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I’m still scratching my head over Dennis Green’s ill-advised decision to replace starting QB Josh McCown with Shaun King on the eve of the Cardinals’ Week 11 game in Carolina this past season.
Granted, McCown’s passing numbers were far from scintillating. But it sure looked at the time like he was more than adequate under center, which was all that was really required to be competitive in a division that was by far the weakest in the league.
Entering that game, Arizona had won two straight and three of its past four. What followed were four straight ugly losses that in effect killed the Cardinals’ season, as well as doing nothing for McCown’s confidence.
All that said, even though I continue to believe McCown has gotten a raw deal in the Valley, I applaud the Cardinals’ decision to sign two-time league MVP Kurt Warner to a one-year deal worth $4 million.
The more I think about it, the more I like it.
Put simply, Warner instantly makes the Cardinals a much more interesting team. The tremendous success he had with the Rams continues to overshadow his decline in effectiveness over the past few seasons and figures to give the Cardinals a badly needed boost at the box office, which is a significant development considering that a brand-new state-of-the-art stadium opens for business in 2006.
Of course, the Cardinals had hoped another veteran performer with a glittering résumé, all-time NFL rushing leader Emmitt Smith, would also generate a nice hike in attendance. But after all was said and done, Cardinals fans could never quite get past the fact that Smith, a future Hall of Famer, was clearly on his last legs and a shadow of his former dominant self.
Based on his last few seasons, there are many who believe the same can be said for Warner, who will turn 34 in June. Given the same kind of opportunity by the Giants last year that he is now being given by the Cardinals, Warner started strong before crashing and burning nine games into the season, ironically reaching his low point when he was sacked six times in a 17-14 loss to Arizona that officially signaled the beginning of the Eli Manning era in the Big Apple.
But if you believe Warner, who was expected to hold a news conference in Arizona today, the ingredients for a very different scenario are in place with his new team, beginning with a much greater familiarity with the offensive system he will be asked to embrace. New Cardinals offensive coordinator Keith Rowen earned his spurs as the Chiefs’ TE coach under Dick Vermeil, Warner’s head coach during his glory days in St. Louis.
Which brings us to another extremely appealing aspect of this trade.
If the Rams continue underachieving like they did last season — their abysmal playoff performance vs. the Falcons completely obliterated any positive vibes there might have been following their last-ditch surge into the playoffs — there could be as many Cardinals fans in St. Louis next season as there are Rams fans.
That might be a bit of a stretch, but there’s no denying that Warner remains unbelievably popular in St. Louis. And when he told the Arizona media late last week that “nobody knows the whole story” as to why he is no longer playing with the Rams, he added an extra dose of intrigue to his captivating persona.
Needless to say, the wild-and-crazy NFC West has gotten a bit wilder with the Cardinals-Rams rivalry having been turned up a notch. Things could really get crazy if the Cardinals can find a decent running back to add to the mix.
In WRs Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Bryant Johnson, Warner will have much more inviting targets in his sights than he had in New York. He also figures to be operating behind a better offensive line, especially at the tackles, where behemoth Leonard Davis and newly acquired Oliver Ross should offer solid protection.
But a solid back with some explosiveness remains the missing piece in the offensive puzzle. Green spoke glowingly at the recent Scouting Combine in Indianapolis about the Auburn tandem of Ronnie Brown and Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, and it would shock nobody if the Cardinals used the eighth overall pick on one of them should either still be on the board.
It appeared at one point that the team had some interest in trading for Bills RB Travis Henry, who has been reduced to second-fiddle status behind Willis McGahee in Buffalo, but the rumors have died down along those lines. The continuing rumor that the Cards may be interested in Vikings RB Michael Bennett — who played under Green in Minnesota and has a year left on his contract — could be a different story.
“Are you sure they’re just rumors?” Bennett asked the (St. Paul, Minn.) Pioneer Press over the weekend. “We’ll see.”
Yes, we will.
And regardless of what happens, the Cardinals should be a helluva lot more fun to watch. Green fell short of handing Warner the starting QB job on a silver platter, but it’s highly unlikely the Cardinals are paying their newest signalcaller $4 mil to sit on the bench.
I never thought I’d say this, but the Cardinals’ minicamps can’t start soon enough.
From Pro football weekly
GBR
40
Granted, McCown’s passing numbers were far from scintillating. But it sure looked at the time like he was more than adequate under center, which was all that was really required to be competitive in a division that was by far the weakest in the league.
Entering that game, Arizona had won two straight and three of its past four. What followed were four straight ugly losses that in effect killed the Cardinals’ season, as well as doing nothing for McCown’s confidence.
All that said, even though I continue to believe McCown has gotten a raw deal in the Valley, I applaud the Cardinals’ decision to sign two-time league MVP Kurt Warner to a one-year deal worth $4 million.
The more I think about it, the more I like it.
Put simply, Warner instantly makes the Cardinals a much more interesting team. The tremendous success he had with the Rams continues to overshadow his decline in effectiveness over the past few seasons and figures to give the Cardinals a badly needed boost at the box office, which is a significant development considering that a brand-new state-of-the-art stadium opens for business in 2006.
Of course, the Cardinals had hoped another veteran performer with a glittering résumé, all-time NFL rushing leader Emmitt Smith, would also generate a nice hike in attendance. But after all was said and done, Cardinals fans could never quite get past the fact that Smith, a future Hall of Famer, was clearly on his last legs and a shadow of his former dominant self.
Based on his last few seasons, there are many who believe the same can be said for Warner, who will turn 34 in June. Given the same kind of opportunity by the Giants last year that he is now being given by the Cardinals, Warner started strong before crashing and burning nine games into the season, ironically reaching his low point when he was sacked six times in a 17-14 loss to Arizona that officially signaled the beginning of the Eli Manning era in the Big Apple.
But if you believe Warner, who was expected to hold a news conference in Arizona today, the ingredients for a very different scenario are in place with his new team, beginning with a much greater familiarity with the offensive system he will be asked to embrace. New Cardinals offensive coordinator Keith Rowen earned his spurs as the Chiefs’ TE coach under Dick Vermeil, Warner’s head coach during his glory days in St. Louis.
Which brings us to another extremely appealing aspect of this trade.
If the Rams continue underachieving like they did last season — their abysmal playoff performance vs. the Falcons completely obliterated any positive vibes there might have been following their last-ditch surge into the playoffs — there could be as many Cardinals fans in St. Louis next season as there are Rams fans.
That might be a bit of a stretch, but there’s no denying that Warner remains unbelievably popular in St. Louis. And when he told the Arizona media late last week that “nobody knows the whole story” as to why he is no longer playing with the Rams, he added an extra dose of intrigue to his captivating persona.
Needless to say, the wild-and-crazy NFC West has gotten a bit wilder with the Cardinals-Rams rivalry having been turned up a notch. Things could really get crazy if the Cardinals can find a decent running back to add to the mix.
In WRs Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Bryant Johnson, Warner will have much more inviting targets in his sights than he had in New York. He also figures to be operating behind a better offensive line, especially at the tackles, where behemoth Leonard Davis and newly acquired Oliver Ross should offer solid protection.
But a solid back with some explosiveness remains the missing piece in the offensive puzzle. Green spoke glowingly at the recent Scouting Combine in Indianapolis about the Auburn tandem of Ronnie Brown and Carnell “Cadillac” Williams, and it would shock nobody if the Cardinals used the eighth overall pick on one of them should either still be on the board.
It appeared at one point that the team had some interest in trading for Bills RB Travis Henry, who has been reduced to second-fiddle status behind Willis McGahee in Buffalo, but the rumors have died down along those lines. The continuing rumor that the Cards may be interested in Vikings RB Michael Bennett — who played under Green in Minnesota and has a year left on his contract — could be a different story.
“Are you sure they’re just rumors?” Bennett asked the (St. Paul, Minn.) Pioneer Press over the weekend. “We’ll see.”
Yes, we will.
And regardless of what happens, the Cardinals should be a helluva lot more fun to watch. Green fell short of handing Warner the starting QB job on a silver platter, but it’s highly unlikely the Cardinals are paying their newest signalcaller $4 mil to sit on the bench.
I never thought I’d say this, but the Cardinals’ minicamps can’t start soon enough.
From Pro football weekly
GBR
40
