Krangodnzr
Captain of Team Murray
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/0420boivin0420.html
This column is on the clock . . .
It was a bizarre hour when Valley media met with Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis (below) and Rod Graves, vice president of football operations, last week. Twelve minutes after Graves said, "We're not likely to be doing it there" about drafting a quarterback with the No. 6 pick, McGinnis said, "Between now and draft day, anything you hear from a coach and general manager is a lie."
Hmmmm.
Whom and what do we believe? Recent events have added intrigue to the Cardinals' selection in this weekend's NFL draft. Defensive end Terrell Suggs' brush with the law and mediocre 40-yard dash times have triggered concerns for some, although the Cardinals appear unfazed.
In Florida, meanwhile, quarterback Byron Leftwich impressed scouts by clocking a 4.88, a better time than expected considering his twice-broken left leg.
Cincinnati receiver Ron Dugans, who caught passes from Leftwich during the workout, marveled to reporters about the quarterback's arm strength. "I think he's going to be a great NFL quarterback."
Are the Cardinals playing cat-and-mouse with us or do they truly not want to spend an early pick on a quarterback? Here's one hunch that it's the latter. Maybe Graves has a great poker face, but he looked sincere when he said, "As of today, I'd say it (drafting a quarterback high) is probably not likely."
The draft is loaded with picks that could blow up, but if the Cardinals go with Suggs or Leftwich they'll be fine. For those of us who have seen Suggs play on a regular basis, those 40 times are irrelevant. He has the type of speed necessary to reach the quarterback, and he was never one to take a play off.
As for the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Leftwich - wow - it's hard to look past a guy who can throw 82 yards downfield, plus 55 yards through uprights while on his knees. He has the strongest arm in the draft, he's smart and he reads defenses better than most of his peers. He had the second-best quarterback rating in the country last season and threw just 10 interceptions vs. 30 touchdowns.
McGinnis admitted he was wowed by their meeting.
"He was a great interview," McGinnis said. "Face up, person to person. He's extremely bright. You can see why a team in the huddle would migrate to him."
With at least one of these two likely to be available when the Cardinals pick (if they don't trade down), you'd think the team wouldn't mess up this pick. There's always that fear, because some in the organization seem prone to go for the splashy choice over the right choice.
Who knows what the teams that select ahead of the Cardinals will do. The hyperbole that comes out of the mouths of league executives in early April is like two straight weeks of Santa Ana winds.
Remember then-Philadelphia coach Buddy Ryan's proclamation in 1986, that there was no way the Eagles would draft Keith Byars in the first round because he's a "medical reject"? Days later, they drafted him. In the first round.
In 1991, Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson said "everything is off" in trade talks to draft Raghib "Rocket" Ismail. The next day, the Cowboys did trade for the first pick in the draft, but when Ismail's price was too high and he signed with the CFL, the Cowboys took Russell Maryland.
As McGinnis said Thursday, "It's a high-stakes game."
I prefer the take of the late George Young when he was the Giants general manager. "A lot of times we sound secretive," he said, "when we're really just confused."
This column is on the clock . . .
It was a bizarre hour when Valley media met with Cardinals coach Dave McGinnis (below) and Rod Graves, vice president of football operations, last week. Twelve minutes after Graves said, "We're not likely to be doing it there" about drafting a quarterback with the No. 6 pick, McGinnis said, "Between now and draft day, anything you hear from a coach and general manager is a lie."
Hmmmm.
Whom and what do we believe? Recent events have added intrigue to the Cardinals' selection in this weekend's NFL draft. Defensive end Terrell Suggs' brush with the law and mediocre 40-yard dash times have triggered concerns for some, although the Cardinals appear unfazed.
In Florida, meanwhile, quarterback Byron Leftwich impressed scouts by clocking a 4.88, a better time than expected considering his twice-broken left leg.
Cincinnati receiver Ron Dugans, who caught passes from Leftwich during the workout, marveled to reporters about the quarterback's arm strength. "I think he's going to be a great NFL quarterback."
Are the Cardinals playing cat-and-mouse with us or do they truly not want to spend an early pick on a quarterback? Here's one hunch that it's the latter. Maybe Graves has a great poker face, but he looked sincere when he said, "As of today, I'd say it (drafting a quarterback high) is probably not likely."
The draft is loaded with picks that could blow up, but if the Cardinals go with Suggs or Leftwich they'll be fine. For those of us who have seen Suggs play on a regular basis, those 40 times are irrelevant. He has the type of speed necessary to reach the quarterback, and he was never one to take a play off.
As for the 6-foot-5, 240-pound Leftwich - wow - it's hard to look past a guy who can throw 82 yards downfield, plus 55 yards through uprights while on his knees. He has the strongest arm in the draft, he's smart and he reads defenses better than most of his peers. He had the second-best quarterback rating in the country last season and threw just 10 interceptions vs. 30 touchdowns.
McGinnis admitted he was wowed by their meeting.
"He was a great interview," McGinnis said. "Face up, person to person. He's extremely bright. You can see why a team in the huddle would migrate to him."
With at least one of these two likely to be available when the Cardinals pick (if they don't trade down), you'd think the team wouldn't mess up this pick. There's always that fear, because some in the organization seem prone to go for the splashy choice over the right choice.
Who knows what the teams that select ahead of the Cardinals will do. The hyperbole that comes out of the mouths of league executives in early April is like two straight weeks of Santa Ana winds.
Remember then-Philadelphia coach Buddy Ryan's proclamation in 1986, that there was no way the Eagles would draft Keith Byars in the first round because he's a "medical reject"? Days later, they drafted him. In the first round.
In 1991, Dallas coach Jimmy Johnson said "everything is off" in trade talks to draft Raghib "Rocket" Ismail. The next day, the Cowboys did trade for the first pick in the draft, but when Ismail's price was too high and he signed with the CFL, the Cowboys took Russell Maryland.
As McGinnis said Thursday, "It's a high-stakes game."
I prefer the take of the late George Young when he was the Giants general manager. "A lot of times we sound secretive," he said, "when we're really just confused."
