the cards will have a HORRIBLE season...

[sundevil81]

here's why the cards will have a HORRIBLE season...

now that i have your attention. a little disclaimer here before i get flamed big time. i actually think the cards will be much improved and go 9-7. that being said there are a lot of question marks on this team that could blow up in our face and lead to a VERY dissapointing season. let me just play devil's advocate...

FS- can old man griffith still play, he was never great against the pass and now he's a little long in the tooth and may have lost a few steps. our alternatives are ohelete and harris...not good.

SS- wilson is a very good player but has struggled against the pass in the past, that's not good with this secondary. also if he goes down injured (although he doesn't have a history of it) we don't have much depth here at all, shazor won't be ready for the nfl.

CB- macklin (good, but not a #1 corner in my book), rolle (rook), green (rook) and a couple of no names. ouch!

MLB- hayes hasn't proved anything yet, huff is VERY weak against the pass and mitchell is not only a rookie but can he come back from that knee injury? don't tell me darling is the answer in the middle because he's average at best even in a carrer year like last year, which he may not be able to repeat and as he gets older.

OLB- dansby is a great young player but can he repeat what he did last season or will he fall into a sophmore slump? darling is average at best and blackstock is a rookie then there's a bunch of no names like leon joe etc.

DE- looking good as long as they stay healthy (big IF in the nfl), but can berry duplicate a career year like last year?

DT- can dockett produce again this season or was it a fluke, will he fall into a sophmore slump? and who plays opposite dockett, wendell (i'm the biggest underachiever ever) bryant or kenny (i need to prove i belong in this league) king? maybe russel (i'm very average) davis.

now for the O...
QB- can kurt hang on to the ball and if he can have the past two seasons screwed with his head too much, and if not will he have any time to throw anyway.

RB- shipp is coming off of an injury and has never proved he's more than slightly above average, jj is a rookie and hambrick can't even find the field.

WR- looks good IF they stay healthy. IF.

TE- do I really need to put anything here eric edwards(who?) is our most experienced with 2 years...as a back up (woo) and then a bunch of UNDRAFTED nobodys...and dont tell me blizzard is going to step up because he did in nfl europe, different ball park. big time. ouch!

T- Davis is good but still not lived up to his potential, ross is an improvement but not the stud we're making him out to be and if one of these two go down we have no quality depth. we actually moved an underachieving DE to T!

G- Wells and bridges both proved to be below average last season and make sure you realize that brown is a fourth round rookie before you put him in the pro-bowl (or even a starting spot). oh yeah and cantu (woo)

C- step (a fourth rounder, 1 year out of school) had a decent year, DECENT year last year, and a 167th pick 1 year out of school as the back-up.

your thoughts? how will all of these things pan out?

 

[az1965]

What if the entire team gets into a plane crash?
What if an earthquake occurred and the earth devours entire stadium with team, coaches, and all handful of devout fans?
What if the sky falls...?

EEEEKK!!! Someone help...!!!!

 

[BACH]

now that i have your attention. a little disclaimer here before i get flamed big time. i actually think the cards will be much improved and go 9-7. that being said there are a lot of question marks on this team that could blow up in our face and lead to a VERY dissapointing season. let me just play devil's advocate...

I understand the point you're trying to make, but you're being VERY negative even for the devil's advocate... but I'll play along anyway.

FS- can old man griffith still play, he was never great against the pass and now he's a little long in the tooth and may have lost a few steps. our alternatives are ohelete and harris...not good.

Griffith struggled early in his career, but has improved in coverage. He's experienced, so I don't see the problem. Aeneas was pretty good last year after he was too slow for CB. Ohalete was the starter last year and Francisco has impressed everyone in camp. Question marks - YES. But, still the position has been upgraded and provided with more depth.

SS- wilson is a very good player but has struggled against the pass in the past, that's not good with this secondary. also if he goes down injured (although he doesn't have a history of it) we don't have much depth here at all, shazor won't be ready for the nfl.

Wilson is awesome and I don't see the problem with him. He really improved last year and should be even better this season in his 2nd year in this system. SS is perhaps the easiest position for a rookie to step in, so what makes Shazor such a long shot? Even if he fails, we still have Griffith and Harris (If Harris makes the roster)

CB- macklin (good, but not a #1 corner in my book), rolle (rook), green (rook) and a couple of no names. ouch!

Macklin is a solid #2, but Rolle and Green have to be ready. I think Rolle will play very well (with an occasional rookie mistake) and Green should be able to help out along as the season progresses.

MLB- hayes hasn't proved anything yet, huff is VERY weak against the pass and mitchell is not only a rookie but can he come back from that knee injury? don't tell me darling is the answer in the middle because he's average at best even in a carrer year like last year, which he may not be able to repeat and as he gets older.

The MLB has VERY limited pass responsibility in our scheme and Mitchell isn't coming back from injury from last season. He was the top MLB two years ago, but fell because he didn't play very well last year when he returned from injury last year. Again, you have a point, but is overly negative.

OLB- dansby is a great young player but can he repeat what he did last season or will he fall into a sophmore slump? darling is average at best and blackstock is a rookie then there's a bunch of no names like leon joe etc.

Darling played well last season and is very underrated. Dansby is an awesome talent that should be even better this season. The sophmore slump usual happens when a rookie got thrown into action without knowing the system. Then when the players gets more responsibility in his 2nd season he's usually goes into a slump. Dansby doesn't fall into this catagory. Blackstock adds good depth.

DE- looking good as long as they stay healthy (big IF in the nfl), but can berry duplicate a career year like last year?

Pace was very raw when drafted and not yet ready last season. Zellner is okay, but nothing special. This season Pace should be better AND we added Okeafor. Berry's personal numbers might go down, but the overall DL production will be better.

DT- can dockett produce again this season or was it a fluke, will he fall into a sophmore slump? and who plays opposite dockett, wendell (i'm the biggest underachiever ever) bryant or kenny (i need to prove i belong in this league) king? maybe russel (i'm very average) davis.

Dockett may fall into a slump, but King is back and Bryant finally got his head out of his ass, so we're still improved compared to last year

now for the O...
QB- can kurt hang on to the ball and if he can have the past two seasons screwed with his head too much, and if not will he have any time to throw anyway.

Good question, but he has the potential and Josh should be better this season, so overall the position is much better than last season.

RB- shipp is coming off of an injury and has never proved he's more than slightly above average, jj is a rookie and hambrick can't even find the field.

Shipp + JJ > Emmitt- ENOUGH SAID!

WR- looks good IF they stay healthy. IF.

Even if Boldin goes down we still have Fitz and Johnson.

TE- do I really need to put anything here eric edwards(who?) is our most experienced with 2 years...as a back up (woo) and then a bunch of UNDRAFTED nobodys...and dont tell me blizzard is going to step up because he did in nfl europe, different ball park. big time. ouch!

Well, he started as a back-up but beat out Freddy at the end of the season. Inexperienced? YES Worse? Only time will tell. Edward isn't the receiver Freddie was, but he a much better blocker a better fit for the system.

T- Davis is good but still not lived up to his potential, ross is an improvement but not the stud we're making him out to be and if one of these two go down we have no quality depth. we actually moved an underachieving DE to T!

Wells can play LT and Bridges can play RT. You're underestimating Reuben and Newton.

G- Wells and bridges both proved to be below average last season and make sure you realize that brown is a fourth round rookie before you put him in the pro-bowl (or even a starting spot). oh yeah and cantu (woo)

Wells was solid and not below average! RG is still a question mark, but we have several young talented players to compete there including the toprated G in the draft.

C- step (a fourth rounder, 1 year out of school) had a decent year, DECENT year last year, and a 167th pick 1 year out of school as the back-up.

Yes, it was only dcent, but I expect Step that ended the season and not the Step that started the season. Step is going to be solid. Leckey had a very high draft grade and should have developed into a capable back-up.

 

[JeffGollin]

Return of the "Reino Curse"

Before each game - as superstition - JRein would initiate a thread explaining "what would go wrong to make the Cardinals lose" (under the assumption that, if he said it, it would never happen).

So in that spirit -

The military draft is re-initiated, and the entire Cardinal 53 roster is called up...

 

[CaptTurbo]

CB isnt as much of a problem when 3 of your 4 DL are studs that can attack the QB.

 

[JasonKGME]

Now I dont want to be a nit picker here, but even tho NE has was the last 2 superbowls, there is a chance they could be really bad this year, lets play devils advocate:

FS - Eugene Wilson is a very good player but has struggled against the pass in the past, that's not good with this secondary. also if he goes down injured (although he doesn't have a history of it) we don't have much depth here at all, Gus Scott won't be ready for the nfl

SS - can old man Rodney Harrison still play, he was never great against the pass and now he's a little long in the tooth and may have lost a few steps. our alternatives are Sanders & Reid...not good.

CB- Duane Starks (good, but not a #1 corner in my book), Randall Gay (essentially rook), Asante Samuels (essentially rook) and a couple of no names. ouch!

MLB- Bunch of over the hill players, can they continue to excell at this point in thier careers and can Tedy Brushi come back from that heart problem?

OLB- looking good as long as they stay healthy (big IF in the nfl), but can Vrabel duplicate a career year like last year?

DE- Seymour is a great young player but can he repeat what he did last season or will his stats continue to fall like they did last year? Ty Warren is average at best and Marquis Hill is a rookie then there's a bunch of no names like Jarvis Green etc.

DT- Wilfork is going into his second year (sophmore slump?) and he didnt really produce that mush as a rookie anyways

now for the O...
QB- can Tom Brady handle the continue pressure or will the new BIG contract screwed with his head too much, and if not will he have any time to throw anyway.

RB- Corey Dillon is a very good back, can he stay healthy, can he stay happy, there is no real depth behind him in.

WR- No 1000 yard reciever at all?? Plus lost your 2nd best reciever???

TE- Daniel Graham is a servicable TE, however he caught fewer balls and less yardage then Freddie Jones last year so how great can he be?

T- Matt Light is good but still not lived up to his potential, Brandon Gorin has started a whopping 10 games in his 4 years and if one of these two go down we have no quality depth. we actually drafted a guy 2 rounds to soon to be the backup!!

G- Russ Hochstein and Stephen Neal both proved to be below average last season and make sure you realize that Nick Kaczur is a 3rd round supplemental pick rookie before you put him in the pro-bowl (or even a starting spot). oh yeah and Gene Mruczkowski (woo)

C- Dan Koppen (a fifth rounder, 2 years out of school) had a decent year, DECENT year last year, and another 5th round backup gaurd is his depth.

your thoughts? how will all of these things pan out?

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Okay you win the pointless post of the day award. Many of your comments are "IF they can stay healthy"

You can play the "what if" game on every team and in every sport.

 

[Brian]

I only want to respond to you because it appears you put alot of thought and effort into this, and your points are well put.

The thing is, there is a flip side to the points you are trying to make. For example:

What if Rolle has a better year than just "rookie average"? Chris Gamble went to the Panthers last year from Ohio State and played his behind off. He was nowhere near the corner coming out of college that Rolle was. There was really no one else in the Carolina secondary either.

The D-line should be even better. Don't "what if" the line to death. Look at what is there. It's friggin' scary. Berry, Dockett, Okeafor (with Dansby, Wilson, Blackstock, Rolle, etc.) coming from every direction imaginable. This has the potential to be a nightmare for other teams. Pendergast is going to unleash the hounds and we all know it.

What if Warner doesn't implode but explodes. Some reason to think he won't but there is reason to believe he will.

What if Arrington lives up to expectations? How many people so far has DG completely missed on come draft day? I trust Denny on his liking of Arrington.

The tight ends might actually BLOCK somebody! How nice would that be for a change.


ETC. ETC. ETC.


Cards 16-0 or 8-8 or something.


We'll see.

 

[JeffGollin]

How Much of a Role in Winning/Losing Does "Fate" Play?

I've seen teams that were strong on paper go into the dumper (Remember the dream defensive line of Wads, Swanny, Smith & Simeon?).

I've seen mediocre teams make it deep into the playoffs.

And probably more often than not, strong teams succeed and weak teams fail.

But - as Jimmy Fox used to say when they asked him how he could hit with poor eyesight - "I only see half the baseball and danged if I don't hit the half I don't see!"

My point - Dissect every team in the NFL all you want, and you still won't be able to predict specifically how certain teams will do. You'll only get common sense odds that a given team will succeed or fail.

Why is that? I maintain it's the Football Gods. You know - the ones that injure your entire defensive line, transform your second round draft pick into rookie of the year, keep your 42 year old QB healthy and put your top receiver in jail.

So how important is "fate" toward winning or losing? I'll give it an arbitrary figure of about 35%? (Of course, having said that, I'd rather have that 35% working for or against a great team on paper than I would a lousy team).

What do you guys think?

 

[chickenhead]

Consider our standards as Cardinals fans. I really don't think there's any way they have a horrible season. Sure, I'll be disappointed if they don't make the postseason, same as any year. But with this division, and a lot to play for, I gotta say, I'm optimistic.

 

[Goldfield]

I liked reading the Devils post. I dont agree withall of it, but it was a good way to view our roster without coolaid.

8 to 10 wins if we can stay healthy.

 

[conraddobler]

I agree with a lot of it.

It' a bit too pessimitic for me but it's not all that far off.

However the first year in the new stadium assuming the QB spot is solidified should be the beginning of a pretty long period of competitiveness, the likes of which this franchise has never seen.

 

[Redheart]

I Think...

...that SOMEBODY needs a Kool-Aide refill!

 

[Card Trader]

So basically you are saying, if everything goes wrong we won't be as good as we think. Wow....that's the type of insight you would normally have to pay for.

 

[KingofCards]

now that i have your attention. a little disclaimer here before i get flamed big time. i actually think the cards will be much improved and go 9-7. that being said there are a lot of question marks on this team that could blow up in our face and lead to a VERY dissapointing season. let me just play devil's advocate...

FS- can old man griffith still play, he was never great against the pass and now he's a little long in the tooth and may have lost a few steps. our alternatives are ohelete and harris...not good.

SS- wilson is a very good player but has struggled against the pass in the past, that's not good with this secondary. also if he goes down injured (although he doesn't have a history of it) we don't have much depth here at all, shazor won't be ready for the nfl.

CB- macklin (good, but not a #1 corner in my book), rolle (rook), green (rook) and a couple of no names. ouch!

MLB- hayes hasn't proved anything yet, huff is VERY weak against the pass and mitchell is not only a rookie but can he come back from that knee injury? don't tell me darling is the answer in the middle because he's average at best even in a carrer year like last year, which he may not be able to repeat and as he gets older.

OLB- dansby is a great young player but can he repeat what he did last season or will he fall into a sophmore slump? darling is average at best and blackstock is a rookie then there's a bunch of no names like leon joe etc.

DE- looking good as long as they stay healthy (big IF in the nfl), but can berry duplicate a career year like last year?

DT- can dockett produce again this season or was it a fluke, will he fall into a sophmore slump? and who plays opposite dockett, wendell (i'm the biggest underachiever ever) bryant or kenny (i need to prove i belong in this league) king? maybe russel (i'm very average) davis.

now for the O...
QB- can kurt hang on to the ball and if he can have the past two seasons screwed with his head too much, and if not will he have any time to throw anyway.

RB- shipp is coming off of an injury and has never proved he's more than slightly above average, jj is a rookie and hambrick can't even find the field.

WR- looks good IF they stay healthy. IF.

TE- do I really need to put anything here eric edwards(who?) is our most experienced with 2 years...as a back up (woo) and then a bunch of UNDRAFTED nobodys...and dont tell me blizzard is going to step up because he did in nfl europe, different ball park. big time. ouch!

T- Davis is good but still not lived up to his potential, ross is an improvement but not the stud we're making him out to be and if one of these two go down we have no quality depth. we actually moved an underachieving DE to T!

G- Wells and bridges both proved to be below average last season and make sure you realize that brown is a fourth round rookie before you put him in the pro-bowl (or even a starting spot). oh yeah and cantu (woo)

C- step (a fourth rounder, 1 year out of school) had a decent year, DECENT year last year, and a 167th pick 1 year out of school as the back-up.

your thoughts? how will all of these things pan out?

I see some of a what you are saying, but I disagree with most of it.

As far as Dockett and Dansby, I don't think a sophmore slump is in the Cards. Basically because we only saw glimpses of what they can do. I think this year they will both do things that amaze us.

Then we can talk about junior year slumps, its not like either of them were even d-roy canidates last year.

 

[JPlay]

These are there biggest concerns/weaknesses.

1. Rookie CB on one side, journey man nickel back on the other side. Although Macklin played good last year so he might be better than people give him credit for. Any time there is a rookie starting teams will test him though.

2. No TE. We have projects at tight end. One might be good, but right now we have none with NFL experience. A good TE is needed as a safety valve for a QB w/ pressure in his face.

3. OG- If we start Jeremy Bridges at Guard he will be a weakness and our other guard will be a rookie. Not to mention our Center is barely in his second year. We may be weak up the middle offensively at the beginning of the season.

4. DT- The good news is we have Dockett, who is a stud. The bad news is we will basically be playing a lot lower talented player next to him. Not that bad though a lot of teams have no-name DTs and D Lineman.

5. LB- We have one outstanding LB in Dansby and three others, Hayes and Huff or Darling that are mediocre talents at best. Hopefully Blackstock can get his feet wet and win a starting role down the road.

Put it this way. If we were playing Madden these would be our lowest ranked positions.

 

[SunCityCarl]

Before each game - as superstition - JRein would initiate a thread explaining "what would go wrong to make the Cardinals lose" (under the assumption that, if he said it, it would never happen).

So in that spirit -

The military draft is re-initiated, and the entire Cardinal 53 roster is called up...

Reino, Rams fan? say it ain't so...

 

[CardLogic]

More than any other sport, football is a team game... Top to bottom the Cardinals football team is better than it was last year this time.

I am looking forward to the games this fall!

 

[SouthNZoneFan]

You should be banned for posting a thread like that. The views are okay but the name alone should be worth a banning....

Take a day off to think about it...