1 - I have never bought into the “Keim is all in”-mantra. Any general manager, any head coach, any player, and any assistant in those mentioned departments must be all in every single year. If they are not, that is a much bigger reason for firing than only simple insufficiency.
But! It will be interesting to see the first glance of how the new approach to team building will work.
2 - Honestly, I was not excited when Zaven Collins was picked. I thought it was a wasted pick. But now he is a Cardinal and I support him 100%. I also think there are ways that he turns out to be a great pick, and I do think he could help the overall defense.
If you think back on the defenses with both Karlos Dansby and Daryl Washington, I thought it was one of the best Cardinals-defenses in my time as a fan. And those two had a big, big impact on that unit, and I remember that the level dropped significantly when Washington did whatever idiotic things he did. There is also the great 49-defenses with Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman, or the Seahawks-defenses with Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright. You can find other examples of that nature, and the point is that, even though those defenses had a lot of great players on it, the two middle linebackers were arguably essential to make it work.
3 - Obviously depending on unknowns like Robert Alford, Marco Wilson and Taj Gowan, do you foresee a major trade involving at least a first-round pick? Xavien Howard from the Dolphins? Marshon Lattimore from the Saints? Stephon Gilmore from the Patriots?
4 – D.J. Humphries – Justin Pugh – Rodney Hudson – X – Kelvin Beachum. That is a solid, solid offensive line (and, kind of under-the-radar, the unit has been playing well for the last couple of years), but who plays the right guard? Justin Murray? Josh Jones? Brian Winters?
5 - I am excited to follow Dennis Gardeck. I have been on his bandwagon from he was brought in as an undrafted guy, and I thought it was a lot of fun to witness his minor breakthrough last season. I say “minor” because he must back it up now.
6 - Looks like T.E. Green are taking Dan Arnold’s spot in the offense, huh? Good thing that Arnold has never been playing traditional tight end.
7 – I have always been a defensive line-guy, so obviously it intrigues me a lot to find out how Leki Fotu, Rashad Lawrence and Zach Allen will progress.
8 - I am not sure that Chase Edmonds (or is it Deuce Edmonds now?) gets a bigger role in the offense since I never saw him as a backup to Kenyan Drake. I always saw him as a different kind of weapon, and I don’t see that changing this year. But I have always liked him, and it will be interesting if he can take yet another step forward in his progression.
9 - How does Chandler Jones-gate evolve?
10 – It’s big words – I know – but there might not be a player I am more excited to hear about than Rondale Moore.
11 – I know that it is basically an automatic reaction to criticize Vance Joseph, but I thought he did well two years ago, and last year he stepped even further up. Can he continue that trajectory?
12 – Seems a little strange to make this list without mentioning Kyler Murray, so let me do that now.
13 – J.J. Watt. Of course, J.J. Watt.
14 – I think that a lot of people are sleeping on Jalen Thompson, and I think that the safety-unit will be significantly stronger with him back.
By the way, I kind of want to see what James Wiggins, the late round pick, can do. Both because he is extremely athletic even for an NFL player, but also because he was once projected as a much higher draft pick before injuries set him back. Did you know that Jalen Thompson was projected as a second- to early third round pick before he entered the supplemental draft? Maybe history will repeat itself.
15 – Biggest upset after camp (and I am talking about things near the stratosphere of realism)? Andy Isabella making the final squad.
But! It will be interesting to see the first glance of how the new approach to team building will work.
2 - Honestly, I was not excited when Zaven Collins was picked. I thought it was a wasted pick. But now he is a Cardinal and I support him 100%. I also think there are ways that he turns out to be a great pick, and I do think he could help the overall defense.
If you think back on the defenses with both Karlos Dansby and Daryl Washington, I thought it was one of the best Cardinals-defenses in my time as a fan. And those two had a big, big impact on that unit, and I remember that the level dropped significantly when Washington did whatever idiotic things he did. There is also the great 49-defenses with Patrick Willis and NaVorro Bowman, or the Seahawks-defenses with Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright. You can find other examples of that nature, and the point is that, even though those defenses had a lot of great players on it, the two middle linebackers were arguably essential to make it work.
3 - Obviously depending on unknowns like Robert Alford, Marco Wilson and Taj Gowan, do you foresee a major trade involving at least a first-round pick? Xavien Howard from the Dolphins? Marshon Lattimore from the Saints? Stephon Gilmore from the Patriots?
4 – D.J. Humphries – Justin Pugh – Rodney Hudson – X – Kelvin Beachum. That is a solid, solid offensive line (and, kind of under-the-radar, the unit has been playing well for the last couple of years), but who plays the right guard? Justin Murray? Josh Jones? Brian Winters?
5 - I am excited to follow Dennis Gardeck. I have been on his bandwagon from he was brought in as an undrafted guy, and I thought it was a lot of fun to witness his minor breakthrough last season. I say “minor” because he must back it up now.
6 - Looks like T.E. Green are taking Dan Arnold’s spot in the offense, huh? Good thing that Arnold has never been playing traditional tight end.
7 – I have always been a defensive line-guy, so obviously it intrigues me a lot to find out how Leki Fotu, Rashad Lawrence and Zach Allen will progress.
8 - I am not sure that Chase Edmonds (or is it Deuce Edmonds now?) gets a bigger role in the offense since I never saw him as a backup to Kenyan Drake. I always saw him as a different kind of weapon, and I don’t see that changing this year. But I have always liked him, and it will be interesting if he can take yet another step forward in his progression.
9 - How does Chandler Jones-gate evolve?
10 – It’s big words – I know – but there might not be a player I am more excited to hear about than Rondale Moore.
11 – I know that it is basically an automatic reaction to criticize Vance Joseph, but I thought he did well two years ago, and last year he stepped even further up. Can he continue that trajectory?
12 – Seems a little strange to make this list without mentioning Kyler Murray, so let me do that now.
13 – J.J. Watt. Of course, J.J. Watt.
14 – I think that a lot of people are sleeping on Jalen Thompson, and I think that the safety-unit will be significantly stronger with him back.
By the way, I kind of want to see what James Wiggins, the late round pick, can do. Both because he is extremely athletic even for an NFL player, but also because he was once projected as a much higher draft pick before injuries set him back. Did you know that Jalen Thompson was projected as a second- to early third round pick before he entered the supplemental draft? Maybe history will repeat itself.
15 – Biggest upset after camp (and I am talking about things near the stratosphere of realism)? Andy Isabella making the final squad.