Thursday, January 24, 2013

Cardinals QB in 2013?

With a new head coach now selected, I think that it's a good time to begin pondering who will be the starting QB for the Arizona Cardinals in 2013?  From Bruce Arians introductory press conference, it appears that he favors an offense that will push the ball down the field, he's not a big fan of the dink and dunk west coast offense, to me that signals that he would prefer to bring someone in who's got a big arm who can stretch the field (such as Ben Roethlisberger who thrived in his offense).  So who will they/should they be looking at?

In House Candidates:
  1. Kevin Kolb - Kolb was easily the Cardinals best QB in 2012, he's due $11 million next year though, and truth be told, he's really not a good fit for the Arians offense (just as wasn't a very good fit for the Ken Whisenhunt offense), IMO he's much more suited for a west coast offense.   
  2. John Skelton - of all of the QB's on the roster, Skelton probably has the skill set that best matches up with what Arians is looking for, he's a big guy with a cannon of an arm.  When given the chance in to run Whisenhunt's offense though (which is not too different from the Arian's offense), Skelton struggled, his accuracy was lacking, his decision making was not good, his field vision was poor and he lacked any sort of mobility. 
  3. Ryan Lindley - Lindley was horrible last year, he didn't show any accuracy, he forced his passes, he lacked mobility, he had no field vision, I honestly didn't see anything out of him that showed me any promise.  That being said, he also had no business being on the field at all last year, with a few years of development I'd guess he could develop into a capable backup. 
  4. Brian Hoyer - he didn't look out of place in his limited action last year, but he is what he is, I don't see him as a starting caliber NFL QB, if he was he wouldn't have been available to the Cardinals in the middle of the season.  I'm guessing he won't be back. 
 Draft Canidates:
  1. Geno Smith - he seems to be the consensus top QB in the upcoming draft, not that he doesn't have his critics though.  He's a great athlete, his mechanics are sound and he can make all the throws, if he's available when the Cardinals draft I think it may be hard for them to pass on him. 
  2. Tyler Wilson - I like Wilson, a lot, probably more than Smith, he's got good size, a strong arm, he's tough, he's competitive and he's got that gunslinger mentality that you need at QB. 
  3. Mike Glennon - he's my sleeper, read this description of him, that sounds exactly like what Arians described in his press conference. I'd take Smith and Wilson ahead of him but I wouldn't be disappointed with Glennon either. 
  4. Matt Barkley - he's got all the intangibles you look for in a QB, nice size, decent arm strength, terrific mechanics, well coached, he did make some questionable decisions last year though and his accuracy was lacking at times.  I'm guessing he's a better fit in a west coast offense than an Arians offense.
Free Agents / Trade Candidates:
  1. Alex Smith - You know this name is going to come up, it'll come up everywhere that there is a QB opening.  I have to believe that he'll be starting somewhere next season.  I'm not sure if the 49ers would be all that willing to trade him within their own division though.
  2. Ryan Mallett - Tom Brady appears to have a few year left in him, so the Pats may be willing to listen to offers for Mallett.  He's a big guy with a rocket of an arm, he's learned from the best in Belichick and Brady, he may be a good fit for the Arians offense, IMO the Cardinals should be on the phone to them pronto. 
  3. Brandon Weeden - Weeden struggled in year 1 with the Browns, rumblings are that they may already want to go in a different direction.  If that's the case, the Cardinals should put out some feelers.  Much like Kolb was a bad fit in the Whisenhunt offense, I think that Weeden was terribly miscast in Cleveland's west coast offense (admittedly, he may fit in better a Rob Chudzinski/Norv Turner offense though).  Anyways, he's a big, strong armed QB, I think he would thrive in an Arians offense. 
  4. Ryan Fitzpatrick - The Bills appear ready to move in a different direction.  Fitzpatrick is a solid veteran, I could see him as a short term answer, I wouldn't consider him to the long term answer though, I think they'd need to draft someone too if they went this direction.  He's a local product too.  
  5. Carson Palmer - the Raiders gave up a boat load to get him, there are rumblings that they're already ready to move on without him though.  He's still got some life in him and he's got a big arm, I would hope the Cardinals would at least kick the tires on him if he's available (if they could get him to restructure his deal that is). 
  6. Matt Flynn - He didn't get much of a chance in Seattle, he probably deserves a shot someplace.  He may be a better fit in a west coast offense though.  
  7. Drew Stanton - He's currently Andrew Luck's backup in Indianapolis so he knows Arian's offense, he's got a big arm, it's not out of the realm of possibility.  He may just need an opportunity. 

Notes:   I don't see Joe Flacco leaving the Ravens, Philip Rivers leaving the Chargers, Michael Vick leaving the Eagles, or Kirk Cousins leaving the Redskins and I would hope the Cardinals wouldn't bring in Tim Tebow.  My preference would be that the Cards clean house of their QB's and bring in someone new, my preference would be Alex Smith, although I could live with Mallet too, this would also allow the Cardinals to use their first round pick on an offense lineman.  I suspect that the price on those 2 will be too high though, it wouldn't surprise me at all to see them restructure Kevin Kolb's deal and hope they can find a QB in round 2-3 of the draft that they can groom for the future.  

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