I’m sure you’ve heard the news by now, RB Marcel Shipp was released this afternoon by the Arizona Cardinals. It’s not that the news is entirely surprising, as Shipp’s carries and time on the field has diminished over the past couple of seasons with the additions of Edgerrin James and J.J. Arrington and now the emergence of Tim Hightower. What is surprising is the timing. My guess is to make a move this early, the Cardinals probably knew they were going into the season without the back from Massachusetts. I think they still made the move early enough to allow Shipp to catch on as someone’s backup elsewhere.
“He’s a good leader”. “He’s a great team guy”, said head coach Ken Whisenhunt. Well, if he’s truly those things, he’s not someone you release. J.J. Arrington has not done much since arriving three seasons ago. Tim Hightower is showing potential and in fact I see him really getting a lot of touches this season. Of course Shipp was also due to make $1.75 million this season, thus I believe a major reason for releasing him.
He will be missed. He wasn’t the flashiest of runners. He wasn’t the most outspoken player on the team. He was though one of the toughest and professional players on the team. He is a good leader. Hopefully he will catch on. Here’s hoping he catches on with another NFC West team and get the chance to show the Cardinals made a mistake in releasing him. This could be one gamble where the dealer busts. Let’s just hope the move turns up aces, otherwise Marcel might not be the last ship to sail out of town.
Go Cards!
Scott Allen
AZScott