Why Brad Johnson is a key acquisition in 2005

[BigRedMO]

Actually the biggest difference which I neglected to mention was money. San Diego had more money tied up in Brees. The Cards have very little tied up in McCown. So what San Diego does now with its QB situation has big cap implications for San Diego. The Cards can cut McCown and go a different direction with no real cap impact.

Money tied up in a player has a direct relationship with draft position. If you draft a player in first or second round you pay more, expect more and it really hurts if the guy does not make it. If a lower round pick does not make it that is what probability says might happen. After all other teams could have picked that player in higher rounds but they did not rate that player that high. It all comes down to expectations at what level you pick the player. You can point to some lower round draft picks becoming stars. The majority dont. It is all about playing the odds. I think in most of those cases where a player became a star he showed something right away. A team cant waste time at an important position waiting for a lower pick with lower expectations to buck the odds and be a star. He has to show real potential. McCown has not. He can not see the field or get the ball to receivers while they are open.

 

[Russ Smith]

I just want to end this little rant of mine with a point and a question to think about. In the latest CBS Sportsline team report on the Cardinals, it said that even if the Cards put the highest possible tender on Josh that there would still be teams attempting to sign him. So here's my question ... If Josh is that god awful and there are so many QB options out there than why would teams be willing to sacrifice a 1st and 3rd rounder to sign him? Just something to think about

/rant

I'd say they're wrong, but in this NFL the fact is as you've said before QB play is not all that great so there are always teams willing to take a chance on an athlete like Josh.

Look at us hoping we get a shot at Aaron Brooks who was a 3rd round pick who breaks Saints' fans hears regularly.

Earlier this year I wanted no part of Josh next year, but he came back from the benching much better than I thought, he didn't fold up his tent and give up, he competed, and he showed me enough to say I want him back. Just as you said competing for the job not being given the job.

 

[Big D]

No team is going to give up a first rounder for McCown, let alone and 1st and 3rd. If they did, I'd be doing backflips but it ain't gonna happen.

 

[Russ Smith]

No team is going to give up a first rounder for McCown, let alone and 1st and 3rd. If they did, I'd be doing backflips but it ain't gonna happen.

Intuitively you're right. But then I didn't think an NFL team would give Jake what Denver did. and I read the other day that at least 2 NFL teams were VERY disappointed to find out Shanahan wants to keep him they had planned to sign him after Denver let him go.

As we well know there aren't a lot of QB's sitting around looking for jobs, teams are going to take chances on athletes. Maybe Green did a good enough job talking Josh up before this season that other teams WOULD take a chance?

I'd take the picks too.

 

[BigRedMO]

If we could get a QB to throw 27 TD passes next year I would be very, very happy. Who was the last Cardinal to throw 27 or more TD passes? Lomax?

 

[Zeno]

I just don't understand all the love for Brad Johnson, he's 36 years old, he threw 21 INTs in his last season as a starter and never was known as being an athletic guy and behind our OLine that will get him killed. He's done and wouldn't significantly improve the QB position.

The only free agent QB who we should consider bringing in is Hasselbeck. Unless Harrington or someone else gets released.

We don't need anymore old, past their prime QB's who are only looking for their retirement check.

 

[football karma]

I just don't understand all the love for Brad Johnson, he's 36 years old, he threw 21 INTs in his last season as a starter and never was known as being an athletic guy and behind our OLine that will get him killed. He's done and wouldn't significantly improve the QB position.

The only free agent QB who we should consider bringing in is Hasselbeck. Unless Harrington or someone else gets released.

We don't need anymore old, past their prime QB's who are only looking for their retirement check.

I suspect his attractiveness to some is that he "isnt Josh" -- as if any QB the Cards bring in who isnt Josh will be an upgrade.

There is a reason that Brad is third on the depth chart in Tampa. He might be a better back up than King, but he doesnt represent a chance to upgrade the starting QB play for the Cardinals next year.

 

[az jam]

I was never a big Brad Johnson fan when he was with the Vikings. I would like the Cards go a different direction than Brad but have not really been able to come up with a solid choice.

 

[BigRedMO]

My belief is that any FA QB is going to have his negative baggage. If he did not have problems he would be starting for the team he is currently with. Even if that FA was starting for his current team, if that team did not want to retain him it shows they were disatisfied with him.

That is why I think the only way to answer the long term QB problem is in the draft (1st or 2nd round). There have been exceptions where teams have found stars by other means. However the Cardinals have been in QB hell since 1989. It is time to quit trying to solve the problem cheap. True, the draft is higher risk due to more resources being expended. But the payoff is higher when you hit. Look at what Manning did for the Colts or Elway for the Broncos. It turned poor to middling franchises into annual contenders. The last good Cardinal QB, Lomax, was a second round pick. The Cards were able to identify a good QB in the draft then. There is no reason why they can not do it again. It will be a neccessary evil to sign a FA to tutor the draft pick. So if my plan happened we would have to try to sign the FA with the least problems. I am not sure who that is. I dont like Warner.

 

[Pariah]

That is why I think the only way to answer the long term QB problem is in the draft (1st or 2nd round).

I agree, but I don't think we should hitch our wagon to just any ol "star" that's waiting for us in the first or second. This isn't a very good QB class, so we might be forced to wait until next year or even the year after to get our kid in the draft. So, we need to be looking at these FA QBs, and like you said, they all have warts or they wouldn't be FAs. Johnson is a decent QB that would do reasonably well with Q and Fitz, IMO.

That said, if Rodgers or Smith is there for us in the first, I pray we don't pass on them (even though they may not help us in '05, you can bet they will in '06 or '07).