Saturday before our season opener:

[Catfish]

Well, here it finally is, the last day before our season opener tomorrow against the Saints and Drew Brees. What a seemingly strange tack this off season has taken. BA had promised that the cuts this year to get to roster strength would be brutal, and he was right. How appropriate was it that he wore black on the day he made the final cuts?

I will admit that I have given BA more blind faith backing than I probably should have since his arrival here, but I have been so caught up with the entire culture change brought about by his arrival and the almost single mindedness of the triumvirate of Michael Bidwill, Steve Keim, and Bruce Arians, that it was very easy to simply trust in them and follow along. I can't begin to tell you how stunned I was when the team announced the signing of Barkley at QB, and the release of both Philip Sims and Logan Thomas, just when I felt that both were making great strides toward becoming effective QBs on this team. And then, just as he had predicted, he completed the cuts, deeply scouring players I felt were locks to make the cut.

Strangely, very few of our cut players have found it to other rosters, and Logan Thomas, who was signed by Miami, was cut a scant few days later. It has taken me a few days to realize that I am not nearly so knowledgeable about NFL football as I thought I was. There are far more considerations that need to be made in order to fill a roster than simply who has the most talent, or who has worked the hardest to achieve that end.

And yet tomorrow, the Cardinals will begin their latest quest for the Super Bowl. There are still strange goings on like continued injuries and unexplained absences with no word coming from the league, and even a very late determination of a two day suspension almost at the eve of the new season. There will undoubtedly be more signings as injuries take their toll. There will be still others brought in for evaluations and possible contract negotiations. The process has become so fluid, that I can no longer keep track of it all, so I will simply just keep on believing in our franchise movers and shakers, and trust that they are doing the very best that can be done under ALL the circumstances involved. Tomorrow, our best will show up clad in Cardinal Red, to face the Black and Gold of the Saints on the turf at U of P Stadium, and 63 plus thousand rabid fans will be screaming GO CARDS !!! And I will be one of them.

 

[BullheadCardFan]

Well put.

Been a long time coming.

I'm ready, bring it on!

 

[Mitch]

I share in your excitement, Catfish! There is a whole lotta love going on in the Cardinals' organization, to quote Led Zeppelin. Yet, there will always be question marks.

I think that regarding Logan Thomas that the surprise was BA's 180 degree turn on his original insistence that LT was a 2-3 year project. Your eyes did not deceive you, nor did your knowledge of football falter, when Thomas showed poise, accuracy and a flair for generating come from behind wins in games 3 & 4.

BA gave us a head fake and we took the bait.

Clearly, Thomas' practice habits were disconcerting, as Bert and others attested in first-hand fashion. But some things must have been working in practice that allowed Thomas to perform as well as he did in the games.

My reaction to him getting cut in Miami is that there is no way any young QB could process a new offense in two days. I think Miami realized it had more pressing roster needs for game one. And what they probably hope is that he clears waivers and then they can sign him to their PS.

Anyway, as fans we all see the games a little differently...I mean I watched every snap FS Harold Jones-Quartey took for the Cardinals this pre-season and what I saw was a tough, aggressive and disciplined player particularly in his pursuit angles (for him to race across from the opposite side of the field and lay the wood on the RB at the pylon, denying him of a TD was a thing of beauty)---while other fans on the board felt he sucked and was out of control.

Time will tell. We've all been wrong on players---and we all get emotionally invested in players. It's part of the great fun of being an avid fan.

To BA&SK's credit they have added exciting speed on offense---and they have tried to rebuild and fortify the offensive line, except that Massie was "that guy" that BA warns his players not to be, Iupati got hurt, Sowell proved he is more of a turnstile now than he was two years ago, and 1st round pick D.J. Humphries was so slow to assimilate that he is now the Logan Thomas of the tackles, while the clearly ill-equipped Sowell is the Ryan Lindley.

The major question mark is the lack of speed and athleticism at linebacker across the board on defense---which we all know Sean Payton and Drew Brees are going to try to exploit from the get-go. The Cardinals will need to be very aggressive up front and will need to get in Brees' face with their hands up in his passing lanes, if they are going to prevail. The question mark with that is that only Calais Campbell, Josh Mauro and rookie Xavier Williams stood out in the pre-season. Rodney Gunter showed strength at the point of attack, and he did get the safety sack when he was unblocked, but thus far, Gunter has not shown he can stack, shed and swim or rip into the backfield. It would be a boon if Frostee Rucker and Cory Redding emerge as playmakers following invisible pre-seasons.

On the backside---there is plenty of talent and depth---but it was disappointing that Justin Bethel wasn't able to win the RCB spot, because Jerraud Powers excels in the slot...an this week Jerraud seems the one CB most capable of covering Brandin Cooks. I don't think Patrick Peterson can stick with Cooks---he's too sudden in his breaks for Peterson.

I think eventually, if Sean Weatherspoon can hold up physically, is the employment of a 4 man LB package from left to right as Okafor/Bucannon/Weatherspoon/Fua. That's the best speed and athleticism quartet we have at LB. Even though he is undersized at LB, Bucannon, if kept free and clean by the defensive line, could be the most impactful and productive. He can be for the team what Daryl Washington was, and possibly even better, because he is a stronger tackler.

As for special teams---lots of question marks. I thought Kerwynn Williams was by far the best kickoff returner---by far the gutsiest and fastest to run the ball upfield. Just not sold on Golden---but I hope he answers the bell. Even the kicking game has looked shaky---which does not promote confidence in the STs coach, Amos Jones, who, imo, has not performed up to acceptable standards.

Thus, the Cardinals, as is the case with every team this time of year, are in the process of learning how to maximize their strengths and minimize their weaknesses. QB Carson Palmer is very determined and this is his time to shine. If he does, this ride is going to get very interesting indeed!

 

[BullheadCardFan]

1st round pick D.J. Humphries was so slow to assimilate that he is now the Logan Thomas of the tackles, while the clearly ill-equipped Sowell is the Ryan Lindley.

Good line Mitch.

 

[Garthshort]

Mitch, in the defense of Gunter, he was quickly named as the starter when Peters went down. And as a starter, he got limited time in PS game #3 and no time in #4. At least that is how I remember it. My point is that he must have shown enough for the team to trade up in order to draft him, and then make him the starter w/o making the NT position an open competition. JMO.

 

[Mitch]

Mitch, in the defense of Gunter, he was quickly named as the starter when Peters went down. And as a starter, he got limited time in PS game #3 and no time in #4. At least that is how I remember it. My point is that he must have shown enough for the team to trade up in order to draft him, and then make him the starter w/o making the NT position an open competition. JMO.

Good point, Garth.

In the long run, I think Xavier Williams becomes the NT, with Gunter at DE/DT.

 

[Goldfield]

I can't wait for sunday.

 

[DemsMyBoys]

Tomorrow! Tomorrow! I love ya! Tomorrow!

You're only a daaaaaaaaay aaaaaaaaaaa waaaaaaaay!!






Let's play football.

 

[ARZCardinals]

I'm ready

 

[Shaggy]

Game is set to record! Man its great to be back watching football!

 

[Seandonic]

Good line Mitch.

I agree! Great line.

 

[Catfish]

Mitch, I seem to remember Sowell being able to slide and mirror very well when he came out of college. He only weighed about two eighty or eighty five pounds then, and had no strength. Now he is heavier, and can't slide and mirror very well because of it, and he is still weak. Damn Shame !

 

[kerouac9]

We're you watching a lot of Colts preseason and in-season games? Sowell was a veteran when he came to us, and was terrible taking over for Levi Brown.