With 6 Games to Go: Staring into the Void

[RugbyMuffin]

The Cardinals are 4-6, they are not going to make the playoffs, and questions are abound.

Do not get me wrong. Its Cardinal football today, and a 4:30 game on the east coast, so I am happy to have a game to watch once the sun goes down. This is not a doom and gloom post. I would hope most are past that. This is more of a, have a cup of coffee and see where we are.

What is there to watch ? Plenty if you ask me. I am not one who is surprised by this team and its record, this looks as expected. Would things be different without the injuries ? Maybe, but even at full strength this was not a roster that was going to compete for the Super Bowl.

Maybe the Cardinals organization thought so but how much more of an example does a fan base need, or any football minded individual need than what has been produced over the last two season? There should be no doubting the issues, problems, and things that need to be corrected.

How to solve them ? Well, that is what we all do on this board, at least that is what I have seen through the years. We all sit here and throw ideas into the fire, and through some voodoo magic of social media, and internet interaction mold our individual opinions, out of a group discussion.

Personally, I think there is no other way to build a NFL roster than to see what you have, what you may have the opportunity to add or change, and what the customs/routines/habits of an organization are. From there, you can try to figure out a plan, and then polish that plan to what the organization does.

The Packers do things a certain way, the Steelers do things a certain way, the Browns, the Falcons, the Vikings are all different.

The board favorite, Patriots do things a certain way, but then the Texans do things different even though they are a branch off said coaching tree.

Yes, its a copy cat league, but the translation is always going to be different. Todd Pederson, who is coaching the Eagles is a branch of Andy Reid, but look at the Eagles, and look at the Chiefs right now.

I could go on.


So, here sit the Arizona Cardinals. Staring into the void as I see it. If there is any question of a rebuild, there is NONE.

Just go to Overthecap.com

Click on Arizona. Click on 2019.

Ladies and Gentlemen, there are 38 open spots on the 53 man roster........38, and some of the players listed are not going to be around after this season.

In two year, the Cardinals will have to fill those 38 spots. That is a rebuild.

It looks like there was a plan in place for the roster to play out like that, and unfortunately, it looks like the plan was off a year or two.

OR, maybe the plan was a good one, but you lose players like Tyrann Mathieu, John Brown, Michael Floyd, and Daryl Washington to injury and stupidity.

The drafting of small school players backfires, and players like the JJ Nelson, and Rodney Gunter types show there is a reason they played at small schools, and that there ceilings are average depth players.

Then you try fitting square pegs into round holes, like Deon Bucanon as a linebacker, Haason Reddick as a ?????, or Brandon Williams as a cornerback.

Finally, you have a pocket passing, vertical passing type offense and your organization cannot draft an offensive linemen to save its life past the oft-injured DJ Humphries, even though you spend draft picks on the position.

Because there are rebuilds in the NFL, but it has been a long time since I have seen a two year plan where you are staring at 38+ open spots.

Yet, the medicine has been taken. We are swallowing it all down as we speak. How long the cold will last? Who knows, but the steps to getting better start now.

Since Larry Fitzgerald got here, and was drafted. He has done things that no other player has ever done in this league when it comes to making money. He was drafted before they slotted salaries for players. He was picked #3 overall, and he hit EVERY SINGLE INCENTIVE, in his rookie deal.

It was like someone picking Jerry Rice #3 overall. You cannot complain since the player is playing at an extremely high level. Upper tier of not only the NFL, but the Hall of Fame players. Best of the best.

Yet, WOW, the salary implications were staggering.

Well, Fitzgerald is going to make 11mil next season if he plays. Same as the Allen Hurns (we will see him today, and remember he is making as much as Fitzgerald right now) of the NFL.

His salary is a moot point. You cannot just wipe the slate entirely clean. No team can fill all 53 spots. That is ridiculous. Keeping Larry Fitzgerald, if he stays, is a no brainer if you are asking me. He produces, he is a face of the franchise that you can brand still, and he can help the younger guys that will be coming in.

Point is, salary to certain players is going to be a thing of the past come 2019. The Cardinals for the first time since the league started to slot draft salaries, will be able to setup a "modern" NFL roster.

The question is, at least for me, as I sit here and type this out, where do you begin.

These is my first breakdown of what I would say I keep going into the offseason, and where my mind is for the top priority when looking at players. I would say to keep in mind, I am looking at this with absolutely no idea who the coach is going to be next season. I personally have no problem with Bruce Arians, but I would be pig-headedly stubborn, if I didn't acknowledge there are serious problems with this organization. Just because I like a coach, doesn't mean I do not understand when their time with the team is up. Arians may be there. Yet, I am not worrying about a coach right now. There are certain things EVERY NFL team needs.

My core, doesn't matter who the coach is next year, players:

- David Johnson
- TJ Logan
- Larry Fitzgerald
- Jermaine Gresham
- DJ Humphries
- John Wetzel
- Robert Nkimdiche
- Chandler Jones
- Marcus Golden
- Haason Reddick
- Patrick Peterson
- Budda Baker
- Andy Lee

I could give reasons why you keep all these players, but this post is long enough. Obviously, I believe you do not trade away hard to find talent. In my book that is Peterson, Humphries, Jones, and Golden.

Cornerback, Left Tackle, and Pass Rushers. I have read the multiple arguments against these players, and would just say, I would LOVE to hear how you would "improve" these positions, and not make a mess out of this roster, team, and set the organization back 10 years. Those four player are players any team in the NFL would take on (taking the salaries out of the discussion), why would you not want them on your team?

As for the rest, there are salary implications to take on, the possibility of a young player who may improve, and players who are NFL talents at positions hard to find (aka John Wetzel is a heck of a depth offensive lineman, and I am really going to be looking at how he plays RT the last 6 games).

After that ?

Quarterback, Quarterback, Quarterback.

The NFL is still a pass heavy league. Yes, the Saints are running the ball, but Drew Brees is pretty damn good. The Vikings are REALLY running the ball, but Keenum is having a Derek Anderson type outlier year.

- Lamar Jackson
- Josh Rosen
- Clayton Thorson
- Sam Darnold
- Josh Allen
- Jarrett Stidham
- Mason Rudolph
- Luke Falk
- Ryan Finley

That is the quarterback group that is coming down the line from college. The Cardinals have to hit on the right one. I have no idea who is the best for this organization, there is a lot of time between now and then.

But there you have it.

There is a lot of work to be done, a lot of opportunity to be had, and a lot of debating/arguing, and questioning of intelligence, LOL, to be hashed out.

It starts today.

And I won't complain if this team wins along the way. Who you draft is more important than where you draft if you ask me.

It doesn't matter if you are #1 when you pick Ryan Leaf over Eli Manning.

 

[Jetstream Green]

Baker Mayfield... thank you

 

[az jam]

Ryan Leaf was picked over Peyton Manning.

Long read but a good read. IMO Michael Bidwill along with Steve Keim will be the key people in the rebuild. Arians won't because he is really short term. His years with the Cards are limited due to age and health. Bidwill is important as he has to buy in totally on the rebuild and the players kept and acquired. MB is close with Keim and will give him another chance to turn it around. I like Keim but his track record on the draft is mixed especially with the picks at the top. He has done well with trades and in free agency at least that is my opinion.
This coming off season will be huge. Finally, I'm in totally agreement with the major need: QB, QB, QB. Where will Belichick rate without Tom Brady

 

[AZCrazy]

Great post RM. Real rebuilds by competent organizations take two years, and are entirely centered around having a Pro Bowl caliber quarterback for the long term. You mentioned the Patriots, Packers, Steelers, etc. Those teams have had round robins of rosters every year, but the Absolute Distinguishing Factors of all of those teams are that they have had total stability at HC and at QB.

So for us, we need to establish those two positions firmly or anything good that might happen is a one-and-done proposition of chance.

We need to crap the bed for the rest of this year so we don't have to sell the farm of several years' drafts to move up to get a QB. Because we have urgent other need elsewhere.
Needs: WR, CB2, OG, DL.

I'd also put ILB in that mix. Neither Reddick nor Bucannon is a true ILB, but would be better positioned elsewhere.

 

[Ronin]

1. Baker Mayfield
1a. Lamar Jackson

 

[Cardiac]

I really enjoy your posts Rugby, you bring a unique and thought provoking style with substance. I especially appreciated your post before the season started (or early in the season) that prepared us for the season we are living.

Quick correction, it's Doug not Todd Pederson. It's situations like the Eagles that give me hope about the Cards turning this around quickly but I do agree it's not a one year fix.

I think the loss of CC was huge and if were still here the Dline would be considered a strength instead of just meh. With that thought in mind we are one stud Dlineman away from being a great Defense.

Get the QBOTF and then focus on the trenches. Buy a #2 CB in FA and keep throwing darts at the draft board. I'm not worried about WR's or LB's or safeties at this point. If the Oline is good to great and we have DJ and possibly AP then the offense will be good enough with a strong D.

 

[Cardiac]

Ryan Leaf was picked over Peyton Manning.

That's incorrect. Manning was picked #1 overall by the Colts. Before the draft the Chargers traded up from the #3 pick to get the #2 pick from the Cards. We bluffed them that we would take Leaf even though we had Plummer playing well at the time.

 

[NJCardFan]

Ryan Leaf was picked over Peyton Manning.

No he wasn't. Manning was #1, however, it was said that Irsay wanted Leaf but Polian pushed for and got Manning.

 

[az jam]

My point was that RM stated Ryan Leaf was picked over Eli Manning. He should have said Peyton.

 

[oaken1]

it is generally best to build a team from the trenches out. arizona appears to be attempting to do that

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Where will Belichick rate without Tom Brady

Up there.

I had obviously grown tired of the Patriots talk on the board. That is my problem tho. People can talk about whatever on here, and the Patriots are the top of the heap in the NFL. They are going to be comparison.

Living in the Philly area, I could talk about what the Eagles are doing in comparison to the Cardinals but the two organizations and the systems they run are so different it doesn't really matter, IMHO.

Belichek is one of, if not the best, coach of all time. Helps when you have one of, if not the best, quarterbacks of all time but who drafted Brady in the first place ? Who built the defense that carried the Pats at the beginning of this run, and how makes a patch work defense work now that the offense runs the show ?

As for a rebuild ? Give me Denny Green as my head scout and Marty Schottenhimer as my coach.......at least until the team starts making the playoffs (poor Marty)

 

[RugbyMuffin]

it is generally best to build a team from the trenches out. arizona appears to be attempting to do that

Up until this year, I have believed that. I think with the right quarterback, you do not need to put the money and time in the offensive line.


Three biggest changes in my NFL philosophies this year have been:

1. Quarterback can make your offensive line look better, and decrease the value of needing top talent at offensive line. Thus decreases cost per player

2. It doesn't matter where you draft, but who you draft. Every year, there are plenty of top NFL players that are available when the Cardinals pick and they pass them by. Doesn't really matter where you are picking when you choose Brandon Williams in the 3rd round.

3. The stereotypical, "NFL style offense" is dying out. The men who teach that style of football are old and grey. The vast minority of players, play in a "pro-style offense" before getting to the NFL. As the older coaches start to retire, the younger coaches are going to run more of a college/youth type offense, and succeed. Players are going to have their skills honed to what they have played in their entire career, and will be more ready to make an impact, sooner. With the turn over, and push to youth in the league, it will be more valuable that everyone is on the same page, and to get on the same page faster, then to break each player down and build them back up to a different system and way of playing football. You see it every year with players taking longer to translate to the NFL game. If most contracts are 4 to 5 years, and it is taking an offensive linemen 4+ years to find his way, then teams are paying to be other team's developmental organizations. That will force change.