Visits

[Garthshort]

I know the team has worked out Blaine Gabbert, and had Brooks Reed in for a visit. I'm sure there were others, but don't have any names. Does anyone know?

 

[Snakester]

I read somewhere that Von Miller had a meeting with our GM, but did not work out.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Kenrick Ellis, a guy I like, visited the Cards.

http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Hampton-DT-Kenrick-Ellis-visited-the-Cardinals-today.html

 

[joeshmo]

Note - There could be way more then this. This is just a list of who we know about. It is a list of known visits to the team facility or private workouts at another location.

QB - Scott Riddle - Elon
QB - Blaine Gabbert - Mizzu
QB - Cam Newton - Auburn

FB - Zac Puaga - Colorado

RB - Daniel Thomas - Kansas St.
RB - Ryan Williams - Virginia Tech
RB - Taiwan Jones - Eastern Washington

WR/RB/Return Man - Shaky Smithson - Utah

DE - De'Quan Bowers - Clemson

DT - Kenrick Ellis - Hampton

OLB - Von Miller - Texas A&M
OLB - Brooks Reed - Arizona

ILB - Mario Harvey - Marshall

CB - Patrick Peterson - LSU
CB - Prince Amukamara - Nebraska
CB - Korey Lindsey - Southern Illinois
CB - Buster Skrine - UT-Chattanooga

S - Tommy Irvin - Wofford

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

should we really be looking at a return man with the name Shaky ?

 

[PDXChris]

I have read some great things about Tiawan Jones. Heard like ten teams are targeting him after his pro day.

 

[joeshmo]

I have read some great things about Tiawan Jones. Heard like ten teams are targeting him after his pro day.

Teams are comparing him to Jamaal Charles.

Teams new he was fast, in the 4.3 range but he was skinny 6 footer and only 175lbs, and injury prone becuase of it. When rumored spread that he was at 196 and would still run in the 4.3 range 26 teams showed up to his workout. He did all of that even though he couldnt workout as much as other prospects becuase he was coming off of a fractured foot.

Was a 3rd round grade according to the Draft Advisory commitee, which is why he came out early. Look for him to now go earlier then that most likely now.

 

[WildBB]

Note - There could be way more then this. This is just a list of who we know about. It is a list of known visits to the team facility or private workouts at another location.

QB - Scott Riddle - Elon
QB - Blaine Gabbert - Mizzu
QB - Cam Newton - Auburn

FB - Zac Puaga - Colorado

RB - Daniel Thomas - Kansas St.
RB - Ryan Williams - Virginia Tech
RB - Taiwan Jones - Eastern Washington

WR/RB/Return Man - Shaky Smithson - Utah

DE - De'Quan Bowers - Clemson

DT - Kenrick Ellis - Hampton

OLB - Von Miller - Texas A&M
OLB - Brooks Reed - Arizona

ILB - Mario Harvey - Marshall

CB - Patrick Peterson - LSU
CB - Prince Amukamara - Nebraska
CB - Korey Lindsey - Southern Illinois
CB - Buster Skrine - UT-Chattanooga

S - Tommy Irvin - Wofford

A COUPLE THINGS.


Seems like CB and RB are good possibilities in this draft.

Anyone notice, No OL?! And at the combine the Cards were linked with having interest in a few OLmen.

Is there legitimate interest in Bowers? At this point prob. only in a trade down senario. I think he'll be a solid pass rusher at the NFL level.

 

[JeffGollin]

A COUPLE THINGS.


Seems like CB and RB are good possibilities in this draft.

Anyone notice, No OL?! And at the combine the Cards were linked with having interest in a few OLmen.

Is there legitimate interest in Bowers? At this point prob. only in a trade down senario. I think he'll be a solid pass rusher at the NFL level.

In the past, the Cards have brought in well-known guys when they wanted to fill in missing info about a kid. They'd also interview a few "below the radar" guys (for example Jefferson) who invariably wind up on the roster.

Bottom line - I wouldn't read too much into the well-known guys we're bringing in and the positions they play: There have been instances where players we've picked fairly high never visited or were interviewed (the team presumably knew all they had to know about the prospect).

With the exceptions of Fairley (whose workout & Newton's was watched by Wiz) and Darius (whom Wiz had nice things to say about recently) you'll find a pretty serious Top 4 list of players interviewed - consisting of Miller, Peterson, Gabbert & Newton. (Include Fairley and Darius and you have a Top 6).

Add to this top 4 - 6 echelon a couple of marginal guys like Amukamara and, yes, Bowers and you're left with the impression that the Cards explored every reasonable BPA option open to them at #5 - or even #7 or 8 if they traded down a few notches.

The thing about Bower would have to include how the Cardinal docs feel about that knee. And when you pick as high as #5, "not knowing" is almost as bad as "knowing bad stuff" - i.e. the risk is considerable and maybe not worth it.

The intriguing "under the radar" names on this list include: Ellis, Skrine, T Jones & Smithson (with Reed no longer a no-name). Those are the guys I'd keep an eye on as potential mid to late round or UDFA pickups.

I'm not sure about the RB's - unless the Cards received an intriguing trade offer for either Beanie or THT - or are concerned they won't have Wright back.

 

[joeshmo]

A COUPLE THINGS.


Seems like CB and RB are good possibilities in this draft.

Anyone notice, No OL?! And at the combine the Cards were linked with having interest in a few OLmen.

Is there legitimate interest in Bowers? At this point prob. only in a trade down senario. I think he'll be a solid pass rusher at the NFL level.

Note, that we could have worked out some OL. Its just that no name has been released yet.

I do know Cards spent a lot of time with the OL groups at the senior bowl, both during and after practices.

 

[juza76]

strange we didnt have offensive lineman visits. on arizonacardinls.com i watch a video where the coach ,graves and kleim were interviewing james brewer , will rackley and danny watkins

 

[Stout]

Shaky for return man!

 

[john h]

I know the team has worked out Blaine Gabbert, and had Brooks Reed in for a visit. I'm sure there were others, but don't have any names. Does anyone know?

As we approach the draft there are several considerations that will influence who we take. First, IMHO, is are we drafting for the future or for the present? Personally, I do not think it matters one bit where we will finish the coming season based on who we draft. Anyway you look at it I think we are at best an 8-8 team. With that in mind I suggest we draft for the future. What is our biggest need for the future? It has to be a QB. Are any of the QB's worthy of a top 5 pick? I think so. I put Gabbert at the top of that list. Any QB is always a gamble but a team must be willing to gamble if they are ever to find a QB in the draft. Gabbert may be gone when we pick. If that is the case I would think Von Miller is an excellent choice. Then we look for a QB in round 2. I think that QB is Ryan Mallet. He could also be gone and if that is the case then I look at the Alabama QB or Jake Locker. We must draft a possible QB for the future. We cannot go into next year with only Skelton as a possible QBOTF or else we have set the course for some years to come and that course is failure.

If Von Miller is gone and Gabbert is gone then I take a good look at Peterson or the best DLB available at #5, if he is in fact a value pick at that position.

The Cards are a very difficult team to gauge when it comes to the draft. No one knows now or in the past who makes the draft call for the Cards?. Is it Graves, Whiz, Bidwills? Must they all agree? how much does money figure into all this? Is Mr. B the final man to approve? When you do not even know who is making the call it is hard to make a prediction? Do the Cards have a long range plan (2-4 years out)? Most teams would but not necessarily our team. When we continuously let our good players walk with no return it is difficult to have a long range plan? Fitz is a good example. How many think he will still be here next year if we finish 8-8 with some cast off QB running the team? He will not be here and he is the face of the Cards. The best player on the team. It will be another case of us losing our best. First Boldin and now most likely Fitz. Breaston is no lock to stay either. You cannot put together a winning team like this. Our team lacks organization. We operate as the Bidwills see fit. Winning is secondary to profits. These guys probably do not understand a Chain of Command or a Job Description or Goals.

I am not one who generally prefers to draft the best player available. Up to a point. In the Cards case this may not be a bad strategy as you can usually come close to evaluating who the best players are and not make a dumb selection. I doubt the Cards have a set strategy.

What we need seems so clear to me that I would not have to think twice. Our need is not for this year but for years to come. The QB is where a team starts and ends. If you do no have a good one then nothing else really matters. If we do not draft Gabbert then I have no problem dropping down to round 2 and taking Mallet or even Locker. No matter what, we must draft a QB in some round who we think has the potential to be a QBOTF. I see post everyday that none of the QB's have that potential. Nearly every draft that philosophy turns out to be wrong. If you follow that you will never have a good QB. There will be a QBOTF in this draft. He may be in round 1 or round 5 but he will be there.

 

[john h]

A COUPLE THINGS.


Seems like CB and RB are good possibilities in this draft.

Anyone notice, No OL?! And at the combine the Cards were linked with having interest in a few OLmen.

Is there legitimate interest in Bowers? At this point prob. only in a trade down senario. I think he'll be a solid pass rusher at the NFL level.

I saw a reputable draft board today that had the Cards selecting Bowers with our #5. Did the Bidwill klan and Whiz visit any other player in his own city other than Gabbert? If not then pay attention. "Watch what I do. Not what I say". I think Gabbert is likely gone when we pick and I am now definitely off of Newton after watching his interviews with Gruden this week. He got a 19 on his Wonderlic which is average but I do have serious concerns about him learning a big NFL play book and transmitting that info in the huddle to his team. Apparently the Auburn play book is like a high school play book. Very simple for a QB running out of the gun. If the guy is open on the play called you throw to him. If not, then you tuck in the ball and run for a TD.

 

[JeffGollin]

Did the Bidwill klan and Whiz visit any other player in his own city other than Gabbert? If not then pay attention.

Yes. Fairley (same team - a couple of NFLN anncrs consider him better than Dareus).

We can read between the lines as much as we want (i.e. monitor Pro Day visits, team interviews, "reputable mocks" etc.) but, in the end, all we're likely to learn is that the team is doing due-diligence on the top 10 players plus a small number of lower-echelon guys they hope to steal in later rounds.

The probable reason they'd be paying extra attention to top 10 guys instead of top 5 is because they might receive an attractive trade-down offer from teams drafting as far down as Dallas at #9 or Washington at #10 (but not much farther because the blue-chip talent-plateau drops off at or near that point

 

[WildBB]

I saw a reputable draft board today that had the Cards selecting Bowers with our #5. Did the Bidwill klan and Whiz visit any other player in his own city other than Gabbert? If not then pay attention. "Watch what I do. Not what I say". I think Gabbert is likely gone when we pick and I am now definitely off of Newton after watching his interviews with Gruden this week. He got a 19 on his Wonderlic which is average but I do have serious concerns about him learning a big NFL play book and transmitting that info in the huddle to his team. Apparently the Auburn play book is like a high school play book. Very simple for a QB running out of the gun. If the guy is open on the play called you throw to him. If not, then you tuck in the ball and run for a TD.

That actually would be very exciting compared to what we witnessed on the O-side of the ball last season.

 

[CardsFan88]

I have read some great things about Tiawan Jones. Heard like ten teams are targeting him after his pro day.

Well good thing there isn't a team in china then

 

[Monty]

CB - Buster Skrine - UT-Chattanooga

Mentioned it before that I really like this guy as a prospect and would love the Cards to nab him in 5th or so round. I think he is a perfect CB project for the Cards.

 

[Garthshort]

Joeshmo, thanks for the info.

 

[Duckjake]

That actually would be very exciting compared to what we witnessed on the O-side of the ball last season.

No kidding: our playbook was "if the guy is open on the play you called you overthrow him. If not, tuck the ball and get sacked."

 

[JeffGollin]

Apparently the Auburn play book is like a high school play book. Very simple for a QB running out of the gun. If the guy is open on the play called you throw to him. If not, then you tuck in the ball and run for a TD...
Begs the question -

"If it works in college, why wouldn't it work in the pros?"

Who's to say that teams with athletically gifted athletes like Vick, Young, Newton or Kaepernick couldn't run a simplified zone-read spread offense if they had the right athletes to execute it?

The NFL is considered famous for having a "follow the leader" herd mentality that does not encourage very much innovation.

If more and more high school and college teams are concluding that they have a better chance of winning by utilizing athletic triple-threat QB's and K.I.S.S. play-calling and offensive schemes, I'm wondering out loud whether a few smart NFL teams might decide that the way to make "the transition" (from spread to under-center) much smoother would be to throw out "under-center" snaps altogether and simply adopt the pistol, zone-reads and other college offensive schemes.

 

[CardsFan88]

I guess it's possible, but as far as I know, whatever that means, it seems high schools and college teams are getting much more complex and going towards the pro style offenses, rather than the other way around.

If I had to guess, a good chunk of high school playbooks are equal to complexity as college playbooks in the ~90's. At least a major evolution in Arizona high school playbooks seems to have occurred from my eyes, and from my friends mouth (who is a high school freshman assistant from a fairly good arizona high school).

 

[perivolaki]

Apparently the Auburn play book is like a high school play book. Very simple for a QB running out of the gun. If the guy is open on the play called you throw to him. If not, then you tuck in the ball and run for a TD...
Begs the question -

"If it works in college, why wouldn't it work in the pros?"

Because you'd get your quarterback killed in the NFL.

 

[Cards Czar]

Note - There could be way more then this. This is just a list of who we know about. It is a list of known visits to the team facility or private workouts at another location.

QB - Scott Riddle - Elon
QB - Blaine Gabbert - Mizzu
QB - Cam Newton - Auburn

FB - Zac Puaga - Colorado

RB - Daniel Thomas - Kansas St.
RB - Ryan Williams - Virginia Tech
RB - Taiwan Jones - Eastern Washington

WR/RB/Return Man - Shaky Smithson - Utah

DE - De'Quan Bowers - Clemson

DT - Kenrick Ellis - Hampton

OLB - Von Miller - Texas A&M
OLB - Brooks Reed - Arizona

ILB - Mario Harvey - Marshall

CB - Patrick Peterson - LSU
CB - Prince Amukamara - Nebraska
CB - Korey Lindsey - Southern Illinois
CB - Buster Skrine - UT-Chattanooga

S - Tommy Irvin - Wofford

Here are some more to add:

Antoine "Shaky" Smithson: http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Utah-WR-Antoine-Smithston-to-visit-Packers-Bears-Cardinals.html

Fordham TE Stephen Skelton: http://www.kffl.com/team/6/nfl/arizona-cardinals#ixzz1JnX2gpYK

CB Johnny Patrick CB also was in to visit the Cardinals.

Hampton defensive lineman Kenrick Ellis:
http://www.nationalfootballpost.com...lis-visited-the-Cardinals-today.html&team=147

 

[joeshmo]

Fordham TE Stephen Skelton: http://www.kffl.com/team/6/nfl/arizona-cardinals#ixzz1JnX2gpYK

Our QB Skeltons brother. Was his number one target his Senior year at Fordham. They definitely have a chemistry. Would be worth 7th rounder or UDFA contract.