Tag: Arizona Cardinals (Page 22 of 51)

      2009 fantasy football is coming soon—a look back at 2008 QBs

      May 30, 2009 /

      Remember when we were instructed to draft running backs with our first two, and in some cases, our first four, fantasy football picks? Yeah, that was so 1999. Heck, that was so 2004 or 2005 when LT and Shaun Alexander were dominating the gridiron. But a funny thing has happened. Running backs by committee are not only keeping legs fresh, they are wreaking havoc on fantasy rosters. Also, a recent trend toward pass-happy offenses is making quarterbacks and receivers more valuable. Last season, QBs were dominating — here is how the Top 10 QBs finished fantasy-wise in 2008 (your league may have scored differently than mine) and what you can expect from them in 2009:

      1. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints—Brees fell 15 yards short of Dan Marino’s single season passing yards record, finishing with 5069 yards, along with 34 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. Is he going to match that? There’s no reason to believe he won’t.

      2. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers—I had LT last year and one of the reasons his stats suffered was because this guy kept throwing the damn ball. Rivers threw for 4009 yards with 34 TDs and just 11 picks. This year, will they go back to more of a run-first offense? Probably not — not with LT a year older.

      3. Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals—Ah, the Fountain of Youth is a beautiful thing. Warner drank from it often, and of course when you have guys named Boldin and Fitzgerald to throw to, it can make you look good and feel ten years younger. Still, who expected 4582 yards and 30 touchdowns with 14 picks and a trip to the Super Bowl? Not me. This year, Warner may not have Boldin, who just keeps whining about his contract, but don’t think the QB’s numbers will suffer all that much.

      4. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers—Brett who? You certainly won’t hear anyone blaming the Packers’ 6-10 season on Rodgers. It was in fact their defense that failed them, because Rodgers passed for 4038 yards with 28 TDs and 13 interceptions. And just for kicks, Favre’s numbers with the Jets were 3472 yards, but 22 TDs and league leading 22 picks. Going into 2009, Rodgers’ stock has to be even higher.

      5. Jay Cutler, Denver Broncos—On what planet does 4526 yards and 25 touchdown passes get you run out of town? In Denver, where new coach Josh McDaniel screwed up and tried to trade for Matt Cassel. Oops. Cutler is now in Chicago, so that means his fantasy stock automatically drops a few notches.

      6. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts—The Colts got off to a horrible start and in fact didn’t win the division for the first time in years. But Manning finished strong, with 4002 yards, 27 TDs and just 12 picks. Marvin Harrison is no longer catching his passes, but that doesn’t mean Manning doesn’t have weapons.

      7. Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles—It was a roller coaster season in 2008, but the Eagles came within about a quarter of reaching the Super Bowl. Somehow McNabb held it together (what, they have ties in the NFL?) and wound up having a great season, passing for 3916 yards with 23 TD passes and 11 picks. He only had 147 rushing yards and 2 rushing scores, but that’s what Philly has Brian Westbrook for. McNabb is getting long in the tooth, but he’s smarter and as accurate as ever.

      8. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys—Okay, so there may be trouble in paradise and there is no T.O. anymore, but Romo is still a very good fantasy QB. His 3448 yards and 26 TDs were a bit off his 2007 pace (4211, 36 TDs), but part of that is because he missed a few games with a thumb injury.

      9. Matt Cassel, New England Patriots—With zero pro experience and almost zero college experience, who would have thought Matt Cassel could come in for Tom Brady and have the season he did? Okay, so he is no Brady, but Brady is in a class of his own anyway. Cassel’s 3490 yards with 21 TD passes and just 10 interceptions were good enough to land him the starting job in Kansas City. How that will affect his fantasy stats remains to be seen, but don’t expect too much of a drop-off on an improved Chiefs’ team.

      10. Chad Pennington, Miami Dolphins—You know Chad is still gloating after being pushed out of New York by Brett Favre, and then leading his Dolphins to the division title. Pennington is always risky as a fantasy QB because of injuries and inconsistency, but 3653 yards and 19 TDs is not shabby, nor was his microscopic total of 7 picks. If he stays healthy, Chad should have another good season.

      The other name you’ll have to consider in 2009 is Brady. He missed the final 15 ¾ of the season after getting knocked out of the opener against Kansas City, but early reports are that Brady is looking and feeling great and will be at full strength in 2009. Randy Moss is salivating, and so will fantasy owners, though they will do so skeptically.

      Are you ready for some football? I know I am and feel great just talking about it!

      (Next week: Wide Receivers)

      Bullz-Eye Sports Channel, Fantasy Football, NFL

      Is Rosenhaus to blame for Boldin’s situation with Cardinals?

      May 27, 2009 /

      According to a report by the Arizona Republic, agent Drew Rosenhaus is apparently to blame for the mess that currently is Cardinals receiver Anquan Boldin’s contract situation.

      Boldin is under contract for two more years with the Cardinals, at $2.75 million this year and $3 million in 2010, a deal Rosenhaus renegotiated in 2005.

      Rosenhaus pushed for a new deal, however, after the Cardinals re-signed Fitzgerald to a four-year, $40 million extension before last season. The Cardinals told Boldin they would try to oblige but first had to attend to new deals for Dansby and Pro Bowl safety Adrian Wilson.

      Boldin, under advice from Rosenhaus, demanded a trade last summer and said he would never re-sign with the Cardinals. His position softened in the ensuing months and, after helping the Cardinals reach Super Bowl XLIII, dialogue resumed about a new contract.

      But through it all, Boldin’s reputation took a hit, although his performance on the field never came into question. He finished the 2008 regular season with 89 receptions for 1,038 yards and 11 touchdowns.

      If this is true, it would make sense why Boldin plans to fire Rosenhaus and is now seeking new representation. Maybe Boldin would be willing to take a modest pay raise (whatever that entails) from the Cards, but Rosenhaus kept pushing for more. Either way, with Rosenhaus out of the way it seems like Boldin is a safe bet to stay in AZ. In fact, Boldin might even report to minicamp sometime this week as a sign of good faith to the team.

      NFL

      Boldin set to fire agent Rosenhaus

      May 26, 2009 /

      With his contract talks reaching a stalemate with the Cardinals, receiver Anquan Boldin plans to fire agent Drew Rosenhaus.

      Rosenhaus, who represents more NFL players than any other agent, had tried pressuring the Cardinals into trading the 28-year-old receiver.

      “Regarding Anquan Boldin, let me say that I have great respect for him. I’m hopeful we can work this out and he can return to the Rosenhaus Sports family in the near future. We are proud to continue to represent his brother, D.J. Boldin,” Rosenhaus said in a statement to ESPN.com. “We would also like to take this opportunity to announce that we have signed Will Allen to a 2-year contract extension with the Dolphins worth $16.2 million. We are pleased to announce today that we have re-signed New Orleans Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey [to a representation agreement].”

      Boldin reached out to other agents in recent weeks, according to a source. He spoke with Kennard McGuire, CAA agents Tom Condon and Ben Dogra, and two of Fitzgerald’s agents, Eugene Parker and Paul Lawrence.

      Under NFLPA rules, a player must wait five days after firing his agent before hiring a new one.

      Boldin apparently didn’t like the way Rosenhaus was going about negotiations with the Cardinals, although it’s hardly the agent’s fault if a team doesn’t want to re-work a contract when the player still has two years remaining on the current one. Still, it’s interesting that Rosenhaus has lost a big client like Boldin. Normally, players are seeking Rosenhaus’ negotiation tactics, not firing him because of them.

      NFL

      Bears, Eagles made trade offers to Cardinals for Boldin on draft day

      May 15, 2009 /

      According to the Arizona Republic, the Eagles offered the Cardinals cornerback Sheldon Brown and a third round pick in exchange for receiver Anquan Boldin on draft day, but Arizona quickly rejected it. Bears’ GM Jerry Angelo also admitted that he offered the 49th overall pick in exchange for Boldin, but obviously was turned down himself.

      Earlier this week, Eagles coach Andy Reid told a Philadelphia radio audience that the price for Boldin was too high, both in terms of trade compensation and a new contract. As a baseline, Reid threw out trade terms of first, third and fifth-round picks, in addition to a new contract worth $10 million or so a year.

      Maybe Reid was trying to spin the situation to satisfy Eagles fans, some of whom have long clamored to trade for Boldin. In the radio interview, Reid went on to say that he didn’t think the Cardinals ever really wanted to trade Boldin. Of course, it would be hard to determine that when the best offer is Brown and a third rounder.

      Maybe the Eagles figured they would take a stab at stealing Boldin for a pittance. No harm in that.
      The Eagles never offered more than the third round pick and Brown, a seven-year veteran who is unhappy with his current contract. The Cardinals didn’t have a need for a starting cornerback after signing Bryant McFadden in free agency.

      Sheldon and a third round pick for Boldin? I thought I heard laughter off in the distance on draft day – turns out it was Cardinals’ GM Rod Graves after talking with the Eagles.

      Hey, it was worth a shot for the Eagles. If nothing came out of it, so be it. But if the Cards were at all desperate to relieve themselves from the Boldin situation, maybe they would have pulled the trigger on Philly’s offer. (And then would have been rightfully lambasted by their fans and media in the process.)

      I wonder if Graves would have done a deal with Angelo for a second and a third, although the third would have had to been for 2010 because Chicago had already traded that pick to Denver for Jay Cutler. Still, if Angelo was able to pull a deal off for Boldin, then the Bears would have went from perennial NFC North favorites to legit Super Bowl contenders.

      NFL

      Boldin reports for physical, could be in minicamp

      May 1, 2009 /

      Despite being upset about his contract situation, Anquan Boldin was at the Cardinals’ facility on Wednesday to get a physical, which could indicate that he plans on attending the team’s minicamp.

      I’m not sure where Anquan Boldin’s head is in terms of his contract, but in terms of the mystery (if there ever really was one) of whether he would come to minicamp, he indeed was at the facility today to get his physical. Doesn’t make much sense to do that if he isn’t going to come to minicamp. We’ll have to double-check tomorrow, but with Boldin and Darnell Dockett both coming today, it looks like there won’t be any absences for the mandatory minicamp.

      Now, whether Boldin practices, we’ll have to see. He came down with a sore hamstring at last year’s minicamp — about the time his contract issues first reached a boil. There might be some maladies for those seeking new contracts. Again, we will see. At least the drama of a missing guy will be avoided, and I would assume Boldin — and to a lesser extent, Dockett — will be tops on the media’s interview list after practice.

      There were countless rumors heading into the draft that Boldin would be traded, but it appears that the Cardinals never really had any desire to deal their dynamic wideout in the first place. GM Rod Graves seems to be trying to wear Boldin and his agent out and the one weapon in Graves’ arsenal is that he knows Anquan loves playing football. It’s hard to envision Boldin holding out and while he may air his frustrations, he’s not going to allow a contract dispute interfere with him playing football.

      My guess is that Anquan Boldin is going to be an Arizona Cardinal until his contract runs out at the end of the 2010 season.

      NFL

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