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Updated November 25, 2011 Return to Highlights Page
Cardinal 2011 Regular Season - "State of the Roster"

Quarterbacks:
Prototypical starting QB: 6-3 or taller. Strong & accurate enough arm to make all the NFL throws. Canny at reading defenses. Experienced. Field-smart. Poised and gutsy in the pocket. Protects the ball. Good ball-handler.
 
04 Kevin Kolb 6-3 218 Houston)  When Kolb arrived, I was concerned he'd be little more than a system-QB with decent mechanicswho could manage the offense but little else. Then I thought to myself "Didn't Joe Montana fit that general mold? Not that Kolb is there yet, but in four preseason games, certainly looks better than just a "systems guy."
19 John Skelton (57) 6-5½ 243 Fordham) Arguably has the best raw tools of the 3 QB's, and appears to be slightly ahead of Bartel on the depth chart, but lack of game-time experience (he was sidelined for 2 games by a high ankle sprain) has to have impeded his development.
02 Richard Bartel 6-2 230 Tarleton State) Surprise of Camp was Bartel (who has been super accurate and close to Kolb in executing the Cardinal offense. Our only criticism is his youthful tendency to lose focus once or twice a game and do something dumb that costs us points or field positiion.
Running Backs:
Prototypical RB - Big, physical, fast enough to get to the corner/outrun DB's in the open field. Tackle-breaker. Decisive into the hole. Can catch out of the backfield. Protects the ball. Durable
26 Chris "Beanie" Wells (7) 6-1 235 Ohio State (D1) Healthy and running with more authority now
36 LaRod Stephens- Howling 5-7 180 Pitt (D7a) Our scatback. Extra year's experience has to help - especially as a receiver and blitz-protector.

32 Chester Taylor

5-11 218 Toledo Veteran (Bears, Vikes) whose yardage production fell off markedly last season but gives the Cards a veteran presence at the position as well as someone who can catch out of the backfield and pass block.

46 Alfonso Smith

6-1 208 Kentucky More a north/south thumper than the other 2 RB's
45 Reagan Mau'ia FB 6-0 265 Cut but re-signed when Sherman went down.
35 Anthony Sherman FB 5-10 242 UConn Managed to beat out a very good Mau'ia. Coaches love his intangibles.
Wide Receivers:
Prototypical WR - You want one primo guy who can run with the wind, leap tall buildings and catch everything in sight. (That's Fitz). You'd like a guy on the other side who's almost as fast, can jump almost as high, can catch almost everything and, with more experience/development could move up to be #1. (That's Breaston). You'd also want a smaller, quicker slot guy with great hands, home-run speed and unreal change-of-direction and route skills. (That's Doucet or Roberts).
.
11 Larry Fitzgerald
 
6–3 225, Pitt (D1) Considered by some (including me) to be the best WR in the NFL.
17 Chansi Stuckey 6-0 196 Clemson (FA) Off season pickup who runs great crisp routes and seems to know what he's doing out there. Coaches would like to see him block better.
85 Early Doucet 6-0 212, LSU A couple of injury plagued years impeded his development but he now looks primed to break out. Definitely good enough to be our #2, but not a solid #2 just yet.
12 Andre Roberts 5-10¾ 195 Citadel (D3) Prone to rookie mistakes last year but came on strong late last season and continues to improve. Faster than expected.
18 Stephen Williams WR 6-5 199 Toledo (UDFA) Big physical dude who wowed everybody early but then faded.
89 DeMarco Simpson 6-4 204 SD State This year's Steven Williams (2 guys that size on your roster? Cool).
Tight Ends:
Prototypical TE - Big (at least 6-3 and 255). Fast enough to run by safeties up the seam. Devestating blocker in both pass pro and the run game. Catches everything in sight. Can locate and present a big target in intermediate zones. Red zone weapon.
86 Todd Heap 6-5 252 ASU Most compleat TE we've had in ages. FA Pickup from Ravens
87 Jeff King 6-3 260 Virginia Tech Picked up in free agency as a blocking specialist
84 Rob Housler 6-5 248 Florida Atlantic 3rd round draft pick - considered a Novacek receiving specialist, but they'll no doubt work on his blocking.
81 Jim Dray 6-4¾ 251 Sanford (D7) Drafted late last year.  Has proved capableof making a play or two.
83 Stephen Spach 6-4 250 Fresno State We've been on his case about too many penalties. Really showed up vs. Denver in preseason - caught 4 (2 of them clutch grabs).
 
Prototypical Linemen - A reliable, lock-down LT who can also run block. Maulers at both guards. A quick, smart center who can run-block and solidify the interior against stunts, twists, blitzes and other pass rush pressure. A RT who's a devestating run blocker while quick enough to handle the newest trend toward quick  left-side pass rushers.
63 Lyle Sendlein C (6-2, 305) -Texas (UDFA)
2007
Our only 100% center. Makes all the line calls.
76 Daryn Colledge 6-4 308 Boise State 5 year veteran of Packer Super Bowl team.
76 Taitusi (Deuce) Lutui G/T 6-4 350 USC (D2) Overeater who may have lost his starting RG job to Hadnot. A beast when motivated.
75 Levi Brown LT 6-5 323 lb Penn. St. (D1 2007) Starting LT. Not rock solid but gets the job done as often as not.
74 D'Anthony Batiste 6-4 314 lb Louisiana - Lafayette Only new lineman to survive preseason.
70 Rex Hadnot G 6-2 310 Houston (FA Cleve) May have beaten out Lutui for starting job at RG. Backup OC
73 Jeremy Bridges G/T 6-4 326 So Miss (FA) Valueable reserve swing man capable of competently playing all O-line positions except guard
72 Brandon Keith 6-3 335 Northern Iowa Back from injury,. Still has room to improve.
Defensive Linemen:
Prototypical Defensive Linemen - In a traditional base 3-4, you want a dominating NT flanked by 290 - 325 lb tree-trunk DE's. You'd like your NT to be a dominating physical brute who can throw offensive linemen out of his path like garbage can covers and then stuff the ball-carrier or bull-rush his way to the passer. You'd also like to see a little side-to-side agiliity in the proverbial phone booth. Your DE's should be solid against OT runs while holding outside contain and also powerful pass rushers - scheme permitting.
90 Darnell Dockett UT/DE (3)  6-3 292 Florida State (D3) Mainstay of Front 3. Getting hands up more on pass rush this year.
93 Calais Campbell  (6) 6-8 283, Miami (FL)

Big tall force anchoring the right side.

91 Vonnie Holliday 6-5 288 No. Carolina Picked up in the Hightower trade and has been flying around the field like a 23-year old.
79 David Carter 6-5 294 UCLA Rookie who seems to be a bit thin to play NT but is backing up Williams (& may eventually pass him on the depth chart.
98 Nick Eason 6-3 305 Clemson Provides run-stuffing grit to the interior of our Front 3.
96 Ronald Talley 6-3 286 Delaware Promoted from PS. Surprise survivor of final cut.
92 Dan Williams NT (19)   6-2 327 Tennessee (D1) Broke arm in SF1 game and IR'd. Good rookie year, but came into camp way overweight and is playing his way back into shape. Being pushed by Carter.
Linebackers:
Prototypical LB's - You're really talking about four distinct role-playing animals. You should have an edge rusher on the outside (usually the blindside) - either one-trick pony edge pass rush specialist or a more rounded OLB who can do it all - including pass rush. You'd like an OLB who can rush the passer off the other edge, but you'd like him to be stouter against the run than your weakside guy. Inside, you'd like one side-line-to-sideline, nose-for-the-ball backer. Your other ILB should be more adept at moving up to stuff the inside run. The ability of all four backers to run with TE's or RB's and drop into coverage is becoming increasingly important. Usually, what you get on most LB units are trade-offs (because every LB is likely to have one void in his skill-set) but ideally, you'd like all your LB's to be as well-rounded as possible.
58 Daryl Washington ILB   6-1½, 230 TCU (D2) Looked good as a rook and continues to improve. Can make game-breaking plays.
53 Clark Haggans DE/OLB   6-4 243 (Steelers) Veteran pon the strong outside. Will surprise you with an impact play or two in most games.
55 Joey Porter OLB   6-3 255  (FA Miami)
Veteran outside rusher who, despite pending AARP-status is still willing and able to get it done. He and Campbell are very smart about protecting the outside edge from misdirection end-arounds and waggles.
51 Paris Lenon   6-2 235 Richmond 9 (FA Rams) Old Reliable. Solid inside vs. run. Good vs. the pass. Deserves to start, but presence of Bradley may move him into more of a rotation mode.
52 Stewart Bradley 6-4 258 Nebraska FA pickup from Philly. When he is fully healthy, he can be a beast. But he hasn't been healthy for a couple of years, but now he is. Watch out!
56 Reggie Walker   6-0 238 Kansas State He and Talley are surprise survivors of the final cut.
50 O Brien Schofield 6-2 231Wisconsin (R) Underdrafted last year due to knee iinjury. Actually came back and played pretty well late last season and continues to improve. We're depending on him to provide backfield penetration and pass rush.
94 Sam Acho 6-2 262 Texas Mid-round draft pick tabbed presumably to rush the passes. Seems a bit big and a half-step too slow to play on the outdside but  Harrison and Woodley (both of similar size) did well in Pitt. Acho is very bright and a quality person off the field
54 Quan Sturdivant 6-1 241 No Carolina Another mid-round pick - Can call defensive plays from the Mike position and is good at locating the ball from inside the chaosof the scrum at the LOS. But I also saw him rocked back out of the gap once or twice vs. Denver.
Defensive Backs:
Prototypical DB's -.Two corners who speedy and agile enough to run with opposing speedsters. Good ball skills. Field smart. Agressive breaking on the ball. Physical against the run. Durable enough to hold up as run defenders. A centerfield FS with enough range to provide help at the sidelines over the top. Reliable tackler. Field smart. Playmaker. A big, physical SS with enough speed & quickness to cover and turn batted balls into Pick 6's.
24 Adrian Wilson SS 6-2¼ 213 (D3) Team leader. Injured his bicep. Has elected to forgoe surgery and play. Our only concerns are that (1) he won't risk further injury and (2) he'd be better out there - even with theinjury - than any other Cardinal defensive back.
25 Kerry Rhodes FS 6-3 209 Louisville (Jets(Trade) Foot surgery will sideline most of year.
37 Sean Considine S 6-0 212 Iowa (FA7) Bye Week pickup when Rhodes went down. I liked him in college - recall him as a blue-collar (heady, but not very athletic) type safety
31 Richard Marshall CB 5-11 198 Fresno St (FA) Similar in style to McFadden but hopefully a bit more aggressive to the ball. Figures to start inToler's absence.
20 A.J. Jefferson CB (44) 6-0 190 (UDFA) Fresno St (UDFA) We compared him coming out last year as a rawer (but more physical) DRC. So far he's proved us right, but he still has a lot to learn. Figures to anchor one side of the secondary as a starter.
27 Michael Adams CB  (5-8, 178) - Louisiana-Lafayette (UDFA) He'd be All Pro if he were 6-inches taller. But he's not. Which means the coaches have to spot him appropriately and not put him in mismatch situations.
23 Hamzah Abdullah  S   6-2 215 Washington State Deluxe hitter who may have to be A-Dub's principal stand-in
49 Rashad Johnson S   5-11 205 Alabama (D3) Drafted  in 3rd round a year ago. Decent and fairly solid, but doesn't make big plays all over the field.
21 Patrick Peterson CB 6-0 219 LSU You can see the athleticism. You can also see all the "rookiness" that will no doubt be coached out of him as he learns his craft. Dangerous (& experienced) punt returner,.
22 Crezdon Butler  CB  6-0 191 Clemson (FA Pitts) On IR Former Steeler liked by Horton. Adds depth after DRC departure and Toler injury.
40 Pat Tillman,   (S) 5-10½ 208 (3) ASU While Pat  was serving his country, we promised  we'd "keep the seat warm" for him with a roster spot here on the BRS.  He will remain a permanent fixture here - as he will in our hearts.
Specialty Teams
Prototypical ST specialists - You want a punter with enough distance, directional skills and hang time to consistently pin your opponent deep in his territory. You want a reliable place-kicker who has a high percentage of accuracy both long and short  and, ideally, can kickoff consistently into the end zone. I view long-snappers the same way I view my local water supply - they're "invisible" unless they screw up. The important thing across all three positions is that not having to worry about any of these guys gives you more time to devote to other pressing football priorities
09 Dave Zastudil  P 6-3 220 Ohio U Beat out Graham to be starting punter. Superb til he got hurt; but presumably is fully recovered. He and Feely seemed comfortable with Dave as the holder vs. Denver.
04 Jay Feely K  5-10 208 Michigan Solid. Team leader. TD on fake FG last year proves he's more than just a "keeker."
82 Mike Leach LS/LB 6-2 240 William & Mary (FA Denver) Reliable long-snapper,
05 Ben Graham P/H   Solid. Cut, but re-signed when Zastudil aggrevated a leg injury and then cut again.
Practice Squad:
62 Bartholomew, Ryan C
6-1 310 23 R Syracuse  
30 Green, Marshay CB
5-10 175 25 2 Miss.  
83 Jaymar Johnsdon WR
6-0 176  2 Jackson St  
60 Lumpkin, Ricky DT
6-4 306 22 R Kentucky  
67 Young, D.J. OT
6-5 298 23 R Mich State  
54 Quan Sturdivant 6-1 241 No. Carolina  
59 Brandon Williams LB 6-3 250 Texas Tech FA pickup. Drafted in Day One by Dallas but suffered an ACL
32 Korey Lindsay  CB  5-10 194 So. Ill (FA Cleve) 7th round pick i highly regarded by Cioffi. Provides depth
80 Williams, Isaiah WR
6-3 200 24 1 Maryland  
37 Mark LeGree 6-0 211 Appalachian St
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