The Arizona Cardinals know quite a bit about stand out linebackers in their second season, considering that they've faced Patrick Willis three times so far in his career. They'll get a taste of another great, young linebacker on Sunday when Paul Posluszny takes the field. Posluszny was the Butkus Award winner (top LB in the nation) his senior season and came out of Penn State with great instincts, a nose for the ball and speed that couldn't be measured with a stop watch. There was some question about his ability to shed blockers at the NFL level but that didn't stop him from getting off to a very quick start his rookie season (26 tackles in 2 1/2 games) before breaking his forearm during the third game of the season. While he hasn't been quite the tackling machine (although 26 tackles in 4 games is nothing to be ashamed of) during 2008, he's taking on bigger role in the Bills defense. He's broken up three passes through four games and he's been much more involved in blitz packages.

Posluszny doesn't make his living with big hits or flashy plays but he does always seem to be around the football and he's already known for his ability to lead the defense to bigger and better things. One of the areas that he's been noticeably improved at this season is pass coverage and any time Warner looks to throw to the middle of the field, he'll have to find "Pos" before he releases the ball. The Cardinals could try to exploit Posluszny's weakness by running directly at him since he has times shedding blockers at times but the Bills picked up Marcus Stroud to consume blocker and allow "Pos" to run free. Stroud is another big defensive tackle who Sendlein or Lutui will have trouble containing by themselves. It'll have to be a joint effort with one of the two slipping off to pick up Posluszny.

Here's what Buffalo Rumblings' Brian Galliford had to say about Posluszny (after the jump):

Continue reading this post »

Well one of the biggest non-secrets in recent memory has played out much like we all thought it would. The Cardinals franchised Karlos Dansby in February and at the time, both sides were reportedly optimistic about reaching a long term deal. It turns out though that they weren't ever very close to agreeing on Dansby's value. As a result, Dansby will play the 2008 season with just over $8 million guaranteed and then he'll be an unrestricted free agent. I've mentioned several times that Dansby wanted/wants a deal that averages $9 million a season. Just as a point of reference, the only linebacker who made over $9 million in 2007 was nine time Pro-Bowler, six time All-Pro, Ray Lewis. So is Dansby crazy to think that he deserves that kind of money?

Absolutely, Pay the Man!! - First in order to put Ray Lewis' contract in context, we
have to realize that it was signed in 2002 and obviously today's dollars don't equal the money of 2002. The fact that Calvin Pace's contract is for almost the same amount per season is evidence of the inflated value of contracts in today's NFL. Dansby is entering his prime right now and the next four to five seasons could borderline on truly special. His game really took off in 2007 with the defensive transition from a 4-3 OLB to a 3-4 ILB and he'll be even more comfortable in the system in 2008. He was just one tackle shy of leading the team despite missing two games and his tackles per game (6.93) was the best of any Cardinal. He also proved that he has a well rounded game leading all Cardinal linebackers in passes defended, interceptions and forced fumbles. The team keeps bringing up Tatupa and Brigg's recent contracts as measuring sticks for Dansby but if you project his stats over a full 16 games, he'd have more tackles, sacks, forced fumbles and interceptions that both of them. Bottom line: Dansby's been a good player and with another season learning the 3-4, he'll step forward as one of the premier linebackers in the NFL.

Come on Karlos, You're Joking Right?? - Nine million a season is a ton of money for any player, even in today's NFL. Dansby has yet to make a Pro Bowl or top 100 tackles in a season. There are also some concerns about his ability to stay healthy being that he's yet to play a full 16 game season. He's a good, solid player but he's not elite. There are also some rumors that the team is a bit reluctant to ink Dansby to a mega-deal considering his history of missing practice because of minor injuries and frustrating the coaching staff (mainly the former, Dennis Green). Bottom line: He's seeking the contract of an elite, top tier player, but he's not there yet.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The real bottom line is that the Cardinals want to pay Dansby for what he's done and Dansby wants to be paid for what he could do. A case could be made either way and quite honestly I can see the arguments on both sides. I'd imagine that Dansby doesn't have to look far to see a guy who was paid for what he'd done and is now underpaid (Dockett). He's also very familiar with a guy getting paid for what he could do (Pace). At the moment, he seems content with playing out this season with the Cardinals and then testing the free agent waters. A breakout season (something like 130 tackles, 5 sacks) could land him the mega-deal that he's seeking, but where will that contract come from? The Cardinals could also franchise Dansby for a second year in a row if they wants and his one year, guaranteed salary would jump above $9 million. So what would you have done if your were the Cardinals front office? Is he worth $9 million a year, if not what is he worth? Do you think the Cardinals have any chance to lock him up after this season, like the Bears did with Lance Briggs he played his 'franchise season?'