Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
This shapes up to be a very interesting off-season for the teams in the NFC West.
One of the main reasons why the division has been so poor in recent years is that besides Kurt Warner, the quarterbacking in the division has been weak. Now that Kurt Warner has retired each team finds itself in somewhat of a quandary as to how to move forward at the QB postion.
The good news for the Cardinals is that no other team in the division has a clear-cut QBOF in place.
In San Francisco, they decided to change the philosophy of their offense by stressing the passing game more, and thus turned the reins over to Alex Smith. ESPN Blogger Mike Sando opined today that Smith cannot be counted on as of yet, and based on Smith's uneven results last year, Sando's comment has merit. The question is: if not Smith, who can they turn to?
In Seattle, Matt Hasselbeck, once the premier QB in the division has struggled through tough injuries and coaching changes. It's possible that if he can stay healthy this year he can put together a sweet swan song. But, ideally Seattle would probably be much better off getting the QBOF in place and playing him as much as they can this year. Seneca Wallace is a nice change of pace #2, but he is not the QBOF.
In St. Louis, Marc Bulger's play has steadily declined over the past few years. Apparently he is going to be released, and there has been talk that Steve Spagnuolo is interested in trading for Mike Vick. Mike Vick is at best a stop gap measure until the team has a QBOF.
The Cardinals have been grooming Matt Leinart in the hopes that he is the QBOF now that Kurt Warner is retired. As Sando has repeatedly pointed out, the jury is still out on Leinart, and there's the issue of his contract which would need to be settled one way or another after this year.
What also has been a concern for any of the NFC West QBs the past few years is the sub par pass protection they've received. Good quarterbacking obviously often goes hand in hand with good protection. Warner got just enough of it in Arizona to be able to light up the scoreboard. In San Francisco, Seattle and St. Louis their pass protection didn't help their QBs stay healthy (Hasselbeck, Bulger) or consistently effective (Smith).
The interesing thing about this upcoming draft is that potentially all three of the Cardinals' division rivals have a chance to secure their QBOF...that is if one believes that Oklahoma's Sam Bradford and Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen are legitimate QBOFs.
I believe both of them are.
I am not sure there is another QB in this draft who is. In fact, I'm inclined to think there isn't. Maybe some decent borderline starters and #2s, but that's about it.
Further compounding matters is that both St. Louis and Seattle passed on Mark Sanchez last year...which both organizations now likely regret. Not to say T Jason Smith and LB Aaron Curry aren't good players...but realistically neither of those players is going to turn the franchise back into a winner as much as a QBOF will.
Look at it this way...last year the Lions sitting at number one were pondering taking Aaron Curry who was by all accounts virtually every pundit's clear-cut choice as the #1 can't miss prospect in the draft. The Lions were also enamored with T Eugene Monroe. Then there were all the question marks about QB Matthew Stafford.
The Lions did the absolute right thing by drafting Stafford. Their QBOF actually got excellent experience in his first year and he showed some talent at the QB position Lions' fans haven't seen in some time. In essence he, more than any other player, has given Lions' fans a new reason to hope.
The bottom line is the Detroit Lions are a year coser to winning because they have their QBOF already in place.
Look at the New York Jets who gave up a lot to trade up to #5 to snatch QB Mark Sanchez out of thin air. They have their QBOF in place and have already made it to an AFC Championship game, thanks to a swarming defense, a good running game and solid young quarterbacking.
If you are a Lions' or Jets' fan these days, you have to be feeling great about the team's prospects for the next decade. Yes, even the lowly Lions have to feel that way, because the Cardinals proved that with a hot QB a rare trip to play in the Super Bowl is possible.
The thing is: even when young QBOFs struggle at least as a fan you know it's all for climbing the learning curve and it should pay great dividends in years to come.
Today I was reading in Sando's blog that Steve Spagnuolo appears adamant about building the team on the interior lines first. That's Bill Parcells' old mantra and yes there's credence to that philosophy...but Bill Parcells had a QBOF in Phil Simms to groom while he was building up the lines.
Apparently Spagnuolo is going to take DT Ndamukong Suh or DT Gerald McCoy with the #1 pick, despite the fact that he does not have a QBOF.
Maybe Spagnuolo isn't sold on Bradford or Clausen. OK...but I will say this, Bradford actually might have been the Lions' choice last year had Bradford come out. And what Clausen did this past year throwing for over 3,000 yards and 28 TDs versus a mere 4 interceptions, was simply remarkable.
Beyond Bradford and Clausen the dropoff looks very steep. The Rams could gamble on a Jevan Snead at the top of round 2...but he threw 20 interceptions in college last year and there are questions about his maturity.
As a Cardinals' fan, I will honestly admit, I would be thrilled to see the Rams pass on a QBOF again. We can double team Suh if we have to, but a hot QB is much harder to stop...especially year after year within the division.
Now get this...the Rams also have to realize that by passing on Bradford or Clausen they are most likely assuring that one of them will be a Seahawk an hour or so later.
The Lions (#2), Bucs (#3) and Chiefs (#5) already have their QBOFs in place. And with Suh, McCoy, and Berry on the board the Lions and Bucs would probably not even be tempted to trade down. The Chiefs might...for the #5 spot was the hot "trade up for a QBOF" spot in last year's draft...but more on that in a sec.
At #4, Mike Shanahan is going to take Bradford or Clausen. Shanahan knows the sooner he has his QBOF in place, the sooner the Redskins' future will look bright. So, that takes care of one of them.
Now if the Chiefs stay put they will have a choice between one of the two great DTs Suh or McCoy (if the Bucs take FS Eric Berry), FS Eric Berry (if the 2 DTs go back to back) or T Russell Okung (whom most pundits think they covet).
Thus the #5 spot becomes white hot...it may force Pete Carroll, if he worries about getting trumped out of drafting one of these two QBs, to trade both of his 1st rounders (#6 & #14) to move up one spot. In that scenario the Chiefs would love it because they would still get their guy and have another 1st rounder. Actually the Chiefs might be inclined to accept the #6 and Seattle's early 2nd rounder. But the Seahawks would still have to surrender a high pick.
Enter the possibility of the 49ers moving up to #5 by offering their two first round picks (#13 & #16). The Niners could be players in this as well and jump right ahead of Pete Carroll. It would be a bold move...but it could be the move to secure the only QBOF in the division and what could eventually be a string of NFC West Titles.
The Chiefs could come out of that deal (#13 and #16) with one of the top tackles...like an Anthony Davis and come away with WR Dez Bryant or WR Golden Tate in addition....and wouldn't have to pay top five $$$.
Thus, I am hoping the Rams go DT and Pete gets trumped.
Regardless, what do you think the Cardinals should do about their QB situation?
Sure, it would ideal if Leinart emerges to the head of the QB class in the NFC West. But, what if he falters? This is a one year make or break deal, so there is a lot riding on this one year. If Leinart falters or gets hurt (God forbid), what is your Plan B?
One of the main reasons why the division has been so poor in recent years is that besides Kurt Warner, the quarterbacking in the division has been weak. Now that Kurt Warner has retired each team finds itself in somewhat of a quandary as to how to move forward at the QB postion.
The good news for the Cardinals is that no other team in the division has a clear-cut QBOF in place.
In San Francisco, they decided to change the philosophy of their offense by stressing the passing game more, and thus turned the reins over to Alex Smith. ESPN Blogger Mike Sando opined today that Smith cannot be counted on as of yet, and based on Smith's uneven results last year, Sando's comment has merit. The question is: if not Smith, who can they turn to?
In Seattle, Matt Hasselbeck, once the premier QB in the division has struggled through tough injuries and coaching changes. It's possible that if he can stay healthy this year he can put together a sweet swan song. But, ideally Seattle would probably be much better off getting the QBOF in place and playing him as much as they can this year. Seneca Wallace is a nice change of pace #2, but he is not the QBOF.
In St. Louis, Marc Bulger's play has steadily declined over the past few years. Apparently he is going to be released, and there has been talk that Steve Spagnuolo is interested in trading for Mike Vick. Mike Vick is at best a stop gap measure until the team has a QBOF.
The Cardinals have been grooming Matt Leinart in the hopes that he is the QBOF now that Kurt Warner is retired. As Sando has repeatedly pointed out, the jury is still out on Leinart, and there's the issue of his contract which would need to be settled one way or another after this year.
What also has been a concern for any of the NFC West QBs the past few years is the sub par pass protection they've received. Good quarterbacking obviously often goes hand in hand with good protection. Warner got just enough of it in Arizona to be able to light up the scoreboard. In San Francisco, Seattle and St. Louis their pass protection didn't help their QBs stay healthy (Hasselbeck, Bulger) or consistently effective (Smith).
The interesing thing about this upcoming draft is that potentially all three of the Cardinals' division rivals have a chance to secure their QBOF...that is if one believes that Oklahoma's Sam Bradford and Notre Dame's Jimmy Clausen are legitimate QBOFs.
I believe both of them are.
I am not sure there is another QB in this draft who is. In fact, I'm inclined to think there isn't. Maybe some decent borderline starters and #2s, but that's about it.
Further compounding matters is that both St. Louis and Seattle passed on Mark Sanchez last year...which both organizations now likely regret. Not to say T Jason Smith and LB Aaron Curry aren't good players...but realistically neither of those players is going to turn the franchise back into a winner as much as a QBOF will.
Look at it this way...last year the Lions sitting at number one were pondering taking Aaron Curry who was by all accounts virtually every pundit's clear-cut choice as the #1 can't miss prospect in the draft. The Lions were also enamored with T Eugene Monroe. Then there were all the question marks about QB Matthew Stafford.
The Lions did the absolute right thing by drafting Stafford. Their QBOF actually got excellent experience in his first year and he showed some talent at the QB position Lions' fans haven't seen in some time. In essence he, more than any other player, has given Lions' fans a new reason to hope.
The bottom line is the Detroit Lions are a year coser to winning because they have their QBOF already in place.
Look at the New York Jets who gave up a lot to trade up to #5 to snatch QB Mark Sanchez out of thin air. They have their QBOF in place and have already made it to an AFC Championship game, thanks to a swarming defense, a good running game and solid young quarterbacking.
If you are a Lions' or Jets' fan these days, you have to be feeling great about the team's prospects for the next decade. Yes, even the lowly Lions have to feel that way, because the Cardinals proved that with a hot QB a rare trip to play in the Super Bowl is possible.
The thing is: even when young QBOFs struggle at least as a fan you know it's all for climbing the learning curve and it should pay great dividends in years to come.
Today I was reading in Sando's blog that Steve Spagnuolo appears adamant about building the team on the interior lines first. That's Bill Parcells' old mantra and yes there's credence to that philosophy...but Bill Parcells had a QBOF in Phil Simms to groom while he was building up the lines.
Apparently Spagnuolo is going to take DT Ndamukong Suh or DT Gerald McCoy with the #1 pick, despite the fact that he does not have a QBOF.
Maybe Spagnuolo isn't sold on Bradford or Clausen. OK...but I will say this, Bradford actually might have been the Lions' choice last year had Bradford come out. And what Clausen did this past year throwing for over 3,000 yards and 28 TDs versus a mere 4 interceptions, was simply remarkable.
Beyond Bradford and Clausen the dropoff looks very steep. The Rams could gamble on a Jevan Snead at the top of round 2...but he threw 20 interceptions in college last year and there are questions about his maturity.
As a Cardinals' fan, I will honestly admit, I would be thrilled to see the Rams pass on a QBOF again. We can double team Suh if we have to, but a hot QB is much harder to stop...especially year after year within the division.
Now get this...the Rams also have to realize that by passing on Bradford or Clausen they are most likely assuring that one of them will be a Seahawk an hour or so later.
The Lions (#2), Bucs (#3) and Chiefs (#5) already have their QBOFs in place. And with Suh, McCoy, and Berry on the board the Lions and Bucs would probably not even be tempted to trade down. The Chiefs might...for the #5 spot was the hot "trade up for a QBOF" spot in last year's draft...but more on that in a sec.
At #4, Mike Shanahan is going to take Bradford or Clausen. Shanahan knows the sooner he has his QBOF in place, the sooner the Redskins' future will look bright. So, that takes care of one of them.
Now if the Chiefs stay put they will have a choice between one of the two great DTs Suh or McCoy (if the Bucs take FS Eric Berry), FS Eric Berry (if the 2 DTs go back to back) or T Russell Okung (whom most pundits think they covet).
Thus the #5 spot becomes white hot...it may force Pete Carroll, if he worries about getting trumped out of drafting one of these two QBs, to trade both of his 1st rounders (#6 & #14) to move up one spot. In that scenario the Chiefs would love it because they would still get their guy and have another 1st rounder. Actually the Chiefs might be inclined to accept the #6 and Seattle's early 2nd rounder. But the Seahawks would still have to surrender a high pick.
Enter the possibility of the 49ers moving up to #5 by offering their two first round picks (#13 & #16). The Niners could be players in this as well and jump right ahead of Pete Carroll. It would be a bold move...but it could be the move to secure the only QBOF in the division and what could eventually be a string of NFC West Titles.
The Chiefs could come out of that deal (#13 and #16) with one of the top tackles...like an Anthony Davis and come away with WR Dez Bryant or WR Golden Tate in addition....and wouldn't have to pay top five $$$.
Thus, I am hoping the Rams go DT and Pete gets trumped.
Regardless, what do you think the Cardinals should do about their QB situation?
Sure, it would ideal if Leinart emerges to the head of the QB class in the NFC West. But, what if he falters? This is a one year make or break deal, so there is a lot riding on this one year. If Leinart falters or gets hurt (God forbid), what is your Plan B?
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