Tuesday practice report

[azwulf]

Thanks a lot for the info. I'm starving out here for infos like that.

I also hope that they find an adequate PR other than Boldin. Maybe Croom can stick that way because I dont't think he'll make the team any other way.


From your report and the recent developments I am now REALLY worried about our OL. This got to improve or we are hosed.

 

[WizardOfAz]

13. Denny Green and the Cards continue to make life difficult for the media. Few interviews, insulting answers, restricted field access.

Enough to make you long for the days of Tobin and Mac?

 

[Chaz]

From your report and the recent developments I am now REALLY worried about our OL. This got to improve or we are hosed.

There is clearly reason for concern but I don't think it can be much worse than last year even after cutting Kendall. They still have 4 weeks to get it together.

 

[thirty-two]

Thanks for the update, Skkorp!

 

[Skkorpion]

Oh, I forgot another thing

LB Gerald Hayes is gobbling up the strongside job. He's a monster. Today, Denny Green, in his only comment on Dansby, said that Gerald Hayes, at his current of improvement, might have the job locked up soon if Dansby continues to hold out for two more days.

 

[WizardOfAz]

LB Gerald Hayes is gobbling up the strongside job. He's a monster. Today, Denny Green, in his only comment on Dansby, said that Gerald Hayes, at his current of improvement, might have the job locked up soon if Dansby continues to hold out for two more days.

Good for Gerald Hayes....too damn bad for Dansby (and his agent!).

 

[azdad1978]

Great job Skkorp!!!

 

[PAQ77]

LB Gerald Hayes is gobbling up the strongside job. He's a monster. Today, Denny Green, in his only comment on Dansby, said that Gerald Hayes, at his current of improvement, might have the job locked up soon if Dansby continues to hold out for two more days.

Me likey!!!

 

[spanky1]

This is good news......but not for the reasons Green has said.

Dansby is going to be an awesome strong side OLB. I believe he was drafted to provide depth/replacement for L. Fisher (who quite literally is operating on his last legs).

Dansby had no real hope to become a starter this year unless Thompson were to get hurt or f**k up. He was drafted for next year when I believe that Hayes moves inside.

Why I like the news about Hayes is because we have a definite succession plan for McKinnon/Darling and that he is turning out to be the "sleeper stud" that some projected for him.

Take your time to sign Dansby........go ahead.....ultimately it will be proven that your choice of the Poston Bros. was to your detrimate.

 

[nidan]

Brighteyes and I are heading up the hill later in the week, I'll post some pictures

 

[PAQ77]

Pics would be nice... Thanks, Nidan.

 

[ajcardfan]

Great job Skkorp, lots of stuff to think about even if media access is restricted. I thought Hayes would be starting last year, I don't think Dansby can knock him off the field.

 

[Snakester]

LB Gerald Hayes is gobbling up the strongside job. He's a monster. Today, Denny Green, in his only comment on Dansby, said that Gerald Hayes, at his current of improvement, might have the job locked up soon if Dansby continues to hold out for two more days.

Great news Skkorp! After watching Hayes last year, I was hoping that he would win a starting job in the preseason. Thanks a lot for the reports. Hopefully the Cardinals will come to their senses and give you press access again.

 

[kerouac9]

Where are all the Quan nay sayers who say he will never be able to match his rookie numbers. K9?????

Ugh. Do you really want to hear it again? The Top 5 Reasons that Anquan Boldin will fail to match his rookie numbers in his second season:

1. Josh McCown lacks the pinpoint accuracy to get Anquan the ball in stride necessary to get the YAC yards that his numbers depended on (This is the same reason that T. Owen's numbers are going to suffer as an Eagle). More Josh McCown: Anquan's stats nose-dived once Josh entered the starting lineup, even when teams were stacking the box to protect against the run and blitz a young playcaller. Josh is going to be looking for the open man, and Anquan is likely to have zones rolled toward him.
2. Same amount of balls, more recievers to get the ball to. Anquan was the recipient of 33% of Arizona's completed passes last season. That's the same ratio as Randy Moss, who wasn't playing around anyone else. Marvin Harrison saw less than 25% of Peyton's passes. Anquan is going to be competing with Larry Fitzgerald, Freddie Jones, Bryant Johnson, and whomever is playing runningback for touches. That's a good thing.
3. Home-run offense. Like it or not, there are going to be a lot of deep passes thrown this season. Anquan excels after the catch, but will continue to stuggle getting behind the safeties while the ball is in the air. If Denny wants to get the ball deeper, Anquan is going to be "stuck" working the middle.
4. Fewer TDs. The Red Zone is where Josh is going to be programed to look for Freddie Jones (6'4") and Larry Fitzgerald (6'3"). Even Bryant Johnson is taller than Anquan, and is probably a better leaper. If Green decides to drop the "fade" route into the end zone packages, one of these three will be the primary targets.
5. Closer games. Anquan had is best games in blowouts and shootouts. If Green's defense can keep scores close, it won't matter that Emmitt or Marcel can hit a home run out of the backfield, becuase we'll be happy with 3.3 YPC in second halves. Anquan averaged 51.5 yards and 0.5 TDs in victories last season.

None of this is a bad thing, by the way. Generally, a balanced offense is a better offense. Anquan's YPC average should improve some, and he'll suffer considerably less wear and tear. It'd also help if he removed the 2 fumbles he committed last season.

 

[Chaz]

Ugh. Do you really want to hear it again? The Top 5 Reasons that Anquan Boldin will fail to match his rookie numbers in his second season:

1. Josh McCown lacks the pinpoint accuracy to get Anquan the ball in stride necessary to get the YAC yards that his numbers depended on (This is the same reason that T. Owen's numbers are going to suffer as an Eagle). More Josh McCown: Anquan's stats nose-dived once Josh entered the starting lineup, even when teams were stacking the box to protect against the run and blitz a young playcaller. Josh is going to be looking for the open man, and Anquan is likely to have zones rolled toward him.
2. Same amount of balls, more recievers to get the ball to. Anquan was the recipient of 33% of Arizona's completed passes last season. That's the same ratio as Randy Moss, who wasn't playing around anyone else. Marvin Harrison saw less than 25% of Peyton's passes. Anquan is going to be competing with Larry Fitzgerald, Freddie Jones, Bryant Johnson, and whomever is playing runningback for touches. That's a good thing.
3. Home-run offense. Like it or not, there are going to be a lot of deep passes thrown this season. Anquan excels after the catch, but will continue to stuggle getting behind the safeties while the ball is in the air. If Denny wants to get the ball deeper, Anquan is going to be "stuck" working the middle.
4. Fewer TDs. The Red Zone is where Josh is going to be programed to look for Freddie Jones (6'4") and Larry Fitzgerald (6'3"). Even Bryant Johnson is taller than Anquan, and is probably a better leaper. If Green decides to drop the "fade" route into the end zone packages, one of these three will be the primary targets.
5. Closer games. Anquan had is best games in blowouts and shootouts. If Green's defense can keep scores close, it won't matter that Emmitt or Marcel can hit a home run out of the backfield, becuase we'll be happy with 3.3 YPC in second halves. Anquan averaged 51.5 yards and 0.5 TDs in victories last season.

None of this is a bad thing, by the way. Generally, a balanced offense is a better offense. Anquan's YPC average should improve some, and he'll suffer considerably less wear and tear. It'd also help if he removed the 2 fumbles he committed last season.

Excellent points K9 but there is an X-factor and that is Anquan himself. The conclusion assumes that Anquan will be the same player in different circumstances. While there is no way to measure or predict how good Anquan will be I think he will adapt and change his game as the circumstances evolve.
You are probably right that he will have some drop off of his numbers but I don't think his production will drop off that much. Plus, while there are more receivers, I would hope they have more opportunities and production from the entire offense.

Also in the victories didn't the cards rely more on the running game? Wouldn't his lower numbers be reflective of lower passing numbers overall?

 

[kerouac9]

Excellent points K9 but there is an X-factor and that is Anquan himself. The conclusion assumes that Anquan will be the same player in different circumstances. While there is no way to measure or predict how good Anquan will be I think he will adapt and change his game as the circumstances evolve.
You are probably right that he will have some drop off of his numbers but I don't think his production will drop off that much. Plus, while there are more receivers, I would hope they have more opportunities and production from the entire offense.

Also in the victories didn't the cards rely more on the running game? Wouldn't his lower numbers be reflective of lower passing numbers overall?

I am not saying that the guy is suddenly going to be bad. I just anticipate that he didn't shave 0.2 off his 40 over the summer. Honestly, I think he'll get about 80, 1200, and 8 TDs from Anquan, which would still place him in the Top 5 WRs in the NFC in 2003. Last season he was the only offensive weapon on a very, very bad team. This season, he's going to be about 1/3 of the offense on a mediocre one. Those are going to change his numbers.

Look at Hines Ward's numbers over the past three years, and you'll see Anquan's future. Bet on it.

Card's averaged 190 passing yards in victories. That's considerably less than their average in losses, but that's skewed because most of the losses were massive blowouts. Most teams would rather kill the clock, especially in the fourth quarter with a lead, by running the ball. I expect that the Cards will do the same, especially with a young QB.

Otherwise, I don't really understand the "X-factor" comment. Saying "Well, Anquan is Anquan" isn't--to me--a very convincing rebuttal to the five factors that I named. There are only so many balls to go around, and we didn't just cut Fitz a $17 million check to block downfield.

 

[jerryp]

I really don't like Quan returning punts. I was hoping that Williams would have a lock on punt returns.

Ok, I have to ask because it's been said so many times. You don't like Quan returning punts because of the injury risk, correct? Is there any sort of data showing that punt returners have higher rates of injury than wideouts? Specifically, what is the average ratio of pass plays to wr injuries compared to punt returns to pr injuries. Secondly, is there higher incident of injury amongst punt returners who are wr's than just regular old wr's, in terms of plays (punt returns + pass plays) per injury?

I ask because I want Quan on punt returns. If the rate of injury is lower on punt returns, then he's taking no more risk returning them than every single time he runs a pass route, and unlike pass plays, on punt returns the ball is always going to Quan. I think if he improves on securing the ball he'll make plays returning punts. Maybe Karl Williams is on the roster just to pass on his punt catching and securing skills onto Quan and the other younger guys.

I want the greatness that is Quan to spread throughout the land, but barring that, I'll settle for him saturating our pass game, and seeping into our special teams.

 

[ajcardfan]

As great as Quan was as a WR, he was not, and will not be, a very good punt returner. He was the only guy we had who could catch the ball last year. Lot's of things could still happen. We could sign someone else. Williams could even shake off a bad practice very early in camp and turn out to be decent.

 

[Chaz]

I am not saying that the guy is suddenly going to be bad. I just anticipate that he didn't shave 0.2 off his 40 over the summer. Honestly, I think he'll get about 80, 1200, and 8 TDs from Anquan, which would still place him in the Top 5 WRs in the NFC in 2003. Last season he was the only offensive weapon on a very, very bad team. This season, he's going to be about 1/3 of the offense on a mediocre one. Those are going to change his numbers.

I think it is reasonable to expect some drop off of his numbers. His rookie numbers were pretty spactacular and to continue at that level would be even more of an anomoly. A reduction in numbers is a very logical and reasonable contention.

Otherwise, I don't really understand the "X-factor" comment. Saying "Well, Anquan is Anquan" isn't--to me--a very convincing rebuttal to the five factors that I named. There are only so many balls to go around, and we didn't just cut Fitz a $17 million check to block downfield.

I am not trying to rebut your contention just adding some additional factors for consideration. After all he is Anquan.

Like I said it is not something that can be measured or counted on but there are a lot of factors and an important one is how Anquan responds to changing conditions (i.e. more receivers, increased expectations, etc) and his capacity to continue to improve his craft.

The only other factor I pointed out was that while his percentage of the offense may drop, an increase in offensive production from the team may result in similar numbers from Quan even at a lower percentage.

 

[schel]

Ok, I have to ask because it's been said so many times. You don't like Quan returning punts because of the injury risk, correct? Is there any sort of data showing that punt returners have higher rates of injury than wideouts? Specifically, what is the average ratio of pass plays to wr injuries compared to punt returns to pr injuries. Secondly, is there higher incident of injury amongst punt returners who are wr's than just regular old wr's, in terms of plays (punt returns + pass plays) per injury?

I ask because I want Quan on punt returns. If the rate of injury is lower on punt returns, then he's taking no more risk returning them than every single time he runs a pass route, and unlike pass plays, on punt returns the ball is always going to Quan. I think if he improves on securing the ball he'll make plays returning punts. Maybe Karl Williams is on the roster just to pass on his punt catching and securing skills onto Quan and the other younger guys.

I want the greatness that is Quan to spread throughout the land, but barring that, I'll settle for him saturating our pass game, and seeping into our special teams.

Yes, it's mostly because of injuries. Punt coverage comes flying down the field, one miscalculation and he could get killed. It's not worth risking a primary receiver unless he's a spectacular returner, a game changer (Anquan was not that). Why risk injury if somebody on the bench could do a job at least equal to his? Not to mention that Boldin said himself that he does not enjoy returning punts, but that he'll do anything to help the team. I would rather have him healthy and concentrate on his WR skills.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Ok, I have to ask because it's been said so many times. You don't like Quan returning punts because of the injury risk, correct? Is there any sort of data showing that punt returners have higher rates of injury than wideouts? Specifically, what is the average ratio of pass plays to wr injuries compared to punt returns to pr injuries. Secondly, is there higher incident of injury amongst punt returners who are wr's than just regular old wr's, in terms of plays (punt returns + pass plays) per injury?

I ask because I want Quan on punt returns. If the rate of injury is lower on punt returns, then he's taking no more risk returning them than every single time he runs a pass route, and unlike pass plays, on punt returns the ball is always going to Quan. I think if he improves on securing the ball he'll make plays returning punts. Maybe Karl Williams is on the roster just to pass on his punt catching and securing skills onto Quan and the other younger guys.

I want the greatness that is Quan to spread throughout the land, but barring that, I'll settle for him saturating our pass game, and seeping into our special teams.

I think Quan takes way to many chances on punt returns. He never wants to fair catch because he believes that he can always do more. Thus he becomes an easy target for gunners which increases his chance for injury and the probability that he will drop the punt.

 

[Redheart]

Thanks Skorp!

Great stuff as always. I love the bullet highlights; short and sweet!

I am more than envious of you being there for the ride.

 

[JeffGollin]

Thanks for being our eyes and ears, despite the wind being shifted to your front.

 

[Shane]

Sorry but anyone who thinks that Larry Croom will be starting at RB for this team is severely fooling themselves.

He is fast but not much more!

Hmmm notice that we havent heard one single thing about Emmitt looking good running the rock?

 

[spanky1]

Sorry but anyone who thinks that Larry Croom will be starting at RB for this team is severely fooling themselves.

He is fast but not much more!

Hmmm notice that we havent heard one single thing about Emmitt looking good running the rock?

Shane,

Might fit a role as a ST'er, especially punt returning.