. and that's MORE than okay by me.

overall i think mitch's write-up is pretty good. the only thing that i'd question is his bmw analogy. not sure we're up to that level yet. it may seem that way, but we were comparing a broken-down jalopy to where we are now, which may be a nice four door sedan that gets good gas mileage. once we string together multiple playoff appearances and win double digits in the regular season consistently i'd go with the luxury import analogy.

 

[az1965]

No, they are talking about clueless lemming fans like you who nastily turn on the players at a drop of a hat and want to go back to the days of 5-11 by demoting or cutting high calibler NFL talent.

And it is especially ridiculous to do it to players who were instrumental in bringing the Cards and fans their first ever NFC Championship and Super Bowl appearance.

BTW: How many games did the Cards win with Warner or Wilson before Whisenhunt got here?

That is your ANSWER to your own post... You can keep worshipping these millionaire cry babies. Good for you. I prefer a solid team with excellent staff that knows how to get the best out of them and instill discipline. How many of these "high caliber" player Cards have had and what did they do but lose!

 

[SECTION 11]

broken-down jalopy

How dare you. We are a FIERO!! And damn proud of it!!

 

[Jetstream Green]

The more I look at the NFL now, it seems to me the more it comes down to coaching because no team is really able to hold on to players because of the cap and free agency. Brady goes down and the Pats still are respectable. It is about finding solid players (not exactly elite players) that fit your system and hold that last remaining aspect of consistancy which makes you win games. A lot of this comes down to Whis, it has to. I want Boldin on this team, but with Fitz and Breaston...Doucet is probably more than enough to make our passing game work. Dockett, Dansby? I don't now because Pendy really left our players out on the limb with his gambling approach which caused our players to get turnovers but also allow the opponent to score as well...it was fifty fifty with the highs and lows as the other teams offense seeming to always score in the mid twenties for the most part, but the D did look a lot worse without Wilson. Whis and Wilson are the ones this team needs to secure for the long haul and I put Whis in there because he is as important as the players in this day and age.

 

[Cards232]

Yes. For one simple reason it wasnt their idea it was the media's idea for Fitz. They asked him a question and Fitz said yes. It wasnt not his idea and he has never brought it up unless a media person askes about it. Of course he will say yes. And A restructurer for Fitz will actually cost more money, and the players now this so its an empty gesture for any player to say they would do it.

As for Warner it to was an empty promise, because logistically it could not work under the CBA, people keep failing to realize that. Warner cannot put into his contract a clause that gives another player money as his own incentive. Plus it was mostly a media tool to get the fans on his side during a contract negotiation. Never overlook that fact.

Could Warner not rip up his contract & sign the exact same one w/ 2 million less? Of course, there's nothing in Warner's contract that would force him to follow through on his word & give up the 2 mill., but I would take him at his word.

 

[chickenhead]

The more I look at the NFL now, it seems to me the more it comes down to coaching because no team is really able to hold on to players because of the cap and free agency. Brady goes down and the Pats still are respectable. It is about finding solid players (not exactly elite players) that fit your system and hold that last remaining aspect of consistancy which makes you win games. A lot of this comes down to Whis, it has to. I want Boldin on this team, but with Fitz and Breaston...Doucet is probably more than enough to make our passing game work. Dockett, Dansby? I don't now because Pendy really left our players out on the limb with his gambling approach which caused our players to get turnovers but also allow the opponent to score as well...it was fifty fifty with the highs and lows as the other teams offense seeming to always score in the mid twenties for the most part, but the D did look a lot worse without Wilson. Whis and Wilson are the ones this team needs to secure for the long haul and I put Whis in there because he is as important as the players in this day and age.

+10. The structure of the league demands this sort of approach. You can potentially win a SB with some splashy signings and prima donnas, but even then I think you have to be a major media market, a team like Dallas, etc. But a team like that hasn't won in a while. Pats, Steelers, Colts, and Giants have all been willing to let players go, and all have rings in the last decade.