rome wasn't built in a day, and that's why we should draft...

[sundevil81]

DJ! i keep hearing that our linebackers are "okay" we should not be shooting for "okay" we have one good linebacker(dansby), one extremely unproven linebacker(hayes) and one below average quickly aging linebacker(darling). we are in position to grab the best linebacker to come out since l.arrington and create one of the most dominating front 7's in the nfl along with two very good safeties. granted our corners are the teams biggest weakness but who says we need to build this team in one year. if we have to go into next year with the best front seven, two good safeties macklin(a decent #2 corner) hill and a few rookies and pick-ups from cuts we can fill in the corner need next offseason and be devastating, instead of filling the corner need now with a player of lesser talent than dj (rolle, jones)and then be left looking for a linebacker next year when we have already passed on dj. this draft is deep in corners and shallow in linebackers, it only makes sense.

 

[slanidrac16]

A few months back I never even considered a LB with our first pick. However, the more and more I read about Johnson and even Merriman I'm starting to think of what an awesome front seven we would have. Best in the West and maybe in the NFC.

O'Keafor, Dockett, Davis,Berry
Dansby, Hayes, and Johnson.

Wow. Add Fisher, Huff and Darling and not only do we have speed to burn but we have great depth.

Make the trade for Henry and we can take ANYBODY we feel is the BPA.

 

[sundevil81]

not to mention our safeties look pretty good and macklin is a decent #2 corner, all we would be missing would be a #1 corner wich because of avoiding the e.james and s. alexander contracts we could afford next offseason.

 

[Syracusecards]

A few months back I never even considered a LB with our first pick. However, the more and more I read about Johnson and even Merriman I'm starting to think of what an awesome front seven we would have. Best in the West and maybe in the NFC.

O'Keafor, Dockett, Davis,Berry
Dansby, Hayes, and Johnson.

Wow. Add Fisher, Huff and Darling and not only do we have speed to burn but we have great depth.

Make the trade for Henry and we can take ANYBODY we feel is the BPA.

Fisher is no longer with the team.

 

[slanidrac16]

Fisher is no longer with the team.

OPPS! My bad , I meant Woods.

 

[Russ Smith]

not to mention our safeties look pretty good and macklin is a decent #2 corner, all we would be missing would be a #1 corner wich because of avoiding the e.james and s. alexander contracts we could afford next offseason.

I want DJ as much as anybody but the way it shapes up now we have GOT to get a starting CB between now and the first game to play opposite Macklin and I don't think said CB is on the roster now. I'll be surprised if the BPA at 8 isn't a CB unless we make a move before the draft.

I think Johnson's speed, versatility, and tendency to cause turnovers (NCAA single season forced fumble record) would be a terrific fit on our defense but I'm fairly resigned to us not picking him because of the gaping hole at CB.

 

[sundevil81]

why have we "GOT" to get a starting cb before now and the first game? that is exactly how teams end up being "okay" by passing on extremely talented players like dj. lb will be a glaring need in the very near future it's not like i am saying draft a wr but if we go into this season with macklin, hill and a few rookie cb's (j.miller may be available at #44)and maybe a few cuts from other teams along with the henry deal this is a playoff contender that fills in the cb need next offseason and becomes a real force instead of drafting a cb at#8 and trying to find a starting lb next year at the #20 pick inthe first round. we can't pass on this kind of talent we will regret it!

 

[arizona_cards_11]

DJ! i keep hearing that our linebackers are "okay" we should not be shooting for "okay" we have one good linebacker(dansby), one extremely unproven linebacker(hayes) and one below average quickly aging linebacker(darling). we are in position to grab the best linebacker to come out since l.arrington and create one of the most dominating front 7's in the nfl along with two very good safeties. granted our corners are the teams biggest weakness but who says we need to build this team in one year. if we have to go into next year with the best front seven, two good safeties macklin(a decent #2 corner) hill and a few rookies and pick-ups from cuts we can fill in the corner need next offseason and be devastating, instead of filling the corner need now with a player of lesser talent than dj (rolle, jones)and then be left looking for a linebacker next year when we have already passed on dj. this draft is deep in corners and shallow in linebackers, it only makes sense.

Exactly, I have been trying to tell people this the whole time I have been on the board, but sundevil81 just put it more elegantly.

 

[CardLogic]

Well said, Russ.

I have to believe that there is a plan in place to secure at least two additional CB's. As of this moment there is Macklin and then... that's right NOBODY! I figure they re-sign Hill and go after one of the top corners in the draft; and I wouldn't be surprised if they selected two CB's on the first day of the draft.

Green and company have made very astute roster moves so far. Granted not every move has worked as well as hoped for (Karl Williams comes to mind), nor do I agree with every action, but the plan has been solid. I can not believe that the Cardinals staff are not acutely aware of that gaping hole on the Corner!

 

[arizona_cards_11]

I have no doubts that 2 corners are selected in the first day, but I am hoping both will be after our #8 pick.

Possibilities:

Bryant McFadden
Dominique Foxworth
Stanford Routt
Darrent Williams

I would love to have any of these guys in the 3rd.
If any of you guys have closely watched these players play, could you post some of their strengths and weaknesses in coverage.

 

[sundevil81]

i am sure they are aware of the gaping hole at corner, but i hope they are aware of the potential hole at lb and what a linebacker like l.arrington, d.brooks (d.johnson) can do for a defense and how much a corners value has been deminished with the new rules, there are no more shut down corners. we do not need a quick fix. not to mention that this draft is deep in corners and not in lb's. why not take dj at #8, make the henry trade and then look for one of the other 16 quality corners availabe in rounds 2 and 3. justin miller from clemson may be available at #44, he is starter quality.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

why have we "GOT" to get a starting cb before now and the first game? that is exactly how teams end up being "okay" by passing on extremely talented players like dj. lb will be a glaring need in the very near future it's not like i am saying draft a wr but if we go into this season with macklin, hill and a few rookie cb's (j.miller may be available at #44)and maybe a few cuts from other teams along with the henry deal this is a playoff contender that fills in the cb need next offseason and becomes a real force instead of drafting a cb at#8 and trying to find a starting lb next year at the #20 pick inthe first round. we can't pass on this kind of talent we will regret it!

we've GOT to get a starting cb before now and the first game b/c right now we only have ONE CORNERBACK ON OUR ROSTER! you ASSUME that we'll resign hill, but it's not a given. and even then, only two corners on our entire roster?!? alarming.

 

[joeshmo]

we've GOT to get a starting cb before now and the first game b/c right now we only have ONE CORNERBACK ON OUR ROSTER! you ASSUME that we'll resign hill, but it's not a given. and even then, only two corners on our entire roster?!? alarming.

Not to nit pick here but we actually have 4 of them on the roster. Macklin, Rhett Nelson, and the 2 guys over in NFLE Clarence Curry and Tyrone Sanders.

It should be we have 1 starter and 3 UDFA's who have never even played the nickle spot before. Which is just as alarming though.

 

[sundevil81]

NEWSFLAH, THIS JUST IN... there is more than one round in the nfl draft. i am not saying go with what we have, i am saying bpa at #8 (dj) also filling a potential need ANDTHEN draft two corners and pick up some cuts from other teams. we are also not only building this team for next year we are building for an entire future, corners will be available next year too, but dj won't.

 

[arizona_cards_11]

Exactly!!!!!!

Just like there won't be another Matt Jones!!!!!

 

[joeshmo]

pick up some cuts from other teams.

I was with you all the way up to this. If you are banking on June 1st cuts to fill your needs you are in for a rude awakening.

 

[sundevil81]

im not banking on cuts as starters but we could fill depth, i think our other starter will come from the draft (after #8) hopefully justin miller in rd2. assumming hill resigns he could play the nickel and depth from cuts with that front seven we're looking pretty good. then we fill in a stud cb next offseason and become dominant. im just saying you cant pass on a guy lkike dj to fil a need that could be filled next year whe there is no dj.

 

[Russ Smith]

why have we "GOT" to get a starting cb before now and the first game? that is exactly how teams end up being "okay" by passing on extremely talented players like dj. lb will be a glaring need in the very near future it's not like i am saying draft a wr but if we go into this season with macklin, hill and a few rookie cb's (j.miller may be available at #44)and maybe a few cuts from other teams along with the henry deal this is a playoff contender that fills in the cb need next offseason and becomes a real force instead of drafting a cb at#8 and trying to find a starting lb next year at the #20 pick inthe first round. we can't pass on this kind of talent we will regret it!

Correct me if I'm wrong but getting Justin Miller and "a few cuts from other teams" would = getting a starting CB before the first game no?

That's my whole point, somehow or another we have to get more CB's one of whom is good enough to start. If Green thinks just because the Patriots won a superbowl with their CB situation that means anybody can, he's sadly mistaken. I don't want to break the bank and sign Surtain AND draft a Rolle at #8, but we have 1 guy who has proven he can play CB in the NFL and I don't care how good our DL might be teams will eat us alive if we've not upgraded by the beginning of the year. The Patriots are a much more experienced defensive unit, they've played together in that system long enough to be able to cover for their CB's.

 

[Russ Smith]

i am sure they are aware of the gaping hole at corner, but i hope they are aware of the potential hole at lb and what a linebacker like l.arrington, d.brooks (d.johnson) can do for a defense and how much a corners value has been deminished with the new rules, there are no more shut down corners. we do not need a quick fix. not to mention that this draft is deep in corners and not in lb's. why not take dj at #8, make the henry trade and then look for one of the other 16 quality corners availabe in rounds 2 and 3. justin miller from clemson may be available at #44, he is starter quality.

I completely agree with you I've been touting DJ for months now as the guy I want but somehow or another we need to fill the CB spot too. That's why I'm also touting trying to get into the Surtain sweepstakes. As it stands now I fully expect at 8, even with DJ on the board(he likely won't be anyways), Green will take a CB and tell us all that Rolle/Pacman/Rogers was the BPA.

I realize the secondary did quite well last year without big names but we had more than ONE NFL CB on the roster.

 

[Redsz]

Derrick Johnson in the first and the best CB avaliable in the 2nd. If that happened, I would be a very happy man.

But I'm betting on Antrel Rolle at #8 with BPA in the 2nd. That will make me a happy man. But not quite as happy if we did the former.

 

[Russ Smith]

NEWSFLAH, THIS JUST IN... there is more than one round in the nfl draft. i am not saying go with what we have, i am saying bpa at #8 (dj) also filling a potential need ANDTHEN draft two corners and pick up some cuts from other teams. we are also not only building this team for next year we are building for an entire future, corners will be available next year too, but dj won't.

You do realize that works both ways? We'll have a shot at CB's this year that we won't get at 20(the pick you threw out for next years pick) because the guys at 20 next year. Right now NFLdraftblitz has Will Blackmon(BC), Jason Allen)(Tenn) and Mike Huff(Texas) rated the top 3 CB's in next years senior class. Allen and Huff both nearly came out this year and both were being projected to FS in the NFL. Cromartie from FSU is the top junior to be. I'm sure some others will pop up like the touted JUCO CB at OU who struggled this year but is scary athletic. But the fact is that if we're picking at 20 next year as you suggest, we are very unlikely to get a CB as good as we'll get at 8.

I think DJ is the best defensive player in the draft if not the best player in the draft, I've been touting him all year, but we're so thin at CB that I'm fairly confident Green is going to take one at 8. That's why I didn't like the Starks trade, an extra 3rd rounder sounds nice until you realize you almost HAVE to draft a CB with that pick since you don't have Starks. ANd what if Hill takes another offer?

 

[Russ Smith]

Exactly!!!!!!

Just like there won't be another Matt Jones!!!!!

Sure there will, but he's black and skinnier and named Vince Young.

 

[arizona_cards_11]

Agreed, I did say in another thread that Green was delaying until Young comes out.

 

[JeffGollin]

To me, the job description for a premier OLB has to involve both playmaking production on the field and freakish athletic ability (i.e. Lawrence Taylor, Junior Seau or Jason Taylor dominant athleticism).

That's why I've been touting Ware (who is now projected to go in the bottom third of the 1st round). Although he's from a small school and played down lineman in college, he has the size, quickness, toughness and raw atheticism that, if developed properly, could translate into a dominating outside linebacker.

Johnson may be a good OLB but I wonder if he's that dominant athletically to rank in the Top 8 of all prospects this year.

I feel the same way about Miller. Both of these guys rank at the top of their respective positions, but in the absolute, is Miller another Jeremy Shockey? Will Johnson be another Junior Seau?

 

[arizona_cards_11]

But, he is not 6'6" and 250 lbs.