So Seriously, What is going on ?

[RugbyMuffin]

Correct me if I am wrong but don't the Cardinals have a lot of open roster spots right now?

There is no need to go all "Fitzgerald" in this post. You would have to be living under a rock at this point to not know what is going on with that situation.

But with open roster spots and some holes that need to be filled why is it so quiet in Cardinal town ?

What makes me nervous is that our organization seems to be relying on the draft to fill holes, but that doesn't give me a lot of confidence. Even when it LOOKS like we drafted well it doesn't seem to pan out. <see story below>

I know money is tight but there are still guys that can be brought in for a look. We are short too many players in too many areas to be this lethagic during this offseason. I am not saying to bring in 50 million dollar guys but a couple guys for a low offer wouldn't hurt either.

From: http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/7893134/Who'll-be-No.-1?-Only-time-will-tell
What Happened There?
Shame on me. Last year, in my post-draft recap analysis article, I gave the Arizona Cardinals top honors, writing, "The Cardinals had just five picks in this weekend's draft, but managed to knock home runs out of the park with each and every one of them." Gulp.

Home runs? Well, maybe someday. But nearly a year after the 2007 NFL Draft, the Cardinals' five draft picks appear to be more groundouts to second than anything else. First-round pick Levi Brown battled injuries and inconsistency in an average rookie campaign, second-round pick Alan Branch missed the first five weeks of the season and failed to ever make an impact from the DT position, and third-round pick Buster Davis was waived in mini-camp.

Again, gulp.

Perhaps the saving graces of the Cardinals 2007 draft class were their last two picks. Seventh-round pick Steve Breaston turned out being a reliable return man, while tight end Ben Patrick — also a seventh-round selection — started coming around as a pass-catching option towards the end of the year.

Overall, though, eh — not exactly the A+ class I labeled it back in April of last year. More like a C+, really.

Then again, there's still hope for these guys. Their sophomore year starts in just six months.

Let's see if they can deliver with a slugger's swing.

 

[HookemCards]

Welll we can say "Lets not make this a Fitz issue", but the reality is, that it is. Per Joe's spreadsheet we have 4.2 mil left. Cut Shipp and it goes to about 6. But the Cards have made no signs of releasing Shipp and if he does we have one less player under contract that will need to be filled. I'd also like to see them restructure Gandy, extend him for 2 or 3 more years, but again, they've made no indication that will happen. Of that 4.2 left we still have to sign the rookies (I know we don't for awhile, but we will eventually need 3.5 mil to sign them) and with the number of players under contract ATM that may be difficult with Fitz cap number.

 

[Garthshort]

Last Draft

Was Breaston a 7th round pick? I thought he went higher.

 

[az jam]

Was Breaston a 7th round pick? I thought he went higher.

He was picked in the 5th round.

 

[cardsfanmd]

Welll we can say "Lets not make this a Fitz issue", but the reality is, that it is. Per Joe's spreadsheet we have 4.2 mil left. Cut Shipp and it goes to about 6. But the Cards have made no signs of releasing Shipp and if he does we have one less player under contract that will need to be filled. I'd also like to see them restructure Gandy, extend him for 2 or 3 more years, but again, they've made no indication that will happen. Of that 4.2 left we still have to sign the rookies (I know we don't for awhile, but we will eventually need 3.5 mil to sign them) and with the number of players under contract ATM that may be difficult with Fitz cap number.

 

[SuperSpck]

He was picked in the 5th round.

It's an OK article at best, downgraded by a lack of 10 seconds worth of research. He could have gone to 100 different sources to confirm. That's lazy reporting.

Secondly, it wasn't until recently that Calvin Pace had the "bust" label temperately removed from his personnel file, so how we judge a draft 5 years ago changes from year to year.

It's cute to look in and see how a year has changed their draft day grade, but ultimately it's pointless to hand out a grade in the first place.

 

[40yearfan]

It's an OK article at best, downgraded by a lack of 10 seconds worth of research. He could have gone to 100 different sources to confirm. That's lazy reporting.

Secondly, it wasn't until recently that Calvin Pace had the "bust" label temperately removed from his personnel file, so how we judge a draft 5 years ago changes from year to year.

It's cute to look in and see how a year has changed their draft day grade, but ultimately it's pointless to hand out a grade in the first place.

Isn't that the truth. Before they ever play a down, you are looking at total crap shoot. Just because it looks good on paper, doesn't mean it will tranfer to good on the field of play.

 

[Crash]

People picked after Buster Davis.

QB : Trent Edwards
Buffalo Bills
Drafted 3rd round, 1,630 yards and 7 TDs passer rating of 70.4.

DE : Brian Robison
Minnesota Vikings
Drafted 4th round, totaled 4.5 sacks and 1 forced fumble.

DT : Clifton Ryan
St. Louis Rams
Drafted 5th round, 2 sacks and forced 3 fumbles.

I'll even add special teams because they are still in the NFL at least.

K : Mason Crosby
Green Bay Packers
Drafted 6th round, 31/39 FGs, 5 FGs over 50 yards.

P : Daniel Sepulveda
Pittsburgh Steelers
Drafted 4th round, 42.4 average, 28 In20.

 

[PoolBoy]

People picked after Buster Davis.

QB : Trent Edwards
Buffalo Bills
Drafted 3rd round, 1,630 yards and 7 TDs passer rating of 70.4.

DE : Brian Robison
Minnesota Vikings
Drafted 4th round, totaled 4.5 sacks and 1 forced fumble.

DT : Clifton Ryan
St. Louis Rams
Drafted 5th round, 2 sacks and forced 3 fumbles.

I'll even add special teams because they are still in the NFL at least.

K : Mason Crosby
Green Bay Packers
Drafted 6th round, 31/39 FGs, 5 FGs over 50 yards.

P : Daniel Sepulveda
Pittsburgh Steelers
Drafted 4th round, 42.4 average, 28 In20.

WR/KR: Steve Breaston
Arizona Cardinals
won the steelers game.

 

[DaisyCutter]

Correct me if I am wrong but don't the Cardinals have a lot of open roster spots right now?

There is no need to go all "Fitzgerald" in this post. You would have to be living under a rock at this point to not know what is going on with that situation.

But with open roster spots and some holes that need to be filled why is it so quiet in Cardinal town ?

What makes me nervous is that our organization seems to be relying on the draft to fill holes, but that doesn't give me a lot of confidence. Even when it LOOKS like we drafted well it doesn't seem to pan out. <see story below>

I know money is tight but there are still guys that can be brought in for a look. We are short too many players in too many areas to be this lethagic during this offseason. I am not saying to bring in 50 million dollar guys but a couple guys for a low offer wouldn't hurt either.

I think that the Fitz situation has taken some of the heat off the Cards to get more work done. But I don't think that's the only thing.

1) There are some 48 players on the roster right now, according to joeshmo's spreadsheet. Add in 7 draft picks and you're at 55. Count an extra kicker and QB (or two) for training camp, and maybe 4-7 undrafted free agent rookies, and you're about where your roster is going to be going into camp.

2) I think we all understand that Rod Graves has a hard time multitasking. He said all along that the object of this offseason was the keep the core together. So he's working on a cap-saving extension for Kurt Warner as well as working on some depth with Tafoya, and then maybe looking at Nate Hodel and still working on Fitz (and dare I suggest Dansby?), and he doesn't have a lot of time to do the other things.

3) There's just not that much out there in free agency. Our starting offense is set. Our starting defense is set (with the exception of FS, where I expect Francisco to beat out Rolle for at least the first half of the season). The Cards can't offer more money than other teams in FA. They can't offer starting jobs. There'll probably be a couple more FA signings in the next two weeks, but I don't expect much.

You say that "we are short too many players in too many areas to be lethargic this offseason". I really don't think that's the case. We added a 3rd DE/OLB. We're still thin at cornerback, but other than that, I don't think we're unable to compete with the personnel we have on the roster.

 

[cardsfanmd]

People picked after Buster Davis.

QB : Trent Edwards
Buffalo Bills
Drafted 3rd round, 1,630 yards and 7 TDs passer rating of 70.4.

DE : Brian Robison
Minnesota Vikings
Drafted 4th round, totaled 4.5 sacks and 1 forced fumble.

DT : Clifton Ryan
St. Louis Rams
Drafted 5th round, 2 sacks and forced 3 fumbles.

I'll even add special teams because they are still in the NFL at least.

K : Mason Crosby
Green Bay Packers
Drafted 6th round, 31/39 FGs, 5 FGs over 50 yards.

P : Daniel Sepulveda
Pittsburgh Steelers
Drafted 4th round, 42.4 average, 28 In20.

How about these guys:

Jacoby Jones WR--Stud in the making- Would have been the deep threat we have been waiting for and our new #3WR

James Jones WR-- Looked pretty good catching 50 passes in GB this year.

Marcus McCauley CB-- I would feel much better had Ralph Brown not seen the field last year.

Yamon Figurs WR/KR--Remember when he ran a kick back for a TD against us last year in a 3pt loss in Baltimore? (Rackers could have made it a tie game, but we know what happens in that situation)

Tanard Jackson FS-- I shouted his name on this board thousands of times prior to the draft but no one (in the Card's FO anyway) listened to me. He was a playmaking STUD starter for TB all year while Holt was the worst starter in the NFL.

Antwaan Barnes LB-- Not many people know who he is but he will be the next great Raven LB IMO.

There are too many more to list...

 

[RugbyMuffin]

You say that "we are short too many players in too many areas to be lethargic this offseason". I really don't think that's the case. We added a 3rd DE/OLB. We're still thin at cornerback, but other than that, I don't think we're unable to compete with the personnel we have on the roster.

I think we are thin at:

OLB, DL, CB, OL


OLB - I like what we got but we do have some injury concerns

DL - NT is in pretty good shape, but DE is a cause for concern.

CB - Green, Hood, and ????

OL - Sedilien and Elton Brown are our back ups right now. Need a OT for depth, IMO

**** I guess we can hope that one or two of the practice squad guys pull an Antonio Smith and start being productive. I would like to see Vallejo and Halloway work their way to the final roster.

 

[DaisyCutter]

I think we are thin at:

OLB, DL, CB, OL


OLB - I like what we got but we do have some injury concerns

DL - NT is in pretty good shape, but DE is a cause for concern.

CB - Green, Hood, and ????

OL - Sedilien and Elton Brown are our back ups right now. Need a OT for depth, IMO

**** I guess we can hope that one or two of the practice squad guys pull an Antonio Smith and start being productive. I would like to see Vallejo and Halloway work their way to the final roster.

I agree with you all the way around, but I think that we'll find a way to work Alan Branch into the DE rotation, and that we'll draft one. I honestly think that we take care of all four of those positions in the draft. We have three OLBs who can play, which is what we had going into last season. We'll hopefully add another one in the draft.

CB I think is an overrated concern. When the Cards go into a 5 DB look, they play with three safeties, not three cornerbacks. The safties are Francisco, Wilson, and Rolle. So what we're really looking at is finding a 6th cornerback. I think there's no doubt that we'll take a corner in the first 3 rounds of the draft.

I'm with you in thinking that we need an OL for depth. Maybe we bring back Oliver Ross at a minimum salary. Maybe we bring in someone else. We'll probably bring in someone cheap and draft someone else. But it's not a major concern.

 

[football karma]

I am willing to bet that between now and the draft - the Cardinals (and several other teams) bring in a bunch (i.e four or five) of veterans at 2 year vet minimum contracts with minimal (if any) signing bonuses

Free agency has been open long enough that guys are starting to fret for jobs.

 

[Mr.Dibbs]

ESPN talks about it here:
"Inactivity, however, isn't always the best policy. Count the Arizona Cardinals among the teams that probably have missed out.
Despite signing pass-rusher Travis LaBoy from the Tennessee Titans, the Cardinals could use another veteran starter or two to help second-year coach Ken Whisenhunt further establish a hard-nosed identity. But with Larry Fitzgerald's contract eating up nearly $16.5 million in salary-cap space until today, Arizona hasn't even re-signed any of its own UFAs. Fourteen hit the market. Two signed elsewhere.

The Cardinals own rights to 48 players, counting three restricted free agents and franchise player Karlos Dansby. The other 31 teams claim 64 players on average. The Denver Broncos claim a league-high 78. Arizona is the only team with fewer than 54 (Kansas City).

Including LaBoy, the Cardinals own rights to only 16 defensive players, another league low and well off the average for other teams (27.7). LaBoy, who has battled concussions, is one of 25 UFAs who have changed teams after starting fewer games last season than in 2006, a potential sign of diminishing production. The Bucs, Dolphins and Patriots each signed three of the 25. The Jets signed two. "
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/columns/story?columnist=sando_mike&id=3287448

Urban says we are signing some of our scrubs:
"Guys like defensive back Matt Ware, defensive lineman Rodney Bailey and safety Oliver Celestin. In addition, there are seven draft picks to account for, and if I had to guess right now (and it's strictly a personal guess), I would say the draft will be weighted toward defense."
http://www.azcardinals.com/blog/blog.php?author=1

 

[Sandan]

2) I think we all understand that Rod Graves has a hard time multitasking.

Cute cheap shot

 

[BullheadCardFan]

I think we are thin at:

OLB, DL, CB, OL

Rugby,

I would like to add RB to the list. Not that we are thin, but we need an upgrade at backup RB. Shipp is deteriorating and JJ is a nonfactor IMO.

 

[DaisyCutter]

Cute cheap shot

I guess that it didn't take him a week to finish Fitz's deal after we signed those two free agents? You're right: How does he keep all the balls in the air?

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Rugby,

I would like to add RB to the list. Not that we are thin, but we need an upgrade at backup RB. Shipp is deteriorating and JJ is a nonfactor IMO.

I wanted to, but I thought it would be a "thin" arguement. Especially, since Shipp and Arrington have not been cut.......at least not yet.

I would love to see us draft a RB in the 1st or 2nd.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Welll we can say "Lets not make this a Fitz issue", but the reality is, that it is.

Well, ain't a Fitz situation anymore.....at least till next year.

Sorry, I never get to play 20/20, so I will endulge.

 

[HookemCards]

Well, ain't a Fitz situation anymore.....at least till next year.

Sorry, I never get to play 20/20, so I will endulge.

It won't be a Fitz situation next year either. Graves has the biggest hurdle taken care of but he still has several others to jump, hopefully he clears them without nosediving. He can still clear cap room by cutting Shipp, and restructuring Warner (already in the works) and Gandy (not sure he will do this) and Dansby (His cap hit this years is almost the same as Fitz's). I hate drafting for need so its imperative he brings in an OL upgrade (is Steussie still playing at a decent level, what about Fred Miller, or Kwame Harris), CB (Law, a few others), DE (Douglas). I'd would have loved to bring in a RB also, but there was only 1 or 2 decent ones available and they didn't want to ride the pine behind Edge. Besides RB is one of the easiest positions to get a impact player in the first year.

 

[Darth Llama]

I wanted to, but I thought it would be a "thin" arguement. Especially, since Shipp and Arrington have not been cut.......at least not yet.

I would love to see us draft a RB in the 1st or 2nd.

I don't think you'll see Shipp cut till after the draft. The Cardinals can't be 100% sure on who we'll take yet, because we don't know who's going to be there. If the Cards take another back, which I fully expect them too, don't count on seeing Shipp on the roster after that.

 

[DaisyCutter]

I don't think you'll see Shipp cut till after the draft. The Cardinals can't be 100% sure on who we'll take yet, because we don't know who's going to be there. If the Cards take another back, which I fully expect them too, don't count on seeing Shipp on the roster after that.

That wouldn't be fair to Shipp or J.J., since both would want to get a job. I am certain the Cards will draft a RB in April (they said as much to the press last season when it came to a returner). I think it'll come down to who is a better special teams player in camp: Shipp or J.J.

Tough situation for both of those guys.

 

[HookemCards]

That wouldn't be fair to Shipp or J.J., since both would want to get a job. I am certain the Cards will draft a RB in April (they said as much to the press last season when it came to a returner). I think it'll come down to who is a better special teams player in camp: Shipp or J.J.

Tough situation for both of those guys.

It'll be Shipp no doubt in my mind. Shipp will save 1.75 against the cap, Arrington will save none (or cost some). Also Shipp is more like Edge, Arrington is more of a 3rd down, catch out of the backfield, speed guy. Edge and Shipp aren't.

 

[40yearfan]

It'll be Shipp no doubt in my mind. Shipp will save 1.75 against the cap, Arrington will save none (or cost some). Also Shipp is more like Edge, Arrington is more of a 3rd down, catch out of the backfield, speed guy. Edge and Shipp aren't.

But the thing that complicates it is that Shipp is a much better special teams player.

It'll be interesting to see who Whis keeps or cuts. Neither one figured prominently in our offense last year and it could be he will just make a clean sweep and look to the draft for help.