Fragen und Antworten » ay 2 is in the books and while Bob McManana

Dn pointed out that QB Kyler Murray wasn’t quite as sharp as Day 1 Youth Benson Mayowa Jersey , there were still plenty of standout plays.I’m so excited to see Kyler Murray as a...The Revenge of the Birds podcastCardinals’ Training Camp Journal: Day 2New,118commentsMDTDay 2 is in the books and while Bob McMananan pointed out that QB Kyler Murray wasn’t quite as sharp as Day 1, there were still plenty of standout plays.This a a perfectly executed fade pass from Kyler Murray to Christian Kirk, delivered in much the same fashion as the fade Murray threw to Larry Fitzgerald on Day 1. Good blocking up front. Good coverage, beaten by perfectly timed throw and superb catch.Here is a series of plays:1—-an effective RB counter run to the right side—-although the blocking is out of sync and needs work (to be expected at this point). But it gives us an idea of one of the ways the Cardinals will run the ball out of the shotgun.2—-Murray throwing another dime on a right sideline fade pass, this time to Pharoh Cooper over tight coverage froByron Murphy.3—-This is the classic “Y Cross” that Robert Ban highlighted this week—-on this play TE Maxx Williams is lined up tight to the RT and on the snap releases downfield on his crossing route and is hit right inthe hands by Murray. Watch how Murray avoids the pressure and still makes a perfect throw while stepping backward.4—-This is a good look at a Murray scramble—-check out the quick decision and feet. Good ol’ Larry Fitzgerald was quick to see it and turned into blocking mode.Great to see this outstanding catch by Kevin White. Look at the way Kyler Murray looks off the safety and quickly turns his throw to the left. Here is rookie UCFA QB Drew Anderson getting flushed to his right and throwing a strike downfield to Trent Sherfield. Anderson is athletic for his size—-and he shows his athleticism on this play—-but, this also reminds us, in comparison, how quick Kyler Murray is. Here is a nice throw from QB Brett Hundley on a quick in-route to WR Andy Isabella, with S Jonathan Owens in tight coverage. Hundley also hooked up with Isabella on a nice long fade route up the right sideline. Here’s the play:Here is Patrick Peterson’s interception of Kyler Murray’s deep post pass attempt to Christian Kirk, Peterson does an excellent job of tracking the errant throw and making the pick.Peterson offered praise for Murray after practice but advised Murray “to stay away from #21.”In actuality, Kyler Murray should take advantage every day of trying to complete passes against Peterson in coverage. Passing against a superb cover CB can accelerate Murray’s growth and confidence. You always want to compete against the best.Nice timing on breaking up a flat pass from Murray intended for Larry Fitzgerald by Budda Baker. Notice that there must have been a mental mistake by the “L” WR #14, Damiere Byrd, as he didn’t clear out the flat and wound up in the same vicinity as Fitzgerald. The two most notable negative notes of the day involved Cardinals DTs: (1) an apparent knee injury for Vincent Valentine—-hopefully it is not serious; (2) Robert Nkemdiche showing up to camp out of shape.Just a day after predicting that Kliff Kingsbury wouldn’t be like BA and criticize players to the media, Kingsbury was openly critical, albeit in a slightly understated way, of Nkemdiche: “Not in shape, I guess,” Kingsbury said. “And that’s kind of where we’ll leave it. I mean, he’s on PUP and he’s working through that. When he is cleared, we’ll work with him.”Look—-everyone can understand the Cardinals’ frustration with Nkemdiche—-but I think was a mistake to call him out publicly. Other teams don’t do this because they have a policy of protecting their assets. Now there was nothing the Cardinals could do to prevent the public from knowing about Nkemdiche’s recent brushes with the law Stitched Andre Smith Jersey , his speeding while while driving with a suspended license and the discovery of traces of a white substance in his car.But—-on this one—-it’s not like Nkemdiche will be ready to play anytime soon anyway. The Cardinals have three months to get him in shape for an October return. Assign one of the trainers to him and get him lifting, doing cardio, get him water training in the pool and put him on a regimented diet. Because he is injured, if the Cardinals wanted to release him, they would have to get him and his agent to agree to an injury settlement. In the last year of his rookie deal, Nkemdiche counts $2.74M on the cap—-with a base salary of $1.12M and an upcoming roster bonus of $400K. The dead money on him is $1.113M—-so with an injury settlement the Cardinals could gain close to $1.6M of cap space, although the agent will probably want a split of the $400K roster bonus. However, with a likely return in October, if the Cardinals can get Nkemdiche in good shape, mentally and physically, who knows what can happen. He could be a factor in the DT rotation where the Cardinals are not especially deep—-or if he puts a good game or two on tape, the Cardinals might be able to get some value for him in a trade before the deadline. It would seem that the Cardinals have more to gain by helping Nkemdiche mount a comeback, than by merely letting him go.Even if the Cardinals won’t sign him beyond this season, if he comes back and plays well, the Cardinals could at least get a comp pick for him. Plus—-there is a lot to be said about helping a person save his life.So—-let’s conclude this journal entry with a great and amusing interview of Andy Isabella. Without giving any spoilers—-do yourself a favor and watch the part where Isabella talks about how his aunt got him into caddying when he was 12 years old. This kid is a hoot! What the Cardinals plan to do with the #1 pick has been shrouded in mystery. Is GM Steve Keim playing a shrewd long game, or does the mystery mask indecision?"WhiteFanposts Fanshots Podcasts The Revenge of the Birds podcastGreatest showman or circus clown?: Keim’s handling of Rosen and the #1 pickNew,97commentsWhat the Cardinals plan to do with the #1 pick has been shrouded in mystery. Is GM Steve Keim playing a shrewd long game, or does the mystery mask indecision? Greatest showman or circus clown?: Keim’s handling of Rosen and the #1 pickGM Steve Keim has been in the spotlight more than ever this offseason. How has he handled the situation?Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY SportsAs the hours count down until the Arizona Cardinals are officially on the clock in the 2019 NFL Draft, only one thing is certain:No one knows what Steve Keim and the Cardinals are going to do with the #1 pick.The chatter around the team, both locally and nationally, is that Keim has done a masterful job keeping the rest of the league on their toes. Are we keeping the pick? Trading it? Taking Kyler Murray? Going defense?No one knows. Maybe Keim doesn’t even know for certain what he’s going to do yet.If Keim’s goal is smokescreen Youth Andre Smith Jersey , subterfuge, mystery, then he’s succeeded admirably. There’s an air of intrigue around the #1 pick that isn’t present most years—not even last year when the Cleveland Browns surprised everyone by taking Baker Mayfield at #1.Keim has done a great job these past several weeks of being a showman, there’s no doubt about it.But showmanship isn’t in Keim’s job description as an NFL GM. His job is team building. That’s it. That’s the job.And if Keim’s goal is to build a stronger Arizona Cardinals football team—and it had better be—then all this showmanship doesn’t make a lick of sense if, after tonight’s first round, Josh Rosen is still on the team.Now, I’m admittedly on the Kyler Murray bandwagon. But this isn’t about that. This is about the potential future of the team if Keim doesn’t do what most expect he will and draft Murray. This is about the potential damage Keim has already done to the team by mishandling the situation with the #1 pick, and how he could compound it by making the wrong decision with the pick.Don’t know what I mean? Let’s quickly run through the non-Murray scenarios that could play out later today.Scenario #1: Keep the #1 Pick, Draft a Defensive PlayerThis is what most people thought we would do when we originally secured the #1 pick. Doesn’t it seem like a lifetime ago when we thought Nick Bosa to the Redbirds was a lock?If Keim goes this route, not only would it be utterly anticlimactic, but all the smoke and mirrors of the past month or two would have been for absolutely nothing—no extra picks, no splashy, headline-dominating narrative, no help for the offense.Obviously, grabbing Bosa or Quinnen Williams would be a huge boon to our defense, but running back largely the same group of guys responsible for one of the worst offenses in the NFL in decades would be a hard pill for Cardinals fans to swallow.Of course, Keim shouldn’t be making picks based on the whims of the fanbase, and maybe new coach Kliff Kingsbury can nudge the offense closer to league average all by himself. But I don’t think this approach—using the #1 pick on a defensive player when the offense is in such dire need of help—is the best one from a team-building perspective.Not only do we miss out on the opportunity to add more talent via extra picks, but the offense seems likely to be a massive weakness again, which could potentially cause a schism in the locker room, as sometimes happens when one unit vastly outperforms the other. (And note that Patrick Peterson is already upset about… something.) Combine all that with the potential fallout from how the team has handled Josh Rosen during all this (see below) Stitched Tre Boston Jersey , and this scenario could turn out to be a huge error on Keim’s part.Next, let’s take a look at what seems to be the preferred scenario for many Cardinals fans.Scenario #2: Trade Down, Take a Defensive PlayerThis scenario has obvious appeal: we can stockpile extra picks to help fill myriad roster holes, we don’t give up on the guy we drafted in the 1st round last year, and we still have a chance to land an impact defensive rookie like Williams, Ed Oliver, or Josh Allen.Honestly, even as a Murray acolyte, I’d be more or less okay with this scenario coming to fruition.However, the question would then become, “Why put Josh Rosen through all that?” Dealing away the #1 pick would tell me the team never actually seriously considered taking Murray—they were just waiting for the right offer all along.In that case, hanging Rosen out to dry in the media like the team has done just isn’t a good look, even if they were reassuring him in private all along. That in and of itself could have far-reaching repercussions (again, see below).Now, speaking of the “Chosen One,” let’s briefly discuss the potential fallout of the past couple months and how it could impact Rosen both in 2019 and down the road.The Rosen QuestionHere’s what we know about Rosen’s offseason so far: He’s done everything he’s supposed to do from a team perspective, he got a very lukewarm endorsement from Keim, he’s been linked to a bonanza of trade rumors, and he’s been “annoyed” with the whole process.Here’s what we don’t know: What assurances, if any, Keim has given his young QB behind closed doors.Let’s say that Keim showed Rosen his “Josh Rosen no matter what” sticky note and assured him that he was still the team’s quarterback of the future. Well Youth Tre Boston Jersey , we also know that Rosen definitely holds a grudge. He won’t be likely to forget being dragged through the wringer in the media during his first offseason in the NFL. By not publicly endorsing his QB, Keim has potentially planted a seed of discord that could blossom into something ugly at any time.Or let’s say Keim gave Rosen no assurances and left him hanging in private as well. Could you imagine a scenario where this affects Rosen’s confidence after an already shaky rookie season and perhaps further stunts his development? Especially considering that Keim has done next to nothing to help his young QB this offseason? I certainly can.Keim’s handling of Rosen just one year after trading up to draft him has left me scratching my head. I’m sure many players on the team feel the same way. Is this the best way to build a team?Final ThoughtsOf course, all these potential issues would immediately become moot if Keim does what is expected and drafts Murray (and, presumably, trades Rosen). Our new coach gets a dynamic QB who fits his system, the empty seats start to fill up on Sundays, and the Redbirds rise to the top of the NFL zeitgeist. (Okay, this was a little bit about Murray after all.)That’s the only move that makes sense with this smoke-and-mirrors act, with Kingsbury now at the helm, with the lack of a firm Rosen endorsement.It’s also the one move Keim can make that’s a potential career-defining (career-saving?) home run. If he takes the undersized, baseball-playing Heisman winner to pair with the unproven, offensive whiz kid college coach and it works? Keim would be NFL royalty. That doesn’t happen even if Bosa or Williams merely becomes a 10-year Pro Bowler.And maybe that’s really what these past months have been about after all, what the point of Keim’s “Greatest Showman” act has been. A GM with a bit of an ego swinging for the fences? I can live with that.What I couldn’t live with is the alternative. That the market for neither the pick nor the player were what he thought it was. That the three-ring circus has really been about confusion, that the mystery has masked indecision, that Keim has been shadowboxing with himself the whole time.If the first round comes and goes tonight and Josh “Right Now, For Sure” Rosen is still the quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals, we’ll have a lot bigger problems on our hands than a shaky 2nd-year QB.We’ll have a circus clown at GM.And 2019 could turn out to be even worse than 2018.