Ifs...Buts...Candies...Nuts: Week 16

Nuts: Thinking Jeremy Bridges is the answer. Long hopefully squelched that line of thinking the way he owned Bridges most of the day.

I would trade him for a marquis olb sack machine

Breaston has been an incredible receiver, but he’s ticked me off a few too many times on Punt Return duty. Why he decides to not call fair catch some times and get drilled just escapes me. Other times when he tries to field a ball that should be allowed to go into the endzone, or runs the I-10 route (East to West).

It seems like he’s improving on his judgment calls, but we’ll have to see.

The smart move would be trading him for something… I would absolutely hate to see Q go but I just dont see the Cardinals paying him anything similar to Fitz. Thus trading him would make a lot of sense since we do have Breaston as a capable receiver (mind you hes no Q) and Doucet seems like he could be a decent third receiver. What to trade for? I have no idea.

Pardon me, but anybody who thinks that, is SERIOUSLY underestimating his ability and value to the team. Did you see the catch he made against the Vikes? The guy is a beast. He makes tough catches, tough YACs, and he’s a hell of a blocker.

Q is one of the toughest and most talented football players in the NFL, but he has value to this team far beyond that. He stirs other guys on the team to play harder. I know the Cardinals have had good success when Boldin has been out of the lineup, but a good part of that is because his teammates player harder in his absence out of respect for him.

Many fans have short, selective memories. All they remember about Boldin is a rather sullen guy complaining about his contract and arging with his coach about being taken out of a game, but Q is actually a bright, cheerful, funloving guy that his teammates adore. Does anyone remember when Q used to do that locker room segment on that sort of tacky TV show on ABC, whatever it is called? He’s a happy, friendly guy.

At one time, Q was the heart and soul of this team. That has changed a little—maybe partly because of the contract thing—but also because the team has more talented leaders now, and consequently, a larger heart and soul; but Boldin is still a very big part of it. I know someday, the Cardinals are going to have to play without him, and they will do fine when that day comes, but it isn’t THIS day.

A final reason why the Cardinals should not trade Boldin is because sometimes it’s best to do the right thing just because it IS the right thing. You leave “business” out of it, and sometimes that turns out to be the best business decision.

Q has played hard for this team and is a big part of the reason for their current success. He’s earned a bigger payday when the team can get it done; but beyond that, whether the Cards reward him or not, could have serious repercussions in the future. During the offseason—and for many future seasons—the Cardinals are going to have to face some contract issues. The Cardinals need to build a reputation as a team that values it’s players and rewards and negotiates with them fairly. Remember Larry Centers? It took the Cardinals a decade to recover from that blunder.

Finally, I need to say this. I wrote this because fans and columnists keep piling on Q, and he needs someone to speak for him. That’s because he’s smart and dedicated enough to keep his mouth shut about his contract during the season. There will plenty of time to argue this out beginning in mid-Feb. The Cardinals still have work to do and a Super Bowl to win. C’mon. Really. Can’t this wait?

I believe Boldin will get his reward, hadrarius. This will be his year, but Dockett will have to wait. I think I’m correct that Boldin will have 1 year left on his contract, but DD will still have two. The Cardinals are just trying to get a rotation going that they and everybody else can live with.

You need to look around. The Bidwills haven’t been at all cheap the last several years. They started getting increased revenue from the new stadium, and they have been very competitive in their salary structure. If not, we wouldn’t have all those good players and one Super Bowl appearance in our pocket with another one on the horizon.

Here’s the thing. Imagine you’re the GM and you signed a guy (like Dockett) to a 5-yr contact extention, then 2 years later, he’s looking for another one. You can’t operate like that! Do you get a raise every week at your job?

The idea, like I said, is to get a rotation going. These guys get paid this year; those guys get paid next year; the other guys get paid the year after that. That way you can stay within the cap and still reward players—but you can’t reward every player every time he has a good a year. If you did that, you’d have to declare bankruptcy after going to the Super Bowl. The idea is to try to get back every year; but to do that, the players need a little patience and a big dose of reality. Hey, these guys aren’t starving, and they’re probably having a lot more fun than either one of us.