Reality: Graves gets A+ for all rookies signed and no veteran hold-outs!

[40yearfan]

Graves's biggest challenge will come after this season, when 4 starting players will be unrestricted free agents, as well as 3 or 4 more important depth players. And several other players will be high-value RFAs.

Even if the Cards perform to a playoff level, the 2009 offseason could mirror the 1998 offseason.


I think this gentleman might have something to say about this situation, but it can't be repeated on a family message board:

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You need to keep in mind that if the Cards have a good year and it looks like a legitimate shot at a SB in the very near future, people will be clamoring to get onto this team and the current team members won't be so eager to leave. That should help with the retention/acquisition situation.

 

[Redheart]

Not even close.

First of all, by your analogy Q doing that would be similar to the wife getting grotesquely overweight and just sitting on the couch eating Bon Bons all day. No sex, no work, no nothing. And all of this being public knowledge. Who would want her for a wife after the divorce?

For the wife to get her pick of men when the divorce was final she would work hard to have a hot body, give the best sex one could imagine, bring home the bacon (a lot) and fry it up in the pan. All being public knowledge. That way the men would act like the dogs that they are and line up to court her.

Ladies, sorry for the sexist post, but I was just trying to address the particular analogy.

Way off the mark.

Q is doing the bare "contract" minimum. Showing up only for contractural mandatory events. He is not a happy camper and will not be a supportive voice in the lockeroom.

The man took a public crap on the Cardinals.

As far as the wife analogy; I will try again and keep it simple...
If Mom aint happy, nobody is happy...women have their ways.

 

[earthsci]

We'll see if Q plays very few of games with "nagging" injuries. I doubt many teams will be courting (trying to trade for) him if he does.

 

[Kolo]

In the spirit of Chris Rock, he's supposed to have all rookies signed and no veteran hold-outs. Graves gets a C instead of his usual F.

 

[D-Dogg]

If your wife turned to you in bed and said, "I hate your guts, I think you lied to me and mis-led me so I want a divorce; until we are divorced, you can expect the bare minimum from me. Oh yeah, get used to cold showers". Would you consider that a great situation?

That's not analogous to what Q said. That would be more like:

"I hate you, you lied to me and I want a divorce. I'll wait until our 15 year old moves out though, and in the meantime I will give you every ounce of me, without fail. I don't know any other way to be. But when Jr. moves out, I'm gone."

 

[earthsci]

That's not analogous to what Q said. That would be more like:

"I hate you, you lied to me and I want a divorce. I'll wait until our 15 year old moves out though, and in the meantime I will give you every ounce of me, without fail. I don't know any other way to be. But when Jr. moves out, I'm gone."

 

[Mulli]

In the spirit of Chris Rock, he's supposed to have all rookies signed and no veteran hold-outs. Graves gets a C instead of his usual F.

yep, no credit for doing what you are supposed to do.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

That's not analogous to what Q said. That would be more like:

"I hate you, you lied to me and I want a divorce. I'll wait until our 15 year old moves out though, and in the meantime I will give you every ounce of me, without fail. I don't know any other way to be. But when Jr. moves out, I'm gone."

:bravo:

 

[Duckjake]

This thread is on its way to being shut down.

Gotta remember where we are guys. You can trash the players all you like, but speak some truth on RG and you are way outta line.

I've never understood how ASFN got to that point either. I guess its from the 2003 season when a couple of people got press passes.

It is amazing how posters here turn on players as soon as there is any hint the coaches or front office has an issue with them.

What inquiring minds want to know is why isn't this thread combined with all the other Rod Graves threads?

I was originally told it was because a certain individual was tired of the negativity but then being negative toward players didn't seem to bother anybody. Just being negative about the team.

 

[Redheart]

That's not analogous to what Q said. That would be more like:

"I hate you, you lied to me and I want a divorce. I'll wait until our 15 year old moves out though, and in the meantime I will give you every ounce of me, without fail. I don't know any other way to be. But when Jr. moves out, I'm gone."

How does "give you every ounce of me, without fail" support not showing up for off-season work outs? Publically tearing the organization?

Is that "give you every ounce of me on paydays"?

Or is it, "I will advertise to all your potential future replacements that I give every ounce of me, without fail"? Of course, everyone knows that applies only if I am happy (read as lots $)".

Q's words are not matching actions, irony; that is what he says he is pissed with the Cardinals about.

 

[john h]

And he got a boat load of money up front, one of the reasons his salery (cap hit) for the next three years is nice and low...thanks to Graves.

He is coming off a bad injury, he is 28 and will be 30 - 31 when he KNOWS he will get some more guaranteed money.

Q wants another big guaranteed pay day; he is one injury away....

If they had not already chosen a #1 WR for this team and paid HIM, Fitz, I would say pay Boldin.

Now we need to trade Boldin and fill holes and gain depth and get an overall improvement in our team.

I think we have enough young WR talent, I believe collected for this purpose by Graves, to off-set the loss of Q at the WR position.

Q didn't just fire his Cardinal "bridge" with management; he also torched his Cardinal Captain and Leader standing, too.

All I care about are wins and losses. Graves is largely responsible for that. I will give him a grade after the season is over. 8/8 last year I would think is a "C". Anything below 8/8 is a failure in my book of grades.

 

[MadCardDisease]

All I care about are wins and losses. Graves is largely responsible for that. I will give him a grade after the season is over. 8/8 last year I would think is a "C". Anything below 8/8 is a failure in my book of grades.

Exactly!

The only way Graves gets a high grade is if the Cardinals make the playoffs this year.

 

[AZCardsWin]

Aside from all of that I was just getting ready to post what Joe already said. I credit Graves with signing all the picks, A-. not A+ (DRC was still a little late). QUOTE]

I think most of us Cards fans can live with the "A-" grade each year!

Go Cards!
Tim in NJ

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Graves would have gotten an A+ if he redid both Fitz and Dansby to new deals. He gets credit for Fitz, but Dansby was a priority, and they didn't get it done. B-

 

[cardsfanmd]

Graves would have gotten an A+ if he redid both Fitz and Dansby to new deals. He gets credit for Fitz, but Dansby was a priority, and they didn't get it done. B-

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[Redheart]

Graves would have gotten an A+ if he redid both Fitz and Dansby to new deals. He gets credit for Fitz, but Dansby was a priority, and they didn't get it done. B-

Credit him for signing Fitz to a deal where he actually gets paid less than if he didn't sign a new deal.

Blame him for having to gaurentee the whole deal and make it only four years because he put himself in a position of having to pay performance targets that were either too much or too easy to hit. $5 mil for a PB???

 

[AZCardsWin]

All I care about are wins and losses. Graves is largely responsible for that. I will give him a grade after the season is over. 8/8 last year I would think is a "C". Anything below 8/8 is a failure in my book of grades.

With the talent on this team anything less then 9-7 (and a playoff appearance) this season would have to be considered a failure.

Tim in NJ

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Credit him for signing Fitz to a deal where he actually gets paid less than if he didn't sign a new deal.

Blame him for having to gaurentee the whole deal and make it only four years because he put himself in a position of having to pay performance targets that were either too much or too easy to hit. $5 mil for a PB???

 

[AZCardsWin]

Kudos to Cardinals GM Rod Graves on signing Steelers free agent CB B.McFadden! Graves takes his share of "heat" on these boards but honestly he has done an outstanding job building the Cardinals up into a NFC powerhouse.


My "2" main objectives for the Cardinals going into the off-season were:

- Re-signing both QB K.Warner & LB K.Dansby for '09 season- keeping the core intact. (DONE!)

- Adding at least "1" impact outside free agent to upgrade the team prior to the draft (DONE!)

Adding in that it appears that "Q" is taking a better off-season approach then last year and I am getting very excited about the 2009 team!

Go Cardinals!
~Tim
www.myspace.com/prosvsjoes

 

[PoolBoy]

agreed. something tells me graves bashing will take over this topic though...

 

[WildBB]

agreed. something tells me graves bashing will take over this topic though...

Exec. of the year. Rod Graves?!

 

[perivolaki]

Credit him for signing Fitz to a deal where he actually gets paid less than if he didn't sign a new deal.

Blame him for having to gaurentee the whole deal and make it only four years because he put himself in a position of having to pay performance targets that were either too much or too easy to hit. $5 mil for a PB???

I think it was two pro bowls. Hey when you have the 3rd pick in the draft you are going to have to give a contract with lots of bells and whistles. The fact that he met the performance clauses in his contract is a testament to Fitz.

Graves can't win. If he doesn't give the type of contract that the third pick in the draft deserves we rake him over the coals because of a long hold out and say the Cardinals are cheap and don't pay players.

He gives Fitz a good contract, it was a great pick, Fitz out performed the contract, and the Cards had to rework his deal. I can only hope we have many more players like Fitz with performance bonuses in their contracts that so out perform those contracts that we have to rework them too.