It was a special Super Bowl edition of The 620 Sportsline and Dave Burns was LIVE from sunny Tam…wait that’s not right.  Let’s try this again.

It was a special Super Bowl edition of The 620 Sportsline and Dave Burns was LIVE from the home the AFC champion Pitt….no, wait that’s not it either…

OK, maybe it wasn’t a special Super Bowl edition of The 620 Sportsline, but Dave Burns was LIVE from the home of the NFC Champion Arizona Cardinals!!!  The Cards, of course, took part in Super Bowl media day, but bigger questions have surfaced about what will happen after the big game.   Whether Kurt Warner stays, goes, or retires, and whether Anquan Boldin will be traded, re-signs, or holds out are just a couple.  But what is the Cardinals most pressing issue this off-season?  We debated:

Cards Priority List:

New contract for Anquan

Pros:  Keep in-tact the best receiver tandem in the NFL.  Keep Larry Fitzgerald and Kurt Warner happy.  Particularly the former, since Fitz has agreed to restructure his deal, and will likely face tougher coverages with Boldin out of the equation.
Cons:  Tying up significant sums of money to two receivers.  May hamper ability to improve on the OL. RB, and/or resign key defensive players like Karlos Dansby, Antonio Smith, and Adrian Wilson.  Sets precedent for players complaining and then getting what they want.  Darnell Dockett and Adrian Wilson may follow suit.

New contract for Warner

Pros:  Continuity at the QB position, arguably the most important in the NFL.  Keep leader and great guy in your locker-room, and arguably the finest community advocate in any sport.
Cons:  Anything more than a one-year deal will almost certainly induce a trade of Matt Leinart, since the latter will undoubtedly want the opportunity to start elsewhere.   Moreover, this could adversely affect Leinart’s trade value this off-season.  Run the risk of tying up long-term money in a player that may have peaked in the short-term.  The success rate of 38 year old quarterbacks is the greatest. EX:
Steve Young – lasted 3 games before career ending concussion.
Brett Favre – led Packers to NFC Championship, All-Pro – still playing
John Elway- led Broncos to Super Bowl- retired after
Warren Moon- started 15 games for Vikings, All-Pro – played 6 more seasons in the NFL, with 2 more All-Pro years
Vinny Testaverde -  started 16 games for Jets, who finished 10-6 – played 6 more seasons in the NFL, started 15 games for Dallas at age 41 (5-10).
Dan Marino – started 11 games, finished with career low 67.4 QB rating – retired after
Rich Gannon – Following MVP season at age 37 in 2002, started 7 games for Raiders (2-5).  Started 3 more the following year – retired after
Phil Simms – started 4 games for Giants (1-3), started all 16 the following year, All-Pro – retired after
Joe Montana – started 14 games for the Chiefs (9-5) - retired after
Dave Krieg – started 12 games for Bears (6-6), played 2 more seasons as a backup in Tennessee – retired after

New contract for Ken Whisenhunt

Pros:  Give the person arguably most responsible for turning this franchise around the proper respect and reward for his amazing efforts.  Ensure that Whisenhunt will not be tempted to test the open waters when his deal expires.   EX:  Jon Gruden’s departure from the Oakland Raiders in 01’.  Oakland Raiders head coaches since:
Bill Callahan, 2002-03 17-18 .486
Norv Turner, 2004-05 9-23 .281
Art Shell, 2006 2-14 .125
Lane Kiffin, 2007-08 5-15 .250
Tom Cable, 2008 4-8 .333
Cons:  Coaches with long-term deals tend to get more power, and coaches with more power tend to be not as successful once they receive a measure of front office control.  EX:  two that got let go this year,  Mike Shanahan and Jon Gruden.  We’ve already seen Whisenhunt dabble in this, and Anquan Boldin wasn’t too happy with the way it went….

New contract for Adrian Wilson

Pros:  Reward for longest tenured Cardinal, and one for loyalty.  I.E, taking the step the organization did not take in 1998 in regards to FB Larry Centers.  Keep one of the best defensive playmakers and leaders.
Cons:  Getting older (will be 30 next year). Doesn’t really have a position, making him more susceptible to a drop off in production if a scheme and/or coordinator change is made.

New contract for Darnell Dockett

Pros:  Team leader, productive player- hard to find at the DE position for a 3-4 defense.  Still young – 27- and has been healthy for the most part.  Keeping him under contract will lessen the loss of Antonio Smith if he leaves this off-season.
Cons:  Immature, prone to stupid penalties, and sometime stupid comments to the media.  Still under contract through 2011, which sets a bad precedent of ripping up existing deals right after they’ve been signed (Dockett signed his in 2006).

New contract for Karlos Dansby

Pros:  Keep defensive leader and productive player on the roster.  Still young – 27- and has been healthy for the most part.  Could always use franchise tag on him again, but…
Cons:  Using the franchise tag could upset him, and other players on the roster as it is seen as acting in bad faith on the Cards part.  The franchise tag is supposed to be a precursor to signing a long-term deal, and not just a tool to keep existing players under contract under a series of one-year deals.  Linebacker is probably the easiest position to fill with impact players in the draft, and the Pittsburgh Steelers have shown the ability to restock the position over many years without getting stuck with long-term deals.

New contract for Antonio Smith

Pros:  Same as Dockett, except he’s a tad younger (6 months, also 27), and less volatile.  Productive and healthy.
Cons:  The Cards have 2nd round pick Calais Campbell waiting in the wings, and Dockett under contract until 2011.

Keep Todd Haley

Pros:  Best chance to keep offensive rolling in 2009.  Best play caller the organization has ever had.
Cons:  Not much more you can give him.  Haley got raise and extension last off-season (thru 2010) after he turned down the Miami Dolphins head coaching position.   Not much room for promotion, Russ Grimm is already the Cards assistant head coach, and it’s unlikely Haley will take that position away.

Keep Russ Grimm 

Pros:  Works wonders with an offensive line that some still wonder how they got this team to a Super Bowl.  Close confidant of Whisenhunt, so he keeps the head coach happy.
Cons:  Same as Haley.   Grimm’s already an assistant head coach, already a highly paid assistant coach, and can’t get more power than he has right now.  Unless he’s a head coach….

Retaining Edge

Pros:  Continuity with the offensive success this team has had the post-season, arguably the best, most-balanced attack that they’ve had.  Has been durable the past few seasons, a rarity for the RB position.
Cons:  Was unhappy this year, no reason to believe he won’t be next year.  Doesn’t have the breakaway burst he used to have and is old by running back standards (30).  Cards can save $5 mill by letting him go.

Trading Leinart

Pros:  Probably doesn’t fit Whisenhunt’s system, and right now might be the best chance to capitalize on his already compromised trade value.  Probably would prefer a change of scenery.
Cons:  Reasonably priced next year ($1.1 mill) and in 2010 ($2.4 mill).  The odds of a 38-year old Kurt Warner staying healthy for two more years are slim, and a quality backup will likely be needed for that reason.  What is the alternative for backup quarterback- a draft pick? Brian St.-Pierre?

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And with all the Cardinals talk, The 620 Sportsline also had the Terry Porter Show and he thinks Dave should be in Tampa, honestly.

 

 Terry Porter [14:39m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (30)