My Take On What Happened

[BuckeyeCardinal]

It's early here.....but at least I can type...not sure about the thinking part. This will be somewhere between The Master of the Obvious ("TheTitanic sank") and The Iraqi Minister of Info ("We will roast your stomachs...which I did with a few shots of whiskey after the 1st 2 picks).

Before I start let me apologize for any sarcasm I spewed yesterday (the sucks stuff)...I remember one guy told me to quit yesterday because I was trying to be positive....which I was....and all that sucks stuff was just sarcasm.

1) This has been hashed/dashed/Julian fried....but it's obvious the Cards had a BIG problem with Suggs.....was it competition....was it character.....he's a 3-4 OLB.....work ethic.....workouts....I don't know but he wasn't that high on their board....or at least they had 3 DE's bunched up.

2) It's also obvious they wanted 2 wide receivers that were 1st round quality or close.....trading down was the only way to do that....one of the 2 would have been gone.....other than Rogers/Johnson they were the best pair we could have picked up (and there's no way we get both Rogers and Johnson).

3) We got fleeced by the Eagles but I think we had Suggs and McDougle and Pace ranked close enough to make the gamble....you have to know there's a chance that McDougle is gone and then you say can we live with Pace....apparently they can.


Rambling non-connected thoughts:

Hayes can play OLB or ILB and can rush the passer

Wake does have a weight program

Give us an F....all our A drafts were F's so let's try reverse psych

There are some pass rushing DE's and DT's left so let's get 1 or 2

Let's get Marcus Robinson

Let's sign these guys early

 

[Cardiac]

I think where they goofed on the trade down was not making a trade with the Ravens. Hindsight is 20-20 but we could have still taken Suggs or Trufant or even Kennedy at that point or even possibly traded down again. I think the trade value with the Saints would have been fair if we had traded down form the 10 slot, especially since we would have gotten a 2nd or 3rd rder from the Ravens. Sullivan probably would have still been there and the Saints seemed to want him more than the actuall 6th position. Bottom line is MacGraves wanted another #1 pick and didn't want to mess around with getting it. They made a bold move but not bold enough. Again hindsight is 20-20 and I'm glad they tried something instead of just sitting pat and taking a player they weren't thrilled with at the 6th pick.

A top 10 pick that doesn't pan out has a far worse impact than the 17th and 18th picks not living up to expectations. Salary cap issues etc., plus we needed talent upgrades at a couple of positions, not just one. Having said all of this I think the Bears did a great job of trading down and getting what they wanted all along, but they did have the 4th pick and so had the best chance of getting the better deal.

Pace was a reach pick and the Cards last option it the worst case scenario unfolded, McDougle and Hayes both getting picked ahead of us. Let's hope he was rated closely to those 2 but our War Room. TSN has him compared to McCrary and if he has that kind of talent then they did a great job today.

 

[RedStorm]

After sleeping on it and settling down, I am still very disappointed.
However, instead of roasting the guys who were drafted (Johnson, Pace) I would turn my focus to Graves alone.

The trade with NO was beyond stupid. Not only do we drop out of the top ten (which, by itself would not be terrible, however I thought no further than to spot12) but to swap out our 2nd rd and give up a 4th is bordering criminal.

If the mindset was to get more picks then that is a valid strategy. However, we got no EXTRA picks. We lowerd our first and second to elevate our fourth. What was extra about that??? We move down twice to get one pick enhanced??? Who in the War Room made the argument that this would be a good decision?? I do not know but the buck stops with Graves.

Because of the trade they put themselves in a risky position. Our team is not good enough to take these kinds of risks. If you are 8-8 or 9-7 you take risks. We need our picks to contribute right away. We handcuffed ourselves and tried to get too fancy or cute. This trade makes me think of someone who thinks they have a sure fire system to beat Las Vegas and, after getting all their money taken, they come home broke. Graves plan backfired. Plain and simple.

Now, some would argue that Suggs is no sure thing and that is true. But someone projected to go in the 3rd rd is more of a sure thing? I would think it is less of a sure thing because of their projected slot. I would rather put my money on Suggs/Williams/Kennedy being successful than a 3rd rd Pace.

Graves says in todays paper that Suggs was not their man at 6 because that was too high. He said he went where he should have, at #10. That is 4 spots. On the other hand, lets consider our new DE that we have instead of Suggs, Pace. Let's, for the sake of argument and to satisfy all those who have on their rosy colored glasses and drink gallons of Cardinal Kool-aid, rank Pace as a pick that would have gone at 31. Still the first round and way, way, way higher than anyone would rank him. The difference between 31 and 18 is 13 slots. So, who is the largest reach, Suggs at 6 or Pace at 18?? It is obvious. However, we were forced to make this choice because of the trade and decision of Graves.

I think, at 6 they were thinking money and picks. Suggs is not worth the 6 pick and the money associated with it. But they think they can trade down and still get value. However, now they will have to pay a guy who should not be getting first round money. The Cards will again have to overpay....How ironic... I can not wait to see how contract negotiations go...

Graves says to wait until June 1st to judge him. Well that time is just around the corner. However, evaluation along the way is warranted and justified. You never just have a goal and then say you evaluate it then. You judge yourself along the way and make adjustments to ensure you reach your goal. To not is like putting on a blindfold and shooting at your target. Not wise. So, I give Graves a failing grade so far.

Here is my grading so far. You can agree or disagree.

Pros -
Signing Jackson - Improve our Safety play
Signing Blake - Improve our QB Tremedously
Signing Smith - Bring in proven leadership and mentorship for Shipp

Cons -
Losing Boston without getting any compensation.
Losing Sanders
Losing Martay (Hurts due to losing Boston and Sanders)
Not getting any DL or DE help in FA
The draft day trade with NO.
Reaching for picks because they paniced


Instead of having a draft where we our greatest need was the rushing the passer we put ourselves in a postion to have to take WRs as well as getting D help. Then, moving out of the top ten we handcuffed ourselves into having to reach, and now overpay.

Every single person is judged and rated with hindsight. Hindsight is all we have to judge. Graves asks us to be patient and wait till June 1st. But, his track record to date is filled with suspect decisions. The only thing left for him to do is get these picks signed and in camp on time. Considering past history of Graves doing contracts I have little faith that he will get it done. I say there is a 50/50 chance of getting our picks in on time.

So, I will still stay open and hope for a miracle. I will hope that Pace lights up the league and has 8-10 sacks this year. I will hope that Johnson somehow becomes a KR/PR/#1WR threat. (Penn st...WR University???). I will hope that some DT or DE vet becomes available between now and June 1st that will give us a pass rush. I will hope that, somehow we get something for TJ.

I will hope.....but time is running out.

 

[BuckeyeCardinal]

Legit

Legit concerns RS....and I think most of us share your concerns and are somewhere in the middle in regards to our chances for next year.

All your pros were good and I'll add another....I really like the extra free agent offensive lineman....they both at one time or another were NFL starters and are young enough to provide experience and energy.

The Boston debacle was the biggest hit....I actually think Blake will be an upgrade.....Emmitt should do OK behind a decent line and a road grader of a fullback who has played TE and could probably play guard as big as he is (Hodgins)..... Free agent Darling along with the new kid Hayes are also guys who can play first team in the NFL....IMHO.

The negatives of losing Boston I think spilled over to this draft and people were looking for that final straw to lynch Graves and for some to quit rooting for the team. Well....a questionable trade gave it to them....like you I would have went Suggs/Boldin......but they must have really wanted Johnson and must have really not liked Suggs that much.

 

[RedStorm]

Let's see how things turn out today. I bet todays focus will be on getting guys who are special team type of players. I doubt we get anyone who will contribute next season with any great impact.

 

[BuckeyeCardinal]

Probably Not

A situational pass rusher would be nice.....crucify me but that's all Suggs would have been....albeit a good one.