Cardinals' plan in place
Graves: Despite cap space, roster to be supplemented, not overhauled
Kent Somers
Feb. 25, 2007
INDIANAPOLIS - The NFL's free-agent market opens Thursday, and the Cardinals issued assurances Saturday that they will be there with a game plan in hand when the doors open.
As expected, they weren't forthcoming with details, except to say they will try to supplement the roster rather than overhaul it. After all, coach Dennis Green was fired because ownership and management felt the talent warranted a better record than 5-11.
Ken Whisenhunt was hired in part because his philosophy meshed with the talent already under contract, said Rod Graves, vice president of football operations.
"We really feel like in many respects it's a plug-and-play type of approach," Graves said Saturday at the NFL scouting combine. "We feel like we have some talented players, and with a good plan that our players believe in and a stress on discipline and execution, I feel like we'll be a much better football team."
That doesn't mean the Cardinals view free agency as unimportant. They have enough needs and cap space, about $32 million, to be a major factor in the market.
"There are a couple guys out there we want to pursue," Whisenhunt said. "You don't really know who will be out there until the end, because there are guys who are working on deals (to re-sign with their teams) as we speak."
For instance, Dallas on Tuesday re-signed center Andre Gurode, "one of those guys we liked," Whisenhunt said.
Neither Whisenhunt nor Graves was inclined to mention names, but the offensive line will be an area of emphasis. The Cardinals have a hole at left tackle, although they continue to profess interest in re-signing Leonard Davis, an unrestricted free agent.
The Cardinals are curious about what free-agent offers Davis might receive. Their best-case scenario is that another team won't offer him a huge deal and they can get him to return for a reasonable amount.
"We wanted to have an opportunity to see where the market would be for him and to work with him during the course of that," Graves said.
Whisenhunt's offensive scheme emphasizes the need for a strong tight end and fullback, pointing to two more potential target areas.
Tight end was a weakness last year, and the fullback was an afterthought in Green's offense.
Whisenhunt also would like to find a second running back to take some of the load off Edgerrin James. But Whisenhunt is high on Cardinals running back Marcel Shipp, an unrestricted free agent, and is intrigued to see J.J. Arrington, a disappointment in his two NFL seasons.
"Marcel Shipp has been impressive to me, from what I see on tape," Whisenhunt said. "I think he would be a big contributor for us."
The Cardinals will look for help on defense. They would like to add some strength and bulk at tackle and another pass rusher. There is little depth in the secondary.
In fact, the only two positions that won't get much attention this off-season are quarterback and receiver.
The Cardinals were active early in last year's free-agent market, signing James, defensive tackle Kendrick Clancy and guard Milford Brown in the first few days.
Graves didn't commit to that same plan for this year.
"I'm not by any stretch of the imagination going to guarantee that we're going to approach it that way," he said. "I think Edgerrin James added a unique element to our approach last year. It was an opportunity to address our running game with one of the best backs in the history of the game. And we wanted to jump on that opportunity.
"If we're in position where we can do something similar with a player who carries as much impact, then I think we're poised to do that."
