Size Size Baby (Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Bada-Bum-Bum)

Size Size Baby (Ba-Ba-Ba-Ba-Bada-Bum-Bum)

Our Cardinals, baby, we gettin’ big, dawg—-I mean real big.

“Check out the hook while the DJ revolves it:”

LOLB Devon Kennard: 6-4, 256

LDE: Zach Allen: 6-5, 285

NT: Corey Peters: 6-3, 335

RDE: Jordan Phillips: 6-6, 341 (pictured above)

ROLB: Chandler Jones: 6-5, 255

LILB: Jordan Hicks: 6-1, 236

RILB: De’Vondre Campbell: 6-3, 234

LCB Patrick Peterson: 6-1, 203

SS Isaiah Simmons: 6-4, 238

FS Budda Baker: 5-10, 195

RCB: Robert Alford: 5-10, 186

Like they say, “At AZBY’s—-we’ve got the meats.”

And hey—-there’s no skimping on the meats on the other side:

LT D.J. Humphries: 6-5, 307

LG Justin Pugh: 6-5, 311

C Mason Cole: 6-5, 307

RG J.R. Sweezy: 6-5, 310

RT Justin Murray: 6-5, 315 and Marcus Gilbert 6-6, 330

TE Maxx Williams: 6-4, 252 and Dan Arnold 6-6, 220

WR1: DeAndre Hopkins: 6-1, 212

WR2: Larry Fitzgerald: 6-3, 218

WR3: Christian Kirk: 5-11, 200

RB: Kenyan Drake: 6-1, 211

QB: Kyler Murray: 5-10, 207

If the Cardinals’ defense and offense were crew teams—-the Cardinals would have two boats loaded with prodigious oarsmen and led in each case by artful coxswains in Budda Baker and Kyler Murray.

Man, the Cardinals are building on size the way this Kat is:

Man, this ain’t no crib for a Kat with small ideas.

Isaiah Simmons: Ize Ize Baby

• Before the draft Simmons was saying that the team that draft him will now be carrying a 56 man roster.
• Before anyone laments not having a 2nd round pick tonight—-picking Isaiah Simmons was like picking 4 players in the 1st round: a SS, a FS, an OLB and an ILB.
• Picking Simmons addressed the team’s #1 need: covering the opposing TEs.
• Oh but the Cardinals just got so much more than that. This cat can fly to the ball and he’s a nasty finisher.
• For years the Cardinals’ weakness of defense has been on what one could call a “soft perimeter.” Too often and way too easily teams have been able to break contain to the outside and deliver an avalanche of chuck yard plays. Adding defenders like Devon Kennard, De’Vondre Campbell and Isaiah Simmons is a huge step toward turning the soft perimeter into a “you gonna get hit” zone.
• Now if the coaches can only impress upon Patrick Peterson and Robert Alford how vital it is to the team’s success for them to take pride and special effort in forcing the run and blowing up screens and sweeps to their side, this defense could be something special.
• The Cardinals nowhave very good depth in the secondary with CB Byron Murphy, CB Chris Jones, S Jalen Thomson and S Deionte Thompson, all of whom will assume significant roles in the sub-packages—-and all of whom are eager and forceful tacklers.
• Having Isaiah Simmons on the edge at times—-makes the pass rush stronger.
• Having Isaiah Simmons at nickel LB makes spying on Russell Wilson an art form.
• The gist is—-the Cardinals are assembling the makings of what could be the biggest, fastest bad-ass defense we have ever seen in Arizona. And, you know what? It’s ok to feel more than a little excited and jacked up about this. It’s ok to think big and bad-ass thoughts about the potential of this defense. I think I gave my neighbors a jolt last night about 9:20 PM EDT. I was hooting and hollering and jumping up and down (in my mind at least—-the body ain’t quite as nimble at it these days).
• To me, the Cardinals’ drafting of Isaiah Simmons is a game changer—-for one, when have we ever drafted a Butkis Award winner? For two, we are now drafting high profile 1st team All-Americans from power 5 conferences—-Kyler Murray in 2019 and Isaiah Simmons in 2020. I mean and these cats hate losing because that’ has been such a rarity for them. And losing pisses them off.
• Plus—-Murray and Simmons (#1 and #11—-how cool is that?) are 21st century trailblazers who are like the Cardinals” IT team, bringing the organization out of the Dark Ages of the past and into the light of a million sparkling new pixels.
• You know—-and let me tell you this—-it would be no stretch of the imagination to believe that Steve Keim turned down some highly attractive trade offers in order to hold his ground and insist on taking Simmons. We know how much Keim wanted to recover the 2nd round pick or at least add another 3rd round pick. The Cardinals of the past—-would have taken the bait. Not this time. This was the epitome of a new and evolved “Keim Time.”
• Just ask Ize Ize Baby, because the Cardinals just drafted 4 players in one!

If you haven’t watched and heard Isaiah Simmons’ Q & A press conference, here it is:

Takeaways:

• Modest, steady, cerebral and confident young man.
• It was so exciting to hear how Clemson DC Brent Venables experimented each week in his game plans and by giving Isaiah Simmons a new challenge each week, depending on the opponent. Simmons called this a great practice in “deception.” Keeping opponents guessing and always trying to gain a creative, competitive advantage. This is what I mean about 21st century football and the ever-evolving tactical advancements of the game.
• Hopefully, Vance Joseph will be meeting virtually with Brent Venables to hear in detail how Venables took full advantage of Isaiah Simmons’ extraordinary skills and versatility.