Denny Green on ESPN radio last night: (1 Viewer)

[Raider Nation]

Coach was on Gamenight last night. Said that with Edge, their entire offensive philosophy will change, and there is no way either Fitz or Boldin will come close to catching 100 balls again (though he opined that both should surpass 1,000 yards.)

Green always makes predictions that don't happen, so take it for what it's worth. I suspect we'll see the same old Air Green if Arizona gets behind 14-0 early like they always used to. Still, go easy with your expectations on Warner and his WRs.

 

[Sabertooth]

Good info. I hate absolutes though.

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

Good info. I hate absolutes though.

Do you always hate them?

 

[David Yudkin]

Maybe now that the coach has been saying what I have been saying for months people will listen. Then again, probably not.

 

[Jason Wood]

Larry Fitz = 93 catches

Anquan Bolding = 92 catches

Sounds about right

 

[sholditch]

Did he happen to mention anything about how many touches/yards he expects Edge to get?

 

[Sabertooth]

Good info.  I hate absolutes though.

Do you always hate them?

Like I always say, I never like them.

 

[Aaronstory]

Did he happen to address the fact that the O-line still stinks?

 

[Andy Dufresne]

As a fan of the Minnesota Vikings for a long time I can honestly tell you that Denny Green is a big fat liar.

And in this case "big" and "fat" are getting a literal and figurative usage!

 

[Jackstraw]

Ought to get some big bites on the play action pass though, resulting in higher YPC and TD's.

 

[King of the Jungle]

Ought to get some big bites on the play action pass though, resulting in higher YPC and TD's.

Which one (Fitz or Boldin) stretches the field?

 

[Frenchy Fuqua]

I think it's likely that each of these guys will catch fewer passes/yards but score more TDs than 2005. The Cards scored only 23 TD on offense last year, 21 through the air. A decent NFL offense will score 35+ TDs in a season.

 

[noneother]

i'm okay with edge getting more than his.,,,

 

[The Jacket]

If you look at the numbers for Kurt Warner and all NFL quarterbacks in 2006, it's reasonable, assuming health, to predict Kurt Warner completing 300 passes next season.

The reason I find it hard to believe that neither wide receiver will surpass the 100-catch mark is that the Cardinals have no third, fourth and fifth wide receivers and no tight end (that has proven anything at the NFL level).

I could see the running backs combining for 50-60 catches, the other wide receivers and tight ends combining for another 50-60, and that still leaves 180-200 receptions up for grabs.

 

[Team Legacy]

Did he happen to mention anything about how many touches/yards he expects Edge to get?

He said he's a back that touches the ball 20-25 times a game and gets 100 yards pretty much every game. He also stated, "We'll be much more balanced this year."

 

[LHUCKS]

Stating that two of your WRs are not going to grab 100 balls each is not going out on a limb.

 

[Bob Henry]

Stating that two of your WRs are not going to grab 100 balls each is not going out on a limb.

Agreed. This time of the year we always see an abundance of articles, quotes, etc that underscore nearly every coaches philosophy save for Mad Martz.Examples

- We want to run the ball more this year (Jeff Fisher)

- Fitz/Boldin won't catch 100 balls each this year

If the Cardinals and Titans live up to their potential and play the way the coaches envision, they won't pass as frequently as they did in the past. They want to win. They want to run the ball, control the clock and play strong defense.

The Cardinals have the makings of the potentially very good defense if things go well for them. Adding Edge gives them a back that could get them over the hump offensively, too.

Also, the whole Cardinals line sucks angle isn't something I completely buy either. For starters, they're healthier this year and should be a bit better. Even if they aren't, the Colts line is over-rated. Sure, Manning doesn't get hit a lot, but that also has something to do with his WRs, TEs and Edge catching passes not to mention his lightning quick release. Look at the Colts numbers in short yardage situations where they ran and I think they were 28th to the Cardinals 32nd in converting those to 1st downs or TDs.

Ok, I got off on a tangent, but still.. Not catching 100 balls each is not a big deal. If they did do it, it would be monumental considering they each did it last year, too.

 

[joffer]

Stating that two of your WRs are not going to grab 100 balls each is not going out on a limb.

agreed, but to be fair, that's not exactly what he said

Coach was on Gamenight last night. Said that with Edge, their entire offensive philosophy will change, and there is no way either Fitz or Boldin will come close to catching 100 balls again (though he opined that both should surpass 1,000 yards.)

personally i think he's in for a rude awakening when they try to run the ball.

 

[H.K.]

Ok, I got off on a tangent, but still.. Not catching 100 balls each is not a big deal. If they did do it, it would be monumental considering they each did it last year, too.

Having one WR do it consecutively is pretty rare, but to have two WR's from the same team go over 100 may actually be a first for back to back years.

 

[Sidewinder]

Coach was on Gamenight last night. Said that with Edge, their entire offensive philosophy will change, and there is no way either Fitz or Boldin will come close to catching 100 balls again (though he opined that both should surpass 1,000 yards.)

...

If I'm an Edge, Boldin or Fitz owner, think I'd rather hear "with our offense, no way Rackers has to kick 40 FGs again".

 

[Bankerguy]

I think Green understands that if they both are catching 100 balls this team is losing more than their share of games.

 

[Marc Levin]

Ought to get some big bites on the play action pass though, resulting in higher YPC and TD's.

Which one (Fitz or Boldin) stretches the field?

fitz.

 

[BlueOnion]

This will last all of one play. Denny Green loves to throw the ball. He has made a career out of designing simple playbooks that are very consumable for quarterbacks yet dangerously effective.

Knowing Denny Green and his ego, I find it difficult to believe that he would put his passing attack on the shelf.

 

[H.K.]

The Cardinals have the makings of the potentially very good defense if things go well for them. Adding Edge gives them a back that could get them over the hump offensively, too.

Keeping a defense off the field helps. Three and outs on incompletions burns little clock before they need to get back to work.

 

[sholditch]

He said balance and there is no way the Cards offense couldn't be more balanced, as it was pass 100% last year (I know this is not a real reflection of playcalling) but the point is that Arrington flopped, whatshisface Shipp should have never been on a team at all, and now that they have one the elite backs in the league, of course they will run more. They really didn't have the option last year.

 

[Bob_Magaw]

Good info.  I hate absolutes though.

Do you always hate them?

Like I always say, I never like them.

do you hate them absolutely?

 

[MLBrandow]

Good info.  I hate absolutes though.

Do you always hate them?

sig'd

 

[Gr00vus]

Coach was on Gamenight last night. Said that with Edge, their entire offensive philosophy will change, and there is no way either Fitz or Boldin will come close to catching 100 balls again (though he opined that both should surpass 1,000 yards.)

...

If I'm an Edge, Boldin or Fitz owner, think I'd rather hear "with our offense, no way Rackers has to kick 40 FGs again".

 

[wannabee]

I know things have changed in a year. Edge is now in town and the defense should be improved. But, last year's offensive numbers (balance) were staggering:

|---------- PASSING -----------||----- RUSHING -----| TOTAL

CMP ATT YD YPA TD INT ATT YD YPA TD YD

419 670 4723 7.05 21 21 360 1138 3.16 2 5861

NFL rank 1 1 1 12 12 27 32 32 32 32 7

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/crd2005.htm

Notice the offense was first in NFL in pass attempts, completions, and pass yards. Also, the offense was dead last in rush attempts, rush yards, rush ypc (which was pitiful), and rush TDs (a measely 2 TDs rushing).

Notice the whopping 670 pass attempts and only 360 rush attempts.

How much change can we really expect? Let's say the offense gets more of a 60/40 split, it has to affect Fitz/Boldin to some degree. I think the yards and TDs will stay somewhat statis, but the catches should decrease and ypa/ypr should increase with the threat of a run game.

 

[H.K.]

Let's say the offense gets more of a 64/40 split

Statistical impossibility. Trust me. I've run the numbers.

 

[LHUCKS]

  Let's say the offense gets more of a 64/40 split

Statistical impossibility. Trust me. I've run the numbers.

 

[wannabee]

  Let's say the offense gets more of a 64/40 split

Statistical impossibility. Trust me. I've run the numbers.

thanks for pointing out the typo. meant 60/40

 

[H.K.]

  Let's say the offense gets more of a 64/40 split

Statistical impossibility. Trust me. I've run the numbers.

thanks for pointing out the typo. meant 60/40

No biggie. Sometimes this board calls my math into question, just needed to set the record straight.

 

[Righetti]

Hard to believe since Anquan has never gone a full season without 100 catches (even in the year he was hurt he had 56 catches in his 10 games.)

he averages 6.48 catches per game.. I'd be shocked to see him drop far below this number..although even a slight drop to 6.0 catches per game and finish the season with "only" 95 total grabs

 

[wannabee]

Hard to believe since Anquan has never gone a full season without 100 catches (even in the year he was hurt he had 56 catches in his 10 games.)

he averages 6.48 catches per game.. I'd be shocked to see him drop far below this number..although even a slight drop to 6.0 catches per game and finish the season with "only" 95 total grabs

But, the threat of a run game should help his yards per catch

 

[sholditch]

Well, let's assume balance gets us somewhere close to what is typcially balanced like NE or CIN, or maybe even DEN (well, I couldn't find one team as a really good reference, but with a 60/40 we should be looking at at least 450 rushing attempts, which should mean at least 335 for Edge given the quality of their other backs and their twin statues at QB. so given Edge's career 4.2 ypc, that should come to 1407 rushing yards. Then again, I could easily see Edge getting a bigger share of those carries, getting up to 350 or 360, getting him closer to 1470 or 1512.

 

[Raider Nation]

Well, let's assume balance gets us somewhere close to what is typcially balanced like NE or CIN, or maybe even DEN (well, I couldn't find one team as a really good reference, but with a 60/40 we should be looking at at least 450 rushing attempts, which should mean at least 335 for Edge given the quality of their other backs and their twin statues at QB. so given Edge's career 4.2 ypc, that should come to 1407 rushing yards. Then again, I could easily see Edge getting a bigger share of those carries, getting up to 350 or 360, getting him closer to 1470 or 1512.

I was surprised to look at your sig and see that Edge is on your team.

 

[Bob_Magaw]

not only has ARI defense been pretty good, they have been top 10 two years in a row (& two of their best defenders, berry & rolle, missed substantial time in 2005)...

i'm sure they would like to be more balanced... they didn't pay edge all that money for his pass protection prowess (which is a big plus for warner)... but even though they may score more via the ground, they may have more snaps by having edge sustain drives where they would have gone three & out & punted in the past... so surely edge will get additional carries from that, but so too might fitz & master quan get boosted reception totals over what denny seems to be implying...

as to who stretches the field more, fitz is probably right, but they both do in different way... fitz due to his great hops, acrobatic & contortionist body control & cris carter, power forward-like instincts & innate sense for positioning makes great candidate to lob over the top... boldin is a hellacious one-on-one match up for DBs due to his strength, elusiveness & RAC skills (used to be state of FL all time combined yardage leader as running QB)... he can get downfield AFTER the catch...

 

[Marc Levin]

Hard to believe since Anquan has never gone a full season without 100 catches

Pretty small sample size, dontcha think?Not dissing the idea of Boldin getting 100 - I think Green will be throwing PLENTY for Boldin to get 100 - just the argument that "he's always done it" is unconvincing.

 

[Evilgrin 72]

Anquan Bolding = 92 catches

John Madden?

 

[Gatorman]

During the 17 years marino played, I heard shula say they were committed to running the ball more about 14 of those offseasons.

 

[Shiver44]

While the ammount of passes will go down, the efficiency of the passing game will incread. The addition of James likely slightly reduce the Catch/Yard totals, but increase the Touchdowns for both.

 

[Marc Levin]

While the ammount of passes will go down, the efficiency of the passing game will incread. The addition of James likely slightly reduce the Catch/Yard totals, but increase the Touchdowns for both.

I am interested in hearing why you see the catch AND yard totals going down, but the TDs increase.I can understand the catches going down, but, with greater efficiency producing longer YPC numbers, the yardage number staying the same.

TDs seem completely up in the air for me b/c Edge's effect can either be less passing TDs and more rushing TDs or more passoing TDs simply b/c of longer drives and bringing the defense in. I just can't "call" which way it'll go with Edge there.

 

[softball]

This will last all of one play. Denny Green loves to throw the ball. He has made a career out of designing simple playbooks that are very consumable for quarterbacks yet dangerously effective.

Knowing Denny Green and his ego, I find it difficult to believe that he would put his passing attack on the shelf.

Dennis Green is a direct decendant of the West Coast Offense, he was a part of Bill Walsh's staff.He throws the ball in order to run the ball with a lead.

The only better balance I see in 2006, is Edge catching more passes than JJ Arrington and Marchel Ship caught in 2005.

Denny knows passing. Running is a four letter word....

 

[Neil Beaufort Zod]

He's assuming that Edgerrin James will stay healthy and motivated in Arizona after signing a fat contract. If he can carry the load, running is a safer option than passing--obviously.

Green should have begun his statement with "If all goes according to plan..." And how often does THAT happen to a team run by Denny Green?

 

[Vicktimized]

I don't see a lot of downside with Arizona's guys at WR.

1 of 2 things should happen:

Edge gets a lot of play, gives the offense a new dimension and makes it better overall....likely more tds for Boldin and Fitz, as they play on a high powered offense then vs an easy schedule.

James bombs: Same as last year.

Just don't reach too too high for those wrs and you'll be fine.....i don't see worse than 11-1200 and 7-9 tds for either if healthy, and that's downside.

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

I don't see a lot of downside with Arizona's guys at WR.

1 of 2 things should happen:

Edge gets a lot of play, gives the offense a new dimension and makes it better overall....likely more tds for Boldin and Fitz, as they play on a high powered offense then vs an easy schedule.

James bombs: Same as last year.

Just don't reach too too high for those wrs and you'll be fine.....i don't see worse than 11-1200 and 7-9 tds for either if healthy, and that's downside.

What probability would you assign to those two outcomes?

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

Back to the comments at hand...

This is the same coach who had his #1 WR catch 122, 122, 96, 89, 78, 90, 96, during the bulk of his tenure at Minny?

Yeah I believe you Denny, neither of these guys will come close to 100 catches.

 

[Vicktimized]

I couldn't say for sure....but I kniw line play can fluctuate from year to year depending on coaching, personnel, etc....as of now it looks like they'll be starting 2 new guards and should have O.Ross back after he missed most of last year. I think James will add alot and the Cards should be much more consistant TD wise for it.

I do know if Quan and Fitz proved anything, it's that they can thrive regardless of defenses ignoring the run, and with a "mystery partner" at Qb each week. So not much can really scare me off with those 2.

 

[BlueOnion]

This will last all of one play.  Denny Green loves to throw the ball.  He has made a career out of designing simple playbooks that are very consumable for quarterbacks yet dangerously effective.

Knowing Denny Green and his ego, I find it difficult to believe that he would put his passing attack on the shelf.

Dennis Green is a direct decendant of the West Coast Offense, he was a part of Bill Walsh's staff.

I remember in 1992 I was excited to hear Denny Green (a West Coast offensive guy) was coming to Minnesota. Once we go to the end of 2001 and the Denny Green reign, his offense looks nothing like that of Bill Walsh's offense. If I had to characterize Denny Green's offense, I would say it most resembled Joe Gibbs' offense. At some point, after the development of Cris Carter and Jake Reed and then the acquisition of Moss, Green's offense morphed into a 5 and 7 yard step drop for the quarterback with long developing passing routes that attacked the deep third of the field. His running game was a simple mauling offensive line.