Mel Kiper picks the Cardinals to have worst 2008 record in NFL
As I sat there watching TV last night I was reviewing on of the NFL Live wrap up’s that included Todd McShay, Mel Kiper jr. and a couple of other talking heads. As the show was coming to a conclusion they asked the panel one by one who they felt would have the number one pick in 2009, or in other words, which team was destined to have the worst season in the NFL.
Mel Kiper, and I still can’t believe he is serious, PICKED THE CARDINALS!
Mel, sorry big guy, you’re a moron.
His comment was followed up by some nonsense about how “The Cardinals hadn’t taken care of the Matt Leinart situation” and failed to address the replacement of Edgerrin James. I almost had to check my clock to make sure I wasn’t dreaming because the panel just stared at him slack jawed and let him push this garbage out of his mouth. The implication was what? That they should have drafted a QB? Or taken Mendenhall when they desperately needed a CB?
Mel, I have no idea what you are talking about, neither does anyone who even remotely follows this team. This team is deep at QB, has a solid coaching staff, a rebuilt offensive and defensive line, three quality receivers and a very good secondary. What in the world would possess you to think that the Cardinals would end up with the WORST record in the NFL?
Someone please bottle and save this idiotic prediction so we can toss it back to Mel when the Cardinals finish 2009 above 500 and fighting for a playoff spot. I’m glad he makes a living doing what he does, because he obviously has no idea what is even remotely going on with the Cardinals and it was just an easy slam at an organization that probably doesn’t give him the inside scoop he needs to feed his draft publication.
What a dope.
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24 Responses to “Mel Kiper picks the Cardinals to have worst 2008 record in NFL”
May 1st, 2008 at 1:29 am
Mel is the most overrated prognosticator in sports.
May 1st, 2008 at 7:22 am
Mel who? He needs to cut back his medication.
May 1st, 2008 at 2:50 pm
I love when people make grade school grammar errors while insulting somebody’s intelligence; it should be “you’re”, not “your a moron”
I do agree with you though, picking the Cards as the worst team in football next year is incredibly idiotic. I’m not sure if they will get over the hump and finally make the playoffs, but there is almost no chance they take that kind of nosedive. His reasoning (Leinart/James) is just as bad, since neither of those are much of an issue at all for next season (possibly loom large beyond that though), never mind the type that torpedoes a solid team
May 1st, 2008 at 3:12 pm
I agree with Evan. Mark fix your grammar errors! I don’t think anyone can agree with Mel on this one. The Cardinals would need so many serious injuries to finish in last place this year. It’s very unlikely.
May 1st, 2008 at 4:18 pm
I obviously strongly disagree with mel and think overall he is an idiot but mark, you made one point that is also completely incorrect. You stated the cardinals have “rebuilt their offensive and defensive lines.” The offensive line is the exact same as last year with the only additions being a 7th round pick and a few undrafted free agents. Not exactly rebuilt. And while they werent terrible last year, vastly improved from the few years previous, they are still far from being a dominant line and can only be considered a work in progress. I have much fairth in russ grimm so i think they will be that much better this year, but again, certainly not rebuilt.
May 1st, 2008 at 10:42 pm
They won’t be the worst but they will be bad. The best QB will be on the bench (Warner) and they will fall apart with Leinart.
May 2nd, 2008 at 2:24 pm
I believe the staff has an idea of what they are doing. I remind you not all drafted player turn out to be remotely helpful for teams, take J.J. for example. There have been several undrafted player that turned out to be a solid player. I believe judging the player because the are undrafted could be a huge mistake. See the job the staff did last year alone I believe the Cardinals could win the conference if they can stay healthy, that seems to always be they weak spot.
May 2nd, 2008 at 2:37 pm
Wow, I can’t believe I said conference I might be better off saying the right term, division. It is late here and I had a long day sorry for the typo’s.
May 2nd, 2008 at 5:09 pm
Mike, I’ll answer for Mark since he’s been busy. I think what Mark meant by saying Arizona has rebuilt their offensive line was since Whisenhunt and Russ Grimm showed up the O-line has improved. I don’t think he meant it out of this draft so much. Him and I had a conversation about how we would have liked to see them take two O-linemen earlier in the draft. I think they might still be alright on the line if they stay healthy. But I have to admit I’m a little nervous and hope Grimm can really coach these guys up. It’s still not a position of strength.
May 2nd, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Steve, the best QB might still be Warner. You never know if we may see him again this season if Matt gets injured or starts struggling.
Mike A, I agree with you. We often assume every player drafted is going to be playing. A couple of those guys may be cut as we saw with Buster Davis last year. But I do think we put our trust in the coaches and hope they can make them players. I’m hoping we get a few gems out of the undrafted crop.
May 2nd, 2008 at 5:53 pm
If you’re going to complain about Mark’s grammar, at least put periods at the end of your sentences. You forgot 2.
May 2nd, 2008 at 9:16 pm
While the OL wasn’t upgraded with players, I think the added synergy of playing together for a season will help, not to mention another year of coaching from Russ Grimm. Also, Levi Brown never really recovered from the injury and missed time, and should be much improved if he can stay healthy.
May 2nd, 2008 at 10:06 pm
I think the Cards are looking at 8 - 8 or 9 - 7. The running game is going to be an issue. I think the biggest factor is a challening road schedule. I’d suggest the team taking the biggest fall in the west this year will be Seattle. They are getting old and the team has had their time at the top in the west. Someone will push them out this year.
May 3rd, 2008 at 8:55 am
Guys,
To answer a few of the issues, one of my biggest lapses in grammar is the you are, your, you’re issue which I relate back to my decision to sit out third grade in protest of my then hometown Bill’s trading Daryl Lamonica to the Oakland Raiders.
As to the comment on the rebuild of the line, Eli got it right that I wasn’t implying this years draft rebuilt it, but rather that last year the O-Line was the primary focus with the additions of Gandy, Johnson, Levi Brown and Lyle Sendlien being put together, and this year it is clear the focus was on acquiring and drafting depth and talent on the defensive side of the ball. The O-Line still has a way to go but the fact that for the first time in memory the offensive line has the same players, position coach, offensive coordinator and head coach for a second year is going to allow it to make even more improvements. I wish they had added more depth but if you look at last years roster, they only carried 8 OL players and one of them was typically inactive on game day. ( Kendrick Vincent ), So by my estimation they really only have one slot to fill on the OL and they have some interesting raw recruits who might fill it.
Bottom line is that Mel Kiper is an idiot if he thinks this team is set up to be the WORST in the NFL and get the number one pick next year. Unless a string of devastating injuries hits the team this group is no worse then 8-8 the way they are currently configured and potentially a 10 or 11 win team if the QB situation is resolved.
May 3rd, 2008 at 11:29 am
Mark,
I like your thinking, but I have a question. Do you think that the money hungry players wanting better contracts will bring the team performance down next year?
May 3rd, 2008 at 6:58 pm
Mike A,
I think this whole contract story is totally over blown and the Cardinals have few if any unhappy players regarding contracts. Anquan said yesterday that he never asked for a trade, likes Arizona and knows it is just his agent creating heat so he can start negotiations. The bottom line is Dockett has FOUR years left on his deal, Wilson and Boldin each have THREE and the only real contract issue is Dansby, and Dansby as was quoted as saying he was thrilled to be making $8 million this year.
I don’t think there are any serious contract issues at work here. Each of the players mentioned is a big time football player and the hardest workers on the team and I don’t think we are going to see the money spill over to the field. The Cardinals are committed to looking at each of their deals in time but all of them are well paid and committed to a big year in my opinion.
May 5th, 2008 at 4:58 pm
Wasn’t complaining about his grammar, the phrase “your a moron” is just such delicious irony. If he had made the your/you’re mistake in any mundane sentence I wouldn’t have bothered to point it out since it doesn’t really bother me or anything. Pointing it out purely for comedy’s sake
May 6th, 2008 at 3:25 pm
Mel is right.
What is Arizona thinking?… Naming the lowest rated QB in the NFL in 2007 (Leinart, 60.9, 2 TD’s, 129 YPG) to be their starter over the 10th rated QB (Warner, 89.8, 27 TD’s)? Leinart is on a vector to be the next Ryan Leaf (his stats are almost a perfect match with Leaf’s 2nd season stats). And don’t get me started on his fragility (2 season ending injuries in his last 5 sacks!).
And Kiper is also right about Edgerrin James. He’s just awful. He’s ranked near the bottom of the NFL in YPC, and despite “Edge’s” attempts to blame the oline, his slowness is to blame… along with his lack of vision, inability to catch simple passes, and inability to pick up blitzes (he blocks like a fairy).
“The Edge” is a huge waste of money. The Cardinals need a RB who can run fast and isn’t a team cancer.
Unfortunately, Mel Kiper is right.
May 7th, 2008 at 5:39 pm
Evan,
As my kids remind me on a daily basis, i’m the source of a lot of unintended comedy.
May 9th, 2008 at 7:52 am
Kiper is a golden god!
May 9th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
Hard Hat,
I respect the analysis and thought process even if I totally disagree with it. While we are waiting on Leinart to see if he’s the real deal or not, we do happen to have a QB on the roster that almost set the franchise record for TD’s in a season despite only appearing in 12 games, sitting behind him. My point is it’s not all about Leinart as Mel seems to suggest as it’s pretty clear Warner absolutely can get the job done at a far better then average level and the competition between the two will only improve the position. I am of the opinion that the Cardinals have one of the best QB depth charts in the NFL at the moment, despite the fact that other teams, Colts, Pats, NO, SD might have better starters. Point is Mel couldn’t be more wrong about the position situation.
As for Edgerrin James your talking about a guy that put up 1250 yards last year, is never injured and actually is one of the better blocking RB’s in the game. ( Ask Peyton Manning if he blocks like a fairy) I agree he’s over paid but he’s in no way a team cancer and he’s a very solid starter even if he isn’t a break away threat.
Sorry, Mel’s an idiot if he really thinks the Cardinals because they didn’t draft a QB or speed RB are going to finish with the worst record in the league. It was a stupid throw away line made with out any thought or consideration of the facts.
May 12th, 2008 at 10:20 pm
Whats not talked about, is that Neil Rackers cost the Cardinals two or three games last year. The Cardinals are a good team. And bravo coach Whisenhunt on draft day. Offense is fine, defense needed some help. Cardinals are 11-5 this year guaranteed!!!
May 14th, 2008 at 7:45 pm
Take it from a fan of 35 years, picking the Cards as the worst team in any year is a pretty safe bet. Long-term Futures in yearly “bottom 5″ would earn a very good living.
May 22nd, 2008 at 9:08 am
I love Mel Blanc all the different characters and voices that he has done over the years..not to familiar with this Cardinals character…
But, I thought Mel was dead??
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