So long Leonard

NavyVet

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http://www.azcardinals.com/news/detail.php?PRKey=1551

Tackle to hit market as unrestricted free agent

Tempe, AZ - With the start of the 2007 free-agency period on the horizon, the Arizona Cardinals have informed veteran offensive tackle Leonard Davis that the team does not intend to place a franchise or transition tag on him and the six-year lineman will be unrestricted when free agency begins on March 2.

“In fairness to Leonard, we wanted to let him know what our position is so he can move forward and make plans,” offered Vice President of Football Operations Rod Graves. “Our coaching staff has had an opportunity to evaluate Leonard and how he fits in with our team and we feel this is the option that makes the most sense from a football standpoint.”

The 2006 season was the final year of Davis’ contract and the team essentially had three options. By placing either a franchise or transition tag on Davis, the Cardinals could have secured his services for one year at a little over $11 million in guaranteed salary. Another option would have been to negotiate a new long-term deal before the start of free agency. The team instead opted to let Davis hit the free-agent market.

“When we evaluated Leonard, we certainly see ability and as improvement, especially as last season went on,” said Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt. “But when you look at the situation on the whole and take everything into account, we don’t feel that the investment that would be required to keep him is equal to the performance.

“We have needs at multiple positions, as well as for depth, and we want to be in the best position us to address those needs,” said Whisenhunt.

Graves said the team has not ruled out the possibility of Davis returning to the Cardinals in 2007. “That would depend on what transpires and how the circumstances play out. It’s not about cap room or trying to make it fit, but it’s about paying the right value for Leonard Davis.”

“Going forward, we’re making our free-agency plans and intend to be very aggressive,” stated Graves.

Davis was the second overall pick in the 2001 draft behind Atlanta’s Michael Vick. The former Texas Longhorn spent his first three professional seasons at guard before making the transition to left tackle in 2004. Davis started all 91 games he has played in for the Cards, including all 16 in the 2006 campaign.
 

Shane

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Kudos Mr. Whisenhunt! I know a lot of people wont like it but definitely the right move! Let his unmotivated non playing butt underperform elsewhere!
 

Evil Ash

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Dumb decision. Just plain stupid.

As usual this team has no plan and we're going to need to pray for a miracle
 

kerouac9

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Profoundly stupid. The only positive about this is that it will bring the demise of Rod Graves as VP Football Operations for the Arizona Cardinals one step closer.

So very, very stupid.
 

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I'm on board with Whiz... I'm not saying I agree with letting him walk, but I'm going to get behind Whiz and this coaching staff. We've praised the ownership for allowing Whiz to assemble an all-star coaching staff, so let's let them coach. Part of coaching is evaluating talent. They've evaluated Leonard and they don't want him. So move on to the next step.
 

CardinalChris

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Ok, so what is the plan. Tell me there is a plan.

BTW, I have heard San Fran is going to go hard for him. At least we can see first hand if this was the right call.
 

CardinalChris

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Profoundly stupid. The only positive about this is that it will bring the demise of Rod Graves as VP Football Operations for the Arizona Cardinals one step closer.

So very, very stupid.

It isn't stupid to lose him. It is stupid to lose him for nothing. I gotta believe they don't want him around, and I can live with that. I bet we could have gotten a or third rounder for his rights without even trying.


The only slim hope is the team worries he will pull a Charles Woodson and sign the dang thing, earn his huge check and the team is stuck with a player they really never want. But that seems WAY too paranoid and overthinking a bit.
 

CardinalChris

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The plan is we have $38 million to spend on one of the worst FA markets ever with other teams also having a ton to spend. Should have gotten something for him PERIOD.

Phew... I was worried for a second. Anyone have a list of FA tackles?
 

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Whiz's first big move on player personell turns out to be a good one. We don't need any of Big's losing attitude on this team his talented but underachieving attitude represents all of the bad things that have hurt the Cards. Out with the old in the with new.
 

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Phew... I was worried for a second. Anyone have a list of FA tackles?

Here's a list from footballfuture.com but it doesn't look like they've updated this lately (Pettigout isn't even listed).

http://www.footballsfuture.com/2007/nfl/freeagentsOL.html

Max Starks RFA Pittsburgh Steelers
Starks is a starting tackle for last season’s Super Bowl champion. That’s enough in itself to get some teams a little excited about the prospects of acquiring him. The fact that Starks is young, talented, and massive in stature—listed at 6’8”, 337 lbs.—just adds to the excitement pile. Another lineman that shouldn’t be going anywhere as the Steelers will not let Starks go without a fight. The best bet is that Starks will decide he wants to stay in Pittsburgh and sign an extension. If he hits the market, there will be a team or two willing to pay a big amount to entice the tackle to relocate.

Leonard Davis UFA Arizona Cardinals
Davis is a massive tackle that the Cardinals can’t afford to lose to free agency, but it seems likely that they will. The Arizona offensive line is already suspect, and losing Davis may be a huge step in the wrong direction, but the team may have to let him go and find a younger, less expensive replacement. Davis has shown the ability to simply be a wall of protection for his quarterback and while teams might not line up for the chance to sign him, anyone looking for a tackle will have him high on the list of those available.

Mike Gandy, UFA, Buffalo Bills
A relatively young starting left tackle, Gandy had been blocking for Willis McGahee for the past three seasons and he is a somewhat appealing free agent option. He has talent, but isn’t considered among the league’s best linemen. However, a decent starting left tackle doesn’t just drop from the sky, so expect him to garner interest from a handful of teams, if Buffalo doesn’t re-sign him before the market opens.

Eric Steinbach UFA Cincinnati Bengals
Although Steinbach plays the guard position in Cincinnati, he may be looked at as a tackle option by teams in need. He’ll be just twenty-seven when next season opens, so his relative youth could increase his value for a team that wants to lock him up to a long term contract. While the offensive line for the Bengals tailed-off this season, Steinbach will still be sought after, and his age and upside should make him a more sought after player. If teams are sold on his ability to play tackle, then the interest in him could be widespread several teams jumping into the mix.

Other Free Agent Offensive Linemen
Jordan Black, UFA, Kansas City Chiefs
Dwayne Carswell, UFA, Denver Broncos
Derrick Dockery, UFA, Washington Redskins
Nat Dorsey, RFA, Cleveland Browns
Chris Gray, UFA, Seattle Seahawks
Norm Katnik, RFA, New York Jets
Ryan Lilja, RFA, Indianapolis Colts
Sean Locklear, RFA, Seattle Seahawks
Roman Oben, UFA, San Diego Chargers
Brian Rimpf, RFA, Baltimore Ravens
Eric Steinbach, UFA, Cincinnati Bengals
Todd Steussie, UFA, St. Louis Rams
Floyd Womack, UFA, Seattle Seahawks
Kris Dielman, UFA, San Diego
Damion McIntosh, UFA, Miami Dolphins

Not exactly what I'd call an awe-inspiring list.
 

BACH

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My guess for this move.

They tried to extent him to a long-term deal, but Big's asking price was unrealisticly high.

They let him hit the open marked, because they're convinced nobody will pay him that kind of money.
“But when you look at the situation on the whole and take everything into account, we don’t feel that the investment that would be required to keep him is equal to the performance.

I still think that it's a dumb move to let him go without compensation, but maybe RG and Whiz have a plan, so I won't panic yet.

Let's see how this turns out.
 

KingofCards

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I am sure that the same people that cried about David Boston and Jake leaving will cry about this too.
 

RonF

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http://www.azcardinals.com/news/detail.php?PRKey=1551

Tackle to hit market as unrestricted free agent

“When we evaluated Leonard, we certainly see ability and as improvement, especially as last season went on,” said Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt. “But when you look at the situation on the whole and take everything into account, we don’t feel that the investment that would be required to keep him is equal to the performance.

That says it all for me...his performance on the field is not worth the money they would have to pay to keep him. Remember what Hardy used to say, you don't have to pay the big money for offensive linemen if you focus on zone blocking rather than individual, one on one effort.
 

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I am sure that the same people that cried about David Boston and Jake leaving will cry about this too.

Yeah that worked out for us EVENTUALLY. However people seem to forget the years of having our starting QB being the quality of Jeff Blake and our WRs being Kevin Kasper and the greatness that was Larry Foster.

Even if you didn't want him, YOU GET SOMETHING FOR HIM. He was considered to be the top FA in a position of need. You don't think anyone would give a 3rd round draft pick for him?

I'm fearful that our plan relies heavily on Max Starks getting the low tender
 

BACH

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Remember what Hardy used to say, you don't have to pay the big money for offensive linemen if you focus on zone blocking rather than individual, one on one effort.
That goes for runblocking.

I'm more worried about who's going to pass-protect for Leinart.
 
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Zeno

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I am sure that the same people that cried about David Boston and Jake leaving will cry about this too.

I still maintain they could have received some compensation for David Boston--Jake was good riddance.

Letting Davis go is stupid, they better have an awesome super secret plan in mind to fill his spot. One that doesn't include garbage like Pettigout or Oliver Ross.
 

AzWins23

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Well good job cardinals..our o-line went from worse to awful again!! Keep up the great work!
 

Totally_Red

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“In fairness to Leonard, we wanted to let him know what our position is so he can move forward and make plans,” offered Vice President of Football Operations Rod Graves. “Our coaching staff has had an opportunity to evaluate Leonard and how he fits in with our team and we feel this is the option that makes the most sense from a football standpoint.”
======================

It would be nice if Graves considered being fair to the fan base for a change, not to mention Matt Leinart and Kurt Warner. Whisenhunt's first blunder is a doozy. That sure didn't take long. :bang:
 

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I see this as nothing but positive! This team is filled with talent and it's good to see that our new coach is looking for those that want to play and want to give it all. Davis never did that and he's definately not worth the money! Great move coach, nice start to your stay here.....:thumbup:
 

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Yeah that worked out for us EVENTUALLY. However people seem to forget the years of having our starting QB being the quality of Jeff Blake and our WRs being Kevin Kasper and the greatness that was Larry Foster.

Even if you didn't want him, YOU GET SOMETHING FOR HIM. He was considered to be the top FA in a position of need. You don't think anyone would give a 3rd round draft pick for him?

I'm fearful that our plan relies heavily on Max Starks getting the low tender




You know I'm not 100% positive how the franchise tag works but if it works how I think it does then this was a great move. Tell me if I'm wrong here but if we tag him and nobody else thinks he's worth the money, aren't we stuck paying him 10 mill this year??? Somebody help me out here.
 

Mitch

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I see this as nothing but positive! This team is filled with talent and it's good to see that our new coach is looking for those that want to play and want to give it all. Davis never did that and he's definately not worth the money! Great move coach, nice start to your stay here.....:thumbup:

I agree. To pay one player 1/10th of the salary cap he'd better be a Pro Bowler and a team leader. Davis was neither here in six years. This team needs leaders. And it needs to spend wisely to get the most value possible. I applaud Whiz.
 

BACH

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I see this as nothing but positive! This team is filled with talent and it's good to see that our new coach is looking for those that want to play and want to give it all. Davis never did that and he's definately not worth the money! Great move coach, nice start to your stay here.....:thumbup:

I like the postive attitude.

But the question is who's going to replace Big. If that plan already is in place and get executed, then I have no problem with the move. But until I see the actual replacement plan, I remain sceptical.
 

Stout

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You know I'm not 100% positive how the franchise tag works but if it works how I think it does then this was a great move. Tell me if I'm wrong here but if we tag him and nobody else thinks he's worth the money, aren't we stuck paying him 10 mill this year??? Somebody help me out here.

You stand corrected. We can always rescind the tag if we get no takers. What an absolutely gutless, stupid move by Graves and co. We could easily have gotten something in trade for him, at the least a 2nd rounder. Teams are going to be willing to pay him the big bucks anyway, and would have been willing to pony up a draft pick or two as well. Ugh.
 

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