Mark Herzlich

[bg7brd]

Why wouldn't we want this guy as an UDFA? He seems perfect for the SILB position. He's probably a year away from getting back to playing strength but he could be the steal of the draft. I heard he's working out here in the valley and fortunately for us, Whiz has shown that he doesn't care where you were selected in the draft. I also heard that we pay UDFAs more than most. A ton of teams will be after him but I hope he really considers us. I think Az would be a perfect fit for him and he has a good shot to make the team.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1243115

 

[Seandonic]

Why wouldn't we want this guy as an UDFA? He seems perfect for the SILB position. He's probably a year away from getting back to playing strength but he could be the steal of the draft. I heard he's working out here in the valley and fortunately for us, Whiz has shown that he doesn't care where you were selected in the draft. I also heard that we pay UDFAs more than most. A ton of teams will be after him but I hope he really considers us. I think Az would be a perfect fit for him and he has a good shot to make the team.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1243115

Could not agree more. This kid would be a great addition and infusion of character to this team of quitters. (not you Adrian Wilson and a few others)

Plus it's not like he plays a position that the Cards don't need. Even if he was to never be a starter, he would make a huge contribution to this team as a back-up and/or special teams player. IMHO.

Bring him in and let these spoiled money grubbing wannabe's see what real character looks like.

Sorry if that sounds pretty harsh towards my team the Cards but I'm tired of them having little to no real character or heart. Just look what having a high character guy like Warner did for them.

 

[Krangodnzr]

I like the idea, and Herzlich brings the versatility to back up multiple spots.

A LB corps of:

SOLB: Haggans, Acho, Davis
SILB: Studivant, Herzlich
WILB: Washington, Lenon
WOLB: Schofield, FA?, Acho?

Looks bettter than last year, and Herzlich could back up the SOLB spot as well. IMO we should bring a guy like Matt Roth or Kamerion Wimbley to start at the SOLB spot and have Haggans be a multiple position backup or cut Davis.

 

[Mitch]

Great post, bg7brd!

Herzlich is one of the smartest, strong-willed and versatile football players I have ever seen. As a Boston College alum and fan, I had the privilege of watching every game he played...and I must say, he was as Johnny-on-the-spot as any BC defender I've ever seen---even this past year when he was still trying to recover from his illness, he was making play after play.

I've likened him to Mike Vrable---because of his versatality and his playmaking abiity. Plus, you just know Whiz would have him play TE in the red zone.

It woud be a dream come true to see Herzlich don the Cardinal red. I hope they have him on their radar.

 

[Duckjake]

Why wouldn't we want this guy as an UDFA? He seems perfect for the SILB position. He's probably a year away from getting back to playing strength but he could be the steal of the draft. I heard he's working out here in the valley and fortunately for us, Whiz has shown that he doesn't care where you were selected in the draft. I also heard that we pay UDFAs more than most. A ton of teams will be after him but I hope he really considers us. I think Az would be a perfect fit for him and he has a good shot to make the team.

http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/players/1243115

I'm all for it. Looks like he'd fit right in with some of the other guys we just picked up like Acho.

He was rated the 217th prospect overall by CBSsports.com, which would put him in 7th round area, so would be a solid pickup.

Sendlein, and Money Mike have been great acquisitions as UDFAs. What other UDFAs originally signed by Arizona were on the roster that have made significant contributions?

Cardinals 7th round draft picks:
Jim Dray started 3 games in 2011
LSHowling: outstanding return man. Won a fan a HOUSE!
Brandon Keith: starter at RT in 2011 before getting hurt
Ben Patrick: On the roster for 4 years, scored a TD in the SB. Had trouble staying on the field.

Not bad for 7th round guys.

 

[Krangodnzr]

I'm all for it. Looks like he'd fit right in with some of the other guys we just picked up like Acho.

He was rated the 217th prospect overall by CBSsports.com, which would put him in 7th round area, so would be a solid pickup.

Sendlein, and Money Mike have been great acquisitions as UDFAs. What other UDFAs originally signed by Arizona were on the roster that have made significant contributions?

Cardinals 7th round draft picks:
Jim Dray started 3 games in 2011
LSHowling: outstanding return man. Won a fan a HOUSE!
Brandon Keith: starter at RT in 2011 before getting hurt
Ben Patrick: On the roster for 4 years, scored a TD in the SB. Had trouble staying on the field.

Not bad for 7th round guys.

LOL I forgot Sam Acho....

 

[Duckjake]

LOL I forgot Sam Acho....

Fit in like this:

(Herzlich)Highly respected on and off the field by the coaching staff, teammates and fans. Was a fixture on the BC sideline throughout the 2009-10 season while battling cancer. Helped raise over $200,000 for cancer research. Earned numerous honors for his courage and outreach, including the Disney Spirit Award, an honorary Lott Trophy and the ACC Commissioner's Cup. Won the Rudy Award and the ACC's Brian Piccolo Award …

Acho won the 2010 William V. Campbell Trophy, formerly known as the Draddy Trophy and commonly referred to as the "Academic Heisman." He excelled in three sports in high school, tested out of 26 class hours before attending UT, and won multiple Academic All-American awards for his production and academic prowess. Intelligent, hard-working player who puts in the time in the weight and film rooms. Received multiple National ARA Sportsmanship Awards. A member of the 2010 AFCA Good Works Team …
active in UT's community service program ... is part of a group of Longhorns that regularly visits patients at the Dell Children's Medical Center ... joins his brother, Emmanuel, and father among others on a medical mission trip to Nigeria each summer ... a member of UT's Student Advisory Council ... served as one of UT's representatives at the Big 12's Conference on Black Student Government ... was UT's representative at the 2009 NCAA Leadership Conference ... volunteers time to special events for local homeless shelters ... participated in UT's Orange Santa program ... was a member of the Spanish Honor Society, the Intercultural Club and the student government as a prepster ... was a class representative as a senior and class vice president as a sophomore ... spent time at the Jubilee Community Center helping teach adults English as a second language.

My kind of guys.

 

[jf-08]

I would pick him up in a heartbeat!

 

[bg7brd]

There have been rumors that the Patriots will offer him a deal when the lockout is lifted.

I'm sure that many teams will offer a deal.

 

[Early]

Before he got cancer, i rated him as top 5 player in the draft. He is not as athletic as before, and maybe he will be eventually. There are many plays he can't make now that he would before, because of agility and speed.

But speaking of toughness, football intelligence and and love for the game, he is up there with Ryan Kerrigan IMO.

He is everything you want in a leader of the defense.

 

[NashDishesDimes]

I read somewhere that he got drafted by the UFL. Im not sure if that means he is no longer eligable for the 2011 NFL season or not...

 

[Monty]

Ive been a big fan of this kid for a while now. Here is a post I made in January before the senior bowl highlighting exactly why I thought he could fit in well as a SILB for us and as an all round good character to have around at the club.

I actually really like Herzlich as a potential SILB. His current reported size of 6'4 250 plays reasonably well at the position .He is very good in coverage and in particular at sticking to his gap assignments. When you watch tape of him you will see he almost never gets fooled on misdirections or bootlegs. When tackling he doesnt have the greatest technique in that he tackles a bit too high and needs to learn to lower his pads to hit lower as well as using his feet to drive through the ballcarrier, but he wraps up the ball carrier well and currently his immense upper body strength means more often than not he is able to take the ballcarrier down. Furthermore, the guy just loves to lay the wood and makes good contact which goes very well with his fearless and instinctive style of play, to create a good combination of SILB skillsets.

I do not see him as an 3-4 OLB because he neither has the speed or an adequate enough number of pass rush moves. Becuase of his very good upper body strenght it can seem like he can shed blocks well becuase he just overpowers offensive lineman but in reality that will never work in the NFL.

That said, he is a fighter and has an incredible strong willpower. He survived a terrible cancer a year ago and his ability to come back from that shows his tenacity and willpower. He is a vocal and instinctice player and leader on the field and for me he overall represents a very good SILB candidate.

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/f4/day-1-senior-bowl-practice-162904-3.html

 

[kerouac9]

Herzlich, despite being an amazing story, was the Mr. Irrelevant of the United Football League Draft.

Fans don't want to face it, but there's something wrong with the guy if everyone and their grandmother are shying away from him.

 

[Krangodnzr]

Herzlich, despite being an amazing story, was the Mr. Irrelevant of the United Football League Draft.

Fans don't want to face it, but there's something wrong with the guy if everyone and their grandmother are shying away from him.

Sounds like a great undrafted free agent to me.

IMO the guy is intriguing enough to give him a shot, and the team isn't exactly overflowing with LB talent.

 

[kerouac9]

Sounds like a great undrafted free agent to me.

IMO the guy is intriguing enough to give him a shot, and the team isn't exactly overflowing with LB talent.

So you want a guy who could barely get drafted by the UFL as an undrafted free agent? I mean, he'll come at virtually no cost and will be a great story for training camp, but it's a little early to start pencilling him onto the depth chart. I certainly wouldn't pass over guys who I think can actually play in the NFL for this guy.

If Herzlich signs with the UFL, I'm not sure if he'll even be available to sign as a UDFA. Pat Devlin was supposed to be the #1 pick in the UFL draft, but he declined a contract in hopes of getting a UDFA deal once the labor issue is settled.

I fully expect at least one and maybe two veteran FAs to come to camp at the SILB position.

 

[HoodieBets]

BTW just to clear everything up here he was drafted last in the UFL because they know he will be offered an NFL contract but in case the lockout goes into the season they wanted the rights to him. Look at another one of the last players taken Jeff Maehl the WR out of Oregon. These are the top two players in the UDFA market. Him bein the last player taken is completely irrelevant no pun intended.

 

[Monty]

Looking at where the player is drafted in the UFL is pointless and has no bearing on the talent of player, rather it is more of a representation of how likely UFL clubs think they will get the player. UFL teams are not going to waste their high draft picks on players they know are very likely to be taken by as UDFA as soon as the new CBA is agreed. That's why you have the best players available as UDFA's right at the bottom of that draft i.e. Derrick Locke, Jeff Maehl, Mario Fannin, Mark Herzlich etc.

The only exception is Jerrod Johnson and the UFL team that drafted him must have a good idea of their likelihood of keeping being high. They must have required he sign a contract with them in order for them to take him in which case he is forgoing any opportunity to be signed by an NFL club as an UDFA.

 

[Catfish]

I am waaaaay on board for taking him as a UDFA. This guy brings (NO QUIT) with him every step of the way, and would be a great locker room addition while he gets stronger. He would personify Cardinal Tough !!!!!

 

[CardLogic]

I would love to have Herzlich as a Cardinal.

Initially, I was surprised that no team took a late round shot at him. Which tells me there more to it than we are considering. I wonder if there is an extreme liability (insurance cost) risk for a football team, due to Herzlich's prior illness.

 

[lobo]

I would love to have Herzlich as a Cardinal.

Initially, I was surprised that no team took a late round shot at him. Which tells me there more to it than we are considering. I wonder if there is an extreme liability (insurance cost) risk for a football team, due to Herzlich's prior illness.

I have a feeling you are somewhat right about the insurance issue.

 

[seesred]

I have no problem with us taking him and giving him a chance to make the team. You all seam to have high hopes for this kid. He has had a rough time with his cancer. But if he can show that he can bring something good to the table, it would be great for many reasons.

GBR
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