Matt Williamson of ESPN.com went through each team in the NFL and gave them his very own post-lockout grade. It is a very interesting read which can be found here http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/6832645/nfl-post-lockout-grades-every-nfc-team but unfortunately in order to get the full analysis you have to be an insider. For all of you who aren't insiders, I will quickly recap what he said about the Cardinals and why I agree or disagree with what he has to say.
Williamson's take
The very first thing he mentions is not surprising and that is the Cardinals acquiring QB Kevin Kolb. He says that the Cardinals may have overpaid for him, and that he is far from a sure thing but that Kolb does have a ton of upside if the team continues to surround him with weapons.
My Take
Not much to disagree with here. While I do think we overpaid for Kolb, I think we all came to the conclusion that it was the only way to acquire the young QB. With the addition of a more physical corner-back in Richard Marshall, the sting of losing DRC will linger until we can see if Marshall can hold his own(as well as including 1st round pick Patrick Peterson). While I like Kolb a lot, I was one of the people saying I would have rather traded for Kyle Orton. Not because I don't believe in Kolb, but for me it came down to pure value.
I believed in Orton we were getting a more proven product, for less expense(which in any other industry is the more logical choice). I have heard all of the downside of Orton from he's not a leader, to he's not a winner but let's take a quick look at what Orton did in Denver. In 13 games last year, he passed for 3600 yards, with 20 Touchdowns and 9 interceptions with a 58.8 completion percentage and actually made Brandon Lloyd look halfway decent. Not to mention that a majority of the losses for his career, came last season where he was 3-10 in those starts. I also never really enjoy singling out a game for why a player is good or bad, but I think this time it is relevant. In his final start, against our very own Cardinals, Kyle Orton was absolutely dreadful where he was 19/41 for 166 yards no touchdowns and three interceptions. Let's not forget though that Josh McDaniels had just been fired who was both the Head Coach and Offensive Coordinator. So, let's for my arguments sake take those numbers out of his total for the season. If we do that, Kyle Orton finishes with 3,487 yards, 20 touchdown to 6 interceptions and his completion percentage jumps to 59.5%. Lastly, looking back at their most recent draft, you can tell that it was not the offenses fault that they were losing games. Four out of their first five picks were used on defense, and the other pick was used on the offensive line. Again, all of this is pointless because we traded for Kolb and I am excited he is here and to see what he can do, it just all came down to value.
Williamson's Take
The next thing he goes onto discuss is that the while the Cardinals did address their Offensive line problems in free agency, he does not believe it was enough. He says that both Daryn Colledge and Lyle Sendlein are athletic and undersized which isn't a great fit for Grimm's style of teaching. He also says that Lutui returning may not be a good thing.
My Take
Again, not much to disagree with here. I was one of the people pleading for the front office to take some kind of offensive linemen in the draft. Whether it be with the second or third round pick, I just wanted to have some kind of fresh young body to learn and grow on this offensive line. Alas, I will have to trust in Whiz, Graves and Russ Grimm that they are satisfied with the moves we have made and will still possibly make later on, but the Offensive line is definitely a concern of mine.
Williamson's Take
When talking about Richard Marshall, he goes onto say that he did not have a good season in 2010. He liked the move of signing Stewart Bradley and says if he can stay healthy he can be a productive player alongside Daryl Washington.
My Take
I would have liked him to have gone into a little more detail on Richard Marshall. Granted he is doing a quick review of the big moves of all 32 teams so it's hard for him to have all of the information. While Richard Marshall might have had a down year, I think it's pre-mature to judge that season as an indicator of this one. First off, Marshall fits Ray Horton's defensive scheme more than he might have in Carolina(which was an awful team let's not forget). Marshall's toughness and tackling ability are exactly what Horton looks for in a corner back. Also Marshall may end up being the nickelback if Peterson starts and Toler retains his number 2 job. I agree with him on Bradley, it really all comes down to if he can stay healthy. When discussing Bradley with a huge Eagles fan, I was told that Bradley is a downhill player with lots of toughness, which again feeds into Horton's aggressive style of defense.
Williamson's Take
Lastly he talked about the Cardinals becoming more dedicated to involve the Tight end position, especially with the loss of Steve Breaston and also said the lack of an edge pass rusher is a glaring hole.
My Take
Have to agree here, although we will see what the offense ends up doing especially if we are able to get a more reliable well known number 2 receiver like Braylon Edwards or Malcom Floyd(which he did not take into account). While I have to agree with him about the edge pass rusher, I'm not sure if it will be as bad as he thinks. It really all comes down to what we can get out of O'Brien Schofield. He is a Cardinal favorite to break out and will be a major key as to whether or not this team can generate an effective pass rush. Then again, I don't blame Williamson for not getting excited about a 4th round pick(despite all of the experts saying he had late first round talent before his injury).
Final Notes
In the end Williamson ended up giving us a post lockout grade of C+ and while I think that may be a little low I don't think it's too far off. This might be the homer in me, but I would say we're at around a B- with the possibility of B if we sign a more legitimate receiver opposite of Fitzgerald and an extra offensive linemen.
There is one minor detail to note though. In his section of key losses, he included Derek Anderson which seems to be a disingenuous argument as to why we will be worse because of his release. I guess Anderson throwing 3 yard rockets or flinging the ball 6 feet over our receivers heads will be a bad thing?
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