Tuesday, December 25, 2012

C Khaled Holmes



I watched him play against Star Lotulelei.  After initially struggling, Khaled held his own for the rest of the game, sometimes getting the better of Star. 

Fiery.  He’s always looking to hit.  Sometimes his excitement gets the better of him and he overplays his role.  Must gain some discipline.  Gets good initial contact and drives guys away.  He’s not so much a blocker as he is a fighter.  Plays like a warrior.  Quickly gets to 2nd level to make contact.  Again, needs to stay disciplined and patient as he tends to lunge at defenders.  Gets good push on run blocking.  Is a great team blocker.  His head is on a swivel looking for the next guy he gets to punch.  Gets fired up easily and will get in teammate’s grill.  Very competitive. 

I think he’s better than the 3rd round projection I keep seeing, but I’m not gonna complain if he’s there in the 3rd.  He would be a nice upgrade over Lyle. 

G Dallas Thomas



A great prospect at G.  I’m not excited about him at LT.  And his questionable pass protection on the edge isn’t going to serve him well at RT either.  This is a Levi Brown type that teams will try to move him out when he should stay in.  I’m scouting him as a G.

Phenomenal athlete at G.  Versatile.  Keeps guys in front and maintains integrity of the pocket.  Seamless transition from one defender to the next.  Stunts and shifts don’t bother him.  Good seals on the run.  Uses his athleticism to bounce off line and fly to his trap block.  Quickly gets out on screens and uses athleticism and strength to make plays.  Gets to the 2nd level quick and makes/keeps contact with defender.  Great push on run block.  Strong punches.  Very good at both run blocking and pass protection in the interior.  Needs to be better about playing to the whistle.  Let’s guys scoot by sometimes because he thinks the play is over before whistle is blown. 

I’m sure I’ll attach an addendum to this because I’m scouting the Ts before the Gs, but he’ll end up a high prospect there.  He’s probably a 2nd round pick at G behind Warmack and Cooper.  The Cards would be lucky to get a guy like this as long as they play him at his natural position.

T Oday Aboushi



Not an NFL LT.  Maybe a RT, or a very tall G.  He’s lumbering, yet strong.  Can knock down opponents almost accidentally.  Has adequate feet to get to the corner and uses long arms to push defender outside.  Head on defenders don’t get anywhere, but struggles against speed on the outside.   He has questions as a run blocker which doesn’t bode well since he’s not the quickest.  Questions arise about his mental aspect of the game due to penalties.  Sometimes makes bad decisions during play.  Not an NFL starter yet.

I can see a coach drafting him as a RT and working hard on his run blocking.  But his slow mobility and mental errors leave a huge question mark.  I must be missing something that so many teams have him as a 1st or 2nd rounder.  I’m guessing I’ll have an addendum tacked on here later when I see something that changes my mind.  Right now I’d draft him in the 3rd as a RT, but wouldn’t consider him at LT.

The Cards should pass on him.  He's a massive project at LT and they already have Massie at RT.  They have more pressing needs elsewhere and should only look at him if he slips to the 4th.

Monday, December 24, 2012

LT Lane Johnson, Oklahoma



Lane Johnson intrigues me.  I see that athleticism that screams potential at LT.  I also see size at 6-6, 305.  Has long arms and knows how to use them.  Once he locks onto a defender he rarely lets go.  Has a bit of stick ‘em on his hands.  He has great agility.  Sometimes his feet get cemented and he gets beat, then lunges to recover.  Needs to learn to always trust his agility and compensate that way.  Most times he recovers rather well though. When he gets beat up to the corner he uses his agility to freakishly compensate.  Quick feet and use of long arms keep him in front. 

A very smart run blocker.  He doesn’t quite maul as much as he places his body and seals very well.  He’s always in the play and uses his body well to shield.  Moves the defender exactly where he wants him to be.   I wonder what his strength tangibles will reveal.  Even if he isn’t the strongest he’s learned how to compensate. 

His mind seems to be locked into the play and stays with his assignment till the whistle.  And if he gets a switch he recovers smoothly.  Doesn’t panic but stays with the most sensible block.  Appears to be a smart player.  I love that he gets mad when he could have blocked the guy for a few more yards even though he just pushed him 8 yards.  He doesn’t seem to settle for less than great.  He claps his hands in disgust when he doesn’t meet his own expectations.  He’s always looking down field to find someone else to block.  Doesn’t take breaks when the play isn’t to his side.  Finds his way into the fray.  He was moved around a bunch on the line and is smooth on either side.  Heard he played QB at one point, which lends to his savviness. He’s raw and has a lot more to show.

Considering his size, agility, and football smarts Lane Johnson has all the potential to be a great LT.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

My QB rankings for 2013 NFL Draft

So after spending some time looking over the QB prospects for the 2013 NFL draft, here’s my top 10 rankings: (December)

1.  Geno Smith
2.  Zac Dysert
3.  Aaron Murray
4.  Landry Jones
5.  Tyler Wilson
6.  Matt Barkley
7.  Ryan Nassib
8.  E.J. Manuel
9.  Matt Scott
10.  Mike Glennon


Addendum: January 2, 2013

I hate this list, so I'm fixing it.  And tomorrow I'll probably fix it again.

1.  Geno Smith
2.  Zac Dysert
3.  Aaron Murray
4.  EJ Manuel
5.  Tyler Wilson
6.  Ryan Nassib
7.  Sean Renfree (won’t be drafted, but I love him.  The next Tony Romo?)
8.  Landry “bonehead” Jones
9.  Tyler “erratic” Bray
10.  Matt “bonehead-injured-weakarmed” Barkley
11.  Matt Scott
12.  Mike Glennon

Ryan Nassib

Hot and cold.  That’s what I saw from Ryan Nassib. 

Decent athlete with an above average arm.  Has the choppy feet thing going, but gets his feet set to make the throw.  Can place the ball well at times, but other times can be way off the mark.  Seems to be getting better as he matures, so the growth chart is a positive for him.  There’s some intensity to his game, which is a good thing.  And even with his growing pains he still completed 63% of his passes.  Has low end size at 6-2, 230.

He also tends to suffer from brain freeze when he’s under pressure.  Often makes poor throws when seeing the pass rush.  I don’t see anything that tells me that he’s ready to play in the NFL.  But he does have some of the goods to have a chance at being a productive player.  I’d say he’s 2 to 3 years away from that.  He looks like he’ll be a good project to nab in the 3rd round.

The Cardinals however need to take a pass on him unless he slips to the 4th round.

Geno Smith

Let’s be fair about Geno, he shouldn’t be expected to be Luck or RGIII.  I know he wants it, but he isn’t quite there yet.  But he’s on his way.

Geno Smith is a workaholic.  He has a heavy commitment to game film and has made amazing strides to make himself into an NFL QB.  He is very accurate and has a great arm.  I like his footwork and pocket presence.  He can throw on the run and is a good double threat guy.  But I love that he has worked hard to break his case of the runs.  He’s been scolded this year for not running enough.  I absolutely love that.  He’s now a pass first, run second QB.  He hits his targets all over the field and gets the ball to his playmakers.  However, it helps when you have studs at WR.

Here’s my but: he looks like a guy who lacks confidence when he’s in the game.  I know that sounds weird, but he has a nervous edge to him.  Watch his arms pre snap and you might pick up on it.  That makes me nervous come crunch time.  It reminds me of Nick Foles his junior year.  Nick got over it.  So will Geno.  But he’ll need some time.  While he’ll probably go #1 overall, he’ll need a year to get used to the NFL.  He isn’t a complete package coming out of college like Luck and RGIII.  And that’s okay.  He just needs a good vet ahead of him and a smart coach to ease him in.  (That leaves out Whiz)

Some mocks have him going around where the Cards pick, but that ignores the growing trend of drafting QBs way ahead of projections.  They are just too valuable nowadays.  The Cards won’t see him wherever they pick.  Too bad though.  I really like his potential.

Mike Glennon

Mike Glennon is this year’s John Skelton model: tall, strong and inaccurate.  I’m fine with his footwork, pocket presence, and arm strength.  But he is wild on his accuracy.  I saw him hit the back of the defender who was trailing the play numerous times.  He overthrew his WR so bad that he almost broke his back trying to get to it.  He seems to exclusively work the middle of the field.  His mind doesn’t seem to be in it.  He plays behind the game. 

He has some truly Yuck moments.  There is NO WAY this guy should be considered before the 4th round.  He’s, at best, a tad better than Lindley and Skelton.  And I’m done seeing that model. 

The Cardinals shouldn’t even consider him till very late and only if they dump Skelton or Lindley.

Tyler Wilson

When I watch Tyler Wilson play I find myself uninspired.  I’m fully aware it could just be that the rest of his team isn’t very good.  But Dysert’s team isn’t either and he looks a ton better. 

He’s efficient.  But he checks down a ton.  Looks like he doesn’t want to take chances, so he plays it safe.  I don’t like his lack of consistency after 20 yards.  Good overall movement.  Decent pocket presence.  I don’t like his throw on the run.  He doesn’t keep his eyes down field.  Misses guys that are open.  His last play in Arkansas was an incomplete pass when there were two other guys open in the end zone.  He just seems to miss things.  Also, it sure seemed like many of his passes were a foot off.  Behind, too high, out front.  I question is accuracy. 

Like I said, he’s uninspiring.  62% completion is fine, his size is fine 6-3, 220, his arm is fine.  But where’s the moxie?  However, he’s not without hope.  That Arkansas team was a train wreck.  And I see enough there to consider him.  Maybe he just needs a change of scenery.

But with all the questions I have, I’d only look at him as a mid 2nd rounder.  But I'd take Zac Dysert over him.

Zac Dysert

A few years back I was apparently wrong about Pat Devlin.  I thought he had all the tools to be a good steal in the later rounds of the draft.  He went undrafted and now sits 3rd behind Tannehill in Miami.  I've still got time to be right.  But not much.

But that was soooo 3 years ago.  I just had a wow moment watching film.  You know that moment when you watch a guy make a great move that your pretty sure very few people on the planet can do.  Well, I had numerous wow moments watching Zac Dysert play.  He has great pocket presence.  Stands firm with pressure.  Keeps his eyes down field.  Has a 6th sense on avoiding pressure.  His arm is great and accurate on the deep balls.  Can roll either right or left and has amazing accuracy throwing on the run.  He's a gamer.  Will make athletic throws when he's in trouble and actually gets it there.  And has an amazing knack for keeping plays alive.  Oh, and he's 6-4, 230.  He's got real NFL size.

The offense he ran at Miami (Ohio) is a slight concern.  Far too many roll outs, which can create habits of needlessly escaping the pocket.  But with a year in the NFL, he'll settle down and acclimate to his surroundings.  But the thing I noticed most about his offense was that his WRs were TERRIBLE.  I must have counted 15 dropped passes in the Ohio State game alone.  Considering he had 21 incompletions, that's only 6 bad passes out of 51.  Against a real team.  Early in the season.  But some of his passes do tend to sail.  He'll have to bring them down or he'll get someone killed.  Still, his 63% completion was decent. 

Right now CBS has him rated as an early 3rd round prospect (71 overall).  I like him more than Matt Barkley.  If, and this is a big if, he stays around there I'd love to see the Cards look at him in 3rd or even stretch into the 2nd (possible trade back).

Friday, December 21, 2012

Matt Barkley

I would never take Matt Barkley in the first round.  All I see is inconsistency.  I hear he's got a good head on his shoulders and isn't like Leinart or Sanchez.  I hear that he has the intangibles to be good.  Unfortunately, I don't see them.  All I see when I watch this guy play is two superstar WRs bailing him out.  I see horrible passes on the deep ball and on sideline placements.  I see tons of dumps to WRs that jack up his completion percentage.  I see weak arm strength.  I see him make bonehead decision after bonehead decision.  And I see him fold completely under duress.

And yes, I'm aware that his Oline was a mess and they asked too much from him.  But I would expect more from a 1st rounder.   He's not a 1st round QB.  I see him more as a late 2nd to early 3rd.  And I'm nervous about taking him even there.  I better have a solid line in place and a good starting QB to rely on so Barkley can grow into the role.  With time and good coaching he'll probably be okay.  But what about arm strength?  That's a huge question.  And for QBs, it's a death sentence if you can't fix it. 

Thursday, December 20, 2012

The Cards options at LT in the 2013 draft

Right now the CBS mock draft guys have Joeckel going 4th.
Matthews going about 6th.
Lewan going about 13th.
Fisher going anywhere between 16th and 27th.

I would love to see Matthews stay ahead on team's boards. While I absolutely love his rock solid consistency, I just don't see the Wow factor that I want from a top LT. I'm wondering if pedigree is being overplayed here. Don't get me wrong though. I'd love to have Matthews on my team (I was a HUGE Houston fan before the Cards, so this hurts a little), but not for the current asking price.

My Michigan friend swears we're only seeing a small portion of the talent from Lewan. He converted late so it makes sense. I see tremendous athleticism from him. I love his speed and size and think he's a great talent. Albeit a bit raw. I do see the Wow factor from him, but I also see some inconsistency. He and Matthews seem to have contrasting pros and cons. I'd still take him, because of his upside.

Fisher is legit. I love his explosiveness off the line. He doesn't seem to labor like other guys his size (6'7, 305). He also picks up stunts and shifts with relative ease. Great balance when engaged, but he does end up on the ground some. (Not much of a con, but I felt I had to say something) Most of all I love his fire. He doesn't just block, he LOVES to block. This guy gets after it. He has that fiery competitive edge you want in a guy. He's coming across as that guy that no one wants to put higher on the boards because of the school he comes from. I'd be ecstatic if the Cards could land him.

It looks like Philly and the Chargers are going to go LT before us. And the Rams will assuredly take the left overs after us. While I like the idea of a trade back for picks, I'm not sure these guys will be around. I would be very careful if I go that route. Because this team needs "that guy" at LT and have some good ones to choose from this year if they don't screw it up.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

Floyd the BPA? You're kidding, right?

I was recently told that Floyd was the BPA for the Cards at #13.  Here was my response.

I certainly don't agree on any level about Floyd. In no way, shape, or form was Floyd the BPA. DeCastro [93], Brockers [94], Coples [94], Ingram [93], Jones [94], and Reiff [93] all graded out same or better than Floyd. [per ESPN]

(And no one in there right mind should pull the "Well that's what the guys at ESPN think and they get it wrong all the time". That's just plain stupid. Sure, they aren't perfect. But neither are we. And those guys get it right more often than not. And even if they don't, could anyone actually say with a straight face that the Cards have a better handle on their grading system than ESPN?)

WR2 was NOT a pressing NEED last year. If anything it was #6 behind 1)HOF QB, 2)LT, 3)RG, 4)OLB, and 5)SILB. In fact, we had a pretty darn good one in Roberts if anyone bothered to notice that Kolb completely ignored him. But Whiz refuses to acknowledge it. He threw Roberts under the bus (his typical MO), and sacrificed the year with the Floyd pick. Floyd hasn't helped this team one iota. And Roberts has made Whiz look stupid. Which is sad, because Whiz drafted him and should have believed in him. EPIC FAIL.

But LT was the #2 overall NEED (behind a HOF QB which didn't look available at the time) and Reiff graded out identical to Floyd [93 to 93 via ESPN]. Reiff would have started out of the gates over Batiste, and served this team well. Maybe even winning us more games and putting us in the playoff hunt. And you could say they didn't know about Levi. Fine. Reiff was still a massive upgrade at RT over Bridges.

Because the state of the line was so bad before the draft, RG became a much more pressing NEED. (This of course assumes that Levi moves to RT where he played well before. If you want to argue that he should be RG... fine. Then replace the RG need with RT. All the more reason to draft Reiff) Whiz was drinking some magic Kool-Aid when he signed Snyder to that rediculous contract. He passed on DeCastro who graded out equal to Floyd [93, ESPN].

OLB was another NEED. It should have been #4 on their list. And Ingram graded equal to Floyd[93]. I just read a stat line from PFF that had him as a top 15 pass rusher. (Sorry, can't find it to post. Found it while I was trolling S.D. forum to see how he was doing via the fans. If anyone cares, the fans seem to love him but think he's being underused, but everyone blames the coaching. Shocker, I know) He's also considered extemely solid in his versatility. Can you imagine him on this defense? Shudder.

And even though Hightower graded lower[91] he was a more pressing NEED. He would have done wonders for our SILB spot. (I love Lenon, but it's time) I know, this discussion is about BPA. Moving on.

And if you really want to argue BPA, I would submit that Brockers, Coples, and Jones [all 94, ESPN] are better. Sure, I think it would have been dumb to draft them. But I believe it was more dumb to draft Floyd. He had a weaker grade and only satisfied a slightly higher NEED. So he was a bad BPA pick, because he was only arguably 4th on the BPA list. (And more technically, if you believe that when there's a tie for BPA, you go with NEED to break it... then that would have him 7th on the BPA list)

And BTW, I actually like Floyd. I agree he's gonna be good. But let's just speculate that he meets his grade and so do these other guys.

By the numbers, Roberts grades out at what?... Let's say 80. I think he's better but I'll stick with that. If Floyd grades out to 93 then that's only a +13 gain.
What's Levi at LT? 70? If I'm being nice. That's a +23 on drafting Reiff.
What's Bridges? 65? That's +28 on drafting Reiff.
What's Batiste? 30? If I'm being nice. That's a +63 on drafting Reiff.
What's Snyder? 60? That's a +33 on drafting DeCastro.
What's O Scho? 70? That's a +23 on drafting Ingram.

(And what's even more infuriating is they could have traded down and picked up an extra pick AND STILL GOTTEN one of these guys. Yes, I know... "we had no good offers". That's what they said. But by what evidence would you trust that Graves knows what a "good offer" is? I never heard them once clarify what those offers were. How do we know someone didn't offer them a late 2nd or early 3rd and their 1st and they could've picked up Russell Wilson as an add-on? They might have gotten Reiff and Wilson instead of Floyd. GRRRR... Whiz/Graves suck as GM.)

I know I'm just guessing these numbers, but the point should be clear as day that we would have gained more at other key positions if we drafted differently. And after watching this season can anyone truly say that drafting Floyd was a wise move? I couldn't at the time and I certainly can't now.

Sunday, December 16, 2012

How to fix the Az. Cardinals

To fix the Cards offense you’d need a complete overhaul of the philosophy.  Here’s my stab at the fix.

1.  Fire Whiz.  He’s done here.  He won’t change.  He just said so.  When Wolfley asked him if he could fix the Cards after they lost 58-0 to the Hawks he said that we already knew the answer to it.  After all, he brought the Cards to the Super Bowl and won 4 playoff games.  He then said they just need to keep doing what they’ve been doing because it’s the right thing.  Wow.  That’s arrogant.  After placing in the bottom 5 in offense 2 of the last 3 years you want to keep doing what you’re doing?  And what about Kurt Warner?  Sheez.  Whiz truly believes that it was his ‘offense’ that took them to the Super Bowl and not the future Hall of Famer.  After all these years of listening to Whiz’s ‘spin’, I’ve had to conjure a new word to describe him:  stubbordumb. 

2.  Fire Graves.  He gave full authority to Whiz and did nothing to stop the train wreck of the last 3 seasons.  I don’t care if Whiz had full authority of the roster.  It’s Graves’ fault for giving it to him.  His drafting in the first three rounds has been suspect.  Although, he’s come up with some gems in the late rounds.  His signing of Snyder is down right pitiful.   In summary, his cons far out way his pros at this point.

3a.  Hire Steve Keim as GM.  I suspect he’s been an integral part of the later round finds.  And so I’m leaning towards giving him a chance as the ‘Man’.  However, if he agreed with either signing Snyder to that ridiculous contract or drafting Michael Floyd, then I say no way.  He’s well respected around the league and so I’d love to get more facts about the guy: draft philosophies, FA thoughts, communication skills to pull trades…

3b.  Hire Bill Polian.  Why not?  The guy turned Buffalo into a powerhouse and made Carolina into a legit team almost overnight.  I’m suspect of his work in Indi, but there’s enough body of work here to give him a shot.  It all hinges on his offensive philosophies when you don’t have an elite QB.  If he thinks you should throw the ball like Whiz does then I’d pass on him.  But if he’s a believer in what S.F., Seattle, and Minnesota are doing then I want him.

4.  Hire Ray Horton as HC.  I’m assuming Bill Cowher isn’t gonna coach anytime soon.  If he was then I’d throw the money at him.  And although I like John Gruden, I’m not his biggest fan.  I like how he won without an elite QB though.  That says a lot about him.  So I’d put some feelers out for him.  As for Ray, he’ll be gone this year if he isn’t the HC.  He’s proven he can lead the players.  He’s a bit fiery, but I think it will translate well. 

5.  Fire the entire offensive coaching staff.  They suck.  The new OC can keep who he wants.

6a.  Hire Tom Cable as the OC.  He’s a proven Oline genius.  He’s a run first kinda guy, and since this team doesn’t have an elite QB, that’s what they need.  I’m not sure how good he is at calling plays.  That needs to be investigated first, but the coaching aspect is all plusses.  Also, taking him away from Seattle as the assistant coach will severely hurt them.  That helps us.

6b.  Hire Norv Turner.  He seems more interesting than Cable.  If Cable does a good job in Az. I think he’ll be looking to move to a HC job somewhere.  However, if Turner does well here, he’s staying put.  Turner should never be a HC again.  I think it’s been driven out of the man.  That means he might pull a Dick LeBeau and become a lifetime coordinator.  That’s a major plus in my book.  Oh, and we all know he’s a proven OC.  Again, I want to investigate his offensive philosophies when you don’t have an elite QB, but I’m hoping he’s sensible.

7.  Hire Romeo Crennel as DC.  He’s identical to Norv in that he’ll never be a HC again.  He just doesn’t have the genes.  But he’s a heck of a DC.  He runs a hybrid 3-4, which is a bit sticky, but I think he’d buy in to run a Horton’s 3-4.  Plus, he’s a first rate guy.  I’d hire him in a heartbeat.  And for those that don’t believe you can pull a Turner/Crennel hiring, who was the OC/DC in K.C. last year?  Weisz and Crennel.  If K.C. can do it, why can’t the Cards.

8.  Either cut Kolb or restructure his contract.  No one should ever blame him for this offense the past 2 years.  The only thing we know about him is that he isn’t Warner.  But that leaves a lot of room for being good.  If he comes cheap I’m not against keeping him.  But if he doesn’t, I think it’s a huge no-brainer to sign Alex Smith.  He’ll be cut by S.F. this off-season and I think he’ll be frothing at the mouth to stick it to his former team by coming to the Cards.  He wouldn’t be asked to do much more than manage the team, like he did there.  And I’m betting he’ll bring his 3rd overall QB ranking with some fire to boot.  Note: he’s not a savior.  He’s just a manager.  If a savior ever does come they should jump all over it.

9.  Draft Luke Joeckel with the 1st pick.  This is an even easier draft pick than PP21.  He’s a “can’t miss” stud LT, something the Cards have never had.  (he hasn’t declared yet though)

10.  Draft Aaron Murray in the 2nd.  He’s a solid QB prospect with incredible accuracy.  I’m alarmed at his bad games against great talent, but not enough to avoid drafting him.  His technique is crisp and he has some “IT” aura glowing around him.  I’m betting he won’t be there in the 2nd come April, but if he is they should take a shot.  (he also hasn’t declared yet)

11.  Draft Khalid Holmes in the 3rd.  He’s a fiery Center from USC.  I like his desire and aggression.  He’s another guy I expect to climb the draft boards, but for now he’s projected 3rd. 

12.  Draft one of the RBs that fall to the 4th:  I don’t care if it’s the Stanford guy, the Florida guy, the Wisconsin guy, the N.D. guy, or the South Carolina guy.  But draft one.  I’m thinking one will fall to the 4th.  And behind this new line, he’ll be the next Alfred Morris.  I’m high on the N.D. kid.  He has great vision and sick athleticism, but he lets the turf trip him up a bit often.  And no, I won’t refer to draftable RBs by their names.  RBs are just Mercs that should be replaced every 3-5 years and never paid.  Sorry, but that’s the way to do it. (Actually I’m just too lazy to go look up there names right now)

13.  The starting Oline should be:   Joeckel – Colledge – Holmes – Levi – Massie
I’m fine with paying Levi the big money for playing Guard.  He’ll be all-pro every year he plays there.  He’s been out of position ever since they moved him to the left.  And the only reason he isn’t going to the RT is because Massie has been playing so well.  He’s looking more and more like the steal I thought he was.  Colledge is serviceable.  However, if they can’t land Murray in the 2nd round I’d draft Barrett Jones out of ‘Bama.  He’s a stud linemen and extremely versatile.  Switch Jones for Colledge and you have the makings of one of the best lines in the NFL almost overnight. 

14.  Run the ball.  We don’t have the elite QB, so we need to give him the bestest friend in the whole world in a running game.  This line should be able to get some heavy push and I think that, with time, they could start looking like Seattle or S.F.  Then the QB can be more protected and grow into the offense.  And they’ll burn a ton of T.O.P., which I know the D will absolutely love.  Oh, and it doesn’t hurt that you’d have two of the best run blocking WRs in Fitz and Floyd.  I also like Sherman as the Fullback.

15.  The QB can now get more acclimated to the offense.  He’ll take considerably less hits than before, and his confidence should grow.  If he’s just efficient this team will be good.  By the way, I think signing a guy like Tarvaris Jackson as a back up would be perfect.  He can step in at a moments notice and run a good offense. 

16.  No one will be more happier about the changes than the WR/TE corps.  Fitz, Roberts, Floyd, and Housler will flourish in this legitimate play-action offense.  This is another reason I like getting Alex Smith.  He’s never had this kind of talent at WR.  So he’s gonna make the most of his limited opportunities. 

17.  Commit to this for the long haul.  I watched Seattle struggle last year at getting the running game going.  But they just plugged away until eventually the team gelled.  It’s a thing of beauty now.  And they’re doing it with a rookie QB who’s just “managing the game”.  The Cards need to take their lumps early and just hope that everything starts to come together in time to make a playoff push.