azdad1978
Championship!!!!
John Gambadoro
Special for azcentral.com
Apr. 18, 2005 11:45 AM
We are less than a week from the NFL draft and no one seems to have the slightest clue as to what player the Arizona Cardinals are going to take with the eighth overall pick. Will it be a running back like Cedric Benson, a cornerback like Antrel Rolle or a linebacker like Derrick Johnson? The one thing that seems certain is that Arizona is not going to take a quarterback and doesn't appear willing to trade down to save money and stockpile picks.
A year ago everyone and his mother knew that Larry Fitzgerald was going to be wearing a Cardinals uniform and teaming with Anquan Boldin at wide receiver. What we didn't know was that Green would pluck four impact starters from the draft. To call Green's first draft in Arizona a success would be an understatement.
Both second-round pick Karlos Dansby and third-round pick Darnell Dockett came in and played right away and both were integral parts of a defense that proved a pleasant surprise. On offense Fitzgerald (58 receptions, 780 yards) didn't necessarily have the impact you would like out of the No. 2 pick, but he showed enough of his raw talent to make us believe he can be a star player. And while the controversial move of cutting veteran center Pete Kendall is still debated by Cardinals fans, the reality is that Alex Stepanovich handled himself well in his rookie season and could end up being a very good player.
Green's plan to build this team into a contender centers on the draft and free agency, something that Arizona has perennially failed at. For years luring a prime free agent to Arizona was like trying to get it to snow in Phoenix. It just wasn't happening. The Cardinals did get some aging players like Seth Joyner and Boomer Esiason to sign on, but those players were past their prime and coming to Arizona mainly for the paycheck. Green struck gold last year with defensive end Bertrand Berry, arguably the best free-agent pickup in the NFL last season. He may have hit it big again with offensive tackle Oliver Ross, who was a starter for Pittsburgh last year and fills an immediate need for Arizona in an area of weakness. The addition of defensive end Chike Okeafor also could play huge dividends as he gives the Cardinals a second dominant pass rusher from the outside.
The key for Green is to put two good off-seasons together back-to-back, to follow up last year's draft success with another top-flight draft. If Green can do that then maybe, just maybe, the Cardinals can contend for the NFC West crown this season. A winning record won't seem so far-fetched if three or four additional impact players come out of the draft and free-agent additions Ross, Okeafor, Kurt Warner and Robert Griffith make contributions.
Arizona has depth problems at linebacker with the recent cuts of Raynoch Thompson and LeVar Woods and the expected loss of Ronald McKinnon, who will likely be released. Same goes at cornerback with the trade of Duane Starks and the loss of Renaldo Hill in free agency.
So cornerbacks Rolle, Adam "Pac Man" Jones or Carlos Rogers would all seem to be good fits in Green's system and would upgrade a position lacking talent and depth. If Green goes linebacker, Johnson would be penciled in to start alongside Dansby and turn an area of concern into an immediate strength.
And there is always the lure of a franchise running back like "Cadillac" Williams, Ronnie Brown or Benson being available at No. 8 and too good to pass up. Drafting a running back high is always a risk given there are usually as many busts as there are hits. And with a strong group of backs that will be available in the second and third rounds and the possible trade for Travis Henry still out there, Arizona could fill the need at that position without using its first-round pick.
Whatever Green does in the first round, he must score high with the rest of his picks to make the Cardinals a contender this season.
Green has weeded out most of the malcontents, those who were not buying into his system or couldn't escape his doghouse - see Kendall, Marcus Bell, Barron Tanner, Steve Bush, Dexter Jackson and most recently Thompson and Woods. He most likely will add to that group by sending LJ Shelton and Wendell Bryant packing.
The addition-by-subtraction philosophy has enabled Green to change the perception of this organization from that of a "loser' to one in which the players genuinely feel they are moving in the right direction. In Arizona, it was always a given that the team lacked the talent to win. The Cardinals are now awfully close to having that talent. They just can't afford a slip-up this weekend.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cheapseats/gambo/0418rant.html
Special for azcentral.com
Apr. 18, 2005 11:45 AM
We are less than a week from the NFL draft and no one seems to have the slightest clue as to what player the Arizona Cardinals are going to take with the eighth overall pick. Will it be a running back like Cedric Benson, a cornerback like Antrel Rolle or a linebacker like Derrick Johnson? The one thing that seems certain is that Arizona is not going to take a quarterback and doesn't appear willing to trade down to save money and stockpile picks.
A year ago everyone and his mother knew that Larry Fitzgerald was going to be wearing a Cardinals uniform and teaming with Anquan Boldin at wide receiver. What we didn't know was that Green would pluck four impact starters from the draft. To call Green's first draft in Arizona a success would be an understatement.
Both second-round pick Karlos Dansby and third-round pick Darnell Dockett came in and played right away and both were integral parts of a defense that proved a pleasant surprise. On offense Fitzgerald (58 receptions, 780 yards) didn't necessarily have the impact you would like out of the No. 2 pick, but he showed enough of his raw talent to make us believe he can be a star player. And while the controversial move of cutting veteran center Pete Kendall is still debated by Cardinals fans, the reality is that Alex Stepanovich handled himself well in his rookie season and could end up being a very good player.
Green's plan to build this team into a contender centers on the draft and free agency, something that Arizona has perennially failed at. For years luring a prime free agent to Arizona was like trying to get it to snow in Phoenix. It just wasn't happening. The Cardinals did get some aging players like Seth Joyner and Boomer Esiason to sign on, but those players were past their prime and coming to Arizona mainly for the paycheck. Green struck gold last year with defensive end Bertrand Berry, arguably the best free-agent pickup in the NFL last season. He may have hit it big again with offensive tackle Oliver Ross, who was a starter for Pittsburgh last year and fills an immediate need for Arizona in an area of weakness. The addition of defensive end Chike Okeafor also could play huge dividends as he gives the Cardinals a second dominant pass rusher from the outside.
The key for Green is to put two good off-seasons together back-to-back, to follow up last year's draft success with another top-flight draft. If Green can do that then maybe, just maybe, the Cardinals can contend for the NFC West crown this season. A winning record won't seem so far-fetched if three or four additional impact players come out of the draft and free-agent additions Ross, Okeafor, Kurt Warner and Robert Griffith make contributions.
Arizona has depth problems at linebacker with the recent cuts of Raynoch Thompson and LeVar Woods and the expected loss of Ronald McKinnon, who will likely be released. Same goes at cornerback with the trade of Duane Starks and the loss of Renaldo Hill in free agency.
So cornerbacks Rolle, Adam "Pac Man" Jones or Carlos Rogers would all seem to be good fits in Green's system and would upgrade a position lacking talent and depth. If Green goes linebacker, Johnson would be penciled in to start alongside Dansby and turn an area of concern into an immediate strength.
And there is always the lure of a franchise running back like "Cadillac" Williams, Ronnie Brown or Benson being available at No. 8 and too good to pass up. Drafting a running back high is always a risk given there are usually as many busts as there are hits. And with a strong group of backs that will be available in the second and third rounds and the possible trade for Travis Henry still out there, Arizona could fill the need at that position without using its first-round pick.
Whatever Green does in the first round, he must score high with the rest of his picks to make the Cardinals a contender this season.
Green has weeded out most of the malcontents, those who were not buying into his system or couldn't escape his doghouse - see Kendall, Marcus Bell, Barron Tanner, Steve Bush, Dexter Jackson and most recently Thompson and Woods. He most likely will add to that group by sending LJ Shelton and Wendell Bryant packing.
The addition-by-subtraction philosophy has enabled Green to change the perception of this organization from that of a "loser' to one in which the players genuinely feel they are moving in the right direction. In Arizona, it was always a given that the team lacked the talent to win. The Cardinals are now awfully close to having that talent. They just can't afford a slip-up this weekend.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cheapseats/gambo/0418rant.html
