what would you have done differently in the cards offseason?

[sundevil81]

maybe someone in the draft they passed on (DJ, hawthorne?) or a FA they didn't get(hartwell, cb?), maybe the henry trade etc. earlier in the offseason i was saying i wanted the cards to make the henry trade (player for player only though)take dj in the first and a cb in the second and maybe third also. but the moves they made have impressed me a lot, i really like having jj here more than henry and rolle is growing on me although i still love DJ. i think the one move the cards made a mistake by passing on was not pusuing the seahawks TE itulu mili harder, a good pass catching TE would help this O out a lot and he had a favorable price tag.

 

[Cardsmasochist]

I would have taken Ardian McPherson in the 4th round (or the 5th if he was still available)

 

[sundevil81]

i would have loved to have seen mcphearson instead of blackstock in the NE third or e.brown in the NE third and mcpherson in the fourth, the saints had picked him up by our fifth rounder. blackstock was still a great value pick though, he was thought to be a high second rounder by some.

 

[spanky1]

i would have loved to have seen mcphearson instead of blackstock in the fourth, i think the saints had picked him up by our fifth rounder. blackstock was still a great value pick though.

Blackstock was taken in the third...........do not pass go.....do not take $200.00

 

[sundevil81]

problem solved.

 

[Scott MS]

In more general terms, I would have liked to see the team address the TE and CB positions by bringing in at least 1 veteran in those areas. Seems like we are hoping for a lot in both areas from the guys we have.

 

[Scott MS]

As far as specific players, that's tough to address. We don't know all the details as in how much money they wanted and how much the Cardinals would have had to give a player to become a Cardinal. For instance, I wanted Hartwell but once I found out what he finally received, I don't think he was worth it. We don't need any more overpriced Starks and Freddie Jones on our team -- and we just got rid of them!!

 

[Pariah]

I'd have:
~Retained LJ Shelton
~Made an effort to get McQuarters
~Made an effort to get Ross' teammate from Pittsburgh...the guard (I forget his name at the moment).
~I'd also take a chance on Ty Law. Yeah, he may not be healthy, but it's a good gamble, I think. If we wait until he proves he can play, then there's going to be a bidding war.

I probably would have drafted differently, too. But, it's hard to say where the differences would have been. I probably wouldn't have taken Arrington but rather gone with a RB in the 3rd or 4th. I'm certainly not complaining about the draft, though--I would have done it different, but not necissarily better.

 

[Chris_Sanders]

I like Pariah's first 3.

 

[sundevil81]

i love the idea of going after the G from pitt but at cb you would have macklin, rolle, law and mcquarters? who would agree to play the dime slot out of those four?

 

[O]

Where did Ardian McPherson wind up?

 

[Ryanwb]

Where did Ardian McPherson wind up?

Saints.... 5th round

 

[Brian]

Drank less, slept more.


Seriously though, I'd have done whatever it took to get Hartwell instead of Huff. Notice that nobody in Seattle gives a crap about Huff going elsewhere. Hartwell is a one man wrecking crew. Oliver Ross scares me. Vastly overrated.

Other than that, everything that I can think of went unbelievably well.

Best FA QB available, Okeafor, DG telling Donahoe to shove it up his arse, GREAT draft...incredible draft.

oh yeah, I may be alone on this but I think the Griffith signing was a joke, but the good far outweighs the bad.

 

[O]

I agree about Huff, to me he is the biggest question mark of the off season.
I like the Griffith signing he is the crafty old veteran that is going to bring maturity and Denny's way of thinking to the secondary. Our young guys need that. Plus being an old guy I've got to root for him.

 

[Brian]

I agree about Huff, to me he is the biggest question mark of the off season.
I like the Griffith signing he is the crafty old veteran that is going to bring maturity and Denny's way of thinking to the secondary. Our young guys need that. Plus being an old guy I've got to root for him.

I just remember an "Inside the NFL" episode a few years back when Griffith was still playing in Minnesota. They had him mike'd up for the game so the segment was on him. All it showed was him getting toasted regularly, and that was when he was younger. Just scares me a little.

 

[O]

I just remember an "Inside the NFL" episode a few years back when Griffith was still playing in Minnesota. They had him mike'd up for the game so the segment was on him. All it showed was him getting toasted regularly, and that was when he was younger. Just scares me a little.

Wasn't he the leading tackler for Cleveland, yes I know it was only Cleveland, the past couple of seasons?

 

[Brian]

Wasn't he the leading tackler for Cleveland, yes I know it was only Cleveland, the past couple of seasons?

Yes sir, but so was Ronnie Mac for us, and most of those were way past the line of scrimmage.

 

[O]

Touche'
Let's hope he brings something to the table.

 

[joeshmo]

Huff is only making 1 mill. so who cares. Good depth for chump change and easily cuttable without cap implications.

As for doing anything differently.

Loved the draft except for the last pick but hey its the 7th round its hard to complain about a 7th rounder.

Loved the signings, all for fair prices as well.

All of the cuts I liked and still think there should be a few more.

I guess the only thing I would have changed is looking at the cap space we still got I would have thrown more money at Hartwell becuase I have 0 faith in Hayes if the one game he started last year is any indication. And I would have thrown more money at Mili. Other then that I wouldnt change a thing.

 

[ajcardfan]

Sure, on paper, I think Hartwell would've been great instead of Huff. But, remember this about Huff. Green said they would target free agents who they played against that stood out on film. He was one of the first visits. According to Huff, Clancy sat him down and showed him exactly how he'd fit into the defensive scheme based on his talents. Based on how successful Macklin and Berry were last year, I'm hopeful he'll be a nice surprise. Not a lot of Colts and Broncos fans were wringing their hands over those guys signing with us. It's not like Huff was the leftovers, they went after him early. I suspect they knew Hartwell was a long shot and his contract bore that out.

I think the shakiest signing was Griffith. He'll probably be better than Ohalete was last year, but that's not saying a whole lot.

 

[bankybruce]

I'd have:
~Made an effort to get McQuarters
~I'd also take a chance on Ty Law. Yeah, he may not be healthy, but it's a good gamble, I think. If we wait until he proves he can play, then there's going to be a bidding war.

I agree with there, McQuarters would have address what to me is the biggest hole that was not addresses in someway, Return.

And Ty Law would have braught a presence alone from anything he could contribute on teh field.

 

[vinnymac]

first of all, i didn't know a million dollars was chump change. i must be behind the times a little.

as far as free agentcy is concern, i would have went after edgejerrin james and one of the green bay packers og.

in the draft i would have drafted eric shelton at runningback in the second and drafted stephan lefors in the fourth. that is the only thing different in the draft.

eric shelton would be that tough yardage back, and i beleive lefors would be the the qb for the cardinals in a couple years. what kept lefors from being drafted number one was a couple inches in height. other than that he has the tools of making a great qb in this league for years to come.

 

[BACH]

Huff is only making 1 mill. so who cares. Good depth for chump change and easily cuttable without cap implications.

As for doing anything differently.

Loved the draft except for the last pick but hey its the 7th round its hard to complain about a 7th rounder.

Loved the signings, all for fair prices as well.

All of the cuts I liked and still think there should be a few more.

I guess the only thing I would have changed is looking at the cap space we still got I would have thrown more money at Hartwell becuase I have 0 faith in Hayes if the one game he started last year is any indication. And I would have thrown more money at Mili. Other then that I wouldnt change a thing.

Couldn't agree more...

On paper this draft was the best draft by any team in several years. Not only did we get the best value by far, but we also filled needs with 4 of our 7 selections (5 if you count Returner as a position). The draft was followed by the awesome signings of the best overall UDFA in Shazor and the best player at our biggest post-draft need in Bergen.

I really liked what we did in FA, but I would perhaps have made some different signings. We missed out on some chances to improve the team right now, but found long-term solutions for those positions in the draft, so overall I think Free Agency went exactly like G&G wanted it to.

I, too, would have made a stronger run at Mili. TE is a need and Mili's price seemed very fair. The only mistake this off-season was not signing Mili IMO. (Minor mistake..)

Hartwell would have been an awesome fit for Pendergasts' defense, but given his price and Mitchell falling to us I can't complain. Hayes and Huff can't be compared to Hartwell, but Mitchell has the potential to develop into an awesome MLB.

We could have used some more depth at G, but since Brown fell to us - I can't complain. A veteran player would have been nice but we have young talent at G (Reuben, Brown, Leckey, Bridges and Cantu) and I'm sure someone will emerge as a quality player.

Overall I can't believe it only took two years to turn this program around. Green started with one of the worst roster in the league and today we have one of the most complete roster in the league. Every position is filled with either a very good player or a very talented young player.

 

[JeffGollin]

I'd have done very little differently.

The only other thing I would have liked to have seen would have been for us to add a stud free agent NT.

In terms of physical talent alone, McQuarters and Hartwell would have helped us. But when you're zeroing in on specific individuals, there are other things fans seldom know a lot about that have to be factored in:

- Is the dude a solid citizen?
- Does he want to be here?
- Is he a team guy or a me-guy?
- Will he fit in here?
- Is he worth the money?
- Is he loyal? Or is he a "rolling stone?"
- In the eyes of Rod and Dennis, do the above considerations outweigh the pure physical talent of these specific players?

Since seeing Hartwell ham it up on NFL Net a couple of times, I'm not sure if he'd have been a good fit.

Am I wrong in my perception or has McQuarters disappointed as much he's delivered? For example, doesn't he get injured a lot?

I agree with Pariah about keeping Shelton or adding the Pittsburgh OG (but not both).

But all in all, I'd have to say the Cardinals' moves way surpassed the expectations I had going into offseason.

 

[Toro]

Griffith was the Browns MVP last year as voted by the players.