What Will Whiz Do?

January 21, 2008 by Walter Mitchell

This should be a very interesting off-season for the Arizona Cardinals. Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt has now had a year to analyze the current personnel–and make no mistake about it–changes are going to made. Whiz is not going to stand pat. He knows what he needs to do to and the type of players he needs to add. Let’s take a look at each offensive position and discuss what Whiz’s thoughts and options may be.

QB: Whiz has already confirmed that Matt Leinart is the 2008 starter heading into training camp, avowing that players who get hurt shouldn’t necessarily lose their starting jobs. Leinart demostrated exemplary eagerness and commitment while rehabbing his broken clavicle, by studying miles of game tape. Yet, one has to wonder why Leinart did not easily assimilate into Whiz’s offense when he was healthy. Whiz was reluctant to overhwhelm Leinart, to the point of designating the two-minute drill duties to backup Kurt Warner. What’s all the more curious about this is that Leinart was groomed in a pro-style offense at USC, where he won a National Championship and a Heisman Trophy. Therefore, the question is why Leinart had to be brought along slowly in the new offense…and why, despite being brought along slowly, he struggled to move the offense, especially early in games. What happens if the struggles continue? Will Warner remain the designated two-minute man?

One would think that Whiz was happy with the numbers Kurt Warner put on the scoreboards and stat sheets, save the untimely turnovers. Thus, it must be the turnovers that keeps Whiz from offering warner a legitmate shot as next year’s starter. There has been speculation that Whiz and Warner had “different ideas” about how the offense should be run, so perhaps this is another reason. The bottom line is that Warner put consecutive 20 plus point performances on the board and kept games close and competitive.

Additions? It’s quite possible that Whiz will sign UFA QB Brian St. Pierre, a player Whiz liked when he coached him in Pittsburgh. St. Pierre knows Whiz’s system and is a smooth pocket passer. It’s also quite entirely possible that Whiz liked enough of what he saw in Tim Rattay to bring him back, although Rattay’s slight frame and lack of a big arm may be causes for concern.

Drafting a QB? I think it’s entirely possible that Whiz may draft a QB this year, perhaps as early as the third or fourth round. If that’s the case, one would have to wonder how sure Whiz is of Leinart being the long-term answer at QB. A couple of QBs come to mind: Josh Johnson of San Diego, whose TD to INT ratio has been off the charts, albeit at a lower level of play. And, don’t count out someone like Chad Henne of Michigan, a big, strong-armed kid who had a fair share of ups and downs this past season, but ended the year with a stellar performance versus Florida.

RB: The big question is, will Edgerrin James be back in 2008? James reacted well to the coaching, as he didn’t dance around the holes the way he did for Dennis Green. James was tough, consistently productive and durable, but he didn’t break off many big gainers. The problem was, J.J. Arrington only seemed to fit as a 3rd down back and Marcel Shipp was basically relegated to special teams. Thus, no one on the roster presented James with a significant challenge for carries. What’s interesting is that all three of the 2007 RBs (James, Arrington and Shipp) may be playing elsewhere in 2008. What makes this prospect all the more tantalizing is the fact that Whiz bypassed All-Star RB Adrian Peterson in the first round of the draft…which is one of the reasons why RB may become this year’s top priority in the draft.

Options? First of all, regardless of what happens with the incumbent backs, look for Whiz to make a run at a UFA RB like Justin Fargas of the Raiders. Fargas hits the hole quickly, is surprisingly tough, and is capable of tearing off big chunks of yards in the open field. It remains to be seen as to whether Fargas can hold up as a 20+ touch RB, week in and week out…which is why Fargas would be attractive as a time-splitter with another RB.

That other RB could very well be a rookie first rounder. At first glance it would appear that the Cardinals may have the opportunity to decide at #16 between two of the top RBs in this year’s class: Jonathan Stewart of Orgeon and Rashard Mendenhall of Illinois. Both of these hard running rookies would be a nice fit. However, if Whiz wants his own version of “Fast” Willie Parker, he may be delirious to see Felix Jones of Arkansas still on the board at #16. Jones is an ideal time-splitter at RB and is the consummate homerun back. Look at these eye-popping numbers this season as the Hogs’ #2 RB behind Darren McFadden: 123 carries for 1,154 yards, a 9.1 ave. and 11 TDs.

Note: Most draft gurus project Jones right now as a late 1st early 2nd round pick, because they don’t see him as a 20+ touch a game RB in the NFL.  However, look for Jones’ combine workouts to propel him up the charts. His electrifying speed is too attractive to ignore.

I also think it’s entire possible that Whiz drafts another RB in Round 4 or 5…a bigger back like Kregg Lumpkin of Georgia (6-1, 224) or Andre Callender (6-0, 220) of Boston College.

Offensive Tackle: Mike Gandy played consistently well at LT this past year and would seem to be a lock to start there again in 2008. Not so fast. If the Cardinals have to make cap room to sign UFA LG Alan Faneca, Gandy may be the odd man out. The question then becomes: will they be able to afford to keep Gandy, or would Whiz and Russ Grimm elect to switch Reggie Wells to tackle? Wells played hard and showed improvement at LG…and may wind up staying there is the team is unable to sign Faneca. Another question is…would Whiz take a shot at signing another Steeler UFA, T Max Starks, and, in doing so, play Starks at RT and switch Levi Brown to LT? Starks may be had at a bargain salary, seeing as he has yet to play up to his full potential as a run-mauler and improved edge protector.

Draft? Some draft pundits think the Cardinals may be tempted to take T Ryan Clady of Boise St. or T Sam Baker of USC at #16. This may be a moot point if both are off the board. If so, at some point in the draft, look for Whiz to tab a tackle…perhaps LT Tony Hills (6-5, 302) of Texas or Chris Wiliams (6-6, 313) of Vanderbilt.

Offensive Guard: The addition of Alan Faneca would provide the Cardinals with one of the most impressive interior lines in the NFL, with Faneca joining C Al Johnson and young, rugged RG Deuce Lutui. While Faneca seemingly would welcome a move to Arizona to be reunited with Whiz and Grimm, he will have plenty of suitors and will have to be paid handsomely. If the Cards can’t fit Faneca under the cap, they may stick with Wells at LG, and go once again with Elton Brown and Keydrick Vincent as the backups.

Options? An interesting option, should Faneca prove to be unaffordable, is to turn some attention to UFA G Justin Smiley of the 49ers. Smiley is one tough customer…and is coming off a difficult injury plagued season.

Center: The team appears very well set for years to come with stalwart Al Johnson as the starter and surprise UCFA Lyle Sendelin as the backup.

Tight End: One woud expect significant improvement from Leonard Pope, Ben Patrick and Troy Bienemann after a strong off-season in the weightroom and practice fields. The talent is there, and so now is some much needed experience.

Options? It may make sense to sign UFA TE Sean Ryan of the Jets as a blocking TE. Ryan is hard-nosed, which would certainly endear him to Whiz, a former NFL TE himself. Ryan shouldn’t cost the team much more than a minimum veteran salary.

Draft? For some reason, I don’t think the Cards will draft a TE this year, as they already are stocked with young talent at the position, and there are other more pressing needs in the draft.

Wide Receiver: Obviously, the Cardinals are in great shape with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin as the starters. The Cards may make a decent effort to re-sign Bryant Johnson, especially if the price is right. But, Johnson is likely going to sign somewhere else, so he can challenge for a #2 WR spot. This leaves the Cardinals with Jerheme Urban, Steve Breaston and Sean Morey as the #3, #4, and #5 WRs respectively. Urban was inconsistent catching the ball, but did get open fairly regularly, and did record a 100 yard game. Breaston has the shiftiness in the open field to be a dangerous threat from the slot. And Morey is best served focussing on being a special teams’ ace. All three of these WRs are possession-types, thus the team needs to add a deep threat.

Draft? The 2nd round of this draft should be loaded with excellent WR options. The speed guy that the Cardinals may snag here at #50 is Donny Avery (5-11, 190) of Houston. Avery runs a 4.28, and is not your typical track to football convert, as he displays a fine pair of hands and excellent agility. Two other WRs here to keep an eye on is D.J. Hall (6-3, 188) of Alabama, who may be as physically gifted as any WR in this draft and Davone Bess (5-10, 195) of Hawaii, who recently declared himself for the draft and is super productive. If the Cardinal choose to wait until the thrid or fourth rounds to draft a WR, look for Sammie Stroughter (6-0, 188) of Oregon St. or Dorien Bryant (5-10, 175) of Purdue.

In the next article, I will look at the defense…but…as a prelude…here’s my gut feeling as to what will happen: (1) Dansby will be tagged and play for a one year tag contract; (2) Pace will be re-signed as the SOLB; (3) Berry will be released; Okeafor will be retained and will return at full strength; (4) The Cards will sign UFA Travis LaBoy of the Titans, to bolster the pass rush; CB William James of the Eagles to add veteran depth and challenge Eric Green at RCB; and FS Eugene Wilson of the Patriots.

This Week’s Mock:

1. RB Jonathan Stewart, Oregon, Rashard Mendenhall, Illinois, or Felix Jones, Arkansas

2. WR Donny Avery, Houston, D.J. Hall, Alabama, or Davone Bess, Hawaii 

3. CB Simeon Castille, Alabama

4. RB Kregg Lumpkin, Georgia

5. T Chris Williams, Vanderbilt

6. LB Jolonn Dunbar, Boston College

7. DT Derek Lokey, Texas

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day…may freedom ring from the top of University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale today and forever! Peace, love and brotherhood/sisterhood for all!

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