RugbyMuffin
ASFN IDOL
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- Apr 30, 2003
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Say what you want, and be critical to that higher standard, I respect that out of Cardinals fans, but if you ask this fan, this was a pretty impressive offseason.
Will the moves result in the accumulation of talent that lets this current team compete, and maybe even grab a wildcard spot this year ?
We will see. A new system, and a new coach can produce different results out of players that have been on this roster since the old regime both good and bad, and the same can be said about players brought in, via the draft, and free agency. Again, we will see.
Yet, on paper? What more do you want out of your GM and front office ?
1. QB: Not really a question to start off with but.......
To go from nothing, literally nothing on the roster, going into the offseason, to keeping the status quo, where one can argue Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon is pretty close to the old combination of Carson Palmer & Drew Stanton. Oh yeah, then the draft happened and the Cardinals finally got a legit quarterback of the future in Josh Rosen. Keim, at lest as it stands today could be a wise guy about it and walk around the NFL events saying, "Why all the fuss about finding quarterbacks in this league, that was pretty easy!" On paper, this was as good an offseason of obtaining quarterback talent, as you are going to see.
2. RB: Currently five running backs on the roster.....technically four....uh, we good?
True, there is always a veteran you can pick up at any time. Right now, the Cardinals are relying on David Johnson, Chase Edmunds, DJ Foster, and TJ Logan. Elijiah Penny is technically a RB/FB/TE/ST. So, the question here is ........uh, we good ? It will be interesting to see how this plays out in camp.
3. WR: Can Brice Butler be a #3 WR, and play on the outside? Can Chad Williams produce anything?
Again, on paper, this looks OK. Butler looks the part of a player that can play on the outside at wide receiver. Big, fast, tall.....looks the part, but there is nothing in his past that says he will produce. Then there is a Chad Williams, a very raw rookie from last year, can he step up ? If the Christian Kirk hype is real, and Larry Fitzgerald can produce in the new system (this is no longer the Arians system that those older vets thrived in, remember), and either Williams, or Butler can produce then we are good here. Should also say JJ Nelson as your 5th wide receiver is a nice thing, and a good role for him. Yet, this position is the biggest boom or bust position. They can be good, or they could be horrendous.
4. TE: With Gresham hurt, who is going to play tight end ?
This is one of the few positions where I see some real competition that would result in a roster spot on the final 53, a spot on the active 45, and a chance to start on the field. Ricky Seals-Jones will have to build on last season and not regress. Then until Jermaine Gresham comes back, who ? There are a good number of tight ends on the roster, but a lot of question marks. Bryce Williams looks the part, but again, there is a reason he has not been out on a NFL football field on Sundays.
5. Defensive End Depth: ????
Benson Mayowa. I guess this guy is slated to rotate in with Chandler Jones, and Marcus Golden ? Jones and Golden are a fierce duo, at least in this fans opinion. But, then the depth seems to fall off a cliff. I cannot even tell you who I think has a shot here because.......well, there is really no one that looks like they will be able to handle this position. If one player makes the roster, and they use Olsen Pierre at defensive end here and there, I would not be surprised, but that is less than optimal. Definitely, still a few veterans out there, but ........yeah, not much here.
6. Linebackers: The weak link ?
Agreed, we are long past the days of Dick Butkus playing MLB in a 4-3. I like Josh Bynes, and I am happy he is on this roster. I would like to see him playing SILB for this roster, and have a stud MLB but that is not going to happen. Bynes is going to play MLB, Deone Bucannon is going to play WILB for 8+mil dollars this year, and Haason Reddick is going BACK to linebacker and playing SILB. After that....who? I am not a big fan of Reddick and Bucannon in a 4-3. Reddick because he is more of an athlete than a football player, and he didn't show much last year...even as a rookie. Bucannon? I have grown tired of him getting de-cleated in the run game. He allows for HUGE holes to open in the run game. Our defensive coordinator is an ex-linebackers coach, so is it up to him to coach up what we have, and what we have is not much. I am calling this group the weak link for this team this year.
7. Defensive backs: Marcus Williams a cornerback, a safety, or nickel back? Maybe all three ?
Well, if you are going to say that Tyrann Mathieu is not worth the salary he was going to get, and you supported letting him go, then much like this fan, you are going to have to live with Marcus Williams being your nickel back, or at least that is the plan right now. When Wilks talked about players who could possibly play the CB#2 position, before they traded for Jamar Taylor, he didn't mention Williams. Why? Well, I think the plan is that Williams plays the nickel back position, and a little bit of safety. He has done it in the past, and is the reason he was signed, IMHO. Does that put Brandon Williams' roster spot in jeopardy? I dunno, but he is definitely on the bubble. I think the forgotten man, Rudy Ford will stick for special teams purposes. I feel there are only two true safeties on the team, I would really like for a guy like Tre Boston to come in, but Wilks has worked with Boston before, so is that good or bad ? There is some veteran's out there to kick the tires on, but is it needed ? We will see. A lot of people are saying Wilks can coach up players in the secondary......well, maybe the plan is to find one out of what they have.
To add a little more to this topic, I am impressed with how the Cardinals re-vamped the cornerback position, the depth looks much better than season's past. While I like Tramon Williams better than Jamar Taylor (a trade I liked, BTW), and I am perfectly fine seeing what Marcus Williams can bring to the table as a replacement for Mathieu, it is Bene Benwikere, and Christian Campbell that I like in replacing Justin Bethel, and possibly Brandon Williams. One last thing, it is too bad that Tyvon Branch is just too injury plagued to make it in the NFL anymore. He would have been a nice asset this year.
Here is my roster breakdown:
1- Sam Bradford
2- Mike Glennon
3- Josh Rosen
4- David Johnson
5- Chase Edmunds ?
6- TJ Logan
7- DJ Foster?
8- Derrick Coleman
9- Larry Fitzgerald
10- Christian Kirk
11- Brice Butler
12- Chad Williams
13- JJ Nelson
14- Jermaine Gresham [Inj.]
15- Ricky Seals-Jones
16- ______________?
17- ______________?
18- DJ Humphries
19- Mike Iupati
20- AQ Shipley
21- Justin Pugh
22- Andre Smith
23- John Wetzel
24- Mason Cole
25- _________?
26- _________?
27- Cory Peters
28- Olsen Pierre
29- Robert Nkimdiche
30- _________?
31- Chandler Jones
32- Marcus Golden
33- __________?
34- __________?
35- Josh Bynes
36- Deone Bucannon
37- Haason Reddick
38- ________?
39- ________?
40- ________?
41- Patrick Peterson
42- Jamar Taylor
43- Marcus Williams
44- Bene Benwikere
45- Christian Campbell
46- Antoine Bethea
47- Budda Baker
48- __________?
49- Rudy Ford
50- Phil Dawson
51- Andy Lee
52- Aaron Brewer
53- [Roster Churning Spot]
Bubble Players:
- Elijiah Penny, HB/FB/TE/ST
- DJ Foster, HB
- Evan Boehm, C/G
- Will Holden, T/G
- Korey Cunningham, T
- Rodney Gunter, DT
- Brandon Williams, CB
- Phil Dawson, K
That would be 11 spots that seem to be wide open for the up coming training camp, and 3 of those spots would be on the active 45 come game day.
Call it a rebuild, or a retool, this is a new regime, and the window from the last group has shut. Now it is time to work on opening a new window, and with a player like Josh Rosen on the roster, the potential and hope that comes from that move, well, it is full of excitement toward the future. If it all works out, we could have something here for a decade or more.
Will the moves result in the accumulation of talent that lets this current team compete, and maybe even grab a wildcard spot this year ?
We will see. A new system, and a new coach can produce different results out of players that have been on this roster since the old regime both good and bad, and the same can be said about players brought in, via the draft, and free agency. Again, we will see.
Yet, on paper? What more do you want out of your GM and front office ?
1. QB: Not really a question to start off with but.......
To go from nothing, literally nothing on the roster, going into the offseason, to keeping the status quo, where one can argue Sam Bradford and Mike Glennon is pretty close to the old combination of Carson Palmer & Drew Stanton. Oh yeah, then the draft happened and the Cardinals finally got a legit quarterback of the future in Josh Rosen. Keim, at lest as it stands today could be a wise guy about it and walk around the NFL events saying, "Why all the fuss about finding quarterbacks in this league, that was pretty easy!" On paper, this was as good an offseason of obtaining quarterback talent, as you are going to see.
2. RB: Currently five running backs on the roster.....technically four....uh, we good?
True, there is always a veteran you can pick up at any time. Right now, the Cardinals are relying on David Johnson, Chase Edmunds, DJ Foster, and TJ Logan. Elijiah Penny is technically a RB/FB/TE/ST. So, the question here is ........uh, we good ? It will be interesting to see how this plays out in camp.
3. WR: Can Brice Butler be a #3 WR, and play on the outside? Can Chad Williams produce anything?
Again, on paper, this looks OK. Butler looks the part of a player that can play on the outside at wide receiver. Big, fast, tall.....looks the part, but there is nothing in his past that says he will produce. Then there is a Chad Williams, a very raw rookie from last year, can he step up ? If the Christian Kirk hype is real, and Larry Fitzgerald can produce in the new system (this is no longer the Arians system that those older vets thrived in, remember), and either Williams, or Butler can produce then we are good here. Should also say JJ Nelson as your 5th wide receiver is a nice thing, and a good role for him. Yet, this position is the biggest boom or bust position. They can be good, or they could be horrendous.
4. TE: With Gresham hurt, who is going to play tight end ?
This is one of the few positions where I see some real competition that would result in a roster spot on the final 53, a spot on the active 45, and a chance to start on the field. Ricky Seals-Jones will have to build on last season and not regress. Then until Jermaine Gresham comes back, who ? There are a good number of tight ends on the roster, but a lot of question marks. Bryce Williams looks the part, but again, there is a reason he has not been out on a NFL football field on Sundays.
5. Defensive End Depth: ????
Benson Mayowa. I guess this guy is slated to rotate in with Chandler Jones, and Marcus Golden ? Jones and Golden are a fierce duo, at least in this fans opinion. But, then the depth seems to fall off a cliff. I cannot even tell you who I think has a shot here because.......well, there is really no one that looks like they will be able to handle this position. If one player makes the roster, and they use Olsen Pierre at defensive end here and there, I would not be surprised, but that is less than optimal. Definitely, still a few veterans out there, but ........yeah, not much here.
6. Linebackers: The weak link ?
Agreed, we are long past the days of Dick Butkus playing MLB in a 4-3. I like Josh Bynes, and I am happy he is on this roster. I would like to see him playing SILB for this roster, and have a stud MLB but that is not going to happen. Bynes is going to play MLB, Deone Bucannon is going to play WILB for 8+mil dollars this year, and Haason Reddick is going BACK to linebacker and playing SILB. After that....who? I am not a big fan of Reddick and Bucannon in a 4-3. Reddick because he is more of an athlete than a football player, and he didn't show much last year...even as a rookie. Bucannon? I have grown tired of him getting de-cleated in the run game. He allows for HUGE holes to open in the run game. Our defensive coordinator is an ex-linebackers coach, so is it up to him to coach up what we have, and what we have is not much. I am calling this group the weak link for this team this year.
7. Defensive backs: Marcus Williams a cornerback, a safety, or nickel back? Maybe all three ?
Well, if you are going to say that Tyrann Mathieu is not worth the salary he was going to get, and you supported letting him go, then much like this fan, you are going to have to live with Marcus Williams being your nickel back, or at least that is the plan right now. When Wilks talked about players who could possibly play the CB#2 position, before they traded for Jamar Taylor, he didn't mention Williams. Why? Well, I think the plan is that Williams plays the nickel back position, and a little bit of safety. He has done it in the past, and is the reason he was signed, IMHO. Does that put Brandon Williams' roster spot in jeopardy? I dunno, but he is definitely on the bubble. I think the forgotten man, Rudy Ford will stick for special teams purposes. I feel there are only two true safeties on the team, I would really like for a guy like Tre Boston to come in, but Wilks has worked with Boston before, so is that good or bad ? There is some veteran's out there to kick the tires on, but is it needed ? We will see. A lot of people are saying Wilks can coach up players in the secondary......well, maybe the plan is to find one out of what they have.
To add a little more to this topic, I am impressed with how the Cardinals re-vamped the cornerback position, the depth looks much better than season's past. While I like Tramon Williams better than Jamar Taylor (a trade I liked, BTW), and I am perfectly fine seeing what Marcus Williams can bring to the table as a replacement for Mathieu, it is Bene Benwikere, and Christian Campbell that I like in replacing Justin Bethel, and possibly Brandon Williams. One last thing, it is too bad that Tyvon Branch is just too injury plagued to make it in the NFL anymore. He would have been a nice asset this year.
Here is my roster breakdown:
1- Sam Bradford
2- Mike Glennon
3- Josh Rosen
4- David Johnson
5- Chase Edmunds ?
6- TJ Logan
7- DJ Foster?
8- Derrick Coleman
9- Larry Fitzgerald
10- Christian Kirk
11- Brice Butler
12- Chad Williams
13- JJ Nelson
14- Jermaine Gresham [Inj.]
15- Ricky Seals-Jones
16- ______________?
17- ______________?
18- DJ Humphries
19- Mike Iupati
20- AQ Shipley
21- Justin Pugh
22- Andre Smith
23- John Wetzel
24- Mason Cole
25- _________?
26- _________?
27- Cory Peters
28- Olsen Pierre
29- Robert Nkimdiche
30- _________?
31- Chandler Jones
32- Marcus Golden
33- __________?
34- __________?
35- Josh Bynes
36- Deone Bucannon
37- Haason Reddick
38- ________?
39- ________?
40- ________?
41- Patrick Peterson
42- Jamar Taylor
43- Marcus Williams
44- Bene Benwikere
45- Christian Campbell
46- Antoine Bethea
47- Budda Baker
48- __________?
49- Rudy Ford
50- Phil Dawson
51- Andy Lee
52- Aaron Brewer
53- [Roster Churning Spot]
Bubble Players:
- Elijiah Penny, HB/FB/TE/ST
- DJ Foster, HB
- Evan Boehm, C/G
- Will Holden, T/G
- Korey Cunningham, T
- Rodney Gunter, DT
- Brandon Williams, CB
- Phil Dawson, K
That would be 11 spots that seem to be wide open for the up coming training camp, and 3 of those spots would be on the active 45 come game day.
Call it a rebuild, or a retool, this is a new regime, and the window from the last group has shut. Now it is time to work on opening a new window, and with a player like Josh Rosen on the roster, the potential and hope that comes from that move, well, it is full of excitement toward the future. If it all works out, we could have something here for a decade or more.
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