I'm pretty sure it's tomorrow (Mon.).
One thing that's a bit complicated and confusing is that whole area of the PS, waiver pickups, guaranteed-salary deadlines etc.
Someone please clarify if I'm wrong but my impression is:
1. For us to assign someone to our PS, they first have to clear waivers.
2. Since we were Super Bowl contenders, we will be 2nd-to-last in the waiver food chain.
3. If we're fortunate enough to put someone really good on our PS, another team can claim him IF they're willing to put him directly on their 53-man roster.
4. Some veterans were cut because: if they remained on the 53 man roster as of yesterday (Sat.), their entire 2009 salaries would be guaranteed. A number of them figure to be re-signed within a day or two.
5. Although some teams have a bunch of roster holes they want to fill via the waiver route, nearly every team has a small number of released players they hope to re-sign.
6. What we no doubt hope for is that enough other teams are so focused on re-signing 2 or 3 of their own vets that they'll leave our cuttees alone and we'll be able to re-sign them.
7. My guess is that the relative "silence" after the mass cuts has to do with a hidden Kabucki dance involving minor trades, monitoring the waiver-wires and waiting for the dust to settle.
8. If guys clear waivers and don't wind up on a PS or regular roster, they're free to negotiate with anyone and go anywhere. Perhaps there are a few released Cardinals who, in a sense, become a de facto "old boy farm system" for the Cards to tap into should injuries create needs for veteran help later in the year.
9. What we don't really know are things like: "How do the Cardinals really feel about guys like Hobson and maybe Ollie Ross? Are we considering bringing them back?" "How do guys like Hobson, Francisco or Ross feel about the Cardinals?" And "How do other teams feel about these guys or about youngsters like Onrea Jones or Canfield?
10. In short - What's the likelihood we'll get any of these guys back?
Don't you wish you were a fly on the wall at Cardinal Hq right now?
