jurb26
Footballguy
I'd say Mendy's market was extremely weak, not stong. This was pretty well proven with this signing IMO.
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Mendenhall (1 Viewer)
- Thread starter eefflrat
- Start date
With his value again in the tank (both in dynasty and apparently in the NFL at $2.5 Million), looks like another year of holding and hoping he rehabilitates his value. That said, I wouldn't be surprised if his value spikes somewhat during training camp with some positive news giving owners another chance at off loading him (for what still would be cheap price, but at least its something). I'd be more inclined though to hold through camp and see what happens in 2013 and hope to get lucky.
EBF
Footballguy
He signed a contract on day two of free agency with a team that has no clear starting running back. You would think reading some of the posts on here that this is bad news. He has the opportunity. Now it's a question of running with it.
jurb26
Footballguy
Yeah, there is opportunity but it seems more people are assuming he is the starter than not. I'm not sure why? Williams looks like the better player to me and he's already there. Both are injury concerns so it may end up being the guy who survives is the guy with value.
EBF
Footballguy
You expect the team to hand the starting job to a guy with 58 career carries, a 2.8 career YPC, and an even worse injury history than Mendenhall's?I would describe this is a competition. If I had to handicap it, I would say Mendy is the favorite. He certainly has the stronger track record up until now.
Concept Coop
Footballguy
I understand that you like the guy, and would understand you suggesting he is a buy and will win the job. But how can this not be bad news? As you can read in this thread, I am not a big fan of his, but even I am surprised how little the NFL seems to value him. Your claim (if I understand you correctly) that this is good news, would be like me suggesting Eddie Lacy (potentially) going to the Jets in the 3rd is good for his stock.
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Nucker101
Footballguy
Yup, totally disagree that Mendenhall is the marginal talent. If anything, Ryan Williams has shown to be nothing more than a depth RB. Plus this looks like a classic case where the new HC brings in his guy. I'm not too excited either way unless the O-Line improves by a decent amount.
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Concept Coop
Footballguy
Agree.
jurb26
Footballguy
Where did I say anything was being handed to Williams? I thought I was rather clear, Williams seems the better player to me. I agree there will be a competition. I just don't expect Mendy to win it. Both guys are made of glass. It may end up being irrelevant.
jurb26
Footballguy
As do I. I just don't see how that is good for Mendy.
Concept Coop
Footballguy
Honestly, I have no idea. Neither guy really excites me at the moment. Williams is going to come cheaper, so he's the lottery ticket I'm keeping my eyes open for.
gianmarco
Footballguy
EBF.... Come on. Look at the length of the contract. Look at the amount of money in the contract. It's atrocious. There are backups getting far more when he visited multiple teams and this was the best he could get. It's not bad news. It's TERRIBLE news. It speaks volumes that not a single team was willing to give this guy, only 25 years old, more than what he got and guys like Casey are raking. This is one of those times where you put the rose colored glasses away, take a deep breath, and simply acknowledge that you're wrong about him and what NFL teams think of him. It's possible his career could get resurrected, but as of right now, the only thing worse would be to not have signed anywhere. And even that would be a tossup with what he got now in terms of how bad things are.
EBF
Footballguy
Do you think he was ever going to get a monster contract given the circumstances? His value has dropped in the NFL for the same reason it has in FF. He got hurt in 2011. He barely played in 2012. He #####ed and moaned when the team benched him. I think it's fair to say that he didn't have a huge amount of heat. Just like it would have been fair to say the same about Benson in Chicago, Lynch in Buffalo, or Jones in Arizona. I'm surprised that he didn't get a multi-year contract despite the negatives, but beyond that there's nothing disappointing about today's news. It was reported last night that he was on a plane to Arizona. The only surprise is the length of the deal. I'd also point out that we really have no way of knowing what type of options he had at his disposal. I find it unlikely that he would've turned down more guaranteed money to take a one year gamble to boost his stock, but it's not beyond fathom. If he's a star in his own mind, he might have been reluctant to accept a long term offer that he felt was well below what he's worth. That scenario isn't unrealistic. To answer your question, if Lacy fell to the third round I'd probably still have him ranked highly. Contract size is just like draft position. Correlated with success, but doesn't in any way guarantee or preclude it. None of this crap will matter if Mendenhall is starting and producing six months from now. Just like it doesn't matter that the Bengals signed Benson for peanuts or that Lynch was valued at the price of a 4th and 5th round pick at one point in time. The whole reason why these guys are value plays is because some people look at the signs and don't like what they see. Again, bottom line is that if you believe in Mendenhall, he just signed with his ex-OC on a team with absolutely nothing in terms of proven RB talent. If you think he's a good player, I don't see why you would be downtrodden about this. If you didn't believe in him, of course you're going to come out and bang the gloom and doom drum. Hence why the same people are taking the same positions that they did a month ago. That's all just noise and an epic waste of time. All that matters is what happens on the field this season.
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
In case it's not clear, I was trying to eat some crow upthread. Clearly I had his value wrong and agree his situation is completely atrocious now.
Having said...
I do think this is mostly about his injury and, especially, about his perceived attitude issues. And I'd much rather keep him and hope he's healthy and keeps his head on straight for 12 months than move him for what you can get today.
Having said...
I do think this is mostly about his injury and, especially, about his perceived attitude issues. And I'd much rather keep him and hope he's healthy and keeps his head on straight for 12 months than move him for what you can get today.
EBF
Footballguy
For one thing, we don't know what type of options he had. We may never know.Secondly, the fact that he may have had bad contract options doesn't in any way eliminate the possibility of him ultimately bouncing back in a big way.The irony of this discussion is that all of the guys I've been comparing him to for months (Lynch/Benson/TJ) were treated like dirt by the NFL at one point or another too. So now that Mendy is following the same path to a T, I'm supposed to change courses? I'll admit that he's a flop after the season if that's how it plays out. For now there's nothing to say. Some people don't seem to understand the concept of having faith in your convictions and conclusions. Moreover, some owners are more fickle than others. What qualifies as damning evidence to one owner might not read that way to another. The more faith you have in a player, the more resilient you're likely to be in the face of red flags. For example, I know you are a Torrey Smith fan. Should I call you stubborn and insist that you change your opinion on Smith just because his yards per target and reception totals dropped last season? I doubt you'd be on board with that. Just like I'm not on board with jumping ship on Mendenhall based on the downturn his stock has taken in the last 12-15 months. Everyone has their favorites and their players that they believe in. Doesn't make them stubborn or incorrect. I somehow get pegged as the guy who never changes his tune even though I've totally soured on more recent RBs that I rated highly less than a year after they entered the NFL (traded away Ingram and Moreno in every league where I had them after their rookie years even though I rated each of them as RB1 in their class at one point). Whatever. When you actually have an opinion and you don't sway in the breeze with every flavor of the day news story, there are always going to be some people who can't fathom it.
Whether this is "bad" news depends on perspective. It is good news that a team still wanted him and that a few teams showed interest. It is good news that he didn’t sign up with a team where he would be a clear backup (which easily could have happened). It is good news that he is headed to a team with a head coach that is familiar with him (and still wanted him). All these things give him a chance at value down the road. However, if you are currently a Mendenhall owner and were getting excited (as I was) as of yesterday that he would be going to Denver (yeah!), then this is terrible, terrible news. It is also bad news that the contract is so low and certainly bad news if you were counting on getting RB2 production from him (ever).As it stands though, is his value any lower today (very low) than it was just a few months ago (also very low)? I am a tad more optimistic now than I was then.
Coeur de Lion
Footballguy
It's Arizona. Outside of Wells' one big game against STL two years ago, when has a RB ever done anything good in a Cards' uniform? Emmitt Smith and Edge sucked in Arizona. It's a black hole. Mendenhall isn't doing anything fantasy-relevant unless he gets a HUGE majority (like 80%+) of the carries plus goalline, which doesn't seem super likely. Arians simply does not throw to RBs either.
If I owned him, I'd rather he signed as a clear backup on a good team. At least then you might get a payoff if the starter gets hurt. He's gonna look like crap in AZ; Adrian Peterson might struggle to be a RB1 in Arizona in 2013 under Bruce Arians.
If I owned him, I'd rather he signed as a clear backup on a good team. At least then you might get a payoff if the starter gets hurt. He's gonna look like crap in AZ; Adrian Peterson might struggle to be a RB1 in Arizona in 2013 under Bruce Arians.
EBF
Footballguy
How many good RBs have they had in the past decade? Emmitt was well past his prime when he went there. Beanie has never proven anything.Edge is the only top option they've had in the past 10 years and he was on the backslope of his career (or very close) when he signed there. Totally agree that their QB and OL situations are a concern, but there's nothing inherent in the team or franchise that prevents it from producing a productive RB.
Coeur de Lion
Footballguy
QB and o-line are more than just a concern. They're hands down the worst in the NFL. You're also really stretching if you think 2013 Mendenhall is in a different class from Wells, THT, old Edge, etc. He might be marginally better than most of the crap they have trotted out there, but he's nowhere near good enough to single-handedly resurrect a ground game that has been bottom of the barrel for the last decade.
You should really let this one go now. I've never been a Mendenhall fan, but he was indeed a reasonable gamble fantasy-wise even yesterday. In Denver I agree he's likely top 10ish. In Arizona he's a dog turd.
You should really let this one go now. I've never been a Mendenhall fan, but he was indeed a reasonable gamble fantasy-wise even yesterday. In Denver I agree he's likely top 10ish. In Arizona he's a dog turd.
cstu
Footballguy
When Benson signed with Cincy it was 1 year for $5M - twice what Mendy is getting. Thomas Jones got a 4 year/$10M deal with $3.5M guaranteed from the Bears. Lynch wasn't signed to a deal when he went to Seattle and played out his rookie contract. It's safe to say this is an extremely weak deal and not a good sign of what teams think of him. He could certainly prove himself and earn a big deal next year but there's not much to be optimistic about other than his only competition is Ryan Williams.
ShaHBucks
Footballguy
You guys really worried about Ryan Williams? He's small, slow, bad hands, with good strength. He's a nice to block and take 3-5 carries but he's not competition. Maybe he can see better than Mendenhall or has a bigger heart, but I doubt that helps your fantasy team.
I know people/sites that target players on contract years. I don't see the big deal with his age. Arizona can land a franchise OT (Joeckel- Johnson- Fisher -Armstead) in the draft to help his value. Still some good FA oline men left. Maybe Kolb actually does stay healthy and do something. The team was 4-0 with wins over NE and Sea with Kolb. That was with no oline or run game. Still a lot to unfold. All I wanted was for him to be the main guy somewhere. Main carry rb's are becoming to fantasy what a top 3 QB was for years.
I know people/sites that target players on contract years. I don't see the big deal with his age. Arizona can land a franchise OT (Joeckel- Johnson- Fisher -Armstead) in the draft to help his value. Still some good FA oline men left. Maybe Kolb actually does stay healthy and do something. The team was 4-0 with wins over NE and Sea with Kolb. That was with no oline or run game. Still a lot to unfold. All I wanted was for him to be the main guy somewhere. Main carry rb's are becoming to fantasy what a top 3 QB was for years.
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Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
FWIW, Martellus Bennett signed a one year deal last off-season as a 'prove it' sort of thing. It does happen some.
EBF
Footballguy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cedric_Benson
Jones signed a four year $10 million deal with Chicago, but that was a season after being traded to Tampa Bay straight up for WR Marquise Walker, a 2002 third round pick who never caught a pass in the NFL. Lynch was traded for a 4th and a 5th round pick before the 2010 season.
gianmarco
Footballguy
Again, it's one thing to have faith and conviction. It's another thing to have that faith and conviction cloud any reasonable judgement in the face of obvious objective conclusions.Do you think people peg you that way because it's just fun to do it? Or might there be some truth to it based on numerous occasions? There's a reason some people get the reputations they have and it's not "just because". I'm not sure what Torrey Smith has to do with this, but he's only been in the league 2 yrs, has looked good, and has had 800 yards and 7+ TDs in both of his years. Not WR1 numbers just yet, but certainly not anything that amounts to a bust by any means. That said, despite my liking him, if mounting evidence starts to surface that it's just not going to happen, I'll reassess my viewpoint on him. That doesn't mean I'm fickle. It means I'm able to recognize when I might be wrong. It's ok for you to still believe that Mendenhall is a talented RB. You aren't in the majority anymore, but there has been some evidence that he has at least some talent if you look at just the numbers. But to then take it a step further and say this 1 year contract in Arizona isn't a bad thing, that's just plain silly. It's ok to like him as a talent AND acknowledge that things took a turn for the worse with this signing. One day you were talking about how he's going to be courted by these teams and people should have seen it coming and now you're excited that he's going to be a starting RB for Arizona while ignoring the fact that he was inked to only a one year deal for an incredibly low amount of money. Does that mean he's doomed? No, it's possible he pulls a Benson or Lynch and resurrects his career. But to look at this as no big deal is just plain, old, fat denial. It's awful. There are teams with RB needs and the best he could find was Arizona with this terrible deal. It speaks volumes about his market in the NFL when he's only 25. You can cite the injury history but lots of guys with injury histories much more significant than an ACL get signed to much larger contracts. This isn't about you swaying in the breeze and calling Mendenhall a no-talented bust. This is simply about recognizing that this turn of events is awful instead of saying it's no big deal and how it doesn't change a thing. If you can't see the difference between a 4 year $16 million contract in Denver vs a 1 year $2.5 million in Arizona (LOL) and think it doesn't change anything, then maybe you'll understand why some people think you can't change your tune in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary.
Most people forget Thomas jones had a 1 year prove it stint on a crappy Tampa team before made it to the Bears. Everyone forgets that these rehab rbs like benson, jones, travis henry, McGahee all started their way back as back-ups or committee guys. They didnt just walk into a starting job, they had to go through a redemption phase. The az news is definitely a hit to his value, but now is the time to buy, his value will never be lower. Then it's just about being patient.
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EBF
Footballguy
People who think I don't change my mind on players have worse selective memory than they accuse me of having. I traded Moreno and Ingram away within a year of drafting them in every league where I had them. I'm totally willing to change my stance on a player when provided with ample reason. Therein lies the rub though. What qualifies as ample reason for one person might not for another. If you were on the fence about Mendenhall, maybe seeing him get a small salary and a one year deal is enough to scare you away. If you think he's a good back who can excel if given an opportunity, I doubt that you're going to read him signing with Arizona as a death sentence.
Would I have preferred that he go to Denver on a 4 year mega money deal? Hell yea, but I'm not shocked that it didn't pan out that way. He still goes to a team with a glaring need at RB. The Cardinals are one of the destinations that I predicted earlier in this thread. You'll also note that I specifically said I wasn't expecting a lucrative contract:
- All of those players were had for peanuts by their second team.
- I guessed that Mendenhall wouldn't get a major contract and named Arizona as one of the potential destinations.
But now that he has signed with Arizona for a modest amount I'm guilty of stubborness?
That's rich. This is playing out essentially as I expected.
If he stinks up the joint this season and gets clearly outplayed by Williams then you'll have a point. As of now you don't.
Would I have preferred that he go to Denver on a 4 year mega money deal? Hell yea, but I'm not shocked that it didn't pan out that way. He still goes to a team with a glaring need at RB. The Cardinals are one of the destinations that I predicted earlier in this thread. You'll also note that I specifically said I wasn't expecting a lucrative contract:
So let's see here...- I've been comparing Mendenhall to Thomas Jones/Cedric Benson/Marshawn Lynch for months.
- All of those players were had for peanuts by their second team.
- I guessed that Mendenhall wouldn't get a major contract and named Arizona as one of the potential destinations.
But now that he has signed with Arizona for a modest amount I'm guilty of stubborness?
That's rich. This is playing out essentially as I expected.If he stinks up the joint this season and gets clearly outplayed by Williams then you'll have a point. As of now you don't.
Biabreakable
Footballguy
I am not a fan of Mendenhall but I agree with you that now is the time to buy him.It gives me some confidence in Mendenhall being joined with Bruce Arians again. He performed pretty well under Arians with the Steelers.
Code:
Rushing Receiving Year Age Tm Pos No. G GS Att Yds TD Lng Y/A Y/G A/G Rec Yds Y/R TD Lng R/G Y/G YScm RRTD Fmb AV2008 21 PIT rb 34 4 1 19 58 0 12 3.1 14.5 4.8 2 17 8.5 0 11 0.5 4.3 75 0 0 12009 22 PIT RB 34 16 12 242 1108 7 60 4.6 69.3 15.1 25 261 10.4 1 26 1.6 16.3 1369 8 3 102010 23 PIT RB 34 16 16 324 1273 13 50 3.9 79.6 20.3 23 167 7.3 0 24 1.4 10.4 1440 13 2 92011 24 PIT RB 34 15 15 228 928 9 68 4.1 61.9 15.2 18 154 8.6 0 35 1.2 10.3 1082 9 1 62012 25 PIT rb 34 6 4 51 182 0 20 3.6 30.3 8.5 9 62 6.9 1 15 1.5 10.3 244 1 3 2Career 57 48 864 3549 29 68 4.1 62.3 15.2 77 661 8.6 2 35 1.4 11.6 4210 31 9 28Coach Bruce Arians referred to newly signed Rashard Mendenhall as a three-down back Wednesday.
"As a running back he's the total package," Arians said. "He's a big, strong, every-down back with speed who can pass block and also catch the ball." Arians knows Mendenhall well from their time together in Pittsburgh. He's also on the record saying he prefers to ride one running back. Mendy will have to beat out Ryan Williams to earn the job, but he might have an early leg up thanks to his history with the coach.
Related: Ryan Williams
Source: Arizona Republic Mar 13 - 8:14 PM
"As a running back he's the total package," Arians said. "He's a big, strong, every-down back with speed who can pass block and also catch the ball." Arians knows Mendenhall well from their time together in Pittsburgh. He's also on the record saying he prefers to ride one running back. Mendy will have to beat out Ryan Williams to earn the job, but he might have an early leg up thanks to his history with the coach.
Related: Ryan Williams
Source: Arizona Republic Mar 13 - 8:14 PM
squistion
Footballguy
Don't set up another strawman. No one said you never change your mind on players. You do it all the time, but not with a handful of players that you either love or hate. As SSOG has pointed out in the past, if you have a real strong opinion on a player (either positive or negative) you never change that opinion, ever, no matter what subseqently happens. Mendenhall is one such player.
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gianmarco
Footballguy
:whoosh:
If he stinks up the joint, it will have nothing to do with what I'm saying. I'll try to make this a little less confusing.1) Mendenhall is a good RB that may resurrect his career2) Signing in Arizona for a 1 year $2.5 million deal is a good thing.These 2 ideas are independent of each other. You can believe in one and not the other.We don't agree on #1 above. But that's ok, I have no problem with you thinking that Mendenhall is a good RB. This is more of an opinion thing and is NOT what I'm saying you are being stubborn about. At all. I've tried to state that in pretty clear terms. Thus, if he stinks up the joint and gets outplayed by Williams, I won't have a point because that's not what I'm saying. At all.We definitely don't agree on #2. But, this is where you're in the clear minority. Even the few Mendenhall backers above are able to see that this signing in Arizona is terrible. You seem to be the only one that is saying this is a good thing. It's not. Arizona is a terrible situation. It's the best he could find. It's a one year deal for $2.5 million. There are backup RBs getting more than this. It means his worth in the NFL is virtually zero. Could he end up doing well in Arizona? Sure, it's possible. But it doesn't change the fact that this was about as bad as it could get for him. If you could just see and acknowledge that, you'd come off as not being so stubborn about guys you like. But you're so enamored with Mendenhall and how good he is that this is somehow a good thing because he'll be the starter. You said, and I quote:
That's exactly what it is. And you seem to be the only one that doesn't see that. And note, this is COMPLETELY irrelevant to what I think of Mendenhall as a RB. You're arguing he can still be good. I'm not disputing that. You're also arguing it's not bad news that all he could get was a one year contract in Arizona. I'm absolutely disputing that. It's terrible news. If you think it's great, name me anything that could have been worse other than not signing.
BigSteelThrill
Footballguy
they sure did. and they were pimping it right in this very thread.
EBF
Footballguy
That's easy. It would've been a lot worse if he had signed behind an established starter. I also think the fact that Arizona flew him out on the first day of free agency is a minor positive. They didn't wait until after the draft. They didn't wait until training camp to see what they had. Seems like he was their guy all along. If I didn't expect Mendenhall to receive a big contract (see my earlier post) and thought Arizona was one of the likely destinations (see my earlier post), why is the news that he signed with Arizona on a modest contract supposed to change my take on how this might play out? Nonsense.
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Dave Stauff
Footballguy
As a Mendy owner in one league and non-owner in several others, this deal seems like a great opportunity for Mendy. One year to reestablish his significance as a post injury full time RB and reap the benefits of a long term deal if/when he's successful in that effort. This had been speculated for quite a while now and reuniting with his former OC sealed the deal, as I'm sure he was given every assurance that this would be a showcase season health permitting. Now the question become whether he can perform at a level that commands the attention of the league a year from now. To me he's a "hold" - worth holding for a year at the very least. His upside in Az is capped by current issues at QB and O-line, but free agency just began and the draft has yet to play out, and the o-line in Pitt was not anything to write home about. Grab Fitzpatrick for interim competition with Kolb (if he restructures), draft some o-line help and use camp to establish familiarity and an offense could unfold; you certainly have the weapons on the outside with Fitz and Floyd, and as a prior poster said, the D will keep you in games. All said, I'm holding where I have him and if I find an owner disgruntled with this deal, I'll roll the dice for a year if the price is right because he COULD rebound and COULD land in an absolutely great situation as a 26 year old bellcow RB with a long term contract a year from now.
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Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
Well, this is good for his prospects, at least...
gianmarco
Footballguy
Yep, so good and they liked him so much that they offered to give him a whole $2.5 million for one year. What a steal they got!!! And to think, Tenn could have had this "total package" but opted to take Shonn Greene instead and actually pay him $10 million for 3 years. That's so weird.
BigSteelThrill
Footballguy
Dinsy Ejotuz
Footballguy
You seem to feel very strongly about this. Tell you what...I'll take Mendenhall's fantasy points and you can have Greene's. Contest ends when one of them is out of the league. Total FF points wins. I'll even make it standard (non-PPR) scoring.Name your stakes.
The Shocker
Footballguy
Why is Shonn Greene's contract so relevant to all of this? Greene's been healthy and reliable, even if unspectacular, and the Titans had money to spend. Doesn't Mendenhall's salary, especially if he reaches the incentives, put him somewhere around the top 20 RBs paid for 2012? Michael Bush signed a bigger contract to back up Forte than BJGE signed to start in Cincy last year; and while BJGE's contract is longer, it is somewhat comparable on an annual basis to what Mendy is pulling. I don't see the monetary amount to be that low, nor do I really blame either side for the one year contract - it mitigates Arizona's commitment and doesn't lock Mendenhall into his current value(as a guy that didn't perform and was injured last year).
gianmarco
Footballguy
Why would I do that when I'm not a fan of either RB? Let's do something a little more relevant. From 2009-2011, he finished RB13, RB7, and RB19 with an average finish of RB13. Mendenhall is never a top 15 RB again.Name your stakes.
ShaHBucks
Footballguy
You guys are sill missing the point, value. Even if I didn't like Mendenhall I would have still looked to acquire him dirt cheap weeks ago so could sell him back for relatively more. Even now he's undervalued. It's not out of the realm of possibilities that Mendenhall will be discussed as a 1st-2nd round pick in redraft like he was a few years ago.
The contract is a good thing to me as a motivation factor. I handicapped Mendenhall at 1200+ total yards and 10+ TD's. If he hits anywhere in the ballpark noway ARI lets him leave. They haven't had a productive RB in a while.
The fact that Denver was one of the most interested teams speaks volumes. When is the last time Elway missed? They have Moreno(I was on board when he was left for dead too), Hillman, Fannin, McGahee, the kitchen sink ect... Even if Denver had cut Moreno and McGahee, Hillman is solid and Fannin is a freak athlete if he's healthy. That's not a great landing spot to be the main guy. You have no leverage, there's way too much competition. I was hoping he went to ATL or NYJ to take Greene's carries but Arizona is a nice consolation prize.
The contract is a good thing to me as a motivation factor. I handicapped Mendenhall at 1200+ total yards and 10+ TD's. If he hits anywhere in the ballpark noway ARI lets him leave. They haven't had a productive RB in a while.
The fact that Denver was one of the most interested teams speaks volumes. When is the last time Elway missed? They have Moreno(I was on board when he was left for dead too), Hillman, Fannin, McGahee, the kitchen sink ect... Even if Denver had cut Moreno and McGahee, Hillman is solid and Fannin is a freak athlete if he's healthy. That's not a great landing spot to be the main guy. You have no leverage, there's way too much competition. I was hoping he went to ATL or NYJ to take Greene's carries but Arizona is a nice consolation prize.
Biabreakable
Footballguy
ShaHBucks I think you put too much stock in the rumors from agents. I think that if Denver really wanted him they would have signed him. They didn't the Cardinals did. I think Arians is a guy that Mendenhall felt he had the best chance with. We have no way of knowing if Mendenhall could have gotten a better deal than the one he took. I think he went to the coach who wanted him the most.
Based on what I was thinking yesterday, I have soured on Mendenhall. Based on where I was on Mendenhall two months ago, his prospects are up. Again, its all perspective. I can see folks viewing the AZ signing as “terrible”, I can also see how someone might view it as a good thing (it could have been way worse imo). I am not seeing anything EBF is saying that is outrageous here.
Englishteacher
Footballguy
Have owned Mendenhall since his rookie year. Held last year on small dynasty keeper rosters (we keep 6 of 19 players - QB, 2RB, 2WR, TE, K, D) and I'm leaning towards keeping him again this offseason as a RB4 (Ridley, McFadden, Gore). In a start 2 WR league, WR's aren't that valuable and I'm probably dropping my WR's altogether (Nicks, Cobb).
Here's my take. He finishes as a RB2 this year if he stays healthy. In RB heavy leagues, this guy is immensely valuable. He's a former 1st round back that while not a Pro Bowl talent, is still a median starting caliber back (if he is healthy). He has opportunity and talent. What's not to like? I know my league and the guys with the RB's are the ones holding the cards.
the
For you guys doubting M., postulate this, if he stays healthy, do you want him? The answer is yes. There are 32 teams in the NFL. Several teams employ RBBC. The average league has 12 owners and each team starts 2 RB's. 24 RB's started by owners a weekend. There's not much wiggle room there. Like it or not, M. is a valuable player. He'll end up starting and be a bell cow and his X points a game count the same if he's sexy or not. There's not a plethora of starting RB's out there and for that reason I'm probably going to keep him.
Another thing... Let's say he stays healthy and is able to make it 4 or 5 more years. Assuming his skills have returned to a reasonably close level to where he was pre-injury, there's even more to like. He's on a 1 year deal and is still one of the Top 32 RB's in the league. Maybe in 2014 he's the starter on a more fantasy friendly team.
I think you guys should hold, look at the value, respect that he brings value, and show a little foresight. It's not 2011 or 2012. Soon, it will be fall and the letdown of signing on a crappy team will be gone and you'll be happy you have a starting RB. He's not going to have a Top 5 finish and he's not without risk but there aren't many of these guys out there. I think we're underselling how good this kid is and that he's going to have similar points to a lot of guys that are'nt surrounded by subjective negativity. Odds are, he's a decent RB 2. No getting around that.
Here's my take. He finishes as a RB2 this year if he stays healthy. In RB heavy leagues, this guy is immensely valuable. He's a former 1st round back that while not a Pro Bowl talent, is still a median starting caliber back (if he is healthy). He has opportunity and talent. What's not to like? I know my league and the guys with the RB's are the ones holding the cards.
the
For you guys doubting M., postulate this, if he stays healthy, do you want him? The answer is yes. There are 32 teams in the NFL. Several teams employ RBBC. The average league has 12 owners and each team starts 2 RB's. 24 RB's started by owners a weekend. There's not much wiggle room there. Like it or not, M. is a valuable player. He'll end up starting and be a bell cow and his X points a game count the same if he's sexy or not. There's not a plethora of starting RB's out there and for that reason I'm probably going to keep him.
Another thing... Let's say he stays healthy and is able to make it 4 or 5 more years. Assuming his skills have returned to a reasonably close level to where he was pre-injury, there's even more to like. He's on a 1 year deal and is still one of the Top 32 RB's in the league. Maybe in 2014 he's the starter on a more fantasy friendly team.
I think you guys should hold, look at the value, respect that he brings value, and show a little foresight. It's not 2011 or 2012. Soon, it will be fall and the letdown of signing on a crappy team will be gone and you'll be happy you have a starting RB. He's not going to have a Top 5 finish and he's not without risk but there aren't many of these guys out there. I think we're underselling how good this kid is and that he's going to have similar points to a lot of guys that are'nt surrounded by subjective negativity. Odds are, he's a decent RB 2. No getting around that.
squistion
Footballguy
And the fact that they didn't sign him says something too.
thriftyrocker
Footballguy
A lot of "piling on" here is based on discussion in the Dynasty Rankings thread and the Offseason Dynasty Trade thread. "Dirt cheap" is relative, it seems. Some trades from the Trade thread still look good, like Ponder + a 3rd, but others looked bad then and worse now.
ZWK
Footballguy
The Cardinals offense was a disaster last year, but a lot of that is because they were giving a bunch of snaps at key positions to guys like Ryan Lindley and D'Anthony Batiste who had no business being on the field in an NFL game. They could improve a lot if they can add a decent LT, and Kolb (or some new QB) goes out there and doesn't embarrass himself. They already have a pretty good receiving corps with Fitz, Roberts, Floyd, and Housler. And look at their top 5 linemen:
Levi Brown - missed last season with an injury, a better run blocker than pass blocker, would probably be pretty bad at LT, okay at RT, and good at RG
Bobbie Massie - RT, a rookie last season, started the year horribly but was above average during the second half of the season according to PFF's numbers
Lyle Sendlein - a decent veteran C, last year's starter, better pass blocker than run blocker
Daryn Colledge - a decent veteran LG, last year's starter, better pass blocker than run blocker
Adam Snyder - a backup-caliber interior lineman, last year's starting RG
Add a reasonable LT to that group, and maybe a RG (as depth behind Brown or as a starter if the swing tackle is on the bench), and they're in decent shape.
On the other hand, if they start a rookie QB and keep Levi Brown at LT then things could be ugly again.
Levi Brown - missed last season with an injury, a better run blocker than pass blocker, would probably be pretty bad at LT, okay at RT, and good at RG
Bobbie Massie - RT, a rookie last season, started the year horribly but was above average during the second half of the season according to PFF's numbers
Lyle Sendlein - a decent veteran C, last year's starter, better pass blocker than run blocker
Daryn Colledge - a decent veteran LG, last year's starter, better pass blocker than run blocker
Adam Snyder - a backup-caliber interior lineman, last year's starting RG
Add a reasonable LT to that group, and maybe a RG (as depth behind Brown or as a starter if the swing tackle is on the bench), and they're in decent shape.
On the other hand, if they start a rookie QB and keep Levi Brown at LT then things could be ugly again.
jurb26
Footballguy
You can't honestly be taking credit for "calling" him landing in Arz or saying it was likely. That is hilarious. All you did was provide a list of about 12 teams who needed RB help who could be potential suitors. That's not nearly the same thing. You never singled Arz out as a favorite in any way. This has to be one of the biggest stretches I've seen around here in a while.
