azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Nov. 30, 2004 12:00 AM
One door opened and another shut Monday. In the hallway separating the two, a place better known as Cardinals purgatory, Josh McCown watched his career flash before his eyes.
John Navarre is in, Shaun King is out, and Dennis Green is checking off at the line of scrimmage again.
That makes three starting quarterbacks in four weeks, two offensive line coaches in one season and an array of tweaks to an offense in dire of need of stability, the very trait that has helped the defense succeed.
Patience is hardly Green's strong suit, but if he can exercise a little with Navarre, his decision to start the rookie Sunday in Detroit could prove to be his best decision of the season.
The Cardinals need to know what Navarre can do. They have important decisions to make about the position in the off-season.
Do they draft a quarterback? Do they sign a free agent? Do they keep McCown, who will be a restricted free agent after the season?
Green insists the change was made because he believes Navarre gives the Cardinals the best chance to win. Maybe that's true. Consider the sneak preview an added bonus.
The timing of McCown's benching two weeks ago was questionable, but the damage is done. It sent a message to the team that Green had lost confidence in the quarterback.
The truth is, if McCown had played better, none of this would matter. But it happened.
Green wrongly turned to King, rightly turned to Navarre and now the Cardinals will have a better idea of how to manage the off-season.
Plus, Navarre might just win a few games for this team.
Since Navarre arrived in Tempe as a seventh-round draft pick out of Michigan, his work ethic has impressed the coaching staff.
He practically lived at the training facility during the summer, poring through hours of tape so that when he stepped onto the practice field, he would be prepared.
Green, who runs the scout team, picked up on it right away.
"Whether it was a Jeff Christy, a Dave Dixon or a Matt Birk or Daunte Culpepper, now you can add John Navarre to that group," Green said of former Minnesota scout-team standouts. "You work with him every day on the scout team, you get a decent feel for the guy. You get a feel for what he does, how he responds, the way he can command a huddle and all those other things."
If you think Navarre will be rattled Sunday, understand that he wears an emotional coat of armor from the beating he took being not only the most prolific passer in Michigan history but also the most scorned.
His father, Larry, never attended games in a Navarre jersey and often checked into hotels under a pseudonym. John often received hundreds of e-mails after games suggesting he transfer or worse.
"(The pressure) at Michigan definitely prepares me for the pressure here," Navarre said. "You learn what's expected of you and how to handle it."
That Navarre will make his first NFL start in Ford Field, a stadium 40 miles east of Ann Arbor, is a bizarre twist of fate.
Those who think the potential boo birds will rattle Navarre don't appreciate how much the Michigan experience hardened him.
"I don't think it will bother him that much," his father said Monday from Wisconsin. "If anything, it might motivate him to show them what he can do."
What Navarre hopes to do is showcase his strong arm and make smart decisions.
He'll need an underachieving offense line to rise to the occasion.
And a coach to have a little patience.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/columns/articles/1130boivin1130.html
One door opened and another shut Monday. In the hallway separating the two, a place better known as Cardinals purgatory, Josh McCown watched his career flash before his eyes.
John Navarre is in, Shaun King is out, and Dennis Green is checking off at the line of scrimmage again.
That makes three starting quarterbacks in four weeks, two offensive line coaches in one season and an array of tweaks to an offense in dire of need of stability, the very trait that has helped the defense succeed.
Patience is hardly Green's strong suit, but if he can exercise a little with Navarre, his decision to start the rookie Sunday in Detroit could prove to be his best decision of the season.
The Cardinals need to know what Navarre can do. They have important decisions to make about the position in the off-season.
Do they draft a quarterback? Do they sign a free agent? Do they keep McCown, who will be a restricted free agent after the season?
Green insists the change was made because he believes Navarre gives the Cardinals the best chance to win. Maybe that's true. Consider the sneak preview an added bonus.
The timing of McCown's benching two weeks ago was questionable, but the damage is done. It sent a message to the team that Green had lost confidence in the quarterback.
The truth is, if McCown had played better, none of this would matter. But it happened.
Green wrongly turned to King, rightly turned to Navarre and now the Cardinals will have a better idea of how to manage the off-season.
Plus, Navarre might just win a few games for this team.
Since Navarre arrived in Tempe as a seventh-round draft pick out of Michigan, his work ethic has impressed the coaching staff.
He practically lived at the training facility during the summer, poring through hours of tape so that when he stepped onto the practice field, he would be prepared.
Green, who runs the scout team, picked up on it right away.
"Whether it was a Jeff Christy, a Dave Dixon or a Matt Birk or Daunte Culpepper, now you can add John Navarre to that group," Green said of former Minnesota scout-team standouts. "You work with him every day on the scout team, you get a decent feel for the guy. You get a feel for what he does, how he responds, the way he can command a huddle and all those other things."
If you think Navarre will be rattled Sunday, understand that he wears an emotional coat of armor from the beating he took being not only the most prolific passer in Michigan history but also the most scorned.
His father, Larry, never attended games in a Navarre jersey and often checked into hotels under a pseudonym. John often received hundreds of e-mails after games suggesting he transfer or worse.
"(The pressure) at Michigan definitely prepares me for the pressure here," Navarre said. "You learn what's expected of you and how to handle it."
That Navarre will make his first NFL start in Ford Field, a stadium 40 miles east of Ann Arbor, is a bizarre twist of fate.
Those who think the potential boo birds will rattle Navarre don't appreciate how much the Michigan experience hardened him.
"I don't think it will bother him that much," his father said Monday from Wisconsin. "If anything, it might motivate him to show them what he can do."
What Navarre hopes to do is showcase his strong arm and make smart decisions.
He'll need an underachieving offense line to rise to the occasion.
And a coach to have a little patience.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/columns/articles/1130boivin1130.html
