FanPost

Holding All The Cards: What If You Owned The Arizona Cardinals?

First I'd like to say hello. I've read this forum for three years now & just today decided to post. Probably because the lockout has slowed things down & I couldn't get my fix by just reading your guys' informative post. So I decided to try a conversation stater here goes. (This is purely for entertainment purposes so lets not be all uptight about what is or isn't currently allowed.)

You Now Own The AZ Cardinals!!!
You have appointed yourself President of Player Personnel. Graves & Keim are both retained along with Coach Whiz & Staff with the understanding that the faults laid with the previous regime.(lets hope this is true & Mike's transition into power changes that.) The CBA is agreed too, leaving Franchise Tags in place, a Rookie Wage Scale, Free Agency after 4 years, & a 56 Man Roster.(these are the only details needed for this exercise.) You have all the same ways (FA, Trade, UDFA) to fill your needs. What would you do?


Me, I would start with the offense. First I want the original Whiz offense, Power Running, Play Action, Vertical passing style & attack mentality while being versatile enough(Players Talent allows for this) to maintain long drives. Second I have to identify & acquire players that fit & can flourish in my system with tweaks according to their talents.

The QB question I believe can be broken down quite simply. First we analyze our depth chart & immediately cut DA. I personally like Skelton & would keep him as my backup QB & possible QBoF. Barlett can stay as the 3rd string/scout QB. Max Hall is nothing more than camp fodder. I would then contact the Eagles, Bengals, Broncos, & Marc Bulgers agent. All of these QBs have positives & negatives, none are elite. I would be okay with anyone of them after the mess that was last year. All have a shot of reaching their potential or reviving their careers. John Skelton has all the mensurable s needed as well. My main concern would be compensation. I do not want for any reason to give up a 1st round pick period! So with all that in mind I would offer the three teams a 2nd in 2012 & their choice of Tim Hightower, Rashad Johnson, or a 2012 5th round pick. At the same time offer Bulger a 2 year deal & see which of the four bites first. That gives me one year to see what we have with our new acquisition & Skelton so that I know if I need to draft a QB with our first next year. I prefer Palmer if I must choose but am ok with any.

At Rb I think we are set with or without Hightower. FB is also covered with the rookie Anthony Sherman.(plus one of my defensive UDFAs can play FB)

TE depends on two things: how committed are we to using our TE in the offense, & would we rather allocate those funds to another position. If TE is the way we go(I would but am open to other options) I sign Zach Miller to go with our rookie Rob Housler & Jim Dray. If we go in another direction I would sign UDFA Schuyler Oordt a blocking TE with potential to develop.

WR is Larry Fitzgerald, I would make him the highest paid WR in the league. Breaston I would offer a fair offer if he accepts good if not oh well.(I wouldn't offer a contract if we signed Zach Miller) Then I'd make a minimum offer to Doucet it can't hurt. Stephen Williams & Andre Roberts both show flashes at one time or another. The others are serviceable with the chance of improving. I'm intrigued with our rookie Sampson & would als like to pick up UDFA Ricardo Lockette for Special Teams(kick returner) & to develop.

Now the Line, which to me is most important of all. If no Zach Miller this is the only positions I'm spending on in free agency. First I would resign Duece Lutui unless he purposely prices himself to high in order to leave AZ, in which case I throw the same pile of cash to one of the FA Guards(Joseph, Clabo, Yanda, etc.) Then I sign Jared Gaither & Willie Colon to play LT & RT. Levi Brown is moved to LG, resign Brandon Keith, & I sign UDFAs Jake Kirkpatrick & Tim Barnes to Play Center.

This leaves me with a Depth Chart of:
QB-1 Carson Palmer (insert your flavor here)
2 John Skelton
3 Rich Barlett
RB-1 Beanie Wells
2 Ryan Williams
3 LaRod Stephens-Howling (possibly Tim Hightower)
FB-1 Anthony Sherman
TE-1 Zach Miller
2 Rob Housler
3 Jim Dray (2 & 3 move up if no Zach Miller, replace w/ Schuyler Oordt)
WR-1 Larry Fitzgerald
2 Andre Roberts
3 Stephen Williams
4 Demarco Sampson
5 Max Komar or Early Doucet or Ian Williams or Steve Breaston
6 Ricardo Lockette
LT-1 Jared Gaither
2 Jeremy Bridges
LG-1 Levi Brown
2 Rex Hadnot
C-1a Jake Kirkpatrick
1b Tim Barnes
RG-1 Duece Lutui
RT-1 Willie Colon

That's it for the offense I'll have another post for the defense & special teams soon. What do you think? What you do?

<em>This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Revenge of the Birds' (ROTB) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of ROTB's editors.</em>