Round Pegs in Square Holes

June 3, 2007 by Walter Mitchell

The Cardinals right now have several players who are not playing positions they are ideally suited for. In the past, because the Cardinals did not have a deep roster, the coaches were sometimes forced to play certain players out of position because their options were so limited. This is no longer the case in Arizona. The Cardinals’ roster is the deepest and most talented it has been in decades.

(1) Antrel Rolle. Has the total package as a strong safety. Unfortunately, he plays cornerback like a strong safety. Does his best when he keeps the action in front of him so he can come up to make jarring hits. The problem is, in keeping the action in front of him, Rolle gives up way too much cushion and allows the opponents’ offense an easy and seemingly automatic seven yard gain whenever they want it.

Whenever Rolle narrows the cushion, he leaves himself vulnerable to the deep pass, which is his greatest weakness. He lacks requisite recovery speed and often has little sense of where the ball is. He also shows a propensity for laying a hand on the receiver while the ball in the air, which often results in a holding or pass interference penalty.

At strong safety Rolle could exert his aggressiveness more freely. His coverage responsibilties (covering the flat or strong side seam in zones and mirroring the TE in man) would be far more managable. He also would line up closer to the box where he can force the run with aplomb…and do something that we don’t see much from him while he’s at corner: blitz the quarterback.

If you watch his old Miami tapes, Rolle is a tremendous blitzer.

Obviously, the problem has been that the Cardinals already have a Pro Bowler at strong safety in Adrian Wilson. However, with some clever maneuvering, Clancy Pendergast could concoct a hybrid type of scheme that would enable him to play both Wilson and Rolle close to the box…now that would be exciting to watch!

(2) Reggie Wells. The new staff likes Wells’ feet and think that he will be good at all the pulls and traps they want their guards to perform. Yes, Wells may be pretty good at those aspects of guard play. The problem is, as a guard, Wells gets no push on straight ahead blocks. Being able to get a good push at the point of attack should be the number one pre-requisite for guard play.

The same feet that the new staff like in Wells are the reason why he is better suited to play tackle. Wells is surprisingly agile for a player his size. He dropsteps quickly and well in pass coverage and he does a very good job keeping his shoulders square to the defender. No he is not a mauler in the running game, but he does get a better push on defensive ends than he does on defensive tackles.

Reggie Wells’ play at right tackle last year was one of the major reasons why the offensive line improved. Milford Brown, in place of Wells at left guard, was getting the inside push the team needed in the running game, and Wells, in place of Oliver Ross at right tackle, was doing a much better job of protecting Matt Leinart’s blind-side.

(3) Mike Gandy. The Bills moved Gandy to guard after he struggled in pass protection at left tackle. Gandy was quite solid at guard in both the run and passing games. He gets off the ball well and keeps his feet moving.

(4) Levi Brown. Excelled at left tackle in college. It’s hard enough being a rookie starter. Start him where he is most comfortable. (Note: because of the previous comments, the best lineup for the o-line: LT Brown, LG Gandy, C Johnson, RG Lutui, RT Wells)…and one shouldn’t count out Milford Brown or Nick Leckey at LG and C respectively.

(5) Karlos Dansby. He plays too upright and tall to be a consistently effective inside linebacker in the 3-4. He’s a good chaser, so that part of the job he can handle. But, he plays too high when the ball is coming right at him. This is one of the reasons why smaller inside linebackers are in vogue in the NFL. They have lower centers of gravity and a penchant for getting underneath the running back’s pads and into their legs to bring them down.

Dansby is a natural on the edge where he can use his size, speed and strength to force contain, chase plays from behind and rush the passer with alacrity. Dansby is a first-rate pass rusher.

Other younger players on the roster who perhaps should be looked at at other positions:

(6) A.J. Schable. Ever notice how good an open field tackler he is on special teams? Ever notice how good a tackler he is in traffic? Go back and watch the Monday Night Football Bears’ game if you haven’t noticed. Because of his tackling ability and the team’s switch to the 3-4, why not take a good long look at him at inside linebacker?

(7) Matt Trannon. Big target receiver who is a superior blocker on the perimeter. Looks like if he can add another twenty pounds or so and show that he can also block on the interior, he’d be a keeper at TE.

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