GOLLIN'S OFF-SEASON BLOG

Cards Tweak Roster ...
Sept. 5, 2011 - True to Wiz's comment that the "final" Cardinal Final 53 roster be "penciled in", the Cards added veteran RB Chester Taylor (Bears, Vikes) and CB's Crezdon Butler (Steelers) and Korey Lindsay (Bengs). To clear room, we released TE Steven Spach and ILB Quan Sturdivant. if all three (especially Taylor) pass their physicals, an additional player (we're guessing Talley or Walker or A Smith) will be released. Twitter rumors report that WR Isaac Williams and DL Ricky  Lumpkin will make it onto the Practice Squad and D Urban feels that Sturdivant will be on the PS if he can clear waivers.

Cards were a bit thin at CB in wake of DRC's trade and Toler's season  ending injury. The injury to game-breaking rookie RB Ryan Williams created the need for another RB and Taylor (who's yards per carry numbers fell off a cliff last year) is a seasoned veteran who can catch and pass block. At issue is whether the Cards will carry 3 RB's and a FB by cutting Alfonso Smith) or whether they'll keep the hard-running Smith and carry 4 RB's and a FB.

Practice Squad roster (& other possible moves) are expected to be announced later today.

Hey Coach. There's a Pile of Playbooks on Your Desk ...
Sept. 3, 2011 - The Turk is living large with arguably the single largest number of cuts made at one time in NFL history. The Cardinals announced their cuts a day ahead of the deadline (a charitable gesture that presumbably give the guys they released a leg-up to get picked up by other teams).

I'll admit to being wrong about who would and wouldn't be cut. I predicted that there would be few if any surprises and that we could pretty much scope out who'd make the Final 53-man roster and who wouldn't. Boy were we wrong. We didn't see the cuts of Mau'ia, Iwebema, Davis, Ware and Graham coming, and were pulling for Croyle, Powell, Nichols & possibly Obiozor and M Green to stick. We're also a bit nervous about being down to one center backed up by a guard who can also play center. I also seriously doubt we will go into the season carrying 5 TE's. (Note - We'd be smart to heed Coach Wiz's words that there figure to be more changes as other teams cut players we might be interested in. That plus the hope of placing a few of our released players on the Practice Squad).

Falling victim to the Turk's sabre:

• QB Brodie Croyle (Didn't show enough to beat the slightly injured Skelton for a spot)

• RB William Powell (Not enough to beat out A Smith. Cards probably trolling for a FA back)

• FB Reagan Mau'ia (Surprise. We thought they'd keep 2 FB's and 3 TE's. They liked Sherman more).

• WR Sean Jeffocoat (IR)

• WR Aaron Nichols (Dramatic catches in preseason Game 4 not enough vs. deep group of WR talent)

• I Williams (Similar situation as for Nichols though not as dramatic)

• TE S Skelton

• OG Floyd Womack (IR)

• OC Ben Claxton

• OL Cliff Louis (I guess they liked Bastiste better)

• OC Kris O Dowd (Surprised that either he or Claxton would stick. We're now down to Sendlein with OG Hadnot inreserve)

• OT Tom Pestock

• OL DJ Young

• DL Jeremy Navarre

• DL Ricky Lumpkin

• DL Kenny Iwebema (A surprise. Related surprise was that they kept Talley)

• LB Will Davis (Another former Cardinal draft pick bites the dust)

• LB Cyril Obiozor (Impactful play in preseason Game 4 apparently not enough)

• LB Kendall Smith

• LB Pago Togafau (Mild surprise - continues his pattern of yo-yo'ing onto and off active roster)

• CB Thad Turner

• CB Bryant Nnabuife

• CB Marshay Green (Had his good & bad moments, but was versatile and had a spring in his "playing step").

• DS Jared Campbell (With departure of Campbell and Skelton mark the end of two Cardinal brother acts)

• DS Matt Ware (Huge surprise because he could play safety and "large" CB).

• CB Fred Bennett (Arrived too late to make much of an impact, but I thought he looked solid in preseason Game 4).

• PU Ben Graham (Lost job to...uh...David Zastnudl. Great directional punter but failed to boom long ones when needed)

Denver Game (& Hurricane) Aftermath ...
Sept. 2, 2011 - We (yay!) got the power turned back on yesterday afternoon and got to watch the Denver game last night. We wer also treated to the entire NFL Network replay of the Charger game (which came on after our lights came back on). So we're back in business. Thanks for all your notes of concern. Looking back on everything, it's not that we were in any life-threatening circumstances. We were fortunate enough to have the money (possibly recoverable via insurance) to move into a nearby hotel. Plus we made new friends (who happened to live one door away). In our corner of NJ, it's not unusual for neighbors not to be close friends with neighbors. But the need to share food, information, and flat-out friendship brought our new friends, Paul, Esther and their 2 children, Max and Emma much closer. (As Rahm Emmanual is fond of saying: "Never let a good crisis go to waste"). So out of it all, we came out stronger than before. Now back to football.

If only every Cardinal regular season game went as well as last night's win over the Broncos. Every player we're counting on looked good. No player we're counting on looked bad. There are no major injuries we're aware of. And Wiz & Co. will have some serious juggling to do with an 80-man roster that has to be pared dwon to the Final 53, but only maybe 10 of the 27 players to be cut actually deserving to be let go. No doubt there will be some tap dancing with the IR, ST and waiver processes, but this is the first time I can remember where we may see players we really like ending up released (& not by "accident" or "surprise evaluation by the coaches, but because we simply have accumulated too many good players on our roster.

Take WR for example. Nichols played is *ss off last night. But how's he going to grab a roster spot from Fitz, Doucet, Roberts, Stuckey, Steve Williams or o(if we keep 6 WR's) Sampson. And what about RB. William "Toothpaste" Powell proved he's durable to carry the ball 30+ times and has flashed some of the identical qualities of the injured Ryan Williams. But what about Alfonso Smith (who also has proved to be a tough inside runner who protects the ball. Do we keep one? Both? Or is there some suprise lurking out there in the open market.

Next few days will be devoted to reviewing the roster and analyzing various moves before the start of the regular season. Stay tuned; glad to be back.

Greetings From the Wet, Internetless Northeast...
Aug. 31, 2011 - I am writing this from a room at a nearby Holiday Inn. Our neighborhood has been without power since 3 am Sunday morning, and may remain dark until after Labor Day. Equally dark (until now) has been the Big Red Sheet.

I saw the long bomb to Fitz via DirecTV (Ch 391 CBS west coast feed - we're grandfathered-in because we're early DirecTV subsctribers) but only caught pixelated freeze-screen rendition of Peterson's pick-6 before the hurricane swallowed up  all satellite video.

I plan to devote the next few days to playing "catchup" with updated roster and other info; but will probably be a bit tardy and somewhat incomplete reviewing play-by-play logs and the audio feed from nfl.com. So please bear with me until I can get back up to speed.

JGG

Cards Tweak QB and P...
Aug. 24, 2011 - It came as no surprise, that the Cardinals signed ex-KC veteran QB Brodie Coyle (to bolster depth and add another arm in the wake of injuries to Max Hall and John Skelton) and punter Dave Zastudil (to push Ben Graham).

It looks as if Hall will be placed on "waived-injured" list in advance of some sort of settlement and to allow Max to return as a FA later in the season should his left shoulder become better. Skelton has a nagging high ankle sprain and is expected to be back fairly soon. As of now, the active and healthy Cardinal QB corps consists of Kevin Kolb, Rick Bartel and Croyle.

I am a bit puzzled why the Cardinals earlier released Derek Epperson and signed Zastudil, because Epperson's net punting average (2 punts) vs. GB was a gaudy 47.5. But it is clear that the Cards wanted to challenge Graham (who, while brilliant directionally, has not consistently boomed long high punts to get us out deep territorial holes.

To make room for Croyle and Zastudil, the Cards waived-injured Max Hall and released reserve OL Jake Vermiglio.

Cards Make a Few Moves...
Aug. 23, 2011 - In the aftermath of the preseason loss to Green Bay, the Cardinals re-signed DL Ken Iwebema and RB William Powell and released P Derek Epperson and CB Desia Dunn. They may have already signed FA corner Thad Turner. It's unclear whether they've done anything official yet about injured RB Ryan Williams (who is expected to be placed on IR).

Before he was injured a year ago,  Iwebema had emerged as a pretty reliable D-lineman who could be counted on to make one or two big plays a game (defined as a sack, a tackle in the backfield or a TD saver). He hadn't been re-signed in the off-season, leading many of us to wonder whether his playing days as a Cardinal were over. (Guess the short answer is: uhh...no"). Dunn was the #43 dude who, last Friday, mistakenly thought he had safety help and bit on the double-move that turned into an embarrassing 97-yard GB touchdown. The release of Epperson surprised me in light of Ben Graham's inconsistency and Epperson's unreal 2-punt average net yardage of 47.5.

Despite Alfonso Smith's promising performance after R Williams went down and the re-signing of Powell, close observers expect the Cardinals to troll the waiver wires for an opportunistic pickup of an explosive RB later in the preseason.

Fitz/Card Deal Done...
Aug. 21, 2011 - Coming on the heels of the depressing news that rookie standout RB Ryan Williams (knee) was done for trhe season, news that the Cardinals and their star WR Larry Fitzgerald had come to terms on a new 8-year contract gives a much -needed boost to the morale of Cardinal fans.

The contract includes nearly $47-mil in guaranteed income and its total worth could be as much as $120-mil. Fitz is now slated to average $17-mil per year over the next five years.

In addition to performing at a ridiculously high level, retaining the "showtime" entertainment aspect to Cardinal offensive football, providing veteran leadership, being a great teammate as well as an exemplary person and overall good guy away from thefield, he signing  of Fitzgerald immediately makes the entire Cardinal organization more credible in the eyes of our fans. Cardinal fans badly needed a "win" this week, and Fitz and Michael B. gave it to us.

Monday Roster Update...
Aug. 8, 2011 (3:31 opm ET) - Reports on Adrian Wilson's bicept/elbow are sketchy, with various media sources seeming to massage old information in order to scoop their competitors. The best I can determine is that (1) the MRI hadn't come back yet, but (2) a second option (other than surgery) was for A-Dub to skip surgery "play thru" the injury during the coming season. "Body language" of all this suggests that Wilson is leaning toward Option #2.

Meanwhile, the Cardinals, as expected, re-signed S/CB Matt Ware. They also cut OT Brad Thorson.

A-Dub Hurt in Red & White Scrimmage...
Aug. 7, 2011 - Adrian Wilson will have an MRI taken of an injured right bicept/elbow. If the test indicates a muscle-tear, his down time could be quite serious. Cards are thin at SS (after all, someone as good as A-Dub is hard to replace). Rashad Johnson stepped up to replace Wilson during the scrimmage. We're expected to re-sign CB/S Matt Ware to help pick up the slack.

Other items of note: Mike Adams (knee) sat out the scrimmage..."The Presidential Players" (Washington and Jefferson) had 2 of three picks (Nine-Oh had the third - the second time in the short preseason where he got his hands into the QB's face and tipped the ball). Two of the "Williams Triplets" (Isiaha and Stephen) had highlight catches. The third Williams (Dan) said by Horton to be "not in shape right now"...Nick Eason is running at NT with the first unit - even if he's only being groomed for rotation play, at the very least, it may tell us where Wiz and Horton are going regarding a backup for Williams. At 305, Eason may be a tad light for the NT position, though.

Comings & Goings...
Aug. 3, 2011 - Giants signed Gabe Watson. If, like me, you believe the prototypical size for a NT is in the 325 lb vicinity, you've got to be concerned about our lack of depth at nose tackle. Our next biggest DL after Dan Williams (who weighs around 328) is Ricky Lumpkin (who?) at 306. Other departures - UDFA's RB William Powell, OG Greg Niland and CB Tae Evans....

Numbers Game
Update - Wouldn't you know it? As soon as I posted what I thought would be an Interesting note about current players wearing legendary jersey numbers, the Cardinals went out and changed a bunch of them. RB Ryan WIlliams won't be wearing John David Crow's old jersey # (44); he changed his to #34. Jared Campbell keeps OJ Anderson's #32 and Dray keeeps #81 (Night Train Lane, Jackie Smith, Roy Green, Anquan Boldin). CB Richard Marshall is no longer wearing #22 (he gets #31 which was given up by rookie Patrick Peterson - who now wears #21). Maybe this signals the return of Matt Ware (former owner of #22). Early Doucet continues to wear #80 (WR Rob Moore's old number). instead of his old #80. Whew!

The Calm After the Storm...
Aug. 2, 2011 - After events over the past weekend conditioned me to never be without my I-Pad, things slowed down to a dull roar. First, let's clean up some of the weird  loose ends from yesterday: (1) Braylon Edwards and his "posse" were reportedly involved in a bar room brawl that resulted in a stabbing in the kitchen. "Innocent 'til proven guilty", but guilty of abject stupidity for being in the wrong place at the wrong time with so much at stake. I'm guessing he's been crossed off Rod, Michael and Wiz's short list. (Update - Since I posted this, I've scoured the www for more news about edwards and found the blogosphere strangely silent. Makes me wonder if the orginal story was legit. Will continue to monitor). (2) Vonnie Holliday will report - this from a fellow ASFN blogger (source was probably Rotoworld):  "There were reports late Sunday that Holliday was considering not showing up, perhaps because he was considering retirement. He's having to move all the way across the country at age 35. Holliday told the Washington Times that he will be a Cardinal this season, likely playing inside in pass-rushing situations." (3) Amobi Okoye was signed by the Bears.

Other Odds & Ends - Fitz and the Cards are finally talking contract-extension. This might signal that the Cards plan to use their remaining cap money to get Fitz signed and, therefore, end the Cards' aggressive foray into free agency. (Or maybe not)...Two guys who stood out at yesterday's walk-thru practice: WR's Andre Roberts (looked much more confident) and DeMarco Sampson...With B Edwards likely to be out of the picture, the Cards could still go after Malcom Floyd (who voiced interest in coming here). Or they could stand pat and roll the dice with Roberts, Doucet, Komer and S. Williams to go with Fitz and Stuckey...

How cool is the I-Pad! Yesterday marked the first day of a second set of radiation treatments for our 94 year old Mom, Gertie. (Note - the first round of radiation therapy was 100% successful; the second will be to take care of some new stuff that's shown up). The sessions take place at a local hospital and involve 30 - 45 minutes of time in the waiting room. Yesterday I brought along my I-Pad. Lo and behold - the hospital had accessible WI-FI. That's a bingo! I checked all my e-mail, Cardinal Underground, ASFN and PFT Rumors. Plus - I discovered Somers' Training Camp "reporters' tweet log" link on the Arizona Republic web site. It was like being in Flag instead of a boring old waiting room. Made the time flash by in an instant. From now on, I will go nowhere without my I-Pad.

Weird Stuff Wraps Up "Signing Weekend"
Aug. 1, 2011 - Just when we thought the they had pretty much exhausted their repertoire of personnel tricks, the Cardinals entered "the NFLPersonnel "Twilight Zone." First there were the Braylon Edwards rumors, Then - during the east-coast dinner hour, came news that the Big Red had traded RB Timmy Hightower to the Redskins for DE Vonnie Holliday and a conditional 6th round draft pick. And then - tucked into the "Transactions" list of our morning newspaper was DT Amobi Okoye. In the middle of all thus comes news that Deuce Lutui failed the physical with his new team and was re-signed by the Cardinals for one year. (Go figure).

As of 9:18 am ET, (1) Nothing new on Braylon Edwards. (2) ASFN picked up the rumor that Holliday (who stepped away from the alter with the Cardinals twice before) rejected the trade and (3) Okoye? What Okoye? All three stories still have legs, and I'll stay on top of them throughout the day.

Update - I'm advised Okoye signed with Chicago.

Note - On the PR front, the Cards were singled out for making 51 personnel moves since the blackout ended. Not too shabby (though, in the NFL, W's and L's tend to play a somewhat more important role than what the media thinks).

Cards Sign Peterson; Add "Heap of Pork Chop"
 July 31, 2011 - The only unsigned draft pick is RB Ryan Williams, and  the Cards added veteran RT/OT Floyd "Pork Chop" Womack (Browns) to their O-line. (He was part of the infamous Seattle OL of yesteryear that included Steve Hutchison and Locklear.

The proverbial cherry on top of that whipped cream came in the form of former Raven TE (& Arizona product) Todd Heap - who, though injury-plagued was the Ravens' all time leader in catches and a primo red zone target. (Think Kevin Kolb isn't repeatedly saying "thank you?").

The addition of Heap (on the heels of the signing of blocking specialist Jeff King and zone-stretching rookie Rob Housler) signals a long-awaited revamp of the Cardinal TE unit - one which should make us more effective in the run game, using our TE's to occupy opposing pass defenders and helping out Fitz in the red zone. It's unclear how many other roster-tricks the Cardinal FO has up its sleeve (maybe no more) but they've been pretty productive the past 24 hours. Yippee!

21 Roster Moves on First Day of Free Agency
July 30, 2011 - Cards signed 6 outside free agents, 5 draft picks and 10 of our own guys:

Outside Free Agents:

• WR Chansi Stuckey (Jets, Browns - "A physical intense player" - Wiz)

• WR Richard Marshall (Panthers) - unofficial; tweets he's flying to Arizona.

• TE Jeff King (Panthers)

• OT/OG Daryn Colledge (GB)

• DE Nick Eason (Pitt)

• LB Stewart Bradley (Philly)

Re-signed Cardinal Free Agents

• Reagan Maui'a FB

• Early Doucet WR

• Stephen Spach TE

• Brandon Keith OT

• D'Anthony Batiste

• Lyle Sendlein C

• Ben Claxton C

• Michael Adams CB

• Hamza Abdullah S

• Ben Graham P

Draft Picks

• Sam Acho DE/LB

• Quan Sturdivant ILB

• Anthony Sherman FB

• DeMarco Sampson WR

• David Carter DE

Other Outbound - Deuce Lutui has signed with the Bengals. Derek Anderson and Gerald Hayes had been let go earlier. Incoming:

Other Incoming - QB Kevin Kolb has arrived in AZ. Draft.

This may not be the end of our personnel moves - Tim Hightower hasn't signed his tender. Cards are talking to TE Todd Heap. Wiz is adopting a "maybe we will/maybe we won't" attitude toward further pursuit of a replacement for Steve Breaston. While Hadnot and Bridges could become our starting RG, Cards are still trolling the outside waters. Unsigned Draft Picks: CB Patrick Peterson, RB Ryan Williams and TE Rob Housler.

Roster Moves Beginning to Take Shape...
July 29, 2011 - Little if anything will be official til 6 pm ET today, but here's what looks pretty firm as of 9:30 am Fri.).:

• C Lyle Sendlein has agreed to re-sign.

• DE Nick Eason (Steelers) is said to come to terms.

• Cards are thick in the hunt for Eagles' ILB/OLB Stewart Bradley

• Joey Porter is reported to have accepted a reduction in compensation.

• But DE Alan Branch is said to have flown the coop to Seattle for a reported $4-mil per year in salary.

• Green Bay starting G Daryn Colledge is also reported as to agreeing to terms.

• Michael Adams is said by Urban to have authored a "glad to be back" tweet.

• As expected, ILB Gerald Hayes and QB Derek Anderson have been let go.

• And, of course, Kevin Kolb is our new starting QB

• And DRC is now an Eagle.

In a year where coordination, communication and consistency on the OL will be critical, the re-signing of Sendlein is all the more important.  The signing of Colledge should be a net-plus over the loss of former starting LG, Alan Faneca. We're sorry to see Branch go (Despite a rocky start, the light-bulbs seemed to go on for him once he was moved outside to DE. Since the Cardinal Front 3 (Dockett, Williams, Dockett) remains intact, the loss of Branch isn't fatal, but we liked him). The pickup of Eason (a 6-3 305 reserve at Pittsburgh) helps fill the hole. The 6-4 255 lb Bradley has always been considered gritty and "a leader", but is coming off a serious knee injury. If healthy, he'd be a better-than-adequate replacement for the departed Gerald Hayes. Granted, Joey Porter may not have played his best football last season, but he can still be a valuable part of the lockerroom and, at the very least, enough of a pass-rushing factor to win us a gameor two. There's still a lot that can happen before we get to the regular season but the way things look now, our starting CB's figure to be Peterson and Toler, with Adams and AJ Jefferson backing up the two starters and competing for the nickel #3 spot. (Don't underrate Jefferson - he has similar athleticism to DRC and in fact is a bit more physical. But he's still raw going into his second year in the pros and will have to prove he can be trusted in a major role).

Pundits (& Peanut Gallery) Weigh in on Kolb Deal
After weeks of muttering "When's the deal gonna get done?" "When's it gonna happen?" the media (& those die-hards to listen to them) is now criticizing the Cardinal front office for paying too much for Kevin Kolb. While we can't disagree, it is pretty hypocritical  when the same guys who beat the same tired old "The Bidwills are Cheap" drum are now bashing them for "overspending." I suggest we turn a new page, root for our new QB and follow the legendary Satchel Paige dictum: "Don't look back (someone might be gaining on you").

Kolb Deal Said to Be Done...
July 28, 2011 - Darren Urban (whom you would have thought would be the final word on all Cardinal activity) is posting that "multiple reports have the Kevin Kolb trade finished." As expected, the Cards will surrender CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and a second-round conditional pick in return for Kolb (who will reportedly get a 5-year contract extension. (There has not been an official announcement from either team, however, but we'll accept the news as pretty rock solid.

The trade removes the uncertainty from the starting QB situation, and it is hoped will provide the only missing piece of the puzzle that stood in the way of the team's returning to the playoffs. But in doing so, it blows up a secondary - consisting of DRC, Greg Toler, Patrick Peterson, Adrian Wilson and Kerry Rhodes - that could have have rivalled the Jets' secondary as the "best in football." The departure of DRC (considered by many to be athletically talented, but somewhat raw and lacking maturity) means that, barring trades, our starting CB tandem will be Peterson and Toler, with athletic 2nd year UDFA AJ Jefferson and the dimunitive Mike Adams (if he re-signs) competing for the #3 nickel spot in the line-up.

There had been lots of backseat driving on the part of hard-core fans when it came to evaluating Kolb, with many (including this writer) expressing concern that we were giving up too much for what remained an unproven commodity. Time will tell. It will be up to Kevin to write the next chapter of Cardinal Football. The time for second-guessing is over. Welcome to the Cardinal Nation, Kevin, and go git 'em!

Wildest Rumor of the Decade...
July 27, 2011 - I was surfing the blogs at random a half-hour ago, only to find in Adam Schefter's (ESPN) blog that Kurt Warner has been reported to have re-signed with the Cardinals for 2-years.

Where did that come from? I'm guessing that either (a) someone hacked into Schefter's blog and the report is a hoax, (b) Warner was signed as an ass't QB coach and the copy-guy got the story wrong or (c) it's true (and the biggest scoop in sports blogging history. I'll try and run this story down. Stay tuned. (Update  - I did a cursory search of the www and the story apparently has faded from the scene -must have been a hoax).

(Updated) - UDFA Signings..
July 27, 2011 - According to Darren Urban, the Cardinals have signed 21 undrafted rookies (Skelton and Campbell are brothers of current Cardinal players, John Skelton and Calais Campbell):

• William Powell Kansas State RB
• Daiveun Curry-Chapman Northern Arizona WR
• Aaron Nichols Oregon State WR
• Sean JeffcoatElon WR
• Stephen Skelton Fordham TE
• Eric Mensik Oklahoma T
• Jason Speredon BYU T
• Brad Thorson Kansas T
• D.J. Young Michigan State T
• Jake Vermiglio  N.C. State G
• Greg Niland UMass G
• Kris O’Dowd USC C
• Duke LemmensFlorida LB
• Ricky Lumpkin Kentucky DT
• Kendall Smith Florida State LB
• Desia Dunn Fresno State CB
• Da’Mon Merkerson Syracuse CB
• Tommy Irvin Wofford S
• Andrew Rich BYU S
• Jared Campbell Miami (FL) S
• Derek Epperson Baylor P

One other Cardinal UDFA's  mentioned by regulars on the ASFN site was: Tommy Irvin (S) Wofford,

(Offical) - Cards Sign FA Tight End
Darren Urban confirms that the Cards have signed former Panther TE, Jeff King. He's considered a "blocking TE" (out of the Kevin Boss/"6th OL"  mode and should compliment rookie receiving TE Rob Housler.

(Unofficial) - Odds 'n Ends
Urban confirms that the Cards  re-signed P Ben Graham. Reported release QB Derek Anderson and LB Gerald Hayes still not confirmed or not confirmed.

(Updated 3:41 pm ET) - League Quarterback "Zoo" Sorting Itself Out
It appears done-deals that Donovan McNabb will be headed toward Miami, Tavaris Jackson and Matt Leinart will wind up in Seattle and Matt Hasselbeck will become a Titan. The two remaining teams in the hunt for a veteran starting QB are the Cards and Miami. There are two remaining high-profile QB's (Orton and Kolb) available to fill those two openings. The only questions remaining are: Who will wind up where? And for how much? There are unconfirmed reports that Orton will come to terms with the Dolphs by this evening and that the Cards are roughly "48 hours" of finalizing a trade with Philly (terms unknown).

Until Orton signs with Miami (or not), Philly's leverage with the Cardinals will have been significantly diminished (because we'd still have Orton as an option). But assuming Orton, in fact, does sign with Miami, the marketplace becomes reduced to Kolb and the Cards. If Philly is serious about parting ways with Kolb, we're the only apparent available trading partner out there. (While the DRC rumor is still very "live", Philly's expected loss of leverage gives reason for hope). Stay tuned.

(One intriguing thought that we can't get rid of  - should both Orton and Kolb options become untenable, the Cardinals can still explore other less sexy avenues - like Tyler Thigpen, Matt Flynn or Brian Hoyer).

Countdown to Kickoff...
July 25, 2011 - As of 10 am: Looking good. Here's what we know (& don't know):

• Global Agreement
  The suits are picking lint off the fine print of the agreement this morning. Members of the NFLPA Exec Committee are regrouping in Washington and are expected to vote on it before or after the noon hour. The agreement is expected to be "global" - i.e. it would cover the CBA, factor-in recertification, vacate the current 10 player/class action anti-trust law suit etc. Should everything go off as hoped, all kinds of positive chaos could begin as early as tomorrow morning.

• Certification
  Issue of whether or not players will vote to reform a union has apparently been resolved. Precise balloting procedure for the rank & file has presumably been worked out but not made public by the NFLPA.

• Time Line
  Various versions are floating around the media-ether. I'd suggest we all wait til something "official" and  "joint" is announced by the League and NFLPA before we write anything in stone.

• General "Order of March"
  Subject to all kinds of provisos, stipulations and words of caution - we're hearing that teams may be able to sign their own FA's and talk trades as early as this afternoon (but not finalize trades til Sat.). We can expect clubs to also be authorized to negotiate with outside FA's and UDFA's and talk trades as early as late today but possibly later ( tomorrow or Wednesday).  Players could be allowed at team facilities as early as tomorrow. Camps will be opened on a staggered basis -  back-timed to 14 days before each team plays its first preseason games. According to one proposed timeline, 10 teams would report on Wednesday, 10 more on Thursday and 10 additional teams on Friday. The Jets and Texans (who play on Monday night) would be the last two teams to report on Sunday. The Cards (who play Oakland on Thurs. Aug. 11) figure to open Camp with the first wave of NFL teams this Wednesay.

• Kolb
  There are still mixed signals from the media; with ESPN (Schefter, Clayton etc.) claiming he's a slam dunk to be a Cardinal in exchange for DRC and possibly a draft pick but NFL Network (Lombardi) cautioning that Seattle plans to be aggressive in free agency and that there's a coach-player relationship between their OC (Bevill) and Kolb. My guess: It's tilting 75% toward our getting Kolb.

• What to Look For/When

  • Today - Agreement by both parties and blessings by a judge.

  • Tomorrow - Some Cardinal FA signings (Breaston? Doucet? Keith? Lutui? Sendlein? Hightower? Watson? Branch?). Lots of rumors about trades and which FA's we're talking to. First list of UDFA signings (Keep an eye on Herzlich and LeFeged). I'm not sure when the Kolb signing (if it happened) would be allowed to take place - could be as early as tomorrow night., but I'm guessing a day or three later.

  • Wed., Thurs., Fri. - Roster begins to fill in

  • Sat. - By now Camp should have begun.

Assuming, of course, that no more wheels fall off the proverbial wagon.

Pop! Go the Weasels - Part 2...
July 22, 2011 - I had hoped that this blog would be devoted to outlining a new NFL calendar and the strategic implications therein. Instead, we've been treated to more Kabuki theater - this time mostly by the players. Like you, I'm just a human being with eyes, ears, NFL Network and a brain. Here's what I knew, heard and saw:

The negotiations by the League and the NFLPA has been a tricky one; made trickier by a move by the NFLPA at the beginning of negotiations to decertify itself as a labor union so that it could sue the League for violating Federal anti-trust regulations. (Being able to operate as a monopoly - with 32 separate "divisions" - as been key to the way the NFL holds a draft, regulates free agency and otherwise operates).

• Holding the threat of anti-trust litigation over the  League's head has given the NFLPA huge negotiating leverage some are reluctant to give up.

• It's presumed that  key part of the new CBA and related-issues was that the NFLPA would recertify (i.e. become a union again) and drop its anti-trust suit.

• According to the deal, the way this would have to legally work was that elements of the agreed-to collective bargaining agreement (CBA) and other parts of the settlement could not kick in until the NFLPA recertified itself as a union. This is the context for what happened over the past 24 - 36 hours.

  • It was announced that we could expect an NFLPA vote on the labor-package Wednesday night followed by ratification by League owners the following afternoon.

  • We were also told that the communication-lines between Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith would be wide open 24/7 (to make certain both League and NFLPA were basing their decisions on the same set of facts).

  • Instead, the NFLPA deferred a vote and announced that they'd hold a phone-conference Thurs. night with their 32 Player Reps. (Result - Instead of voting first, they'd now vote after the League held its vote).

  • The League held its owner meeting Thursday as scheduled and passed what it thought was the official version of the deal 31 to  0.

  • In response to a question posed by SI's Peter King (and on the minds of most fans), the League issued an accompanying press release outlining time-table of "what was expected to go down when" concerning camp openings, free agency, trades etc. Because some of the items on the timetable were predicated on the NFLPA becoming a union again, key dates and an anticipated recertification date remained understantdably intertwined and had to be mentioned in the same breath.

  • After the the NFLPA conference-call, one of their lawyers then issued a vitriolic press release blasting the League for "trying to ram the agreement (and various due-dates) down the throats of the players and violating Federal anti-trust law by "forcing players to join a union" (assuming there even would be a union) and interfering with the recertification process. Needless to say. the NFLPA once again deferred a vote "because the players weren't given the necessary details and time" to arrive at a reasoned decision.

  • The 8 - 10 hours that followed have been flooded with e-mails, tweets and other grumbling by various player reps that "the NFL tried to pull a fast one on the players." NO player rep Heath Evans tweeted that the League tried to sneak stuff that nobody knew about into (what he and others now refer to as) the "proposed" agreement. When pressed for specifics, he skirted the question - the best Evans could come up with was: "That's what I hear D. Smith say and I trust him."

Back to Ground Zero (or at least heading in that direction). Here's what troubles me: We were led to believe that Roger Goodell and DeMaurice Smith were "joined at the hip and working as "partners" with no secrets between them. Lines of communications were kept perpetually open, so that everything going on in the owners meeting (including details of the deal) was being steadily relayed to Smith (who, in turn, would logically feed back the NFLPA position to Goodell).

Trying to dissect all of this objectively - either (1) Goodell wasn't being entirely forthcoming with Smith (unlikely - given the body language between the two), (2) Smith did a poor job of communicating all info downward to his Player Reps, (3) the Player Reps aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer and just aren't "getting it" or (4)  a significant number of Reps are reluctant to surrender their anti-trust leverage by recertifying before they squeeze every last concession out of the owners.

It seems to me that the NFLPA is playing a cute game of using  union-certification and recertification to suit its own purpose (kind of "hiding behind trees") - i.e it was the NFLPA who decertified in the first place but is now threatening the League - who's simply trying to establish some semblance of operating normalcy - for interfering with their recertification process.

Meanwhile, how come - despite all that good open communication between Goodell and Smith - the players felt they weren't kept informed? From a fan's standpoint - regardless of how loudly or bitterly the players are protesting - it seems to me that it's the NFLPA who's doing the sandbagging at the last minute and not the other way around.

TV Coverage Side Notes - I couldn't help but draw comparisons between the NFL Network's coverage and that of tru-TV's coverage of the Casey Anthony trial. Both covered emotionally-charged events on a 24/7 basis. Both channels seemed to spin info in order hold onto viewers and hype ratings. (The tru-TV on-air talent continually attempted to overdramatize every eye-brow inflection and make mountains out of mole hills. NFL Network kept leading fans to expect that "news was about to break" only to frequently do a "180" and conclude: "We knew it wouldn't happen the way it was expected").

Also, there was a definite Michael Bidwill sighting at the owner's meeting (he walked through the doorway of the meeting room into the common hallway wearing a nifty gray suit and carrying a press kit). We can safely conclude he really does exists.

Pop! Go the Weasels...
July 21, 2011 - Told you that posting before a deal was signed-off on risked jinxing it. Sure enough, the NFLPA delayed their signing plans. Was it pure posturing? Did they legitimately need more time to review the fine print? Doesn't matter - it is what it is (mainly a deal that isn't a deal - yet).

In recent posts I made over on ASFN, I cautioned that in high-profile negotiations like these,  "the days look darkest before the dawn" and that the suits on both sides would find trying to squeeze that last bit of tooth-paste out of the tuber hard to resist. Methinks I am right.

There's very little else going on these days (other than heat-waves, dust-storms and an economy on the brink). So I guess it can't hurt to keep a constant eye on lockout negotiations (which occasionally can get fairly interesting.  I'd just caution us all not to get too emotionally wrapped up in its ups and downs while the honchos in suits and ties rack up more billable hours.

On final question - I keep seeing b-roll footage of Jerry Jones, Richardson, Goodell and a bunch of very larged unnamed player representatives in shirt sleeves pulling their wheelies out of limos and through lobbies. My question:We never get to see Michael Bidwill. Is he  even in the country? Or is he holed up at some "undisclosed location." (Among those fairly new to following the Cardinals, there are conspiracy rumors suggesting that Michael doesn't really exist - he's merely the computer-name of the dude you get on voice-mail).

Roster Ins & Outs...
July 21, 2011 - Darren Urban published a list of unsigned Cardinal veterans. Here are the details and implications (Note - I dropped Ben Patrick from the list because of earlier reports that he had been released)

As of right now, the Cards have only 41 players under contract (as few as 38 if either Anderson, Hayes and/or Porter is released). They have eight draft picks that will be part of the team. So, heading into free agency, the total group of signed or drafted players comes out to 46 – 49. If the Camp roster-limit is expanded to 90 as expected, this would leave 41 – openings left on the roster. If all 24 additional Cardinal players with expiring contracts(see below) were signed, 22- 24 roster spots would remain open for UDFA and  FA pickups and trades. (If rosters remained at 80, subtract 10 from the total available roster spots).

• RB Tim Hightower
• FB Reagan Maui’a
• FB Nehemiah Broughton
• WR Steve Breaston
• WR Max Komar
• WR Early Doucet
• TE Stephen Spach
• T Brandon Keith
• G Deuce Lutui
• T D’Anthony Batiste
• C Lyle Sendlein
• C Ben Claxton
• DE Kenny Iwebema
• DL Bryan Robinson
• DL Alan Branch
• DT Gabe Watson
• LB Curtis Gatewood
• LB Reggie Walker
• LB Cyril Obiozor
• S Hamza Abdullah
• CB Trumaine McBride
• CB Michael Adams
• S Matt Ware
• P Ben Graham

---

Gentlemen, Start Your Engines...
July 20, 2011 - Giving way to superstition,  I've been reluctant to talk football during the lockout for fear of jinxing everything. However, "all bad things must come to an end", and things look promising enough to swing back into action before the free-agent frenzy explodes on the scene (as early as Monday). So let's talk some Cardinal football - random-topic by random -topic:

Jersey Numbers
The draft picks weren't assigned any during the lockout. Not to worry - they tend to swap, sell and trade jersey numbers in preseason anyway).

Kolb
As time marches on and the buzz heats up, the body language coming from the media is  that he'll be a Cardinal. Why am I not jumping up and down doing a dance? After all, it could be argued that the only thing that kept the Cardinals out of the playoffs last season was a competent QB. Two things grind at me: (1) During his college and brief pro career, he didn't show me anything suggesting "Superstar" (either current or potential). The perception I come away with is a compact, smart QB with an accurate (but not spectacularly strong) arm, inconsistent footwork and pocket-presence. Someone perhaps moe suited for a West Coast offense and not necessarily right for the Warner-inspired Vertical passing attack used by the Cardinals. (2) Given those aforementioned concerns, the Cards may have to part with too much in the way of players or draft picks to be worth the deal. We're hearing rumors about DRC (in lieu of at least a #1 pick). I don't like the DRC deal (modern day pass defenses require more than 2 great cover corners). Nor am I crazy about surrendering a #1 pick for a player who got drafted in the second round (from a roster development standpoint, that's going backwards). I could see us surrendering  #2 picks in 2012 and 2013 or a #2 pick and one of our young backup receivers (a Philly position of need). Regardless - it will be up to Wiz, Rod and the staff to decide, and I'm guessing we'll need to hold our breath and keep the faith. (BTW - Part of me is holding out hope that we'll somehow coax Carson Palmer out of retirement - if, necessary, in exchange for Beanie. I think that would be a better deal from the standpoints of need, value and system-fit).

Other Moves
There are a gazillion predicted moves suggested on other blogs. I'll continue to avoid prognosticating, since (a) we have no clue as to which of our own FA's we're likely to hold onto and (2) landing a specific guy with special plans from a specific team with other special plans is Needle in a Haystack City. What we do know is that the average roster-size right now for most teams is at about 40, and the projected camp roster size is 90. That means the Cardinals and other NFL teams will have to add 50 players to their active rosters in record time. Expectations that, come Monday, the wheeling and dealing will come hot and heavy. I expect to see heavy action on four fronts: (1) Efforts to Re-Signing Core Players (Breaston, Sendlein etc.) ,  (2) High Profile Trades/FA Pickups (Kolb), (3) Second (& Later) Echelon FA Pickups to Bolster Roster Depth (Your Guess is as Good as Mine) and (4) UDFA Signings (Herzlich?).

I don't think these moves will be done sequentially (not enough time). Expect everything to happen all at once - with team's announcing major moves at the same time they pick up top undrafted rookies.

Cardinal Roster Needs
Depending on which FA's we might lose - and without getting too specific - we obviously need a QB we feel we can win with. I'm not crazy about the performance of our O-line - at either tackle and RG. Hadnot should be an able replacement for Faneca at LG (But we have to remember that the versatile backup G can't play all three interior OL positions at the same time). We only have one TE who can block. Our pass-rushing capability remains iffy for now. And at ILB, we could use a couple of guys with more sand in their butts. If reports are true - that there's disatisfaction with Graham's output - we may need to add a capable punter. (Personally, I don't see anything wrong with Graham).

Uncertainty Going Into Preseason
Either due to legal reasons, lockout secrecy or off-season media malaise, we have little or no understanding of what went on during the offeseason with Cardinal players compared to their counterparts on other NFL teams - specifically with regard to Playbook Knowledge, New System Installs, Core Conditioning or Unit Timing. How "ready" will we be competitively?

So that's the deal for now. Wow! I feel a lot better having the chance to talk a little Cardinal football. Let's just hope I didn't put the whammy on negotiations at the eleventh hour.

---

Faneca Retires
May 12, 2011 - Mega All Pro Cardinal right guard, Alan Faneca announced his retirement. He said his decision was nailed down about a month ago, but that he wanted to let the draft play out (so that the Cards could add a rookie interior offensive linemen if they chose to do so - which it turns out they didn't). The Cardinals lose a "pro's pro" - one of Wiz's go-to guys in the lockerroom - a quality experienced lineman with great leadership skills.

Faneca's departure raises an interested (long-festering) issue - When veterans on other NFL teams say they're considering retirement, you never know. (Poster child: Brett Favre), But when any Cardinal veteran voices even vague comments about "possibly retiring", it's close to a 100% done-deal. Why is that? And is it necessarily a bad thing?

There are two plausible reasons why Cardinal elder-statesmen are allowed to fly the coop so readily: (1) Through attitude and financial renumeration policy, the Cardinal FO makes it clear that "it's probably time to go." (2) The Cardinals are more honest, realistic and straight-arrow with their players - both young and old and are less inclined to let sentiment get in the way of the merit system. The first reason reflects the traditional old time take on the relationship between front office and player. The latter has more to do with Wiz and the relationship he and his assistants have built up with his charges. In either case, we're sorry that Faneca (the target of some fans for being a bit "long in the tooth", but felt by Wiz and other coaches that he could still contribute to the Cardinal football team) is moving on.

Speaking of moving on, the passing of two people are worth noting - one a dear friend; another a celebrity of sorts. I met Virginia Wolf (that's her name!) a gazillion years ago at a local town hall meeting and, in doing so, discovered a kindred spirit - a love for jazz, Lenny Bruce, independent films and football (although she and her husband, Pete, were rabid Giant rooters who more often than not had the upper hand).

I recently wrote a memoir describing 7 great years at summer camp, sharing adventures and bunking with a bunch of gritty semi-delinquents comparable to the Bowery Boys or the Dirty Dozen. If Camp Lincoln had been co-ed, Ginny would have fit in perfectly with this motley crew. Whether it was fighting corrupt politicians or insensitive bosses...or describing the lack of excitement in an audience as "an oil painting" (or describing it as "Mount Rushmore") or repeating some obscure Reiner-Brooks comedy bit, Ginny was an unstoppable force that, unfortunately at age-80 was, in fact...stopped. (Well perhaps materially - but her unsinkable spirit will live on in all of us who were fortunate enough to have known her).

If you pick up today's NY Daily News, you will find column after column (main news and sports) honoring the passing of sports cartoonist Bill Gallo - not only a genius with a sketch-pad and insightful chronicler of what was going on in the world of sports, but also a closet St. Louis Cardinal baseball fan (well - not totally in the closet - he'd come out of his bat cave from time to time and do a cartoon about a Carpenter, Wainright or Prince Albert).

I'll miss 'em both.

---