The events of this past week...and RG's call for all of us to "have patience"...are now analogous to Coach McGinnis, with three timeouts at his disposal, his team clinging to a precarious one point lead, letting the clock run down to 24 seconds as the opponent is preparing to kick an easy game winning field goal. Clueless is the word.
I have gone on record in defending Graves' decision to allow David Boston to become an unrestricted free agent...the logic I gleaned from this scenario was twofold: (1) Boston was giving clear-cut signals that he did not want to stay in Arizona...and that holding another player hostage with the f-tag could possibly do more harm than good; (2) that the money it would take to sign a couple of draft picks in return if the team was able to f-tag and trade Boston, could easily be targeted toward free agency instead. Draft picks are a moot point if the team can use the money to sign established NFL players instead.
What I didn't know when I was defending Graves a couple of weeks ago was that he would enter free agency (having more cap space at his disposal than any other GM in the league) with a whimper and not a bang. He told us he has a clear-cut plan...and now he tells us that it takes an extra 48 hours after a free agent visits to gather all the apporpriate information in order to decide whether the free agent is worthy of an offer from the club. To me this is like sitting on three timeouts with the game on the line while precious seconds tick away. Mac was not preapred for that situation . And clearly, Graves is not prepared for free agency. His plan is not clear-cut. If his so-called plan was, interviews would be a moot point.
What Graves doesn't seem to understand is what exactly it is going to take to sign free agents. The preparation HAS to be done in advance...not following a perfunctory interview. One of his peers, Daniel Snyder, seems to get it. He and the Redskins did their homework...they targeted the players they wanted...and came forward with offers, not interviews and discussions.
How does a GM prepare for free agency? There are many aspects to it, but the most simple steps are: (1) reviewing tape on the available free agents; (2) calling around the league to coaches and players for character references; (3) contacting the agents to determine what the asking prices are...answers to those three questions should enable a GM to decide right then and there whether to make a serious and committed effort to sign the player.
Take Roosevelt Colvin, for example. Watching tape of his play, it's clear that this young man is one of the best edge rushers in the game. There is indisputible evidence of Colvin's pass rushing prowess and his sack numbers corroborate the evidence. Mac knows enough people close to the Bears who could give him the heads up on Colvin's character (if he didn't know already)...in fact, Mac could have asked some of the Chicago coaches at the Senior Bowl. There's nothing to suggest that Colvin is a headcase or an attitude problem. Thirdly, even if one didn't ask Colvin's agent what Colvin's contract demands are, a GM could easily assess Colvin's market value and work from there.
If the Cardinals had done their homework on Colvin, why wouldn't they make a contract proposal (pending a physical, which is protocol anyway) at midnight on February 28th? Why instead do they choose to wait for Colvin to come to town...and even worse, wait for 48 hours afterward to finally offer him a contract?...knowing fully well that in that interim Colvin could easily sign with a more aggressive suitor.
If the Cardinals really want Colvin, is it likely that they would have to outbid all other suitors? Yes. Positively, yes. We all know the reasons why. Would it be wise for them to do so? Yes. Positively, yes. Why? Because if the Cardinals have any hope of generating a pass rush next year, they have to go out and get pass rushers. Right now there is not one, I repeat, not one, bona fide pass rushing threat on the roster. Pass rushers are rare commodities in this league and will always command lucrative salaries. Can the Cardinals afford to overpay for Colvin? With $34M of cap space, there never has been a better time.
Had the Cardinals wowed Colvin with a great offer and signed him last weekend, not only would they have made an early statement to the rest of the NFL, they would have improved their chances of signing Colvin's college teammate DE Chike Okeafor and a safety in Dexter Jackson who thrives on having a pass rush in front of him. Now maybe as a bonus DT John Thornton gets excited...and the defense has been immediately upgraded. We'd be hearing from all these guys how psyched they are to play for a motivator like Dave McGinnis.
Instead...new episodes of "48 Hours Investigates"...same ol' same ol'...
In conclusion, do any of you feel embarrassed when ESPN reports..."The Cardinals were very impressed with their interview with Kordell Stewart...but no contract has been offered?" It's an absurd way of doing business...and it certainly doesn't give anyone an indication that the Cardinals have a clear-cut plan. All it further suggests is that the Cardinals, as usual, aren't all that sure of what they are doing. And, make no mistake about it. They aren't. A clear-cut plan is manifested when a club avows..."this is our guy...this is the player we have wanted all along...and that's why we had a contract waiting for him upon his arrival."
I have gone on record in defending Graves' decision to allow David Boston to become an unrestricted free agent...the logic I gleaned from this scenario was twofold: (1) Boston was giving clear-cut signals that he did not want to stay in Arizona...and that holding another player hostage with the f-tag could possibly do more harm than good; (2) that the money it would take to sign a couple of draft picks in return if the team was able to f-tag and trade Boston, could easily be targeted toward free agency instead. Draft picks are a moot point if the team can use the money to sign established NFL players instead.
What I didn't know when I was defending Graves a couple of weeks ago was that he would enter free agency (having more cap space at his disposal than any other GM in the league) with a whimper and not a bang. He told us he has a clear-cut plan...and now he tells us that it takes an extra 48 hours after a free agent visits to gather all the apporpriate information in order to decide whether the free agent is worthy of an offer from the club. To me this is like sitting on three timeouts with the game on the line while precious seconds tick away. Mac was not preapred for that situation . And clearly, Graves is not prepared for free agency. His plan is not clear-cut. If his so-called plan was, interviews would be a moot point.
What Graves doesn't seem to understand is what exactly it is going to take to sign free agents. The preparation HAS to be done in advance...not following a perfunctory interview. One of his peers, Daniel Snyder, seems to get it. He and the Redskins did their homework...they targeted the players they wanted...and came forward with offers, not interviews and discussions.
How does a GM prepare for free agency? There are many aspects to it, but the most simple steps are: (1) reviewing tape on the available free agents; (2) calling around the league to coaches and players for character references; (3) contacting the agents to determine what the asking prices are...answers to those three questions should enable a GM to decide right then and there whether to make a serious and committed effort to sign the player.
Take Roosevelt Colvin, for example. Watching tape of his play, it's clear that this young man is one of the best edge rushers in the game. There is indisputible evidence of Colvin's pass rushing prowess and his sack numbers corroborate the evidence. Mac knows enough people close to the Bears who could give him the heads up on Colvin's character (if he didn't know already)...in fact, Mac could have asked some of the Chicago coaches at the Senior Bowl. There's nothing to suggest that Colvin is a headcase or an attitude problem. Thirdly, even if one didn't ask Colvin's agent what Colvin's contract demands are, a GM could easily assess Colvin's market value and work from there.
If the Cardinals had done their homework on Colvin, why wouldn't they make a contract proposal (pending a physical, which is protocol anyway) at midnight on February 28th? Why instead do they choose to wait for Colvin to come to town...and even worse, wait for 48 hours afterward to finally offer him a contract?...knowing fully well that in that interim Colvin could easily sign with a more aggressive suitor.
If the Cardinals really want Colvin, is it likely that they would have to outbid all other suitors? Yes. Positively, yes. We all know the reasons why. Would it be wise for them to do so? Yes. Positively, yes. Why? Because if the Cardinals have any hope of generating a pass rush next year, they have to go out and get pass rushers. Right now there is not one, I repeat, not one, bona fide pass rushing threat on the roster. Pass rushers are rare commodities in this league and will always command lucrative salaries. Can the Cardinals afford to overpay for Colvin? With $34M of cap space, there never has been a better time.
Had the Cardinals wowed Colvin with a great offer and signed him last weekend, not only would they have made an early statement to the rest of the NFL, they would have improved their chances of signing Colvin's college teammate DE Chike Okeafor and a safety in Dexter Jackson who thrives on having a pass rush in front of him. Now maybe as a bonus DT John Thornton gets excited...and the defense has been immediately upgraded. We'd be hearing from all these guys how psyched they are to play for a motivator like Dave McGinnis.
Instead...new episodes of "48 Hours Investigates"...same ol' same ol'...
In conclusion, do any of you feel embarrassed when ESPN reports..."The Cardinals were very impressed with their interview with Kordell Stewart...but no contract has been offered?" It's an absurd way of doing business...and it certainly doesn't give anyone an indication that the Cardinals have a clear-cut plan. All it further suggests is that the Cardinals, as usual, aren't all that sure of what they are doing. And, make no mistake about it. They aren't. A clear-cut plan is manifested when a club avows..."this is our guy...this is the player we have wanted all along...and that's why we had a contract waiting for him upon his arrival."