Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
When one thinks back to a year ago there were numerous questions about how the Cardinals were gong to cope and adjust without Ray Horton as DC. Horton's successor, Todd Bowles, had just come off a very disappointing season as interim DC in Philly.
Yet, one of the first good signs of the off-season was to see how committed BA&SK were to fortifying the talent and depth on defense. It was refreshing to see how an offensive minded HC in Bruce Arians was so passionate about his choice for DC and his intention of putting together a dominant defense.
The next bit of encouraging news was that Bowles indicated that he was going to unfetter the defensive linemen in favor of sending them into the attack mode, instead of relegating them to robotic space eaters. This change in philosophy triggered a serendipitous defensive Renaissance in Arizona the likes of which we may have never quite imagined. Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell were particularly elated with the new philosophy. It was game time again for them.
The question then became would this change in philosophy actually hurt the run defense? The whole point of the space eating philosophy up front was the free up the linebackers to make stops and to create gap disciplines.
Who would have guessed that the Cardinals would become the NFL's stingiest run defense?
The attack mode allowed the players to play a more physical, aggressive and intimidating brand of football---and this defense became relentless.
Steve Keim did some very nifty reshuffling of the defensive personnel. At the time it made many fans and pundits wonder about the merits of letting go of a cadre of players who had been productive members of a much improved defense in recent seasons....players such as SS Adrian Wilson (UFA---signed with NE), FS Kerry Rhodes (was offered but did not sign), CB William Gay (UFA---signed with PIT), CB Michael Adams (UFA), LB Stewart Bradley (released after two lousy seasons), DE Nick Eason (UFA), OLB Quentin Groves (UFA---signed with CLE), DE Vonnie Holliday (retired), LB Paris Lenon (UFA), CB Greg Toler (UFA---signed with IND) and S James Sanders (UFA).
These were 5 starters (Wilson, Rhodes, Toler, Groves & Lenon) and 3 key rotation players (Eason, Holliday, Gay).
In their places, Steve Keim signed SS Yeremiah Bell, FS Rashad Johnson, CB Jerraud Powers, OLB Matt Shaughnessy, OLB John Abraham, DE Frostee Rucker, CB Antoine Cason, LB Karlos Dansby, LB Lorenzo Alexander, and LB Jasper Brinkley.
Keim traded for CB Javier Arenas.
Keim drafted LB Kevin Minter, CB/FS Tyrann Mathieu & OLB Alex Okafor.
Keim signed the following UCFA: S Tony Jefferson.
After training camp Keim added: NT Almeda Ta'amu, OLB Marcus Bernard, OLB Dontay Moch, CB Bryan McCann.
Defensive Players Reborn in 2013:
DE Darnell Dockett
NT Dan Williams
DE Calais Campbell
NT Almeda Ta'amu
OLB Dan Shaughnessy
ILB Karlos Dansby
OLB John Abraham
CB/FS Tyrann Mathieu
FS Rashad Johnson
OLB Marcus Bernard
One could argue that CB Antoine Cason was reborn the last few weeks of the season, as was a rejuvenated Jerraud Powers and a surprising UCFA Tony Jefferson.
Pro Bowlers:
CB Patrick Peterson
ILB Daryl Washington
OLB John Abraham
ST Justin Bethel
So what is now on Steve Keim's agenda on the defensive side of the ball for 2014?
Top Decisions:
1. Daryl Washington---$10M bonus due on March 11th. Washington's domestic violence case will be tried in April. Chance are he faces yet another suspension by the NFL.
Prediction: The Cardinals will pay the bonus because Washington is a key figure on the defense and his contract is actually quite reasonable---at $6M toward the cap in 2014.
2. Darnell Dockett---$8.75M cap figure in 2014. Dockett is coming off a solid season, but his cap figure is excessive and prohibitive.
Prediction: Dockett will agree to reconfigure his deal.
3. Karlos Dansby---was the leader of the defense, is a UFA and wants a new deal.
Prediction: Keim & Mike Disner will find a way to re-sign Dansby to a cap friendly 2-3 year deal.
4. Jasper Brinkley---was signed to start at ILB but with Dansby in the mix and with Kevin Minter next in line, the Cardinals can save $2M on the cap by releasing him.
Prediction: Brinkley will be released and the Cardinals will only have to incur $200K in dead money.
5. Jerraud Powers---it was an up and down season for Powers who does not quite look the part of a #2 CB. The Cardinals can save $2.75M on the cap, but would eat $2M in dead money.
Prediction: Powers will be release, unless he agree to a significant pay cut off of his $3.75M base salary.
6. Matt Shaughnessy---this is a guy BA&SK would like to re-sign, as Shaughnessy found a strong niche at LOLB.
Prediction: Shaughnessy re-signs at approximately $3M a year.
7. Patrick Peterson---due to make $5.9M in the last year of his rookie contract.
Prediction: Keim and Disner swing a lucrative long-term deal for Peterson that keep his 2014 cap figure about the same.
8. Lorenzo Alexander---his cap figure of $1.45M for 2014 is not too prohibitive, especially when the Cardinals really need to improve their STs this year. By releasing him they would only save $555K and would incur $900K in dead money.
Prediction: Alexander stays.
9. Antoine Cason---really came on down the stretch, but all in all was a disappointment this past season.
Prediction: UFA who signs elsewhere.
10. Yeremiah Bell---Bell still fills the role of a run stuffing SS, but his coverage skills are not quite strong enough.
Prediction: UFA who will not be re-signed.
11. Frostee Rucker---was a nice fit on the field in the DE rotation and as a leader in the lockeroom.
Prediction: Rucker appears to like it in Arizona and after a brief testing of the UFA market, he re-signs.
2014 UFA Additions:
1. SS---top priority. A player who can cover TEs, which was this defense's primary weakness.
Prediction: Keim signs UFA SS Chris Clemons (6-1, 214, Clemson), a playmaker who can cover TEs. Todd Bowles helped develop Clemons in Miami.
2. #2 CB---another priority.
Prediction: Keim signs UFA CB Vontae Davis (5-11, 204, Illinois), whom BA had in Indy and Todd Bowles had in Miami.
Draft Considerations:
1. OLB---this is an area that is very interesting because the roster depth here already is intriguing: Abraham, Benard, Acho, Moch, Okafor, Alexander, Rowe, Giordano, Dixon---and Steve Keim just made a very interesting under the radar signing: Adrian Tracy (6-2, 243, William & Mary) an athletic edge rusher who has some edge rush ability.
2. DT/DE---this position will be given much consideration in this draft, as Keim would like to find Dockett's eventual successor.
3. DB---look for one or two picks in the draft here.
Special Teams:
1. P Dave Zastudil---one of Keim's top priorities.
Prediction: Zastudil re-signs.
2. K---Keim would like a stronger leg at this position.
Prediction: Steven Hauschka, Josh Brown, Graham Gano, Shayne Graham or Nick Folk---and possibly even Adam Vinatieri.
3. KO and Punt Returner---not sure if Keim will have the added $$$$ to pursue a WR return man like Dexter McCluster, so it's quite likely one will be found in the draft.
Yet, one of the first good signs of the off-season was to see how committed BA&SK were to fortifying the talent and depth on defense. It was refreshing to see how an offensive minded HC in Bruce Arians was so passionate about his choice for DC and his intention of putting together a dominant defense.
The next bit of encouraging news was that Bowles indicated that he was going to unfetter the defensive linemen in favor of sending them into the attack mode, instead of relegating them to robotic space eaters. This change in philosophy triggered a serendipitous defensive Renaissance in Arizona the likes of which we may have never quite imagined. Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell were particularly elated with the new philosophy. It was game time again for them.
The question then became would this change in philosophy actually hurt the run defense? The whole point of the space eating philosophy up front was the free up the linebackers to make stops and to create gap disciplines.
Who would have guessed that the Cardinals would become the NFL's stingiest run defense?
The attack mode allowed the players to play a more physical, aggressive and intimidating brand of football---and this defense became relentless.
Steve Keim did some very nifty reshuffling of the defensive personnel. At the time it made many fans and pundits wonder about the merits of letting go of a cadre of players who had been productive members of a much improved defense in recent seasons....players such as SS Adrian Wilson (UFA---signed with NE), FS Kerry Rhodes (was offered but did not sign), CB William Gay (UFA---signed with PIT), CB Michael Adams (UFA), LB Stewart Bradley (released after two lousy seasons), DE Nick Eason (UFA), OLB Quentin Groves (UFA---signed with CLE), DE Vonnie Holliday (retired), LB Paris Lenon (UFA), CB Greg Toler (UFA---signed with IND) and S James Sanders (UFA).
These were 5 starters (Wilson, Rhodes, Toler, Groves & Lenon) and 3 key rotation players (Eason, Holliday, Gay).
In their places, Steve Keim signed SS Yeremiah Bell, FS Rashad Johnson, CB Jerraud Powers, OLB Matt Shaughnessy, OLB John Abraham, DE Frostee Rucker, CB Antoine Cason, LB Karlos Dansby, LB Lorenzo Alexander, and LB Jasper Brinkley.
Keim traded for CB Javier Arenas.
Keim drafted LB Kevin Minter, CB/FS Tyrann Mathieu & OLB Alex Okafor.
Keim signed the following UCFA: S Tony Jefferson.
After training camp Keim added: NT Almeda Ta'amu, OLB Marcus Bernard, OLB Dontay Moch, CB Bryan McCann.
Defensive Players Reborn in 2013:
DE Darnell Dockett
NT Dan Williams
DE Calais Campbell
NT Almeda Ta'amu
OLB Dan Shaughnessy
ILB Karlos Dansby
OLB John Abraham
CB/FS Tyrann Mathieu
FS Rashad Johnson
OLB Marcus Bernard
One could argue that CB Antoine Cason was reborn the last few weeks of the season, as was a rejuvenated Jerraud Powers and a surprising UCFA Tony Jefferson.
Pro Bowlers:
CB Patrick Peterson
ILB Daryl Washington
OLB John Abraham
ST Justin Bethel
So what is now on Steve Keim's agenda on the defensive side of the ball for 2014?
Top Decisions:
1. Daryl Washington---$10M bonus due on March 11th. Washington's domestic violence case will be tried in April. Chance are he faces yet another suspension by the NFL.
Prediction: The Cardinals will pay the bonus because Washington is a key figure on the defense and his contract is actually quite reasonable---at $6M toward the cap in 2014.
2. Darnell Dockett---$8.75M cap figure in 2014. Dockett is coming off a solid season, but his cap figure is excessive and prohibitive.
Prediction: Dockett will agree to reconfigure his deal.
3. Karlos Dansby---was the leader of the defense, is a UFA and wants a new deal.
Prediction: Keim & Mike Disner will find a way to re-sign Dansby to a cap friendly 2-3 year deal.
4. Jasper Brinkley---was signed to start at ILB but with Dansby in the mix and with Kevin Minter next in line, the Cardinals can save $2M on the cap by releasing him.
Prediction: Brinkley will be released and the Cardinals will only have to incur $200K in dead money.
5. Jerraud Powers---it was an up and down season for Powers who does not quite look the part of a #2 CB. The Cardinals can save $2.75M on the cap, but would eat $2M in dead money.
Prediction: Powers will be release, unless he agree to a significant pay cut off of his $3.75M base salary.
6. Matt Shaughnessy---this is a guy BA&SK would like to re-sign, as Shaughnessy found a strong niche at LOLB.
Prediction: Shaughnessy re-signs at approximately $3M a year.
7. Patrick Peterson---due to make $5.9M in the last year of his rookie contract.
Prediction: Keim and Disner swing a lucrative long-term deal for Peterson that keep his 2014 cap figure about the same.
8. Lorenzo Alexander---his cap figure of $1.45M for 2014 is not too prohibitive, especially when the Cardinals really need to improve their STs this year. By releasing him they would only save $555K and would incur $900K in dead money.
Prediction: Alexander stays.
9. Antoine Cason---really came on down the stretch, but all in all was a disappointment this past season.
Prediction: UFA who signs elsewhere.
10. Yeremiah Bell---Bell still fills the role of a run stuffing SS, but his coverage skills are not quite strong enough.
Prediction: UFA who will not be re-signed.
11. Frostee Rucker---was a nice fit on the field in the DE rotation and as a leader in the lockeroom.
Prediction: Rucker appears to like it in Arizona and after a brief testing of the UFA market, he re-signs.
2014 UFA Additions:
1. SS---top priority. A player who can cover TEs, which was this defense's primary weakness.
Prediction: Keim signs UFA SS Chris Clemons (6-1, 214, Clemson), a playmaker who can cover TEs. Todd Bowles helped develop Clemons in Miami.
2. #2 CB---another priority.
Prediction: Keim signs UFA CB Vontae Davis (5-11, 204, Illinois), whom BA had in Indy and Todd Bowles had in Miami.
Draft Considerations:
1. OLB---this is an area that is very interesting because the roster depth here already is intriguing: Abraham, Benard, Acho, Moch, Okafor, Alexander, Rowe, Giordano, Dixon---and Steve Keim just made a very interesting under the radar signing: Adrian Tracy (6-2, 243, William & Mary) an athletic edge rusher who has some edge rush ability.
2. DT/DE---this position will be given much consideration in this draft, as Keim would like to find Dockett's eventual successor.
3. DB---look for one or two picks in the draft here.
Special Teams:
1. P Dave Zastudil---one of Keim's top priorities.
Prediction: Zastudil re-signs.
2. K---Keim would like a stronger leg at this position.
Prediction: Steven Hauschka, Josh Brown, Graham Gano, Shayne Graham or Nick Folk---and possibly even Adam Vinatieri.
3. KO and Punt Returner---not sure if Keim will have the added $$$$ to pursue a WR return man like Dexter McCluster, so it's quite likely one will be found in the draft.
