What happens to Boldin and Fitzgerald?

[Tydur 0]

Whisenhunt said that he plans to run the ball 600 times. Assuming he keeps true to his word and Arizona can count on 950 plays from scrimmage, this only leaves 350 passing plays. Last year, Boldin and Fitzgerald reeled in only 50% of the teams catches and Leinart had 56% accuracy. Assuming Lienart improves to 60%, I 've got Boldin and Fitzgerald splitting a total of 105 to 110 catches instead of 160 like last year.

 

Is it better to stay away from these two and allow others to use early draft picks on them or will one or both of them still stay on top?

[Kilroy 0]

There's no way the Cardinals run the ball 600 times this season.

 

I haven't seen Whisenhunt's comments stating that, but I wouldn't take it literally even if he did. He's going to make sure the rushing attack is an important part of the offense, but he isn't foolish enough to eliminate the presence of both Fitzgerald & Boldin from it. He also knows he has a very promising young QB that can make things happen through the air.

 

Fitzgerald & Boldin's value drops a little bit, but they'll both still be capable of 80 receptions, 1100 yards and 8-10 touchdowns (though Boldin is more likely to finish with 5-7 of them).

[gottabesweet84 0]

600 times is the plan.

 

Once they are down 14 in the fourth or every week they will be passing the ball.

 

Of course running is always the plan but - even if it goes well it will open the play action fake.

[famousb 11]

600 times is the plan.

 

Once they are down 14 in the fourth or every week they will be passing the ball.

 

Of course running is always the plan but - even if it goes well it will open the play action fake.

[Killer Elite 0]

I read this more as "Edge is a solid #2RB". but I guess we already knew that.

[Tydur 0]

I read this more as "Edge is a solid #2RB". but I guess we already knew that.

That's how I read it too. But then when I started thinking about the math, its clear that Whisenhunt wants (and has a history of) a 55-60% rushing attack and last year's Cardinals threw the ball 57% (545-960) of the time. This means a 10-20% drop in the passing game.

[lightbuzz 0]

The '600 times is the plan' comment is a great response to your question.

 

And the question you raised is a good one. Roethlisberger was a first round pick that was taught to play to win games and was never a viable FF QB. I think this will be Wisenhunt's deal with 'lionheart' as well. lionheart will be better than Ben as a FF qb but, I think Boldin and Fitzgerald's fantasy numbers will be tamer than expectations because of the 'attempted' ball control of Wisenhunt. Boldin is already one of the better blocking WRs and that will be even more emphasized this year (for Fitz, too). They will become better all-around football players but, neither one has a chance to finish the year as THE top WR in Fantasy Football. Wisenhunt once or twice finished a game with 35 consecutive running plays. As the other posters already touched on you have to be winning to do that. Still that is his philosophy. So, I think nice years from both of them are on the way but, fantasy domination won't be in the Cards.

[jaxjag 43]

The '600 times is the plan' comment is a great response to your question.

 

And the question you raised is a good one. Roethlisberger was a first round pick that was taught to play to win games and was never a viable FF QB. I think this will be Wisenhunt's deal with 'lionheart' as well. lionheart will be better than Ben as a FF qb but, I think Boldin and Fitzgerald's fantasy numbers will be tamer than expectations because of the 'attempted' ball control of Wisenhunt. Boldin is already one of the better blocking WRs and that will be even more emphasized this year (for Fitz, too). They will become better all-around football players but, neither one has a chance to finish the year as THE top WR in Fantasy Football. Wisenhunt once or twice finished a game with 35 consecutive running plays. As the other posters already touched on you have to be winning to do that. Still that is his philosophy. So, I think nice years from both of them are on the way but, fantasy domination won't be in the Cards.

 

And the Cardinals aren't the Steelers. How long until the realities of the game overtake the game plan?

 

However, I agree that such a change in offensive philosophy is a negative for Bolding and Fitz.

 

Is it a positive for James? Is 'Zona a prime spot for a sleeper RB? Shipp? Perhaps Arrington?

[xenophobe 1]

600 attempts is a rediculous goal. Atlanta lead the NFL last season with 537 attempts. 600 would be about 38 rushes per game. Considering their feature back averaged a whopping 3.4 yards per carry last season, and they may have the best starting WR tandum in the league with a not so good defense, I'd say they have zero chance at coming close to that number. And it would be foolish of them to attempt it.

[congressmanreality 1]

600 attempts is a rediculous goal. Atlanta lead the NFL last season with 537 attempts. 600 would be about 38 rushes per game. Considering their feature back averaged a whopping 3.4 yards per carry last season, and they may have the best starting WR tandum in the league with a not so good defense, I'd say they have zero chance at coming close to that number. And it would be foolish of them to attempt it.

Agreed. I would definitely temper expectations for these guys (Fitz in particular is going too high in drafts) but they won't be THAT far off from their 2006 numbers. The good news is that Edge SHOULD rebound this year, not to top tier RB status, but to soild fantasy contributor status.

[wicked joe 0]

I say the Cards CAN't run the ball that much b/c they just aren't that good along the line. However, I have cooled my jets on Fitz and Boldin. I think they will be solid, but not elite.

[49ER MAN 0]

Agreed. I would definitely temper expectations for these guys (Fitz in particular is going too high in drafts) but they won't be THAT far off from their 2006 numbers. The good news is that Edge SHOULD rebound this year, not to top tier RB status, but to soild fantasy contributor status.

 

[BoltAddiction 0]

600 attempts is a rediculous goal. Atlanta lead the NFL last season with 537 attempts. 600 would be about 38 rushes per game. Considering their feature back averaged a whopping 3.4 yards per carry last season, and they may have the best starting WR tandum in the league with a not so good defense, I'd say they have zero chance at coming close to that number. And it would be foolish of them to attempt it.

Ridiculous? Whisenhunt's history suggests its anything but.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers 2004 - 358 passes and 618 rushes (Record 15-1);

Pittsburgh Steelers 2005 - 379 passes and 549 rushes (Record 11-5);

Pittsburgh Steelers 2006 - 523 passes and 469 rushes (Record 8-8 and no play-offs).

 

Oh yeah...and the 2004 team had Plaxico Buress and Hines Ward

 

Arizona is no Pittsburgh but that doesn't mean that Whisenhunt isn't going to do his best to implement the formula that helped win a Super Bowl. Then again Dennis Green was so successful when he inflated Fitz and Boldin's numbers.

[Thornton Melon 549]

Ridiculous? Whisenhunt's history suggests its anything but.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers 2004 - 358 passes and 618 rushes (Record 15-1);

Pittsburgh Steelers 2005 - 379 passes and 549 rushes (Record 11-5);

Pittsburgh Steelers 2006 - 523 passes and 469 rushes (Record 8-8 and no play-offs).

 

Oh yeah...and the 2004 team had Plaxico Buress and Hines Ward

 

Arizona is no Pittsburgh but that doesn't mean that Whisenhunt isn't going to do his best to implement the formula that helped win a Super Bowl. Then again Dennis Green was so successful when he inflated Fitz and Boldin's numbers.

 

This is no formula. These numbers just show that being able to run AND not needing to pass

are the hallmarks of a great team. Arizona ain't there yet, not by a longshot.....

[xenophobe 1]

Ridiculous? Whisenhunt's history suggests its anything but.

 

Pittsburgh Steelers 2004 - 358 passes and 618 rushes (Record 15-1);

Pittsburgh Steelers 2005 - 379 passes and 549 rushes (Record 11-5);

Pittsburgh Steelers 2006 - 523 passes and 469 rushes (Record 8-8 and no play-offs).

 

Oh yeah...and the 2004 team had Plaxico Buress and Hines Ward

 

Arizona is no Pittsburgh but that doesn't mean that Whisenhunt isn't going to do his best to implement the formula that helped win a Super Bowl. Then again Dennis Green was so successful when he inflated Fitz and Boldin's numbers.

 

 

Now is it more reasonable to assume that in 2006 Whisenhunt "forgot" the formula that had brought him so much success the previous two seasons, or perhaps that with losing a key component in the running game like Bettis and the defense having taken a step back his hands were tied? Well guess what? Arizona doesn't have the dominant defense the 2004 and 2005 Steelers had. And who do you see shouldering all those carries with James in Az? Shipp? Arrington?

 

The 2004 and 2005 Pitt teams had dominant running games. 600 attampts is well into the range of line up and run it right at defenses even when they know its coming. Pittsburgh was able to impose their running game on their opponent because their o-line was that good and they had two quality RBs in their rotation. Arizona's line, on the other hand, is terrible, and, as I mentioned before, their feature back averaged a pathetic 3.4 yard per carry last season. Good luck trying to force that on defenses play after play while playing from behind with your franchise QB and probowl receivers sitting around watching.

 

Sorry, but Arizona is just not built that way. They don't have the backs, the line, or the defense to do it. Your

''formula" seems to be missing a few key variables.

[BoltAddiction 0]

Now is it more reasonable to assume that in 2006 Whisenhunt "forgot" the formula that had brought him so much success the previous two seasons, or perhaps that with losing a key component in the running game like Bettis and the defense having taken a step back his hands were tied? Well guess what? Arizona doesn't have the dominant defense the 2004 and 2005 Steelers had. And who do you see shouldering all those carries with James in Az? Shipp? Arrington?

 

The 2004 and 2005 Pitt teams had dominant running games. 600 attampts is well into the range of line up and run it right at defenses even when they know its coming. Pittsburgh was able to impose their running game on their opponent because their o-line was that good and they had two quality RBs in their rotation. Arizona's line, on the other hand, is terrible, and, as I mentioned before, their feature back averaged a pathetic 3.4 yard per carry last season. Good luck trying to force that on defenses play after play while playing from behind with your franchise QB and probowl receivers sitting around watching.

 

Sorry, but Arizona is just not built that way. They don't have the backs, the line, or the defense to do it. Your

''formula" seems to be missing a few key variables.

My focus is not whether Whisenhunt is going to rush 600 times or what formula he wants to employ. I was responding to a statement that it is "ridiculous" to think that a team can rush so many times based solely on the fact that Atlanta only rushed 537 times last year. Whisenhunt proved its possible and he has expressed his desire to run the ball a lot this year. Whether he can do it with Arizona is clearly a question of ability and I thought that was clear when I said "Arizona is no Pittsburgh." I agree with the other posters that Fitz and Boldin are going to be very good receivers, I just don't think they are in the elite group and I just don't see either of them getting 90 receptions, 10 tds or 1200 yards.

 

Dennis Green loves to throw the ball and is a disciple of Bill Walsh's. Whisenhunt has been in Pittsburgh for 6 years. While AZ may be passing out of desperation, I just don't see the pass happy days of Dennis Green where Fitz and Boldin were both 100 reception receivers. Great receivers like Fitz and Boldin can be used just as, or even more effectively, than Ward and Burress without making them fantasy monsters.

[xenophobe 1]

I was responding to a statement that it is "ridiculous" to think that a team can rush so many times based solely on the fact that Atlanta only rushed 537 times last year.

 

Um, where are you getting this about my statement being "based soley on the fact that Atlanta only rushed 537 times last year"? That statement was offered to provide some perspective for how high 600 carries in a season is. The reasons I believe it is rediculous in Arizona's case were sited as being the lack of defense, lack of an effective running game, insufficient o-line, lack of quality rotation, and the fact that this would promote significant focus on the unit's area of weakness, rather than it's strength.

 

I don't think this team should be looking to model itself after what Green did. But when you consider what they are working with, I believe setting a goal of 600 carries this season would be absurd.

[49ER MAN 0]

There's no way the Cardinals run the ball 600 times this season.

 

I haven't seen Whisenhunt's comments stating that, but I wouldn't take it literally even if he did. He's going to make sure the rushing attack is an important part of the offense, but he isn't foolish enough to eliminate the presence of both Fitzgerald & Boldin from it. He also knows he has a very promising young QB that can make things happen through the air.

 

Fitzgerald & Boldin's value drops a little bit, but they'll both still be capable of 80 receptions, 1100 yards and 8-10 touchdowns (though Boldin is more likely to finish with 5-7 of them).

 

I wouldn't be surprised to see a nice improvement from Arizona running the ball this year as I saw some improvement from their o-line toward the end of last season.

 

As for Fitz and Boldin, I'll project 1100 yards and 10 TD's for Fitz and Boldin 1000 yards and 7 TD's.

[ROYALWITCHEESE 0]

I wouldn't be surprised to see a nice improvement from Arizona running the ball this year as I saw some improvement from their o-line toward the end of last season.

 

As for Fitz and Boldin, I'll project 1100 yards and 10 TD's for Fitz and Boldin 1000 yards and 7 TD's.

 

So you're projecting Leinhart to throw well over 20 TDs? A little too optimistic IMO...

[Ruphus 0]

I don't think it's unrealistic to think Boldin and Fitz are gonna drop way down in value this year.

 

Face it, as stated above, we're not talking about the Steelers here. This defense is a loooooooong way from being anywhere near what Pittsburgh's was.

 

The offensive line, while improving, is still not a 600 carry, smash mouth football line either.

 

Personally, I see Edge building on what he did last year, maybe add another 100-200yds and 1-3 TD's.

 

Leinhart will, optimistically speaking of course, throw 20+ TDs, mostly cause they will need to to keep up in at least some games.

 

Remember, 'Zona will be playing from behind, or in shootouts, almost all season long. There will be little defense from them, and a lot of the NFC are light on defense and strong on offense, specially their division.

 

I think Boldin and Fitz both are gonna be about equal with what they are being picked up as, random WR's going between 3-10 in drafts (out of WR's) both have the potential to get 1200 yards and 10 TDs. Chances are, one of them will not, but one will more than likely be a stud this year.

[Dan 59]

I think that folks need to remember that there is coach speak going on here as well. Coaches don't come out to the media and lay out their game plans. Whisenhunt is trying to change a mindset here, and alter a losing culture.

 

Right now he is pounding into the brains of the offensive linemen that they can impose their will on their opponents, something that is going to take a lot of work, because they are so used to being dominated up front.

 

It's too easy, and frankly lazy, to categorize a coach as a "running coach" or a "passing coach." Yes, Pittsburgh could run the ball at will, and still can when needed. That's been their philosophy for a loooooong time. However, mixed into the Whisenhunt years was a big bag of everything else. Trick plays, gadgets, WR end arounds and passes, you name it, Kenny called it. Further, it is a misnomor to look at the Steelers as just a running team from which Whisenhunt hails. In 2005, they made it to the Super Bowl by passing. Only when the lead was significant did they let the air out of the ball. Remember, the Steelers were leading the Colts 21-3 . . . on the arm of Roethlisberger.

 

Whisenhunt has a knack for taking a team's players and formulating the plan to best utilize those talents. Believe it. That is what he has truly shown. I think he continues to do that in Arizona. The added responsibility, though, as head coach is to convince that team that they can do what they haven't done before.

[49ER MAN 0]

So you're projecting Leinhart to throw well over 20 TDs? A little too optimistic IMO...

 

You know, I've thought about that. I'm just not convinced Leinart will throw more than 20 and I'm not sure why I projected Fitz and Boldin's numbers that high. For Leinart, 20 is probably his ceiling.

[Ruphus 0]

You know, I've thought about that. I'm just not convinced Leinart will throw more than 20 and I'm not sure why I projected Fitz and Boldin's numbers that high. For Leinart, 20 is probably his ceiling.

 

I think his TD totals are really going to be a direct reflection of how good Zona will be this year. If they can prove they are .500 or better, than I see 20+ TDs. If they continue to stink it up with 2-5 win seasons, then he's gonna be having a 13-16 TD season with a crapload of INTs.

 

This team doesn't have enough defense to win 10 - 3. When they win, it will be because they score points, and don't believe for a minute the Zona D is gonna start scoring em. They are gonna be relying on a good running game and a lot of passing. The best thing this team can do is score points, get a lead and protect it with time consuming drives, which favors the running game a bit, but they haven't proven to be a power running game yet. And even the power running game needs a pass here and there on 3rd and long.

[BoltAddiction 0]

Um, where are you getting this about my statement being "based soley on the fact that Atlanta only rushed 537 times last year"? That statement was offered to provide some perspective for how high 600 carries in a season is. The reasons I believe it is rediculous in Arizona's case were sited as being the lack of defense, lack of an effective running game, insufficient o-line, lack of quality rotation, and the fact that this would promote significant focus on the unit's area of weakness, rather than it's strength.

 

I don't think this team should be looking to model itself after what Green did. But when you consider what they are working with, I believe setting a goal of 600 carries this season would be absurd.

"Solely" was a bad choice of words on my part. Nevertheless, I think the Cards will attempt to emphasize the run. I agree 600 is out of reach...this year. But that being said, I'm in full agreement with the later posters. I've been a Trojan fan for decades and I'm not sold on Leinart's skills. I like his short game, but he's not throwing deep balls against Pac-10 secondaries anymore.

[tommy8370 0]

"Solely" was a bad choice of words on my part. Nevertheless, I think the Cards will attempt to emphasize the run. I agree 600 is out of reach...this year. But that being said, I'm in full agreement with the later posters. I've been a Trojan fan for decades and I'm not sold on Leinart's skills. I like his short game, but he's not throwing deep balls against Pac-10 secondaries anymore.

 

 

The statement of 600 rushing attempts in coaches lingo means that the coaches believe in the running game. Wiesenhunt believes that they can be successful running the ball with the Edge with the line as it stands. Literally, it would translate into 37.5 rushes per game. Last year the Edge carries the ball 337 times, Shipp 17, Arrington 14. Meaning the Edge saw 91.5% of the rushing attempts (qb rushes and reverses and not included). Lets just say the Edge' number of touches drops to 80%, that would still mean he would carry the ball 400 times. Anyway, the Edge will perform better than last thats for sure.