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Gollin's Preseason Blog

Bridges to IR?.
Mon. Sept. 3, 2012 - The Twitter World has relayed Jeremy Bridges' tweet that he tore a ligament in his thumb and has been IR'd. This is not a good thing; especially coming so closely on the heels of Levi Brown's injury and the failure of the brief "DJ Young to LT" experiment.

Before you and other members of the Cardinal Nation reaches for your  cyanide capsule, consider the following:
The loss of Bridges severely hurts us depth-wise, but, to be honest, our offensive line at the end of last season (when Levi was at LT and Keith at RT) wasn't exactly Pro Bowl material anyway. The current starting lineup of Batiste, Colledge, Sendlein, Snyder and Massie (backed by Ohrnberger) seems to have stabilized the porous nature of the O-line.

So where do we go from here? (UPDATE) Cards signed 317 lb FA tackle (from Cowboys) Pat McQuistan) and placed both Bridges and Levi Brown on IR. They could also re-sign Russ Hochstein. While admittedly an OG, he could make it possible for Colledge (who's played the position) to slide over to LT in an emergency.One way or another, the Cardinal FO will find a way to get it done. They have to; they have no choice. Stay tuned:

Cards Trade Jefferson/Fill Part of Practice Squad.
Sun. Sept. 2, 2012 -The Cardinals traded surplus CB AJ Jefferson to the Vikes for "conditional draft pick(s)." Additional terms were not revealed. Cards filled the roster vacancy with former Jets & Dolph OLB Jamaal Westerman (6-3 265). 

Twitterland has been busy, with uncorroborative tweets that five players have been added to the Practice Squad: TE Steve Skelton, DL Ricky Lumpkin, OLB Ricky Elmore (6-5 255 Arizona - who recorded 25½ college career sacks), WR Gerell Robinson (6-3 227 ASU) and OT Steven Baker 6-8 310 (Colts). Stay tuned.


Cards Trim to the "Final 53"...
Sat. Sept. 1, 2012 - The Cards placed 4 players on Waived-Injured or Injured Reserve and cut a bunch more to reach the 53-man roster limit. By position"

Quarterback - Bartel was placed on IR, and Lindley survives.

Running Back - Powell beat out Smith. James was placed on IR.

Wide Receivers - Cards kept 5 instead of 6. In addition to the Big Four (Fitz, Doucet, Roberts and Floyd) LaRon Byrd made the final cut. S Williams was placed on Waived-Injured. Sampson and Isaac Williams are "in the wind."

Tight Ends - Dray beat out Steve Skelton for the final spot. Webb didn't survive.

Offensive Line - I'm not sure how this works, but I understand the Cards are keeping Levi Brown on the active 53-man roster in the hope we'll get him back sometimes during the regular season. We kept the three drafted rooks (Massey, Kelemete and Potter). Hochstein, Young and Wedige didn't make it.

Defensive Line - As expected, we're keeping 6. Talley, Lumpkin and Thompson were let go.

Linebackers - Cards put Brandon Williams on waived-injured and cut four others (Coleman, Sturdivant, C Parker and Haggans). Haggans came as a suprise/missing an open field tackle to avoid a long run probably didn't help. D. Urban speculates that, if Jefferson goes, it opens up a roster spot to add another LB (where we're a bit thin)

Secondary - Butler, Gideon and L. Parker are gone. And Jefferson has tweeted that he's been traded to the Vikings (although there's no confirmation to that report)/

Special Teams - No further cuts.

Don't be surprised if there's some minor tweaking as teams scour the waiver wire and trade from position-surpluses to bolster thin areas. There may be additional moves on and off the roster as the Cards jockey to fill their 8-man Practice Squad. Click here to see final roster


Scoping Out the "Final 53"...
Mon. Aug. 27, 2012 - A qualifier: There will be both happy and unhappy surprises. The following categorizes all remaining players as either (a) "Safe, (b) "Competing for a Spot" or (c) "Vulnerable. That's the best I can do:

Quarterback (3 Spots)
Kolb and Skelton are safe (barring a trade). 2 players (Bartel and Lindley) are battling for the final spot.

Running Back (4 Spots)
Beanie, Ryan Williams, LSH are safe. 2 players (Powell and A. Smith) are competing for final spot. Javaris James is vulnerable.

Fullback (1 Spot)
The Shermanater is safe. (Backup will be a TE).

Wide Receiver (6 Spots)
Fitz, Doucet, Roberts and Floyd are safe. 3 players *S. Williams, Byrd and Sampson) are competing for final 2 spots. I. Williams is vuinerable.

Tight End (4 Spots)
Heap, King and Housler are safe. 2 players (Dray and Skelton - who would double as FB) are competing for final spot. Webb is vulnerable.

Offensive Line (8 Spots)
Sendlein, Batiste, Snyder and Colledge are safe. 5 players (Massey, Bridges, Kelemete, Potter and Ohrmeyer) are competing for final 4 spots. Hochstein, Wedige, Young and Clayson are vulnerable.

Defensive Line (6 Spots)
Dockett, Campbell, D WIlliams, Eason, and Carter are safe. 3 players(Holliday, Talley and Lumpkin) are competing for final spot.

Linebacker (8 Spots)
Washington, Lenon, Bradley. Acho, Schofield and Haggans are safe. 3 players (Walker, Sturdivant and Groves) are competing for final 2 spots. B Williams, Coleman and C Parker are vulnerable.

Defensive Back (10 Spots)
Wilson, Rhodes, Peterson, Gay, Flemming and Bethel are safe. 5 players (Jefferson, Toler, Adams, Sanders and Johnson) are competing for 4 final spots. Butler, Gideon and A. Parker are vulnerable.

Special Teams (3Spots)
Feely, Zastudil and Leach are safe.

So that's the deal - we might keep fewer or more players to shore up various positions, and there's always the Injury Gods lurking around the field for the final game. But that's how I see it.


First Round of Roster Moves Take Place
Sat. Aug. 25, 2012 - The Turk was active during the 24 hours following our loss to Tennessee. To reach the 75 man limit before the Monday deadline, the Cards put Levi Brown on IR, FB Jared Crank and RB Thomas Clayton on the waived-injured list and released DL Landon Cohen, WR Gino Crump, WR Tre Gray, DB Eddie Elder, DB Marshay Green, WR Jaymar Johnson, FB Reagan Mau'ia, LB Marcus McGraw, LB Zack Nash, DB James Nixon, P Ricky Schmitt and LB Paul. Vassallo.

This set of cuts represent the "easy cuts" (because we only had to get from 90 to 75 players. The next cut is in early Sept. and involves cutting 22 less marginal players to get from 75 to 53. Some of the cuttees will wind up on our PS but must clear waivers first (& you'd better believe that other NFL scouts will be scanning the waiver wires - just as ours will).


Oakland Recap Still Delayed - Looking toward Tennesse
Thurs. Aug. 23, 2012 - I'm still dealing with PC issues, so I can't complete the Raider game recap. (I'll post it and the recap of tonight's game vs. Tennessee as soon as I get everything fixed). Sorry.

Biggest omission trying to report on the Raider game "from memory" was how good Ryan Williams looked in his first action since being injured a year ago. He displayed great vision and sharp cutting skills. One notable run featured Williams hurdling a would-be tackler in the middle of a cut. If he can stay healthy, he will make a big difference in our running attack (Think of him either as "a lighter, shiftier version of Beanie" or "a bigger version of LSH").

Tennessee Questions:

  • Will Skelton continue to outplay Kolb? Or will Kevin mount a mini-comeback?

  • How will Beanie look in his 2012 debut? How will our running attack look with Beanie and Ryan Williams running behind a Levi-less offensive line?

  • Who, if anyone, will emerge as a viable starting LT? Didany of four candidates (Young, Batiste, Bridges, Potter) embarrass us? Or did they step up to the challenge?

  • Will the backups who shined last week (Lindley, Walker, Sturdivant, Flemming, Bethel and Powell) continue to flash unexpected talent? Or will they regress a little?

  • Will Floyd be given a bigger chance to show all of us what he's got?

  • Implications for the final roster?

That's all. Beat them Titans!


 BRS PC Crash of 2012 is Officially "Over"
Wed. Aug. 22, 2012 - Last Friday morning, when I tried to log on to brag about our win over Oakland, Windows refused to boot up. To make a long story short, it's Wednesday, and (thanks to a sharp webhost) we're back up and ready to rock 'n roll. Sorry for any inconvienience:

Bye Bye Oakland/Howdy, Tennessee
We entered the Oakland game with much trepidation - Our defense looked sluggish and sloppy as did our offensive line. Kolb played miserably, as did R Walker, Gay and many others. There was a lot of soul searching (& hitting) during the week going into the Raider game, and it apparently paid off. We started off strong, and wound up a 31 - 27 winner, but it didn't come without some cost - Starting LT Levi Brown tore his tricep and will out for the season. A recap of highlights and lowlights:

  • Both offense and defense (& special teams) played a physically tougher, more disciplined brand of football.

  • Levi - not that he didn't have his critics, but we don't know who will replace him (could be Young, Batiste, Bridges, Potter or some new guy) or how well his replacement will do?

  • Kolb started out 3 for 3, in the first series but wound up going 3 for 6 and was sacked 3 times. With the help of Ryan Williams (who looked like a later-day Barry Sanders) , he led the Cards on their first TD drive capped by a nifty Williams counter-cutback run off RG for a yard or two. Kolb, unfortunately, still looks like he's wandering around in and out of the pocket when pressured, without a solid idea of what to do.

  • Albeit only in for a short series, Skelton came in and went 3 for 3 (including a nifty red zone TD pass to Sherman by the right stantion. While Coach Whiz continues to benefit from the luxury of time, it seems as though Skelton is beginning to separate himself a bit from Kolb.

  • Reggie Walker did a 180-degree turnaround from the previous week and played like he deserves to start. Acho rebounded from a subpar KC outing.

  • Justin Bethel blocked a FG and a punt (returning it for a 19 yard TD).

  • Flemming played well enough to suggest he'll start by mid-season. Gay did not play that well.

  • Quan Sturdivant had a strong game (a solid inside force).

  • William Powell ran low to the ground with enough shiftiness to challenge Alfonso Smith for the final RB spot.

  • Sherman had a strong game (blocking, catching and on special teams).

  • Lindley has proved he belongs in the NFL in terms of physical talent, but mentally, he still makes rookie mistakes and learning the non-physical and intangible aspects of the game will be his challenge.

  • Going into Tennessee, Young will start at LT, Batiste will start at RT (& then move to LT later in the game). Skelton gets the start (it's his turn).

  • Against the Titans, l want to see how Skelton and Kolb do. Also whether young flashers like Walker, Sturdivant Powell, Flemming and Bethel can repeat last week's performance. Finally, whether any offensive tackles step up and play well enough to be trusted yet.

That's about it - I'll try to post an Oakland game recap within a day or so. Then it's on to Tennessee.


Culprit: "Lack of Preparation?"
Fri. Aug 17, 2012 - What seems to be sinking in among coaches, players, media and fans is that, in their first 2 games, the entire team hasn't been playing very well and there should be a sense of urgency about turning things around. Typically this would either involve (a) changing the players or getting existing players to "play harder" or "execute better." Sometimes that will work. (As Mel Brooks' 2,000 Year Old Man once observed: "Fear is the chief motivator"). But not always.

Something more specific needs to be addressed, and it cuts across all roster positions: "Preparation (or lack thereof)." The team's play - across the board - has seemed tentative (i.e. you get the feeling that, much of the time, our guys aren't really sure where they should be or what they should do on any given play). Our opponents haven't seemed to have had that problem:

  • Our QB's aren't 100% confident their protection will hold up or where the pressure might be coming.

  • Our receivers aren't sure whether or when to break off a route or come back to help out their QB

  • Our RB's aren't sure where a hole will open up (if, in fact, at all).

  • Our pass blockers aren't totally confident about who to block or where or when to hand off a stunting pass rusher to a fellow teammate

  • Our Front Seven doesn't always know their keys, bites on fakes & gets suckered on screens.

  • Our Back Eight is often out of position or late to the ball.

In short, they don't look totally prepared. Now I realize that (at least according to one Cardinal coach) the Cards don't spend a lot of time game-planning for opponents in preseason, but with the lack of preparation comes a lack of confidence and tentative style of play. I don't know how - compared to other teams - our coaches prepare their players for upcoming games; only that other teams look better prepared overall than we do. (Why is it that rookie QB's like Bradford, Stafford, Newton, RG3 and Luck seem to pick things up quicker than our two guys - who still look a bit lost going into their 3rd season? Are their teams preparing them differently)?

When a team's players feel "ready to rock 'n roll", they're more equipped to "do less thinking" and just go out there and kick butt. I'm not sure our coaches are preparing our players well enough to do this; and simply "more reps" may not provide the entire answer. The bottom line is making sure (& feeling secure that) each player knows all his stuff all the time. If it means daily quizzes inside meeting rooms or on the practice field, the key is to get the necessary information into each guy's brain (so that it becomes instinctive and second-nature) and  for both coach and player to know that the player "has it nailed."

Then and only then will our athletes be able to play to their potential - instinctively, energetically and without hesitancy.

Just sayin'.

Looking Toward Oakland
Tues. Aug. 14 - Apparently, our lackluster performance vs. KC has caused some Cardinal die-hards to dial up the late Dr. Kervorkian's number in the old Roladex. Having not yet seen the entire game, I can't comment with much certainty.

A word about TV coverage of Cardinal preseason games. Firstly, FSN -AZ continues to "take money" from DirecTV sports package subscribers by blacking out Cardinal preseason games. (They have been doing so for several years now, but have never explained why allowing a Cardinal fan in Chicago, Alabama or New Jersey to watch the game would have any impact at all on local advertiser sales). Then, yesterday, NFLN (who "got it right" on their website drop-down schedule) rebroadcast the Cardinal - Chiefs game late yesterday morning; but the on-air DirecTV scheduling grid incorrectly said it was a different game  (either StL - Indy or GB - SD). I came upon the game "by accident" and managed to pick up the action midway thru the 3rd quarter. (I did catch the audio feed of the game "live" via SIRIUS, but hearsay from Glen Parker isn't the same as seeing it in living color).

So based on incomplete information, my only two take-aways are that (a) we got physically pushed around by the Chiefs on both sides of the ball and (b) Kolb looked awful (again) and Bartel (who appeared to be frequently "running into sacks") looked no better than Kolb

QB Battle
If the decision had to be made today (& putting it within the context of porous pass blocking) , I think the edge would go to Skelton (who seems a bit stronger in the pocket and a bit more decisive than Kolb). But we don't have to make that decision right now.

Everyone is rushing to judgment, and we don't have to. We've Kolb and Skelton for less than 30 preseason snaps apiece. Bartel and Lindley have seen less than 4 total quarters of mop-up time. That's not a lot of snaps on which to base judgments that will have a profound impact on the future direction of the football team. We have three preseason games left to play. Our soundest course of action should be to grit our collective teeth and let the process play itself out.

Roster News
Biggest news is that D'Antnony Batiste has been moved ahead of Jeremy Bridges at RT on the depth chart. (Makes sense on face value, because this  allows Bridges to settle into his more comfortable and useful role as backup LT, RT, LG and RG while buying more time for Bobby Massie to continue to learn his trade until he's ready to earn a starting spot at RT.

Other major roster story line has to do with the return of the walking wounded: RB Ryan Williams is expected to see action vs. Oakland. Beanie Wells has resumed practicing but will probably be held out until at least the Tennessee preseason game. TE Jeff King has been removed from the PUP list and is returning to practice, but probably won't see action til Tennessee. FB Reagan Mau'ia has rejoined the club (to split reps with Sherman, now that Crank is injured). WR LaRon Byrd (shoulder) is day to day but expected to be ready for Oakland. No report as to when Paris Lenon will return.

Thoughts on Why the Defense is Struggling in Preseason
The conventional wisdom is that Ray Horton's defense has struggled thus far because, although it relies mainly on deception, the Cards have been playing mainly "vanilla" schemes. I'd like to explore a different avenue:

But let me digress. A few years back,  Giants' head coach Tom Coughlin took a look at the offensive/defensive matchups and determined that his team had a decided advantage in size and physicality. He decided to go the smashmouth route and repeatedly ran Brandon Jacobs down our throats. Guess what? It worked.

Which raises the question: "If you were an OC facing a Ray Horton defense which places greater emphasis on quickness and deception (over size and strength)  and you felt your offense was bigger and stronger, wouldn't you try to push the Cardinals around physically? With the exception of Dumpster Dan Williams, no starter or backup on our defensive line weighs more than about 300 lbs (& Williams dropped his weight down to 314 lbs to gain more quickness and mobility).

That's all I got - revisit the Cards - KC game recap for updates.


Thurs. After Night Drill/Before HOF Game
Thurs. Aug. 2, 2012 - To bring us all up to date on personnel, the Cards: Waived WR Stanley Arukwe, placed C Blake DeChristopher and Ryan Bartholomew on Waived-Injured list, added G's Rich Ohrnberger and Russ Hochstein and RB Thomas Clayton. (You never know about longshot newcomers, but DeChrostopher, Bartholomew and Arukwe were on my short-list of guys to watch, and I was sad to see them go.

With Kolb (thigh bruise) held out of drills for one or two days, Skelton got most of the reps and not only didn't take advantage of them but was (at least according to fan observations) horribly inaccurate - frequenty overthrowing the open-man and being picked off a few times. This in turn unleashed another one of those lengthy (and, frankly, boring) "no he ditn't/yes he did" back & forths among the Cardinal faithful. I love the fan reports from ASFN and other sites but am a bit leery of their objectivity (they sometimes provide a forum for a diehard trying to advance his own agenda re Kolb, Skelton, the coaches or the FO. For that I reason, before passing judgment,  I'll cool my jets until I get to see these guys in real (well almost real) game conditions with my own eyes.

Darren Urban did have a few things to say about the Thursday night practice.

- Kolb played and said his quad "held up fine."

- Intensity was white-hot (lots of trash talking).

- Gay (taken out in goal line situations) took over as "sideline cheerleader" for the defense.

- Fitz outsnookered Bethel on a batted ball contested by both.

- Colin Parker delivered a "woo" hit on Sherman (with helmet flying)

- A-Dub and Powell came off the field with leg owies (evidently not deemed serious).

That's all I got (for now).


"The Monday After..."
Mon. July 30, 2012 - Cards usually take Sundays off during preseason, so there's usually little or nothing to report; but there are a few tidbits:

- Mash Unit - LB Zach Nash (ankle), RB Javarris James (abductor - 2 weeks), C Ryan Bartholomew (knee - a few days)

- Rod Graves fired cap/administrative guy, Justin Casey and replaced him with a CPA with no NFL experience, Sean castle. Kent Somers of the AZR wrote a fairly lengthy investigative piece wondering out loud why the move was made, since Casey appeared to be well-liked and his work satisfactory. Graves seemed to dismiss the move as merely moving guys around and tweaking the FO personnel in order to best fit the administrative needs of the organization. WIthout meaning to make a bigger deal over this than necessary, I am curious about why Rod (who tends to keep things low-key) "fired" Casey instead of allowing him to "resign". "pursue other career opportunities." Having been fired more than once during a lengthy and colorful business career, I can't help but speculate that Justin must have broken some unwritten organization law (like revealing sensitive information, overstepping his authority or simply letting some sort of bureaucratic minutae slip threw the cracks. Whatever the case, it does spice up an otherwise slow news day.

- Watching taped-footage of NFLN's coverage of the Red & White scrimmage, there was some interesting commentary by an off-camera expert (likely to have been Lombardi). He noted that, when he worked in the Niner FO with GM Bill Walsh, one principle they stuck to was that "you build the rest of your roster first, before you turn your attention to WR." He felt that, in drafting Malcom Floyd, the Cardinals violated that golden rule. When pressed further, he pointed out that the Cardinal O-line needed rebuilding (especially in light of the number of sacks they gave up, the inconsistent run-game and the pummeling/injuries absorbed by Kevin Kolb). When asked whether he thought that many problems at other roster positions Typically flowed from an NFL team's (specifically the Cards') O-line play, he replied: "Yes I do."

- While rewatching the footage, I couldn't help but note Ryan Lindley's scrunched-up throwing motion - he appeared to lose 2 or 3 inches of height from his release point and seemed to be "steering" his throws. (Since Lindley had been frequently criticized for "lacking touch" on some of his short-to-intermediate throws, perhaps the scrunched-up motion was more an overreaction to this criticism).

- And Kudos to NFL Network on its 6 am (ET) "live" morning show launch. I hope they will proivide some Cardinal news on a daily basis. (I taped it, and only watched an hour or so, but nada stuff about the Cards so far). One weird aspect of the show - it's being aired from their LA studios - which means their announcing staff has to look bright-eyed and bushy-talied at 3 o'clock in the freaking morning (i.e. are getting up super-early in the morning or coming off a late night on the town? Also - the show likes to do what appears to be a "live" whip-around to reporters in different NFL cities, but it seemed kind of disconcerting to watch the early-AM staff converse with "Stacy" or "Melissa" (in full sunlight) "at Patriots, Dolphins or Jets camp. And - doesn't this mean that the AZ-East Coast time-delay will make it near-impossible for NFLN to provide "live" coverage from Flag, Tempe or Glendale at 3 am? Still, something is better than nothing, and I wish NFLN much success.

Yesterday was my 73rd birthday - We pigged out on steamed crabs & beer, enjoyed playing with our grandson (Josh David Gollin) and rewatched footage of the Red vs.White scrimmage. Thanx to English on tour, Mitch, Gaddabout, DemsMyBoys, BullheadCardsFan, az jam, FArting, Snakester, BuckyBird, DBackJon, Dr. Jones, AzStephenCal and Brian in Mesa (on ASFN) for their birthday wishes. Life is large here in NJ.


Red & White Scrimmage Recap
Sun. July 29, 2012 - First, the obligatory annual word of caution: There's not much definitive to be gleaned from this early scrimmage, but, if you know where to look, you often can pick up tiny indicators of things to come.

Attendance was somewhat north of 14,000 (which shoved the foot of a boorish Philly fan - who was critical of the size of the Cardinal fan base - squarely in his mouth (Attendance at a similar Eagle scrimmage was just 6,500).

Much of the scrimmage was covered "live" by NFL Network on and off for most of the afternoon, so I got to see more stuff than usual. I believe this marks the first decent in-depth coverage by the media of the Cardinals as a team since our trip to the Super Bowl.

I'm probably making too big a deal over this, but I thought the drills lacked tempo and both the offense and defensive units lined up kind of "shaggily." After practice, Larry Fitzgerald observed that the offense, at times "looked sloppy" (& I'd have to agree). I understand; it's early, but I hope things willl look a whole lot crisper when we face the Saints Aug. 5. Now for some specifics:

QB - Neither Kolb or Skelton looked especially sharp (but Kolb looked "less dull"). Lindley lacked touch. A blogger criticized Skelton for "playing too careful."

RB - Ryan Williams was reported to have broken one for a long gain, but I didn't get to see it.  Javaris James looked pretty smooth catching out of the backfield. William Powell ran well in goal-line action.

WR - Floyd had a couple of grabs. I thought Doucet looked pretty fluid running his routes and snatching the ball. Byrd, Arukwe, Sampson and S Williams each had at least one grab. Byrd looked good laying out for an overthrown ball and staying inbounds.

TE - Nothing of notice. An ASFN blogger noted that Dray was doing nothing to solidify a roster spot. Nice 15-yard grab by Housler.

OL - Charley Casserly said that we should keep our eyes on Nate Potter as a potential starter at (not LT but) RT.

DL - Nada (linemen seldom get noticed in practice video footage).

LB - Nice pick by Reggie Walker (At first I thought it was #55 Bradley, but I'm pretty sure it turned out to be #56 Reggie).

DB - Nice breakup by Jefferson of a pass to Floyd. Parker (pick) and Bethel (goal line stop) each made nifty plays. Apparently, Ryan Williams got a bit mouthy after beating Rhodes on a running, and on the next snap, A-Dub made him pay. Gay said to have done a pretty good job of covering Fitz.

ST - I read someplace that Schmitt was being outpunted by Zastudil. Roberts muffed a punt.

Bottom Line - (1) QB situation still up in air, (2) If Williams can stay healthy, our running attack could be hellacious, (3) the WR battle should remain a doozie, (4) Ditto 2/3 of our secondary. (5) Keep an eye on Potter, Bethel, Byrd and all those talented corners (at least one of whom could turn out to be trade bait).


Early Workout Impressions
Sat. July 28, 2012 - Darren Urban is not a big fan of doing play by play recaps of practice, and I agree. There's a natural bias toward overhyping skilled positions (because that's what stands out most  and that's what most fans watch). But hard-core Cardinal fans are hungry for any tidbit that offers the tiniest clue as to "what the deal is" regarding the  potential success of an individual player or what it means for the team's future success. With these words of caution, here's what I've been able to glean from various sources as we look forward to Red & White drills:

QB - According to one source, Kolb outplayed Skelton in 7 on 7's, but the same source in an earlier occasion rated him as merely "OK." (and "a page out of Derek Anderson's greatest hits").  Although Peter King had nice things to say about the rookie (Lindley), the rookie's footwork (& accuracy) has been pretty awful.

RB - Raves over the sharpness of Ryan Williams's cutting as he comes back from serious kneee surgery. (But the Card medical staff and coaches plan to err on the side of caution and not bring him back too fast). Alfonso Smith blew up Acho in blitz pickup and is making a clear run at roster survival.

WR - Fans apparently are happy with Floyd (however he did lose a one-on-one battle with PP21 who made an insane one-handed pick). Floyd made a nice catch of a Skelton end-zone fade. He bolo'd on a high jump ball in the end zone, but later on made a nifty tip-toe catch near the sideline .Byrd made an impressive one-handed catch on a throw from Lindley. Mixed reviews on Sampson - who beat Greg Toler in the EZ for a TD but (according to another observer) looked pretty invisible most of the time. Isaac Williams was also panned (2 drops/no separation).

TE - Housler continues to impress - especially on red-zone plays.

OL - It's still too early to sort things out, but Urban says that the 2nd Unit consists of Young, Kelemete, Bartholomew/Wedige, Stewart and Batiste - which suggests that Massey and Potter haven't earned their way up the depth chart yet. Cards added veteran presence in Russ Hochstein (who can play G or C).

DL- Nothing much other than that Nine-Oh has bought into his role in Horton's defensive scheme and is ready to rock 'n roll. That plus that they look wello-conditioned overall.

LB - Nada

DB - Nice bat/pick of a Bartel pass. In 2-minute dime packages (with A-Dub and Rhodes deep) the four CB's in the scheme were Peterson. Gay, Jefferson and Adams (Toler's absence duly noted).

ST - Nada

But like I said at the beginning of this piece - Chill! It's early. See what else is inside the proverbial "Cracker Jack" box. Enjoy the show.


Serious Workouts Underway
Thurs. July 26, 2012 - 7 on 7's started yesterday. I understand full-contact hitting will start today.  ESPN's Chris Hanson was up in Flag to give a "live" report on the opening of the Cardinal camp. Lots of Skelton and Kolb footage along with Peterson vs. Fitz and Peterson vs. Floyd. (Nice one-handed pick by PP21 on one throw). Not much new to learn (Kolb took the first snap of the 7 on 7's, but he and Skelton divided the reps pretty much right down the middle).

OL Blake DeChristopher was placed on waived-injured list. LB Zach Nash (leg) left practice early. That's all for now.

 A-Dub to be Around a Little Longer
Wed. July 25, 2012 - Cards restructured Adrian Wilson's contract, to ease their annual cap-hit and extendi him to 2015. Wilson has emerged as a quiet team leader (a case might be made for his being considered the "Ray Lewis" of the Cardinal defense). Equally important is that the Cardinal FO remains consistent in making sure certain core-players remain "one of their own.

Odds 'n Ends - Beanie Wells and Jeff Kings (both rehabbing) failed to pass the entry-physical and will be placed on the PUP list. Coach Whisenhunt indicated that he didn't consider this a big deal, that both will continue their conditioning work and will be available to return to the active roster within a reasonable amount of time.


Football is Back!
Mon. July 23, 2012 -- Training Camp starts today (Yay!), and I thought it might be entertaining to post my first and last non-football blog of the offseason. Here goes:

Back in December, I came down with an unpleasant "plague" (runny nose that evolved into a bad chest cold) that wouldn't go away until well into March. (I suspect it might have been a low-grade case of Pertussis or Whooping Cough - I had a difficult-to-diagnose case when I was 10, and they say immunity tends to dissipate over time). All I know is that I stopped all exercise until mid-June, and it cost me - my hips have no strengty & tend to lock up when I walk uphill.  I'm finally back on the treadmill & resuming back and stretching exercises. It's been a long slog, but I'm gradually getting stronger. Moral - When it comes to exercise, "use it or lose it."...Nice to see that Justin (aka "Elvis") won the Food Network Star competition. (I'm not sure I'd want to cook or eat any of his outrageous recipses, but there's no one better for keeping one entertained - the dude is a culinary maniac...Speaking of food, Jersey Corn is on the farmstands. Yumm...Our 14 month old grandson (Josh David - aka "JD") learned to walk a month or so ago and definitely looks more like a scatback or WR than a linebacker....Bummer that Zach Parise is no longer a NJ Devil (but at least we still have Marty Brodeur)...With summer not even half over, we've had to endure heat-waves, a water-crisis and a a brief electric outtage. (In my first 60 years living in Greater NYC, I never experienced a blackout or a boil-our-water emergency. In terms of infrastructure- advances, we are definitely going backward....Newsroom (on HBO) brings back memories when I used to sit in on daily news conferences at The Trentonian as their promo guy. Our boss used to say that we were doing good if "we got things right 5% of the time."). I'm kind of rooting for the fictional Jeff Daniels and staff to "aim a little higher"...Our hearts, needless to say, are with the victims of the massacre in Colorado. What grabbed me was how those unfortunate folks were just like us - it could have happened in our town at our theater to our friends or loved ones....Just learned that they threw the book at Penn State. Many folks in Happy Valley were victims of "collateral damage" (i.e. things that happened that they had no control over). It's unfair, but also mild when compared to what happened to the kids who were abused. Sometimes  we have to remember that (a) college is first and foremost, a place of higher learning and (b) "it's only football,"  The University and the NCAA felt they had to send a wake-up call to the football establishment, the Penn State family and to citizens in general about "what happens when you don't do the right thing." Can't blame them, but I still feel bad about it....So that's about it - On to Cardinal Football!

UPDATE: 7/24/12 - I forgot to mention that the past month or two has been an excellent time to catch up on reading and music. I'm 2/3 of the way through James Lee Burke's 757 page  "Creole Bell" (more than just a crime novel - he knows his psychology, the many characters are colorful, he cares about the ecology of the Gulf and you can smell the gumbo)... Searched-for and downloaded a bunch of tunes I dug in the old days - "The Fugue" (Maynard Ferguson), "Blues in the Closet" (Kenny Drew - Jazz Higheay - "live"), "The Romper Stomper" (George "The Fox" Williams), "The Shout" (Les McCann), "Ooh Ah" D'Di Di" (Wild Bill Davis), "Birdland" (Manhattan Transfer);  "Chica Boo" (Loyd Glenn); a whole bunch of Latin Jazz by Eddie Palmieri, an even larger bunch of European Swing Guitar pieces (Django Rhinehart, Boulou Ferre and Birelli Legrene) plus ten hard-to-find Alan Freed Camel Rock & Roll concerts via Armed Forces Radio...ESPN kicked off its Camp coverage with a little bit of Cardinal content - other than Kolb vs. Skelton and some Fitz highlights, there wasn't much meat on the bone...Glad to learn that, this Monday (July 30), NFL Network will launch an early morning show (at 6:30 am ET). Good idea, but of course, it will depend on what they serve up each day with breakfast. Dat's all for now.


Kolb? Or Skelton?
Tues. July 3, 2012 - The blogs are filled with Kolb and Skelton back & forths notable for their (a) lack of objective information, (b) inane reliance on incomplete information, (c) an overreliance on (& misinterpretation of) statistics and (d) endless repetition of the same arguments. Blame it on the "black hole" of NFL media coverage (which is still obsessed with NO Bounties, Tebow, Revis and Top 100 lists). But like a fresh cool breeze washing through a sweaty summer heat-wave came a fascinating article by NFL.com's Bucky Here it is (in edited-down form). "V'la L'bon vent" (Ian & Sylvia),

The Problem with Applying Sabermetrics to Football
Thurs. June 28, 2012 - Like just about every sports fan, I saw Moneyball, loved Jonah Hill and can appreciate the use of esoteric and targeted statistics to analyze and dictate personnel and game-day baseball strategy.

Of late, there has been a  plethora (I’ve always wanted use that word) of pro football blogging threads and posts  which rely on detailed statistics from sources like Football Outsiders, Pro Football Talk to support arguments about which player, drafting philosophy, offensive or defensive strategy etc. is better, best, worst or sucks.

But football ain’t baseball.

Before I explain why, a brief primer on Sabermetrics:

Wikipedia defines it as “the specialized analysis of baseball through objective evidence, especially baseball statistics that measure in-game activity. It was coined by Bill James. It attempts to answer objective questions about baseball, such as "which player on the Red Sox contributed the most to the team's offense?" or "How many home runs will Ken Griffey hit next year?" It cannot deal with the subjective judgments which are also important to the game, such as "Who is your favorite player?" or "That was a great game."

It may, however, attempt to settle questions such as "Was Willie Mays faster than Mickey Mantle?" by establishing several possible parameters for examining speed in objective studies (how many triples each man hit, how many bases each man stole, how many times he was caught stealing) and then reaching a tentative conclusion on the basis of these individual studies.

Sabermetricians frequently question traditional measures of baseball skill (i.e. that batting average is useful since “it’s runs win ballgames, and that a better of a player's worth is how he helps his team score more runs than the opposing team). Sabermetrics is concerned both with determining the value of a player or team in current or past seasons and with attempting to predict the value of a player or team in the future.

The problem with falling back on Sabermetrics to compare NFL players and strategies is the time-worn cliché that “football is a team sport.” But it’s true. Dissect any baseball play and it will, at most involve (1) how well a  pitcher throws the ball, (2) how well the hitter hits (or doesn’t hit) it, (3) a couple of guys making plays in the field and (4) maybe a couple of guys running the bases.

But all of the activities they perform are individual acts. No one helps the home run hitter “go yard.” . No one helps a pitcher blow heat by a batter. No one helps an infielder gobble up a grounder up the middle or an outfielder run down a line-drive through the gap. (True, there are some nuanced exceptions – good hitters in the lineup helping to “protect” other hitters or a catcher  making the right calls – but most plays pretty much comprised of individual performances which can be measured, compared and aggregated statistically.

Not so much with football.  For a QB to be successful, his receivers have to get open. His blockers have to protect him. The right plays have to be called to match up with opposing coverages. Each play’s success depends, in part, on how good or smart the opposing defense is.

Ditto RB’s – each has his own style (maulers are statistically comparative “oranges; scatbacks “apples”,  jukers “peaches” and pass-catchers “prunes” (because they each bring something different to the table. They too have to rely on effective blockers in order to be successful.

Receivers also come in different sizes and are asked to do different things (like “go deep”, catch over the middle, grab jump balls, tight-rope the sideline pick off fades in the red zone) and above all, “get open.” They too have to rely on other team-members to help them be successful: The QB has to get them the ball. His pass blockers have to give him enough time to get them the ball. The defense has to get the ball back earlier and oftener. And, of course, there’s always   how well the two teams match up; player-to-player, down to down.

Blocking assignments usually involve at least 5 guys working in tandem to open up holes, trap opponents,  wall off tacklers, lead interference to the corner, pass block etc. against a variety of opponents which include edge-rushers, bull-rushers, blitzing defenders, roving LB’s or wide-bodies clogging holes. How valid are tackling statistics for an unprotected LB or a DL forced to help out a weaker line-mate.  

And what scheme was the dude playing in?  Is it fair to compare tackling stats for (a) a SS who spends most of his time as the 8th guy in the box with (b) another SS more likely to provide deep coverage? Does it make much sense to compare the sack totals for a NT in a 3-4 (who’s relied on to protect his LB’s) with a 4-3 DT (expected to penetrate into the enemy backfield)?

One final cautionary word about the over-use of statistics (in baseball as well as football) can best be illustrated by this brief final story:

A couple of days ago, the StLCardinals were in the midst of a late-inning comeback vs. the Florida Marlins. Bases loaded; 2 outs; pitcher due up. The Cardinals (due a screw-up on their line-up card by the home-plate umpire - but that’s another story) had exhausted their supply of pinch hitters and were forced to bring in rookie pitcher, Joe Kelly. Kelly hit a routine slow grounder to the shortstop but miraculously beat the throw to 1st base (Who knew he could run that fast). That infield single was instrumental in finally winning that game in extra-innings.

Play goes down as a routine “single” in Stat Land, but this single was different from your standard ground-ball up the middle or line-drive to center. Of all things, it involved (a) a rookie, (b) a pitcher, (c) a pitcher who made contact and then (d) ran his ass off to beat the throw. If you’re strictly a “stat guy” who didn’t actually watch the game, there’s no way you could know that.

From PFT's or Outsider’s statistical viewpoint,  a spectacular play by Daryl Washington would be statistically considered  no different than a routine tackle made by a fellow LB – I have a problem with that.

Like many other aspects of any competitive sport, statistics add interest and have some value as tiny red flags that provide context, raise questions and can lead the way toward closer scrutiny of specific areas of the game. But I don't believe a sport as beautiful or complex as football (or, to a lesser degree, baseball) can be sliced and diced all the way down to a few basic numbers. As they used to say about lamp posts – “Use them mainly to illuminate and less  to prop up drunks.”


1st Annual Black Hole Place-Filler Column.
Wed. June 27, 2012 - The single-best way to describe the 4 - 5 week period period between the end of minicamps and the beginning of training camp is that "nothing's happening." The players are off doing their things. Writers like D Urban and Ken Somers are (physically or at least mentally) "on vacation." 90% of the NFL coverage on NFLN and ESPN is about Bounties, Tebow, Revis or Top 100 lists.

Even the Cardinal blogs have become dominated by Kolb vs. Skelton, Power Ratings, "Best Of"/Worst Of" debates and Fearless Forecasts about everything from Final 53 rosters to Playoff contenders. Everything has become so innane and repetitious that I keep waiting for a bunch of ASFN bloggers to remove their rubber face-masks and all turn out to be Skip Bayless). I guess a lot of Cardinal fans feel they've got to say something, but that doesn't mean that it's worth reading. (Hint - sometimes less is more).

In the absence of hard news, we fans are left to our own devices - which usually means one of two things - (1) Everyone wants to prove how good they are at predicting the future (&/or defending earlier predictions that fell flat) or (2) Try to create a bunch of polls just to fill the time and space. Don't get me wrong - there's nothing wrong with making predicitions, but it might be more worthwhile if they were based on something more than recaps of last season, draft-guide reports and OTA/mini-camp "flag-football" observations.

Under the tough lense of objectivity, all we really know at this phase of the off-season is (1) how certain players did last season, (2) what so-called experts say about their physical, mental and moral skill-sets and (3) whether they looked good or bad in non-contact drills. Not that this information can't be valuable - more that realistically it's about 80% incomplete.

We're going to have to wait til training camp to see how each guy does. There will be surprises - a few guys starting out closer to #90 in the food chain will flash something and wind up challenging for a spot on the Final 53...More than a couple of promising youngsters and a go-to veteran or two will end up on IR...A few established regulars will lack the necessary "oomph" to compete at a high level in the pros. This I can promise you. What neither I (nor anyone else) can promise you is who these players will be. We can only guess - and right now, those guesses would be predicated on a lack of information. For this reason, I'll refrain from making any predicitions until we're well into training camp. Look at it this way - If you were about to watch a 5-Star movie, would it be necessary to be able predict in advance how the plot would unfold? Think of preseason as a top-rated TV series and enjoy what transpires as it happens "on the fly."

"Black Hole Time" is "OT Time"
(Yay! I get to say anything I want here - football or otherwise): Ignore the panning by New Yorker of the new TV series "Newsroom" on HBO. It's a keeper. It's fast-paced, timely with good initial character-development. It may be a bit too cliched for New Yorker's taste, but we shouldn't forget that most critics probably worked in a print or TV news-room at one time or another and have definite ideas of how the perfect cable news channel should be run or how they'd write the mini-series if they were king or queen. It's nice to have high standards, but no doubt, Mr. Sorkin feels obliged to write for a somewhat broader (& less "inside-baseball") audience...Anyone else feel as frustrated as I do about TV election coverage - I'm almost as upset with the folks on my side as I am those across the aisle. A particular gripe - A candidate says something especially outrageous. An opposing cable network hijacks the clip and runs it over and over again presumably as an example of why it's bad; thereby giving the other side oodles and oodles of free exposure (i.e. in a sense,  "repeating the lie")... I think MLB provides a more "local" and fan-friendly listening and viewing experience than does the NFL. (Am digging every StL baseball game via satellite or I-Pad)...From a national security aspect, we obviously "gotta do what we gotta do" but our political leaders should be well-advised to remember that "democracy is often messy" and that, when we encourage free people to determine their own destiny, things don't always turn out the way we hope they'll be." This is why policy must, by necessity, be nuanced and "nation specific" (because each situation is unique, the stakes different and the dynamics on the ground unpredictable. Egypt isn't Tripoli, Russia isn't China and Tripoli isn't Syria. For this reason, be extremely wary of any politician claiming to have a cookie-cutter, "one size fits all" approach to foreign policy.

That's it for now.


FanFest Reveals a Little
Thurs. June 14, 2012 - (Happy Flag Day!) We'll start off this section by cautioning - "Don't read too much into the minutae of a bunch of guys running around in shorts."

Perfect example - Early Doucet came down with a couple of pretty grabs during Fanfest drills yesterday - but his two biggest challenges figure to be (1) consistently getting open and (2) consistently hanging onto the ball (and staying healthy) after absorbing a big hit. The OTA's aren't going to tell you that.

But there may be snippets of intelligence from the Fanfest and other practices that fans are eager to ferrett out. While not end-alls, they may offer clues as to how a player is doing:

  • Kevin Kolb did not look consistent, took too long to pull the trigger and (judging from the booing) does not have the fans in his corner. Skelton didn't look that much better, but he didn't get boo'd.

  • Beanie is behind Ryan Williams in his rehab and didn't participate. Williams had a few carries, was able to make cuts without problems and did not appear to display any noticable limp.

  • Floyd is said to be keeping his nose to the grindstone, caught a long TD pass yesterday and displayed decent hands (but, as in the case of Doucet, catching while not under pressure, is only a small part of the story - how will he do in traffic under real game conditions)?

  • Massie passes the eye-ball test (better he should look big and ripped than small and flabby) but will still have to earn his way up to #1 on the depth chart.

  • Reggie Walker had a Pick-6.

  • Coaches are saying nice things about Fleming, his poise and grasp of the pro game.  Buzz - as of right now - is about Gay vs. Toler for starting CB opposite Peterson; with Fleming, Jefferson and Adams battling for backup roles. (But that could all change in an eyelash).

Click here for a roster-wide chart with current roster-battle information. Oh yeah, one final observation - 15,000 fans battled traffic to attend Fanfest. That's pretty impressive (especially to us old timers regularly embarrassed by out-of-town fans outdrawing Cardinal fans in our own stadium.


Final Pre-MIniCamp Roster Tweaking
Tues. June 12, 2012  -  The remaining 2 unsigned Cardinal draft picks (Jamell Fleming and Michael Floyd) are now signed. Cards (as expected) re-signed DL Vonnie Holliday to a one-year deal. In addition to being a perfect backup lineman, Vonnie brings valuable leadership and work-ethic to the Cardinal lockerroom. To make room for Holliday, the Cards released UDFA defensive lineman, Conrad Obi. While, when it comes to rosters, "you never know", it looks like the Cardinals took care of business and look toward their first minicamp with their roster pretty much set.


OTA's Underway; First Roster Change
Fri. May 25, 2012 - Very little information flowed out of the team-wide organized team activities that commenced a week ago other than that Jeff King and Beanie underwent off-season "clean out the sucker" minor surgery and that other rehab work appeared to be on-schedule. In fact, things have been so quiet that hard-core Cardinal bloggers have had to reach into their old bag of greivances to come up with anything to say. ("Skelton vs. Kolb", Why Graves Must Go (or Stay)", "Is Wiz Too Pittsburgh-Loyal? Yada Yada).

First bit of personnel news - The Cardinals picked up LB Quentin Groves, a 4-year veteran FA whom I'm pretty sure the Cards had an interest in a couple of years back. The move came somewhat as a surprise (the Cards were expected to bring back Clark Haggans). Groves has a somewhat underwhelming  95 career tackles along with 2½ sacks, 2 picks, 3 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries, but - at 6-3 266 - he does fit the classic Harrison /Woodley Steeler OLB prototype that Ray Horton may be looking for. (Note - Since it's unlikely Joey Porter will be re-signed, there could be an additional spot  for Haggans on the final roster). To make room for Groves, the Cards released WR Marc Wilson of St. Anslem College. (Wilson may have made a poor career-choice when he picked up the day before Draft Day on charges of possession of cannabis).

Rookie Camp to Open/Calais Inks 5 year Pact
Fri. May 11, 2012 - Welcome to Preseason 2012. The Draft's been held, UDFA's signed and a few veterans in limbo brought into the fold. The stage has been set "on paper " It's now time to see how all this translates onto the field (well, at least the practice field).

The long awaited Calais Campbell's deal has been done. The NFL office confirms that it is for 5 years and $55-million, with $36 for the first three years. How much is or isn't guaranteed has not yet been disclosed; nor has the projected cap-hit for 2012. What the math does tell us is that the contract is slightly front-loaded, averaging $12-million a year for the first three years and $9.5-million a year over the last two years. (His franchise-tag salary would have been $10.7-million for 2012, so its unclear whether this helps or hinders the team's tight cap situation).

The beginning of preseason also heralds a 3-month media "black hole" period before the Cards kick off the exhibition season August 5. In the information business, "rumor and mischief fill a vacuum." Instead, what I'd love to see from the Cardinal PR department and local media is better charting of the various position "horse-races" leading up to the various interim and final roster cuts. (We try to do this here on the BRS, but we're situated 2,000 miles from  Tempe or Flagstaff to witness daily workouts, film-room sessions etc. While we get snippets of info from Darrel U and an occasional ASFNer up at Flag, the info is haphazard and not very complete). I realize careers are at stake and there are company secrets to protect and roster-politics to consider, but the League trend is toward more non-game transparency (for example, their expanded coverage of the draft) which, in turn, boosts fan-involvement and knowledge of the sport.

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