Q & A: Who's to Blame?

[Duckjake]

Rackers is only several points away from leading the league in total points scored. I think we are 4th from the bottom in turnover ratio. Interesting that the 4 teams who are (I think) the worst in this catagory are the four worst teams in the NFL in the standings.

Remember John that stats do not apply to the Cardinals like they do other teams. Last year they lost several games where they had a turnover advantage.

Rackers great year so far is a by product of what has caused the current 2-7 record. The inability to score TD's in the redzone. Far more than injuries that is the #1 thing that has killed this season. It is why I can't get excited about what he is doing in that area. It's great that he hasn't missed but every time he kicks it is because the Cards have missed yet another chance at a TD.

 

[john h]

I suspect Graves also manages the CAP and gives Green an idea of the budget he has for shopping. After that I would expect that Green selects the groceries.

You can take it to the bank that the Bidwills decide what the budget for the team will be. Graves may work from the overall budget number the Bidwills give him. Nearly all larger corporations have a forecasted growth in revenue and profits presented and approved by the board of directors at the beginning of each fiscal year. The board of directors for the Cardinals is the Bidwill family. They decide how much money they want to take for themselves and will adjust the CAP on the move to insure they come as close to that as they can. Next year will be a bit difficult for the team to forcast revenues. They know a new stadium will increase revenues and they will know season ticket sales but they will not have a lot to go on as to just what the new stadium will produce in overall revenue. It will be interesting to watch just how they use their CAP money. You would hope they would use all available CAP money but the family is a conservative group so do not count on it.

 

[john h]

Ultimately I lay all the blame at ownerships feet.

They could choose to fire some people, make some salary room and hire a real NFL GM.

Until they do that, they take all the blame, not that I like DG but honestly he's not got the same budget others do.

Now hiring him in the first place is another pet peeve of mine.

Hire a GM and go back to pimping luxury suites and talk on tv, the rest let the GM handle.

Ultimately you are correct.

 

[john h]

When your defense is fundamentally unsound that is partially the defensive coordinators fault. This defense is actually worse then last year it seems and all we have done is lose Bryant and gain Okeafor and some draft picks.

He tries to throw in that 3 man rush that never works, and even went to a "46" defense a couple of weeks ago. I like Pendy and do not think he should be fired but he needs to adjust and teach his team how to tackle and quit over-pursing! There is plenty of blame to go around!

Some of the game TV analysts have noted that probably other teams have adjusted to Clancy and his schemes from last year. He needs to come up with some new ideas and readjust.

 

[nidan]

John I understand you, I also understand how you have suffered for decades but I don't think you are entirely accurate. I say this in the light of actually having spent a reasonable amount of time talking with Rod Graves.

IMO [as I don't know for sure] there are two significant differences between how the Cardinals do bussiness now [and for the last 2 years] and how they have done it in the past.

In the past I think that BB Snr made all the decisions, yes.

Now IMO, they work more like a real business. I believe that RG and MB come up with a business plan that defines the budget they have available. As the official owner of the team, obviously this has be be approved by BB Snr but it is generated by RG and MB.

In the past BB Snr would come up with the plan, approve it, then hand if off to a flunky to implement. There is a radical difference between the two aproaches and I'm sorry that you can't see that.

The difference in how the team is managed is obvious. We no longer have our good players leaving for FA. The problem is that this has only been happening for 2 years and we have both the financial and perception problems of years of mismanagement to deal with.

 

[Duckjake]

The difference in how the team is managed is obvious. We no longer have our good players leaving for FA.

Instead we either trade or release them.

 

[john h]

Remember John that stats do not apply to the Cardinals like they do other teams. Last year they lost several games where they had a turnover advantage.

Rackers great year so far is a by product of what has caused the current 2-7 record. The inability to score TD's in the redzone. Far more than injuries that is the #1 thing that has killed this season. It is why I can't get excited about what he is doing in that area. It's great that he hasn't missed but every time he kicks it is because the Cards have missed yet another chance at a TD.

Agree with your statement but I have never seen a kicker kick so many long field goals without a miss. It is not so much how many points he has scored but about his accuracy and leg strength. He also leads the league in touch backs. I have watched a lot of kickers in my long life time and Rackers is having the best year I have ever witnessed. Kickers can sometimes lose it as a lot of kicking is also in your head. He does not have to kick under playoff pressure which certainly is a help to him. He is clearly the best kicker in the NFL at this point.

 

[conraddobler]

John I understand you, I also understand how you have suffered for decades but I don't think you are entirely accurate. I say this in the light of actually having spent a reasonable amount of time talking with Rod Graves.

IMO [as I don't know for sure] there are two significant differences between how the Cardinals do bussiness now [and for the last 2 years] and how they have done it in the past.

In the past I think that BB Snr made all the decisions, yes.

Now IMO, they work more like a real business. I believe that RG and MB come up with a business plan that defines the budget they have available. As the official owner of the team, obviously this has be be approved by BB Snr but it is generated by RG and MB.

In the past BB Snr would come up with the plan, approve it, then hand if off to a flunky to implement. There is a radical difference between the two aproaches and I'm sorry that you can't see that.

The difference in how the team is managed is obvious. We no longer have our good players leaving for FA. The problem is that this has only been happening for 2 years and we have both the financial and perception problems of years of mismanagement to deal with.

Nidan I think most of us see Michael as a sincere guy who's capable and knows what he's doing.

At least I think he will learn but let's remember he's new to this and it takes some time to make mistakes and figure things out.

As refreshing as Michael is he still can't or won't change a few things. One example would be about 5 to 10 people on staff that are there for no other reason than they are long time henchmen of his fathers.

These people are eating salaries that should go to someone else that is productive.

They also provide weird currents within the organization that just flat out aren't productive, they I am sure have little turf battles about things and well it's just not helping anything.

 

[Mitch]

Actually, that was Walter Mitchell.



At least be honest...you hated Green from the very day he was hired...way before he made a single move or coached a single game. Each week thereafter, you have used this board to say the exact same thing...week, after week, after week.

You pimped McGinnis and Preston Parsons...how are those moves working out for ya?

Q How long are you going to continue to post the same drivle about Green?
A Hopefully, not any longer than your comparing Whitehurst to Big Ben.

I deserved to be criticized for being redundant...I can accept that now. But, for the record...

1. Yes. I was disappointed in the hiring of Dennis Green from day one. I desperately wanted Charlie Weis (and I was roundly criticized for it on this board). But, let me ask you...if you had a choice now to pick Green or Weis, who would you pick? Do you even have to think about it?

However, as I said in another post, had Green shown real prowess as a coach and handled the job with class, I would be firmly in his corner.

2. I was pimping Dave McGinnis? You can't be serious. Yeah, I was as excited as everyone during Mac's first press conference as head coach...man, he could talk a cat down from a tuna truck. But, it didn't take me and most of us long to figure out that he was not a good preparer as a head coach. I wrote many articles during Mac's tenure that praised his motivational rhetoric, but sharply criticized his inability to command the details of the job.

3. Pimping Justin Parsons? Man, on a couple of occasions during Mac's last debacle of a season I suggested that the team give Preston Parsons a look, based on his solid pre-season performances where he rallied the team from behind in two games. I was curious as to how he would handle himself in an NFL game.

4. I have never even mentioned Charlie Whitehurst in a post, let alone compared him to Big Ben. As for Big Ben, he was the player I wanted in the 2004 draft...yeah, I was enamored with Fitz and wasn't dismayed when we took him...but, as I said at the time, when a team has a chance to snag a franchise QB, it should do it without even hesitating. It's a matter of priorities...and while I like Green's eye for talent...he's been building this team from the outside in, instead of from the inside out, and IMO, that has been a significant error in judgement and planning...and it has set this team back, not improved it.

When you try to insult a poster here, at least try to get your facts straight.

 

[BigRedArk]

I deserved to be criticized for being redundant...I can accept that now. But, for the record...

1. Yes. I was disappointed in the hiring of Dennis Green from day one. I desperately wanted Charlie Weis (and I was roundly criticized for it on this board). But, let me ask you...if you had a choice now to pick Green or Weis, who would you pick? Do you even have to think about it?.

I got your back on Weisz(sp) Walter. I distinctly remember you touting him to be the Cards next HC way before anyone else. I remember being skeptical as i read it too. Well needless to say you look pretty dang wise today!!!

 

[Russ Smith]

I deserved to be criticized for being redundant...I can accept that now. But, for the record...

1. Yes. I was disappointed in the hiring of Dennis Green from day one. I desperately wanted Charlie Weis (and I was roundly criticized for it on this board). But, let me ask you...if you had a choice now to pick Green or Weis, who would you pick? Do you even have to think about it?

However, as I said in another post, had Green shown real prowess as a coach and handled the job with class, I would be firmly in his corner.

.

Well while you're certainly right that you touted Weis, and he's been terrific at Notre Dame, that doesn't mean he was ever a candidate or would have taken the job. I know we threw his name around but I don't recall anything officially saying the Cards talked to him, I know there was talk we like Jim Johnson of the Eagles.

Also Weis inherited a totally different situation, Willingham had talent in ever recruiting class he'd gotten at ND, that was one of the key reasons people like myself said he should get to coach out his contract, it was apparent to anybody on the outside that the team was on the up, not the downswing.

Weis has clearly gotten better play out of Quinn but as Clif pointed out the other day, it's not all that shocking for a talented but young QB to struggle for 2 seasons and then bust out as a junior, so maybe Quinn would have been good if Ty had stayed?

I guess my point is Weis inherited existing talent and probably squeezed more out of it, but that wasn't the job description here he not only had to get more out of the current players, he had to go and get a lot more talent.
I think that's probably what ultimately got Green the job the Cards figured he had far more experience in that area than any other candidate they talked to.

I didn't agree with the hiring either but I also think that New England isn't struggling this year because they lost Weis, they're struggling because of all th einjuries on defense, and the loss of Dillon, the offense has been just fine without Weis. I don't think you can just point at Notre Dame and say Weis would have done that here.

 

[CronosCard]

"..And in this corner.."

Mitch your quote #14 is right on.. I also side with JSTADVL, where in god's name do you all get off castigating this Cardinal fan[like you all are supposed to be-tolerant Cards fans] about DG when the announcers each Sunday talk over and over about his coaching errors, ie clock management, personnel decisions, players playing out of place, coaching AND playing fundamentals missing, stupid penalties, playcalling -running the ball which we know we don't do with less than 6:00 in the game, 2+ TD's down nonchalantly calling a play, no hurry-up offense,[ Last week, Tim Ryan? said, "Denny's just not doing a very good job of coaching" at halftime of the game..Mitch did not say that on nationwide TV] DG wouldn't even accept blame unto himself until the 3rd loss of the season, deflecting it on player and position-coaching lacks.. I haven't read Mitch before, but Dude you have nothing to apologize to these fans acting like jerks on this thread who can't see through your putting the blame SQUARELY WHERE IT LIES CORRECTLY SINCE DG MAKES ALL THE PERSONNEL/coaching :notworthy DECISIONS. I know everyone is frustrated with the disappointment of this season.. I've shot myself 3 times out of frustration because the Cards are getting worse each week[ of course it was with Cards red paintballs ] My point is that let us all be allowed to speak our mind about players or coaches or owners we are pissed about, but be responsible enough not to diss each other for there comments. We should be in this together if we are Blood Cards fans!!

 

[TheCardFan]

I deserved to be criticized for being redundant...I can accept that now. But, for the record...

I respect that Mitch and I will bury the hatchet.

Yes, you wanted Weis and we may never know if Weis could have drafted the quality people that Green has or won any more games but he certainly is having wonderful success at ND...Skorp must be proud!

Green brought a proven NFL resume for winning as a Head Coach. He also had the pedigree from Bill Walsh. I am extremely dissapointed with the results on the field this year. Did we overachieve with last years team? The defense certainly seemed to...

Green was my choice but he didn't get it done this year. How long does it take to rebuild arguably the worst NFL team in the history of the NFL? Proabably more than two years but even then...is it Green who can/will do it?

I love his track record for winning and his ability to draft quality players. I have not been impressed with his coaching ability this year and the teams discipline and execution.

I couldn't stand Vince Tobin but I absolutely loved Coach Mac. Green's fatal blow was overestimating his talent at G C G and the ability of Oliver Ross at RT. That killed the entire machine.

I give him one more year...one more draft...one more offseason. If we can't get to .500 next year and be extremely competitive doing it, he is the wrong man for the job...but at least the next coach will come into town with some players to build around.

 

[john h]

Nidan I think most of us see Michael as a sincere guy who's capable and knows what he's doing.

At least I think he will learn but let's remember he's new to this and it takes some time to make mistakes and figure things out.

As refreshing as Michael is he still can't or won't change a few things. One example would be about 5 to 10 people on staff that are there for no other reason than they are long time henchmen of his fathers.

These people are eating salaries that should go to someone else that is productive.

They also provide weird currents within the organization that just flat out aren't productive, they I am sure have little turf battles about things and well it's just not helping anything.

This sort of reminds me of when Bill Wrigley sold the Cubs to the Tribune. The contract of sale included a stipulation the Yosh Kawani? would be employed for life. Old family businesses like this do tend to hold on to old time employees way beyond their usefulness. I am beginning to wonder if Graves is not one of those people that will be here until Bill Bidwill is gone.