Not really. See the number of #1 draft picks that played for years for the Colts. They keep their guys and win 12 games a year. The Cards for years didn't keep their guys and lost 12 games a year. It was only when Arizona started keeping guys around that they started to win.
I'm sorry that I'm keeping the darkside alive but I just don't see the huge change in the makeup of the team being a positive like everyone else seems to.
Are we talking now or in the past ?
Cause the Colts let players go all the time, and keep a core of guys they want around.
Linebackers, Cornerbacks, and defensive tackles ? They go through those positions like it is nothing. Always a good turnover on the Colts defense, it is that Bill Polian does a fantastic job of stocking his shelves.
Not to mention Peyton Manning might have a little to do with the Colts success. The fact that they can pull WR's off the street and have success says something as well.
As for who the Cardinals sign and who the don't, I still wait to hear better suggestion on how some of these players are supposed to be kept around. A guy like Dansby was worked on for 2-3 years. I think it was obvious that Dansby wanted out.
The Boldin situation hurt this team. No doubt. The string of malcontents on the Cardinals, when it come strictly to business cause the team plays hard once it is all about the game, amazes me. Lutui, Watson, Boldin, Dansby, Rolle, and Dockett all wanted/want big money, and many times had little blurbs and snippets about the doubt they all had that they would ever see the money from the Cardinals. Not even the re-signing of Adrian Wilson helps ease that thought pattern, and the Cardinals, BEFORE they had "the plan", even shot themselves in the foot by re-doing Dockett's and Boldin's contracts too early in regards to their rookie contracts, and while the Cardinals were content with the extensions, as little as, two to three years later both wanted ANOTHER new contract which is outside of the norm anywhere in the NFL.
The point being is that there is a small faction that cannot seem to buy into how Adrian Wilson go his money, and seem to believe in the fact that Boldin was victimized by a cheap organization.
But let's give the Cardinals a modicum of slack here. They have made the effort to sign Boldin, Dansby, and even Rolle. It makes it hard when the pre-determination is that they want to get there money somewhere else. It makes it harder when those same individuals don't buy into what is going on in AZ, because why else would you leave AZ when the Cardinals match offers, and try to give fair contracts.
This is the main reason I see Lutui not signing his tender. He seems like he doubts he will make the money here, and with all the competition in camp his chances are worse, and worse. Thus force the hand this year, and see if you can get your big money some where else. And while many will disagree, I don't see where Lutui has shown that he is this elite guard that deserves big time money. It seems that Lutui, and some others feel that just being on the field during a successful time is worth huge money, regardless of the significance of their role in that success. Not to mention while it seems to be OK for players to strong arm the Cardinals for big money and rake them over coal in the name of "it's business" yet it is wrong for the Cardinals to bring in other players to challenge for a job that they deem a person at a lesser salary can do ? Dansby was irreplacable, and the Cardinals chased after him as expected. But a guy like Antonio Smith (yet another player whom was all of a sudden dubbed, injustifiably IMO, as this NFL superstar once he was a free agent) was in fact VERY replaceable. I thought the Cardinals plan of getting a replacement like Calias Campbell was great. They got better talent for way less money. I forget the ridiculous number Antonio Smith was given in free agency but to say the Cardinals would be better off with Smith at a high salary, then having Calias Campbell at his current salary is crazy.
You have defenders claiming to have earned big money, while being part of a porous defense that has cost this organization playoff wins, and a Super Bowl trophy.
You have run blocking offensive linemen claiming to have earned big money when the organization has had one successful year running the ball in the last 10.
Seriously, up until 2008 if you went on this board, and said ANYBODY was good you would get jumped, beaten down, and shown to you face that our team lacked talent. That our team didn't have the players needed to contend.
Yet two years later they are indispensable guys that the Cardinals can not afford to lose ? Well, what is it ? It the talent here or is it not ?
Is Rolle REALLY worth paying the highest safety salary in the NFL ?
Is Calvin Pace REALLY worth paying 22 million dollars instead of trying to keep the passing attack that we enjoyed over the last 2 years intact ?
I will be interested to see the reaction of when Alan Branch is left to go about his own business next year. I will be interested in the declared value of a back up DE, bust of a NT will be worth all of a sudden.
I don't even write all this to defend the Cardinals front office. I only write it to really ask the question of how all these player that no less the two years ago weren't NFL quality are now key stones of this team, and are suddenly worth paying salaries equivalent to top NFL, elite talent.
Are we really being fair about the perceived value of the players on this roster ? Or are we just playing the old game of: Every one we lose is an NFL superstar, and every one we bring in is a NFL scrub.
