15 days and counting---

[Catfish]

It's July, 10th. I'm back from vacation, and ready for TC to begin.

Welcome to the new-comers to the board, and thanks to you veterans for the neat articles and posts that you have made for me to peruse and consider.

I had a great time visiting my 93 year old mother, (and attending my wife's family reunion). I rediscovered many great memories, and made some new ones. I also got to see some wonderful scenery in the mountains of Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona. Now it is time to get ready for football.

 

[DemsMyBoys]

Glad you had a good time Catfish.

Woo hoo! Football is comin'.

 

[CardNots]

Thanks for the trip.

Welcome back!

 

[Card'em]

I'm with you...can't wait for training camp. We've had a ton of change this off season and there's at least a chance we'll be much improved. This is the time of the year for optimism...November may be another story.

 

[JeffGollin]

All the things I wanted to happen in the off-season since the new regime took over have actually happened (at least "on paper") - stuff like the extra focus on teaching, communication between QB and receivers, attendance at Fitz-Camp and drafting Cooper with our #9, It gives me a good feeling looking forward toward Training Camp.

We'll see at Camp and early in the season whether or not any of this is "real", or just blowing smoke...or whether any of this actually matters.

Regarding other activity during the off-season "black hole", let's just say that it's been tough to ignore the "other Cardinals" in their quest for another MLB championship.

 

[Garthshort]

"On the field" in two weeks!

 

[seesred]

14 days and counting!
GBR
40

 

[Billy Bob]

13

 

[Catfish]

13

Great Idea Billy Bob-----let's count this down one day at a time.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Man this is like waiting for water to boil. I hate this time of year.

 

[DemsMyBoys]

Man this is like waiting for water to boil. I hate this time of year.

Patience, Grasshopper.

 

[Mitch]

Glad you had such a wonderful time with your mom and your family, pal.

Good to see you are back home and are counting the days to training camp.

I think you and I agree that the Cardinals have a much stronger and more concerted brain trust at the top---the plethora and variety of moves they have made to strengthen the roster and the coaching staff have been in adherence to a very strict and well conceived plan.

Yes, there are signs of a clear-cut, concerted plan!

For the first time in I can't remember when, I feel a genuine sense of trust and belief in the leadership of the Cardinals' organization---from top to bottom. There's only one area, personnel-wise, where there is still a void and that is in terms of having speed rushers on the edges like all the other teams in the NFC West have. Every other position on the football team has been addressed and solidified---in some cases, like at RB and at CB, beyond what one would normally expect. And for the first time in eons there is not one bad contract amongst the 48 new acquisitions---they are all smart and reasonable contracts. Good for the players and good for the organization.

 

[seesred]

12 more days....

GBR
40

 

[Catfish]

Jeff, I have that good feeling too. I am so very happy with the things that have transpired this off season. Now we are less than two weeks away from seeing if it all translates to 'practice in pads' and real football. We will soon know if the Mitch's of the board are correct in their positive assessments, or if the K-9's will prevail with their skeptical warnings and debate that little actual improvement in talent has been achieved.

 

[Catfish]

Hey Mitch, I hope your summer was as fruitful as mine has been. Good to see that you are ready for some pay-off for all the hard work done by the staff and front office this spring as well. I am anxious to see this translate into real on-field performance, and am looking for some real battles to be decided for starting positions because of the depth of the roster. It's time to see the potential become real performance.

I'm banking that the extra staff, (allowing for two fields to be working at the same time), and the extra days that the Cards received for working with the rookies will combine to pay off handsomely as we head into training camp.

Most of all, I like the reports from Minnesota, like the one yesterday that had Palmer laying one out there to hit Fitz, (in stride), 45 yards down field.

 

[Mitch]

Hey Mitch, I hope your summer was as fruitful as mine has been. Good to see that you are ready for some pay-off for all the hard work done by the staff and front office this spring as well. I am anxious to see this translate into real on-field performance, and am looking for some real battles to be decided for starting positions because of the depth of the roster. It's time to see the potential become real performance.

I'm banking that the extra staff, (allowing for two fields to be working at the same time), and the extra days that the Cards received for working with the rookies will combine to pay off handsomely as we head into training camp.

Most of all, I like the reports from Minnesota, like the one yesterday that had Palmer laying one out there to hit Fitz, (in stride), 45 yards down field.

Right on, Catfish. Right on!

 

[Card'em]

11 more days

 

[BullheadCardFan]

11 more days

It's creeping up on us.

 

[Catfish]

With 11 days to go till TC, my thought is that they put Swope on the DL this season and leave him there so he gets a chance to clear his head of the cobwebs left by his concussions. It would be a nice asset to have him show up on the roster ready to play after next year's draft. Maybe Gill can be the speedster we were looking for to stretch the defense this year.

 

[cardpa]

The stinking Cowboys and Dolphins get to start a week early since they are playing in the hall of fame game.

 

[BullheadCardFan]

10 more days. It's like Christmas when we were kids.

 

[Garthshort]

IMO, the first week or two of TC will be very telling. CC has said that we can win the West, because we know have a real QB, and that our offense can keep up with our already good defense. If my memory serves me correctly, and that's a big if, the reports by guys on this Board who made it to Flag in recent years, were always posting negative things about our offense, and I guess with good reason, in their early camp reports. So that is why I think the early reports will tell a lot. And yes I know the defense is usually ahead of the offense, early. I'm trying to see whether this year's offense is better than last year's, and if so by how much.

 

[Catfish]

IMO, the first week or two of TC will be very telling. CC has said that we can win the West, because we know have a real QB, and that our offense can keep up with our already good defense. If my memory serves me correctly, and that's a big if, the reports by guys on this Board who made it to Flag in recent years, were always posting negative things about our offense, and I guess with good reason, in their early camp reports. So that is why I think the early reports will tell a lot. And yes I know the defense is usually ahead of the offense, early. I'm trying to see whether this year's offense is better than last year's, and if so by how much.

Garth-----the other side of that equation is, will our defense be behind last year's defense due to the loss of the two starting safeties? There are lots of questions to answer in TC this year, and we are now closing in on that last week before TC. If one listens to K9, he is constantly saying that our Defense is not as talented as last year's because of this. In any event, it is time to begin ratcheting up the interest quotient.

 

[Duckjake]

IMO, the first week or two of TC will be very telling. CC has said that we can win the West, because we know have a real QB, and that our offense can keep up with our already good defense. If my memory serves me correctly, and that's a big if, the reports by guys on this Board who made it to Flag in recent years, were always posting negative things about our offense, and I guess with good reason, in their early camp reports. So that is why I think the early reports will tell a lot. And yes I know the defense is usually ahead of the offense, early. I'm trying to see whether this year's offense is better than last year's, and if so by how much.

We are talking about the Cardinals so you know exactly what is going to happen.

Our offense will be gangbusters and our defense will be awful and we'll finish 5-11 losing games 35-31.

 

[Garthshort]

For me, our defense will continue to be very good. For much of last year, the 'take' on AW was that he was a liability at safety, and even if he had stayed (been brought back), I think Johnson would have been the starter. And while Rhodes is better at the other safety spot, I think that Bell will be pretty good, and TM has me excited. Also, there seems to be much better depth at DL, LB and CB. And while we might miss Ray Horton, I think our defense will excell, unless Bowles is a disaster as DC. It's the offense, imo, that will determine how good we'll be.