Wendell Bryant Impact in 2005

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I wonder if we can unload him on the Brocos for a seventh-round draft pick. They seem to be stockpiling squandered first-rounders on the defensive line.

2002 Draft Listing. Man, what a crappy draft that was. There really was nobody for the Cards to pick. People will cry "Jeremy Shockey!", but the guy really hasn't done anything in the three seasons that he's been in the league besides be a distraction and underachiever. Albert Haynesworth has been good in Tennessee, but does anyone really think that Mac and Mean Joe Green would have been able to control him in AZ?

The next solid player who was taken after Dwight Freeney at#11 overall was Javon Walker (#20), and he didn't start to come on until this season. Remember: Freeney was considered a BIG reach.

If hindsight was 20/20...

1. Ed Reed
2. Clinton Portis
3. Akin Ayodele
3b. Alex Brown
4. Andra Davis
5. Rocky Bernard
6. Jeb Putzier
7. Ronald Curry

Of course with Mac coaching these guys Reed would probably be pre-2004 Adrian Wilson and Alex Brown would be the Darwin Walker of the Mac era.

 

[kerouac9]

If hindsight was 20/20...

1. Ed Reed
2. Clinton Portis
3. Akin Ayodele
3b. Alex Brown
4. Andra Davis
5. Rocky Bernard
6. Jeb Putzier
7. Ronald Curry

Of course with Mac coaching these guys Reed would probably be pre-2004 Adrian Wilson and Alex Brown would be the Calvin Pace of the 21st century.

For real. This is a fun off-season exercise: Hindsight drafting!

1. Javon Walker, WR (Wouldn't it have been nice to have a WR with some experience heading into the 2003 season?)
2. Clinton Portis, RB
3a. Josh McCown, QB (he really is the best player taken in the third round of this draft--Marquis Walker and Eric Crouch went in this round--BTW for those Jones pushers, he could just as well turn out to be Eric Crouch)
3b. Brian Williams, DB (Started at CB for the Vikes last season)
4. Randy McMichael, TE (Man, remember Nate Dwyer? Neither do I.)
5. Aaron Kampmann, DE
6. Chester Taylor, RB
7. Ronald Curry, WR/QB...EDIT: No, wait, with Mac in charge, he'd still be a QB. I change my vote to David Givens, WR.

 

[spanky1]

I can't understand people who wish the worse on others. What has Wendall Bryant done to you? Sure he hasn't lived up to his draft status, but why do you wish he ends up being cut and "selling hamburgers" as some of you would like.

For me, I'd like to see the kid pull himself up by the socks and try and become the best that he can be.

I'd bet that every one of you Bryant bashers were also Adrian Wilson bashers....and probably McCown bashers as well. Give young players with talent a decent chance to learn the game...........

 

[arthurracoon]

If the reports about him working out are true, I think he could make the team, and be a part of the DT rotation.

 

[LittleDavis]

I'll step out on a limb. I voted that he will enter the rotation. Next year he will be a starter. The kid is only 24. He still has potential and the reports have him working out at Cards headquarters long before offseason workouts began. I am an optimist. GOOOOOOOO CARDSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

 

[MaoTosiFanClub]

I'd bet that every one of you Bryant bashers were also Adrian Wilson bashers....and probably McCown bashers as well. Give young players with talent a decent chance to learn the game...........

I was a Wilson basher but I also realized that he was under the watch of an awful coaching staff. Notice how he played at a near Pro Bowl level once regimes changed and was therefore given a nice contract extension. I think every player should have been given a free pass after being coached by Marmie, Mac, and co. to prove themselves under Denny.

Wendell and McClown on the other hand regressed under the watch of actual NFL coaching. Wendell's regression is probably due to motivation and physical issues such as being out of shape. Josh just never was nor ever will be any good.

 

[Duckjake]

I was a Wilson basher but I also realized that he was under the watch of an awful coaching staff. Notice how he played at a near Pro Bowl level once regimes changed and was therefore given a nice contract extension. I think every player should have been given a free pass after being coached by Marmie, Mac, and co. to prove themselves under Denny.

Wendell and McClown on the other hand regressed under the watch of actual NFL coaching. Wendell's regression is probably due to motivation and physical issues such as being out of shape. Josh just never was nor ever will be any good.

Huge difference between Wilson and Bryant. Wilson messed up because he was trying too hard to make plays on an awful defense. Bryant messed up because he never tried hard.

Besides the people bashing Wilson were the same fools that bashed Russell Davis and Leonard Davis and thought the Linebackers were the stregth of the team.

 

[kerouac9]

Huge difference between Wilson and Bryant. Wilson messed up because he was trying too hard to make plays on an awful defense. Bryant messed up because he never tried hard.

Besides the people bashing Wilson were the same fools that bashed Russell Davis and Leonard Davis and thought the Linebackers were the stregth of the team.

Not for nothing, but how can you estimate this over nine starts and 29 appearances in three seasons?

Leonard Davis deserved (and maybe still deserves) the bashing. The guy was the #2 overall pick in the NFL draft. Four (I think) of the players picked in the top 7 of that draft have gone to the Pro Bowl at least once (Vick twice, Seymour twice, Tomlinson once, A. Carter once). Sure, he's been better than Gerard Warren, but he hasn't been the dominant player that we were promised. Some of that probably has to do with not trying hard as well.

BTW: Justin Smith? He's had solid numbers the past four seasons (60.5 tackles, 7 sacks, 2.5 passes defensed average), but was he really the #4 overall pick in the 2001 draft? Wow.

OT: How about the value that New Orleans got with Deuce McAllister at 23rd overall?

 

[arizona_cards_11]

I voted for him to make the DT rotation.

He seems like he finally has his head on straight, hopefully he gets things together and makes the team.

I don't know why everyone is bashing him so much?
Why would you want him to fail if he can make the team better?

Many will say we wasted a 1st rd on him, but if he gets things straightened out he may not be a waste after all.

 

[Duckjake]

Not for nothing, but how can you estimate this over nine starts and 29 appearances in three seasons?

That statement proves the point. WBryant had the same opportunities to win the starting job in practice as every other DT on the team. Even more so because he was a first round selection and the team would be giving him the edge in any competition. Yet he couldn't beat out Marcus Bell or Barron Tanner and earns only 9 starts in 3 years. Meanwhile Dockett comes in as a rookie, ticked off at being taken so low in the draft, and lights it up sending Bell and Barron packing.

So Bryant was either not trying or has nowhere near first round talent.

 

[JeffGollin]

I'd bet that every one of you Bryant bashers were also Adrian Wilson bashers....and probably McCown bashers as well.
That's an unfair characterization. Each case is different.

In Bryant's case (a) what we see is what we got and (b) there were reports that Wendell wasn't totally "with the program" when it came to off season conditioning last year.

I was one of those guys who lobbied for us to draft him in the first place and no one wants to see him succeed more than I do (for Wendell's sake but moreso for the team). But he didn't get the job done last year and, therefore, "was what he was." Hopefully, that will change this season - we need help at NT and he could make a big impact.

McCown had a few bright moments last year and also had some he'd no doubt would rather forget. To look at his performance and determine that to automatically hand him the starting job this season might be risky business - is not "bashing him." (He too is what he is).

Adrian took some heat in his first couple of years for not being consistent and playing like a youngster (which he was). Was that bashing? I don't think so (He was what he was). He played much better last season and fans recognized this.

To me, bashing = "consistently criticizing a player regardless of how good or bad he plays." In all of these cases, fans legitimately called it the way they saw it at the time. That's not bashing.

In fact, in some ways it's healthy - it signals our players that there's a greater priority on "results right now" rather than reputation, potential, (fairly or unfairly) gritty effort or extenuating circumstances that might be count in a Miss Congeniality contest but not in terms of W's and L's.

 

[kerouac9]

That statement proves the point. WBryant had the same opportunities to win the starting job in practice as every other DT on the team. Even more so because he was a first round selection and the team would be giving him the edge in any competition. Yet he couldn't beat out Marcus Bell or Barron Tanner and earns only 9 starts in 3 years. Meanwhile Dockett comes in as a rookie, ticked off at being taken so low in the draft, and lights it up sending Bell and Barron packing.

So Bryant was either not trying or has nowhere near first round talent.

See, you can't say that and also say that L.J. Shelton was being kept out of the starting lineup (or Calvin Pace, for that matter) "because he was in the doghouse." Unless you were at the practices, you have no idea how Wendell performed in them. We all know that Mac played wicked favorites with underperforming players, and so it wouldn't be a huge surprise to hear that Bryant was kept off the field under Mac because he liked Davis and Tanner more.

Dockett doesn't even enter into the equation. He plays a totally different position from Bryant (UT v. NT) and I think we all know that Dennis Green was going to start his draft picks come hell or high water.

To say that he wasn't on the field either because "he was not trying or has nowhere near first-round talent" is a gross oversimplification based on little to no facts. I agree that Bryant has underperformed to this point on the field, but it's impossible to say that the reason that he's not on the field is because he has no talent or he's not trying.

 

[football karma]

I am willing to bet $100 that if you go back one year, you will find all sorts of feel good stories and posts about Wendell Bryant finally getting it, and working hard, and being ready to contribute -- and also find quotes where Wendell is saying all the right things etc.

The end result? Practically zip.

I will beleive it when I have seen Wendell producing on the field in the regular season and not a moment before.

 

[arizona_cards_11]

I am willing to bet $100 that if you go back one year, you will find all sorts of feel good stories and posts about Wendell Bryant finally getting it, and working hard, and being ready to contribute -- and also find quotes where Wendell is saying all the right things etc.

The end result? Practically zip.

I will beleive it when I have seen Wendell producing on the field in the regular season and not a moment before.

This could be very true, and you have a legitimate point.
But I am not going to sit here and question his future performance based on the foolish mistakes he made in the past.

 

[Duckjake]

See, you can't say that and also say that L.J. Shelton was being kept out of the starting lineup (or Calvin Pace, for that matter) "because he was in the doghouse." Unless you were at the practices, you have no idea how Wendell performed in them. We all know that Mac played wicked favorites with underperforming players, and so it wouldn't be a huge surprise to hear that Bryant was kept off the field under Mac because he liked Davis and Tanner more.

Dockett doesn't even enter into the equation. He plays a totally different position from Bryant (UT v. NT) and I think we all know that Dennis Green was going to start his draft picks come hell or high water.

To say that he wasn't on the field either because "he was not trying or has nowhere near first-round talent" is a gross oversimplification based on little to no facts. I agree that Bryant has underperformed to this point on the field, but it's impossible to say that the reason that he's not on the field is because he has no talent or he's not trying.

I give up. Your logic is so convoluted and your opinions of who can play and who can't are so far out in left field that it is senseless to debate with you.

 

[sportznutt]

like I said in my first post, I was at a different message board. I'm not trying to get you to go over there, but I am going to post a link to a thread i just found........APPARENTLY from Wendell Bryant's mom........it's funny a but how someone tries to pretend of all things to be Wendell Bryant's mom........she left a phone number as well.........people have problems:

http://mb4.scout.com/fcardinalsfansfrm1.showMessage?topicID=1180.topic

http://mb4.scout.com/fcardinalsfansfrm1.showMessage?topicID=1180.topic&index=5

 

[arizona_cards_11]

Crazy!!!!

 

[Redsz]

Woah. From reading that 'Wendell's Mom' seems to have some serious issues when it comes to men.

 

[LVCARDFREAK]

See, you can't say that and also say that L.J. Shelton was being kept out of the starting lineup (or Calvin Pace, for that matter) "because he was in the doghouse." Unless you were at the practices, you have no idea how Wendell performed in them. We all know that Mac played wicked favorites with underperforming players, and so it wouldn't be a huge surprise to hear that Bryant was kept off the field under Mac because he liked Davis and Tanner more.

Dockett doesn't even enter into the equation. He plays a totally different position from Bryant (UT v. NT) and I think we all know that Dennis Green was going to start his draft picks come hell or high water.

To say that he wasn't on the field either because "he was not trying or has nowhere near first-round talent" is a gross oversimplification based on little to no facts. I agree that Bryant has underperformed to this point on the field, but it's impossible to say that the reason that he's not on the field is because he has no talent or he's not trying.

HOMERISM ALERT!!!

Perhaps an oversimplification but one grounded in some truth.

It was pointed out here 2 preseasons ago how Bryant many times would stand his guy up and watch as the ball carrier would right past him. He also came into camp out of shape and overweight. He was handed the starting job and couldnt hold it for the likes of Barron Tanner and Marcus Bell? Puhhlease

I would say that Bryant has had ample opportunities to make a statement for starting and yet doesnt sniff the field.

There is no question he has talent (a concensous top 10 draft pick) so what other reason could there be? Having watched him 2 preseasons ago with some interest I pointed out how I thought he gave up on plays, almost never made a tackle down field, was rarely in pursuit when the play went the other way, and as stated above stood his guy up and "danced" without trying to make a play.

He is the personification of the word Bust and will rightly be cut by camps end....

NEXT!

 

[kerouac9]

HOMERISM ALERT!!!

Perhaps an oversimplification but one grounded in some truth.

It was pointed out here 2 preseasons ago how Bryant many times would stand his guy up and watch as the ball carrier would right past him. He also came into camp out of shape and overweight. He was handed the starting job and couldnt hold it for the likes of Barron Tanner and Marcus Bell? Puhhlease

I would say that Bryant has had ample opportunities to make a statement for starting and yet doesnt sniff the field.

There is no question he has talent (a concensous top 10 draft pick) so what other reason could there be? Having watched him 2 preseasons ago with some interest I pointed out how I thought he gave up on plays, almost never made a tackle down field, was rarely in pursuit when the play went the other way, and as stated above stood his guy up and "danced" without trying to make a play.

He is the personification of the word Bust and will rightly be cut by camps end....

NEXT!

Hey, I voted that he probably wouldn't be on the roster next season, as well. I just thought that saying that "he wasn't trying", especially last season, was going off of some faulty information.

When was Bryant "handed the starting job"? As a rookie, he held out into the first couple weeks of the season, and I don't think he got any starts. His second season, he started, then had a high ankle strain in Week 1 (where he was having a pretty good game against the Lions), and had a long recovery coming back and was never "given" his starting position again. Last season he almost never saw the field.

If you could let me know that, I'd really appreciate it. It's not like we're talking about Calvin Pace here, getting handed the starting job.

 

[justAndy]

...

i voted rotation - being a koolaide drinker, hoping for the best....