Latest updateJan. 23, 2005 - 2:42 p.m.Hayes is expected to take over at middle linebacker for Ronald McKinnon, the starter there for the past seven years. At 240 pounds, Hayes is a bit bigger than McKinnon and he's a ferocious hitter. He also has the athleticism to play outside, which he did in the final weeks of 2004. (Kent Somers for TSN) Picked this up at sporting news. Since this was before the draft and now they have Mitchell. Is it possible Hayes slides outside surplanting Huff/Darling on the weekside and opening up the middle for Mitchell?I know its a stretch and Mitchell just being a rook but is Hayes moving outside been discuss'd or worth discussing.
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Gerald Hayes (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter yortstop
- Start date
As of now, the LB situation looks like this:SLB K. DansbyMLB G. HayesWLB O. HuffOf the 3 LB's, Dansby has the best job security of the three. Unfortunately, I don't see him putting up the best fantasy points then the starting MLB/WLB.I see Gerald Hayes as the main man in the middle for the 05 season and beyond. His only competition (as you said) was Mitchell who has had some injury concerns in college.As of now, the starting WLB is O. Huff but I would not be surprised if J. Darling took over the weakside before game one of the season. It is pretty hard to call out these judgement calls since training camps don't really start until the mid-late part of July. I hope this helps!RAPTURE
Nortobc, diregard those rankings. I see those rankings and it makes me wonder if some 3rd grader was pulling a fast one. I am to the point where I am a bit p*** off. Half the guys in here no more than the (so-called expert) person who wrote these projected rankings - I am totally disgusted!RAPTURE
sorry you feel that way, but John has a long and proven track record and is one of the best IDP writers you will find.I think Hayes is likely the MLB this year, but he apparently has a good feeling about Mitchell right now. If Mitchell wins the job, it's not unrealistic to think he could lead the Cards LBs in scoring.
why does it upset you so much if someone else's projections are different from yours? would you prefer it if Norton's projections were identical to your own? Personally, I don't see how that would be very helpful.
I'm not a big fan of Mitchell, but let's take a closer look at some of the scouting reports on him:
Frank Coyle ranked him as the #7 inside LB: "He refuses to remain blocked for very long and will make big plays either when they run right at him or if he has to chase down the play at the far sideline. He can fight through trash, stay on his feet and hits with the force to drop runners and force turnovers. At the Senior Bowl, he showed good tackling skills with adequate speed to drop in coverage and get to the sidelines. He needs development on his drops, reads, and change of direction skills."
Pro Football Weekly ranked him as the #5 inside LB: "Instinctive. Has a nose for the ball. Sheds blocks quickly and can range to the sideline. Closes fast to the ball with great playing speed. Has great functional strength vs the run and can stack and shed. Better than Lions 2004 2nd-round pick Teddy Lehman before blowing out his knee in '02 and started to regain form late in '04."
He'll be 2 years removed from his knee injury, and was a better player than Lehman when both played together in college. Gerald Hayes has had trouble winning a starting job in the past and Dennis Green wasn't around when he was drafted so it's hard to know if he'll get to work through any struggles he has. Last year, the Cardinals first 4 draft picks all became starters right away, so Green clearly has no problems playing young players.
The team moved Huff to the weakside, which is a clear sign that they feel pretty good about Hayes/Mitchell on the inside. Personally, I agree with Norton and have Darling projected to start on the weakside. Darling was their most productive LB last year, and I think he can beat out Huff.
Regardless, any rankings/projections done in May should be taken with a grain of salt because so many things will change over the next few months. Feel free to disagree, but I don't see how the insults are going to be productive for anybody.
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tazmantiny
Footballguy
I have to agree with Aaron. There is no way to guarantee any rankings right now, so you put your thoughts out there and let people pick at them. I like rankings that are different then what I have, because it makes me consider other possibilities that may occur that I may not have considered. Remember that when people put out predictions, that the guys who take the chances are the guys that have the most to lose, as they will get the most criticism. But those very same guys are the ones that could be pointing you to the sleeper that no one else in your league will know.Me personally, I think that Mitchell is starting in the middle by game 5 at the least, and he goes on to put up good fantasy numbers. I also think Darling wins on the weakside, and he puts up very solid numbers.So my current rankings are;DarlingMitchellDansbyHayesSo really not that far off of their rankings.
link to story
Even though James Darling became the team's leading tackler last season, he's now working as a backup.
Orlando Huff, who played middle linebacker in Seattle last season, has replaced Darling at outside linebacker with the first-team defense.
Third-year veteran Gerald Hayes, who made one start last season, is in the middle with the first team. Karlos Dansby is entrenched on the strong side (opposite the tight end).
The team expects Huff to become one of the team's better players, Green said, but Darling and other linebackers will get their chances to play.
Even though James Darling became the team's leading tackler last season, he's now working as a backup.
Orlando Huff, who played middle linebacker in Seattle last season, has replaced Darling at outside linebacker with the first-team defense.
Third-year veteran Gerald Hayes, who made one start last season, is in the middle with the first team. Karlos Dansby is entrenched on the strong side (opposite the tight end).
The team expects Huff to become one of the team's better players, Green said, but Darling and other linebackers will get their chances to play.
Sgt. Ryan
Footballguy
Mitchell couldnt carry Lehman's jock at OU before the injury and Mitchell was a shell of himself last year, a year after the injury. Mitchell has a long road ahead of him to start for any NFL team, but could one day be an effective 2 down backer.
I think Hayes is likely the MLB this year, but he apparently has a good feeling about Mitchell right now. If Mitchell wins the job, it's not unrealistic to think he could lead the Cards LBs in scoring.
why does it upset you so much if someone else's projections are different from yours? would you prefer it if Norton's projections were identical to your own? Personally, I don't see how that would be very helpful.
I'm not a big fan of Mitchell, but let's take a closer look at some of the scouting reports on him:
Frank Coyle ranked him as the #7 inside LB: "He refuses to remain blocked for very long and will make big plays either when they run right at him or if he has to chase down the play at the far sideline. He can fight through trash, stay on his feet and hits with the force to drop runners and force turnovers. At the Senior Bowl, he showed good tackling skills with adequate speed to drop in coverage and get to the sidelines. He needs development on his drops, reads, and change of direction skills."
Pro Football Weekly ranked him as the #5 inside LB: "Instinctive. Has a nose for the ball. Sheds blocks quickly and can range to the sideline. Closes fast to the ball with great playing speed. Has great functional strength vs the run and can stack and shed. Better than Lions 2004 2nd-round pick Teddy Lehman before blowing out his knee in '02 and started to regain form late in '04."
He'll be 2 years removed from his knee injury, and was a better player than Lehman when both played together in college. Gerald Hayes has had trouble winning a starting job in the past and Dennis Green wasn't around when he was drafted so it's hard to know if he'll get to work through any struggles he has. Last year, the Cardinals first 4 draft picks all became starters right away, so Green clearly has no problems playing young players.
The team moved Huff to the weakside, which is a clear sign that they feel pretty good about Hayes/Mitchell on the inside. Personally, I agree with Norton and have Darling projected to start on the weakside. Darling was their most productive LB last year, and I think he can beat out Huff.
Regardless, any rankings/projections done in May should be taken with a grain of salt because so many things will change over the next few months. Feel free to disagree, but I don't see how the insults are going to be productive for anybody.
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I'm aware of that. But, things change and we're talking about "projections" here. Based on current information, Hayes and Huff are the safer picks and could very well hold onto their jobs. But, I just don't get the outrage when someone actually thinks they could lose them when they have perfectly viable backups in place on the roster that should be pushing for playing time themselves.
anything is possible, but I think they are both pretty locked in at MLB. If Hayes plays well, he likely keeps the starting job and Mitchell provides quality depth.
Tenacious D
Footballguy
It's possible Hayes doesn't start at all, muchless slides outside. Dansby is the only guy with a spot locked up.
Tenacious D
Footballguy
Things look good for just about every un-injured player this time of year. Denny spent a Day One pick on LB, then spent another one on a high-upside guy who fell, and is notorius for favoring "his" guys. Blackstock isn't even getting any play in the discussion. I'd proceed with caution on any AZ LB but Dansby. Denny played LBBC last year too, so even when the "official" starters are announced, I wouldn't be confident I'm getting 16 full games worth out of my AZ LB.
Rovers
Footballguy
But one really has to wonder is why? Huff got benched at Seatlle last year, a team starving for good LB's. I wouldn't touch Huff with a ten foot pole. Denny may like his guys, but if Huff falters, even he will yank him, and I have a feeling that is just what will happen, probably later than sooner, but it will happen.
ffchamp1
Footballguy
If Hayes was that good he would have beat out a very overmatched McKinnon. Dansby really is the only lock and Blackstock is far to raw to put out there. I would imagine as you have said, Huff will be exposed like he was in SEA, especially on the outside.Mitchell will be the MLB, just not this year.
Tom
You took the words right out of my mouth Beaumont. I really have no idea what Rozelle is talking about when he states the Cardinals were going balls to the wall at a MLB. Rozelle, Mitchell was drafted in the 5th round.Rozelle & others, if you disagree with what some of the people on this board are saying about Gerald Hayes...to each their own. I will bring this post back up again during the season when Hayes is thriving for the Cardinals - I may throw a little smack in my post as well.RAPTURE
Rozelle
Moderator
Make no mistake, if Hayes starts, he will score well. Look at McKinnon. I can't see Hayes being anything more than a 2 down backer.I never said they were going hard at MLB, just simply stated why draft one? I guess a perennial powerhouse like Arizona prolly runs out of needs in a draft
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ffchamp1
Footballguy
2 years ago, Mitchell was the top MLB in the country and then the knee injury happened. They got him on the second day because of this. This was a terrible LB draft and even worse if you look at MLB's. Thurman, who was projected as high as 17, to CIN, went to them in the 2nd. Why reach on LB's with questions.Make no mistake, if Hayes starts, he will score well. Look at McKinnon. I can't see Hayes being anything more than a 2 down backer.I never said they were going hard at MLB, just simply stated why draft one? I guess a perennial powerhouse like Arizona prolly runs out of needs in a draft
NO with Fincher, IND with Hagler, KC with Grigsby, WAS with McCunne and ARI with Mitchell all have just a good of a shot to hit pay dirt as MIA does with Crowder IMO.
Tom
And yes if Hayes is a scoring machine, I will eat my words. So feel free to bring the smack. However, if a gimpy knee rookie beats him out...
