Suicide by Offensive Line

[Chopper0080]

The Cardinals have invested in the offensive line

Iupati is the 11th highest paid LG...after his paycut
Pugh is the 7th highest paid RG
Veldheer is the 6th highest paid RT after we cut him (and we had him for 4 years)
Smith is the 19th highest paid RT

Cooper was a 1st round pick
Watford a 4th
Humphries a 1st
Cole a 3rd round pick
Faneca was paid millions
Boehm was a 4th round pick
Holden a 5th round pick
Dorian Johnson was a 4th round pick

We have a cheap vet C in Shipley
Even including the 5th year option, Humphries avg salary per year is only 3.7 mil.

We have invested a TON of picks and resources in the offensive line. To say otherwise is silly.

Again, we may not like what has come from our investment, but that doesn't change the fact that we have invested heavily in the offensive line during Keim Time.

 

[Krangodnzr]

The Cardinals have invested in the offensive line

Iupati is the 11th highest paid LG...after his paycut
Pugh is the 7th highest paid RG
Veldheer is the 6th highest paid RT after we cut him (and we had him for 4 years)
Smith is the 19th highest paid RT

Cooper was a 1st round pick
Watford a 4th
Humphries a 1st
Cole a 3rd round pick
Faneca was paid millions
Boehm was a 4th round pick
Holden a 5th round pick
Dorian Johnson was a 4th round pick

We have a cheap vet C in Shipley
Even including the 5th year option, Humphries avg salary per year is only 3.7 mil.

We have invested a TON of picks and resources in the offensive line. To say otherwise is silly.

Again, we may not like what has come from our investment, but that doesn't change the fact that we have invested heavily in the offensive line during Keim Time.

Clear departure from the Whisenhunt, get by on scraps era. I think it also shows how little input Keim had under Rod Graves.

I think this line can work.

 

[GuernseyCard]

Clear departure from the Whisenhunt, get by on scraps era. I think it also shows how little input Keim had under Rod Graves.

I think this line can work.

There actually were a fair number of later round O-line picks under Graves that couldn't be coached up.

 

[Krangodnzr]

There actually were a fair number of later round O-line picks under Graves that couldn't be coached up.

Right. Later round linemen usually have warts. It's the same approach the Seahawks have taken and its failed miserably.

As crazy as this sounds, John Wetzel is kind of the glue guy of the offensive line. He hasn't been particularly good, but he has been OK at every position he's played. He's my unsung favorite player on the team. Kind of like how Kerouac had a man crush on Jim Dray, I feel the same way about Wetzel. I don't want him starting, but I love him as the first guy off the bench.

I think if Humphries can stay healthy, the line can be solid. He's not a great player, but he's passable and we need him to play most of the season to be competitive.

 

[pmacLean]

Yeah.........it "works"

The difference between seeing this from the eyes of an engineer.

I wanted to like that about a thousand times... been there, done that... the funniest stage is when they start getting upset because you are being "too detailed". LOL

 

[oaken1]

While you are right that the players have been drafted in high slots, the Cardinals actually have not invested that much in the offensive line. Three of the four players selected in the first round were not picked by the Cardinals, and the salaries are not high by NFL standards. To your point, by the way, only three of the mentioned eight players are still on their rookie deals, and since they just picked up Humphries 5th year option his salary has been much increased and can’t really be described as a cheap rookie deal.

If you click here, you can see a list of how much money each team has tied up in their offensive line and click here to see a list of individual offensive linemen’s salary. The Cardinals are next to last, and Justin Pugh are only the 31st highest paid offensive lineman.

The first list takes 11 offensive linemen from the Cardinals into account. I don’t know which players, but I am guessing it is players that were on the roster before the draft. Some teams on the list have more offensive linemen but the average is 12 offensive linemen.

I dont think the point is the money invested so much as the talent acquired. We have talent on the oline... hell, 4 first round picks.....

the talent is there, which shows Keim has done his part. The coaching staff needs to maximize that talent.

I was a strong advocate for dumping Iupati,...dude has never been a strong pass blocker, but has always been one of the best at Run blocking...but he has missed a lot of games.
Bringing in Pugh, smith, and a bigger center leads one to believe we are committing more to the rush attack. If you are ramming the ball down the defenses throat all day the pass rush becomes less of an issue....and it also opens the play action game for big gainers.... both of those things not only help a crippled QB, but a rookie QB as well. we just need to see it work.

 

[Gandhi]

The Cardinals have invested in the offensive line

Iupati is the 11th highest paid LG...after his paycut
Pugh is the 7th highest paid RG
Veldheer is the 6th highest paid RT after we cut him (and we had him for 4 years)
Smith is the 19th highest paid RT

Cooper was a 1st round pick
Watford a 4th
Humphries a 1st
Cole a 3rd round pick
Faneca was paid millions
Boehm was a 4th round pick
Holden a 5th round pick
Dorian Johnson was a 4th round pick

We have a cheap vet C in Shipley
Even including the 5th year option, Humphries avg salary per year is only 3.7 mil.

We have invested a TON of picks and resources in the offensive line. To say otherwise is silly.

Again, we may not like what has come from our investment, but that doesn't change the fact that we have invested heavily in the offensive line during Keim Time.

Oh, I am not saying they haven’t invested in the offensive line. I probably didn’t express that well enough. It is quite the opposite in my opinion, and I think a lot of analyst in the media fails to acknowledge that. I am saying they haven’t invested much money in the unit, and since you highlighted the five perceived starters where three of them are free agency pickups, you could argue that you would expect a bigger financially investment. The three highest paid offensive linemen in the league are free agent pickups, and nine of the 20 highest paid offensive linemen are free agent pickups.

That said, the list I showed you were about the money spent on the unit last season. This season the Cardinals actually ranks 9th overall right now. That is with a lot more players recognized than most of the teams below them in the rankings, though, so they will most likely drop some down the rankings in the coming months. It obviously doesn’t say anything about the money they invested the previous seasons, and you wrote that they invested a lot in Keim’s general tenure as general manager, which I showed you was a wrong claim.

Regarding D.J. Humphries, by the way, since they picked up his 5th year option, his base salary increases from 1.4 million to 9.6 million. I think it just goes to reinforce the notion that the Cardinals do invest in the unit.

I am even going to predict that they will use another first round pick on an offensive lineman next year, even though those kinds of predictions are obviously kind of stupid.

 

[WisconsinCard]

Regarding D.J. Humphries, by the way, since they picked up his 5th year option, his base salary increases from 1.4 million to 9.6 million. I think it just goes to reinforce the notion that the Cardinals do invest in the unit.

That is next year though, isn't it?

 

[Gandhi]

That is next year though, isn't it?

Yes, it is.