Hey ROTB,

I thought this article was an interesting take on the possible affects of the concussion lawsuits that are currently taking place and how the eventual awards could be the unraveling of the NFL in our lifetime.

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Here is some great information

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There is way too much misinformation on Peyton Manning's injury.

First of all, a little history.

According to Dungy and Manning, Peyton received his initial neck injury in a game against the Washington Redskins on Oct. 22, 2006. Dungy recalled that " Manning's neck was wrenched and his helmet ripped off when he took a hit by Andre Carter followed by a hit from Phillip Daniels". The hits were legal so do not read anything into that.

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Congratulations to Jess Root for making it through the entire 2011 RotB Playoff Pick'em sitting atop the leader board. RottPhiler's 27-20 NY Giants pick may have been the closest to the actual score and earned him 41 Pick'em Points, but Jess' 304 total points was 31 points better than runner-up kj197728.

Thank you to those that participated each week of the playoffs to qualify for the final Playoff Pick'em standings. RotB Pick'em will be back for it's fifth year in September. If symmetry of the 2007 and 2011 seasons is any indication, 2012 should be a "super" year for the Cardinals. Enjoy the off season folks!

Final Overall Playoff Pick'em Standings

Darren Urban tweeted that Todd Haley has accepted the position of offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers. How ironic is that?

I kinda of figured that without the offensive coordinator title, Haley would not be coming back to the Cardinals. I just hope a "seasoned" Mike Miller is worth it. Miller may grow into the job and do fine.

My concern is that the loyalty Whisenhunt is showing to Miller is admirable but that same mindset also perpetuated the disaster that was the 2010 Cardinals. By Whisenhunt's own admission. On the player side, it seemed that Whisenhunt went back to the "best player to earn playing time" approach in 2011 and we started to see results. He must see something some of us must be missing on the coaching side.

So what does everyone think of this news?

The ROTB survey just recently conducted asked for additional thoughts to end the survey. I said we (ROTB members) should throw a lil' cash at a PayPal account to fund prizes for contests here at the ROTB. I don't know Coach .. Did I do wrong? Ahhh Whatever I love contests and contests with Prize/s. I would love for you to throw out some ideas for contests that we as fan here could enjoy. Jump!

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Today Im gonna give you the scouting report for this guy:

Johnathan Martin, OT, Stanford

Perhaps no other offensive tackle prospect in this year's draft (or even the past several drafts) has had the spotlight on them more so than Jonathan Martin. As the protector of Andrew Luck's blindside, he was prone to scrutiny had he allowed any defenders to hurt the quarterback prodigy. Martin handled this pressure incredibly well both on and off the field and scouts love his football intelligence and willingness to work hard. Martin's physical attributes have been and will be the things that grab people's attention heading into the draft.

Since starting as a redshirt freshman Martin has consistently entered each season with added strength and improved technique. He is coachable and has a true desire to be the best. Overall, Martin should be one of the top offensive tackles taken in April's draft because of his natural physical and athletic attributes as well as his intangibles.

Background/Character
Martin has been a starter and protected Andrew Luck's blindside since his redshirt freshman season at Stanford. He has been extremely consistent throughout his career and has shown steady improvement each year. He is one of the leaders along a very talented offensive line and is well respected by his teammates and coaches. Coaches have talked about how much of a quality person he is in the locker room and the great attitude he brings to the team.

Martin brings a work ethic that seemed to be infectious across Stanford's offensive line and has the on field attitude you like in your tackle. He also brings a special toughness and has played well through some minor injuries. His teammates say he has a true desire to be the best at his position. As the blindside protector of the possible first overall draftpick, Martin did an exceptional job of handling the pressure and performing at a dominant level.


Athleticism
Martin is an excellent athlete for the offensive tackle position. He moves extremely well for his length and size and does a great job of mirroring defenders. He is long and understands how to use his length to sustain blocks and control defenders. He must become more consistent in his body control and coordination. While he displays very good coordination when redirecting he has a tendency to lose balance if asked to redirect when he's engaged in blitz situations. Martin shows the ability to bend in his hips and can sink into his stance. He is a quick twitch athlete who has the ability to engage defenders on every level and looks natural when running.

He does not show heavy feet like many maulers of Martin's type. His body type is ideal, with long arms and a strong core but he may need to add more bulk in his lower half to anchor on the next level. He has the frame to add another 10-15 pounds which should help him hold the edge against the Mario Williams' and Jared Allens of the NFL.


Blocking Power
Martin is particularly special as an inline run blocker. He explodes out of his stance and into the pads of defensive linemen sustaining good leverage that allows him to maximize his leg drive and push defenders backwards. He does not have a jarring initial punch but his upper body is strong enough to neutralize defenders at the point and turn their shoulders. Martin plays with a wide base and can provide necessary surge in the run game. He is not overly adept at flatbacking guys but when he is engaged on a player its usually game over for them, as they have difficulty shedding through Martin's grasp.

In pass protection, Martin flashes signs of dominance but this facet takes a back seat to his run blocking ability. While he shows ideal athleticism in pass protection, he can get caught playing too upright and stronger ends can expose his lack of a powerful base. Against USC's Nick Perry, Martin was too often caught by surprise by his speed/power combination and he showed that he could be pushed into the pocket. He displays naturally flexible hips so adjusting his leverage in pass pro is coachable.


Blocking Feet
Jonathan slides with ease and does not cross his feet, even when he gets beat. He can quickly redirect and shows an explosive first step. When he gets beat on the outside it is usually because he does not kick fast enough off the snap and the defender gets a step on him. He struggles to recover and ends up reaching off balance. Still, he shows the foot quickness and athleticism to recover if he is caught reaching and can redirect if needed. When Martin is engaged he can easily adjust his path and continue upfield to pick up second level blockers. He moves fluidly through traffic at the second level and has the ability to sink his weight and break down to pick up linebackers in the open field.

Anchoring in pass protection is not a glaring weakness but certainly one that can be exposed by elite defenders. Part of the problem is the lack of bulk in his base and the other part of the problem is that he tends to stop his feet when seriously challenged by bull rushers. He must learn to keep his base and chop his feet consistently against bigger DL.


Blocking Technique
Martin is a cerebral player who understands assignments and where pressure is coming from. Against faster more complex defenses he takes a bit longer to adjust but he shows the ability to learn from trends and his own mistakes. He understands positioning and consistently takes excellent angles to the defender. You really see the feel he has for the run game as he can sense how long to hold onto his initial block before retreating to the next level.

Although he can struggle with power rushers, he does a good job of using his length to keep them out of the pocket and limiting their palette of moves. He uses his hands well but he could be quicker and show more purpose with his placement. Overall, he has shown enough throughout his career to suggest that he can master his technique, especially with his capacity to learn and apply what he is coached on.


Summary
Perhaps no other offensive tackle prospect in this year's draft (or even the past several drafts) has had the spotlight on them more so than Jonathan Martin. As the protector of Andrew Luck's blindside, he was prone to scrutiny had he allowed any defenders to hurt the quarterback prodigy. Martin handled this pressure incredibly well both on and off the field and scouts love his football intelligence and willingness to work hard. Martin's physical attributes have been and will be the things that grab people's attention heading into the draft. He is a natural athlete who has grown well into his size and has very few limitations from an athleticism standpoint. He is not quite at the elite level of a Walter Jones or a Joe Thomas in terms of athletic ability but he has the long arms and physical play you want in your anchor.

The real impact he will have will be in the run game where he uses his explosive first step and strong upper body to move defenders and win the position battle every time. He drives his feet through the whistle and does a fine job of committing to angles that will surge defenders outside the gaps. There was some judgement going into the season that Martin lacked the mean streak on the field but he put that to rest early and often throughout the season as he consistently finished his blocks (and sometimes more). Martin's prototype size and athleticism for the position will be the most appealing part for NFL GM's and he should test well at the combine, but they should also be impressed by his maturity and leadership ability. Since starting as a redshirt freshman Martin has consistently entered each season with added strength and improved technique. He is coachable and has a true desire to be the best. Overall, Martin should be one of the top offensive tackles taken in April's draft because of his natural physical and athletic attributes as well as his intangibles.

http://optimumscouting.com/rankings/scouting-reports/nfl-draft-scouting-report-jonathan-martin-ot-stanford.html

Its no secret we need to improve our Offensive line, because frankly, they were a little offensive this year. While I personally dont believe Martin is an NFL LT (what do I know), I believe this guy can make Brandon Kieth a distant nightmare and someone us AZ fans can hopefully forget about (after many, many therapy sessions). I really believe he could be our starting RT for the next 10 years, and as long as we resign Brown at a discount, our Oline will be 50% better with Kieth not starting.

First Off Please Read This:

http://blog.azcardinals.com/2012/01/26/improved-defense-by-the-numbers/

To me this says everything. Cardinals over nine games (which is not a fluke game or two but a trend) is a top 5 defense. Someone recently said we had to get Super Mario (not the hockey player.....or plumber) in order to make our defense better. Id go the opposite we don't touch a thing, maybe a backup or two Id even go as far as to resign vets Haggans and Lenon and for one more year more so for coaching than anything. We don't need to screw with Ray Horton and let the team play next year after full OTA's and Off season of drills and experience. I think AZ not SF has the best defense in the NFC West. So my view is not to touch what we already have.

On a side note I think if we get Peyton Manning AZ cardinals go from 8-8 to Super Bowl Contender again for 5 years. In fact I would not sign Kolb and give Peyton his exact deal. Get him... PLEASE... PLEASE..... okay im done....

via fantasyknuckleheads.com

This past season, the Peyton Hillis was struck with the Madden Curse. He was featured on the cover of Madden 2012, and went down with an injury early in the year. His replacement, Montario Hardesty, came in for one game, carried the ball 33 times and left shortly thereafter with an injury. In week 8 against San Francisco, third-string running back Chris Ogbonnaya gets the call. He was the #1 running back for 5 games, but at the end of his stretch, he was so productive that he showed a lot of teams a thing or two about how to develop young talent at the running back position.

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Hey guys with defense being the new identity of this team, and pass rush being somewhat of a weakness, I think picking up Mario Williams would be HUGE in terms of completing the front 7 of our defense.

A little background history:

Mario Williams was a standout DE at the University on North Carolina. He was the 1st overall pick in the 2006 draft and has lived up to his draft status. He is an absolute beast on the football field and from everything i have heard and read, a great person and good leader. He plays with a high motor and a furious attitude much like our own Darnell Dockett.

He was a DE his whole career for the Houston Texans until this year, when Wade Phillips was hired as their DC and switched to the 3-4 defense, where Mario Williams switched over to OLB.

These are his career stats provided by NFL.com:

As you can see he really excells at rushing the passer, totaling 53 sacks in his 6 year career. You may notice that in 2011, his first year ever playing OLB he recorded 5 sacks. But look closely and you will notice that he recorded 5 sacks in only 5 games... Imagine if he would have played all 16!!!! He tore his pectoral muscle, an injury from which he has fully recovered and an injury that shouldnt hamper his career.

Just imagine what this guy is capable of after a training camp, OTA's, and good coaching. Once he learns the true nature and responsibilities of the OLB position from a defensive guru like Ray Horton, he could possible be the best OLB in the NFL.

I know many of you are saying to yourselves that we couldnt afford to sign a player of this caliber, or perhaps we dont need a player of this caliber due to the emergence of Acho and the on going development of Schofield. But the chance at a player like this only comes around once every decade and he could solidify a defense that already includes premiere guys like Darnell Dockett, Calais Campbell, and Adrian Wilson.

This is his first contract he signed as an NFL player provided by Spotrac.com:

We can make an offer that looks something like this:

4 year, $40,000,000... with $25,000,000 garunteed and the rest can be incentive based. With careful planning from our FO it can be structured to where it doesnt put us over the cap and doesnt effect the re-signing of our own Calais Campbell.

All that aside, and assuming that what I wrote is correct and we can afford to pursue and sign him, would you? Is this guy a player you would be interested in seeing make plays for the cardinals for the next 4 years? could he help mentor Acho and Schofeild? could he provide a whole 'nother dimension to this defense? Im curious to see if you guys are as curious about Mario Williams in AZ as I.

ENJOY!!!!!!