Since many of you will be pre-occupied with tomorrow's intra-squad scrimmage, I thought I would post my Saturday Thoughts a day early this week. Here goes.
With the exception of Jeff Blake and the starting secondary, due to the Cardinals' depth at WR, OL, TE, RB, DL and LB, look for Mac, Sully and Marmie to shuffle and rotate players in and out of the ballgames this season in order to keep the players fresh and in an effort to wear down the opponents, especially when playing under the hot Arizona sun.
In rotating players in and out, the coaches will be able to guage each game which players are having stronger games and the coaches will be able to ride those players in the fourth quarter. The liability of shuffling players is the potential for a lack of continuity. Therefore, it behooves the coaches to make sure that the players are fluid in their assignments and roles and all on the same page. Can the coaches pull this off? I believe they can and they will.
Likely Rotations:
Wide Receiver: McAddley, Foster, Boldin, Johnson, and the two winners of the Gilmore/Kasper/Walker/Soliday/Poole/Hamilton/Newhouse/Savage battle. NOTE: Last year the Cardinals were critcized by the local and national media for not adding a veteran to challenge and/or back up Thomas Jones at running back, especially in light of Michael Pittman's defection. The Cardinals had faith in Marcel Shipp. Hopefully the Cardinals will get lucky again. With the defections of David Boston, Frank Sanders and MarTay Jenkins...the Cardinals have merely added one relatively unknown veteran in Larry Foster and have put their trust in the hands of the youngsters. Sully will have to perform his magic and Jeff Blake will have to keep holding these kids to high standards.
Offensive Line: Shelton, Spikes, Kendall, Davis, Clement, Dishman, Wells and the winner of the Starkey/Garcia/Wragge/Grace battle. NOTE: Now that Mac has essentially asserted that Pete Kendall will be the starting center, look for Chris Dishman to garner considerable time at guard and possibly at center. Reggie Wells has become the wild card here at a most opportune time. Not only has he emerged as the front-runner to spell L.J. Shelton from time to time at LT, Wells could very well be the answer at RT, where the future of the oft-injured and under-achieving Anthony Clement remains uncertain. Cameron Spikes should be a strong factor in the running game at LG, but needs to prove he can hold his own in pass protection, otherwise Spikes may be lifted in favor of Dishman or Garcia on passing downs.
Tight End: Jones, Bush, Banks, Diamond. There's a likely chance that the Cardinals will keep four tight ends, especially if Steve Bush doubles as the second FB. Jones seems poised to put last year's debacle behind him, and hopefully will become one of the main focal points of the passing game. Bush is a true warrior...a headsy and tough blocker and under-rated pass catcher who battles like a crazed dog for extra yards after the catch. Banks' talent as a blocker is a real asset, particularly in short yardage situations. And Diamond's talent as a receiver is attractive, particularly in the red zone.
Running Back: Smith, Shipp, Hodgins and the winner of the Anderson/Prentice/Scobey battle. Not only will Emmitt and Marcel share the load at RB, Hodgins will be a major factor in both the running and passing games. Don't be surprised if Sully works Damian Anderson into the mix every now and then as well.
Defensive Line: Vanden Bosch, Bryant, Bell, Pace, King, Tanner, and the two winners of the Wakefield/Johnson/Davis/Dwyer/Atoe/Moore/Quinn battle. The Cardinals have rotated fresh defensive linemen in and out of the game for years now. This year their depth is hopefully a little stronger. The new, more aggressive line philosophy will require more shuffling than normal because the players will be exerting themselves more rigorously.
Linebacker: Thompson, McKinnon, Fisher, Hayes, Darling, Gilbert and the winner of the Woods/Faulk/Young/Burton/Jones battle. This rotation will perhaps be the most exciting and effective because this is the most talented group of young linebackers the Cardinals have had in ages. This group will likely lead the team in sacks if Mac throws the kitchen sink at teams the way I think he will.
Jeff Blake and Dexter Jackson: These players are the main straws...the conductors...who will keep the revolving door of players running smoothly and evenly. Both players love their roles and are ideally suited for it. They are by far the most important additions to this football team.
Rod Graves deserves a good deal of credit for developing the depth of this football team and getting all players signed and ready to go. However, Rod can't sit still these next few critical weeks. He still has some major decisions to make:
(1) Should a veteran backup QB be added for insurance...should, God forbid, Jeff Blake get nicked up...should Josh McCown struggle as a second year QB might when turned to? With Preston Parsons struggling in camp, the move to add a quarterback with experience seems all the more wise.
(2) Should an experienced WR be added to the mix? It may prove to be very wise.
(3) Should a defensive lineman or two be added through waivers? Could prove very fruitful.
(4) What about another cornerback? No question, especially in light of Duane Stark's situation. It appears more and more that Starks' reliablity and credibility are in serious question. Mac will always defend his warriors. It's very telling that Mac has not been defending Starks while Starks has been nursing a hamstring injury.
Should Graves consider trading Starks? The likely suitor would be Marvin Lewis, the new Cincinnati head coach, who coached Starks in Baltimore. Lewis is desperate for secondary help...it's his weak link. The Cardinals would have to eat Starks' signing bonus, but would recover his base salaries.
While many of you seem to scoff at Renaldo Hill's prospects as a starting corner, let me remind you that Renaldo Hill essentially played just as well, if not better, than Starks last year. Hill plays with his head and his heart. While he's not a blazer, he's got very good instincts...there is a reason why he's intercepted four passes thus far in camp. Even if Starks remains on the team, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Hill will beat out Starks for the starting job, especially if Mac continues to sour on Starks...if the coaches remain objective...and if the coaches truly are intent on awarding starting jobs to those who earn them.
The shuffling of this 53-Card deck will promote a unified teamwork in ways we haven't seen in recent years. These Cards will be fun and very exciting to watch, which will make Coach Mac all the more animated on the sidelines this year. I think we are going to love these Cards.
With the exception of Jeff Blake and the starting secondary, due to the Cardinals' depth at WR, OL, TE, RB, DL and LB, look for Mac, Sully and Marmie to shuffle and rotate players in and out of the ballgames this season in order to keep the players fresh and in an effort to wear down the opponents, especially when playing under the hot Arizona sun.
In rotating players in and out, the coaches will be able to guage each game which players are having stronger games and the coaches will be able to ride those players in the fourth quarter. The liability of shuffling players is the potential for a lack of continuity. Therefore, it behooves the coaches to make sure that the players are fluid in their assignments and roles and all on the same page. Can the coaches pull this off? I believe they can and they will.
Likely Rotations:
Wide Receiver: McAddley, Foster, Boldin, Johnson, and the two winners of the Gilmore/Kasper/Walker/Soliday/Poole/Hamilton/Newhouse/Savage battle. NOTE: Last year the Cardinals were critcized by the local and national media for not adding a veteran to challenge and/or back up Thomas Jones at running back, especially in light of Michael Pittman's defection. The Cardinals had faith in Marcel Shipp. Hopefully the Cardinals will get lucky again. With the defections of David Boston, Frank Sanders and MarTay Jenkins...the Cardinals have merely added one relatively unknown veteran in Larry Foster and have put their trust in the hands of the youngsters. Sully will have to perform his magic and Jeff Blake will have to keep holding these kids to high standards.
Offensive Line: Shelton, Spikes, Kendall, Davis, Clement, Dishman, Wells and the winner of the Starkey/Garcia/Wragge/Grace battle. NOTE: Now that Mac has essentially asserted that Pete Kendall will be the starting center, look for Chris Dishman to garner considerable time at guard and possibly at center. Reggie Wells has become the wild card here at a most opportune time. Not only has he emerged as the front-runner to spell L.J. Shelton from time to time at LT, Wells could very well be the answer at RT, where the future of the oft-injured and under-achieving Anthony Clement remains uncertain. Cameron Spikes should be a strong factor in the running game at LG, but needs to prove he can hold his own in pass protection, otherwise Spikes may be lifted in favor of Dishman or Garcia on passing downs.
Tight End: Jones, Bush, Banks, Diamond. There's a likely chance that the Cardinals will keep four tight ends, especially if Steve Bush doubles as the second FB. Jones seems poised to put last year's debacle behind him, and hopefully will become one of the main focal points of the passing game. Bush is a true warrior...a headsy and tough blocker and under-rated pass catcher who battles like a crazed dog for extra yards after the catch. Banks' talent as a blocker is a real asset, particularly in short yardage situations. And Diamond's talent as a receiver is attractive, particularly in the red zone.
Running Back: Smith, Shipp, Hodgins and the winner of the Anderson/Prentice/Scobey battle. Not only will Emmitt and Marcel share the load at RB, Hodgins will be a major factor in both the running and passing games. Don't be surprised if Sully works Damian Anderson into the mix every now and then as well.
Defensive Line: Vanden Bosch, Bryant, Bell, Pace, King, Tanner, and the two winners of the Wakefield/Johnson/Davis/Dwyer/Atoe/Moore/Quinn battle. The Cardinals have rotated fresh defensive linemen in and out of the game for years now. This year their depth is hopefully a little stronger. The new, more aggressive line philosophy will require more shuffling than normal because the players will be exerting themselves more rigorously.
Linebacker: Thompson, McKinnon, Fisher, Hayes, Darling, Gilbert and the winner of the Woods/Faulk/Young/Burton/Jones battle. This rotation will perhaps be the most exciting and effective because this is the most talented group of young linebackers the Cardinals have had in ages. This group will likely lead the team in sacks if Mac throws the kitchen sink at teams the way I think he will.
Jeff Blake and Dexter Jackson: These players are the main straws...the conductors...who will keep the revolving door of players running smoothly and evenly. Both players love their roles and are ideally suited for it. They are by far the most important additions to this football team.
Rod Graves deserves a good deal of credit for developing the depth of this football team and getting all players signed and ready to go. However, Rod can't sit still these next few critical weeks. He still has some major decisions to make:
(1) Should a veteran backup QB be added for insurance...should, God forbid, Jeff Blake get nicked up...should Josh McCown struggle as a second year QB might when turned to? With Preston Parsons struggling in camp, the move to add a quarterback with experience seems all the more wise.
(2) Should an experienced WR be added to the mix? It may prove to be very wise.
(3) Should a defensive lineman or two be added through waivers? Could prove very fruitful.
(4) What about another cornerback? No question, especially in light of Duane Stark's situation. It appears more and more that Starks' reliablity and credibility are in serious question. Mac will always defend his warriors. It's very telling that Mac has not been defending Starks while Starks has been nursing a hamstring injury.
Should Graves consider trading Starks? The likely suitor would be Marvin Lewis, the new Cincinnati head coach, who coached Starks in Baltimore. Lewis is desperate for secondary help...it's his weak link. The Cardinals would have to eat Starks' signing bonus, but would recover his base salaries.
While many of you seem to scoff at Renaldo Hill's prospects as a starting corner, let me remind you that Renaldo Hill essentially played just as well, if not better, than Starks last year. Hill plays with his head and his heart. While he's not a blazer, he's got very good instincts...there is a reason why he's intercepted four passes thus far in camp. Even if Starks remains on the team, it's not out of the realm of possibility that Hill will beat out Starks for the starting job, especially if Mac continues to sour on Starks...if the coaches remain objective...and if the coaches truly are intent on awarding starting jobs to those who earn them.
The shuffling of this 53-Card deck will promote a unified teamwork in ways we haven't seen in recent years. These Cards will be fun and very exciting to watch, which will make Coach Mac all the more animated on the sidelines this year. I think we are going to love these Cards.
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