Should the Cardinals Have Targeted Alex Smith Instead of Palmer?
By Lamarr
May 14, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) drops back to pass during organized team activities at the Cardinals Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
The Arizona Cardinals pulled a Houston Rockets (who completely rebuilt their roster this offseason) and completely tore down and built back the roster. One position that saw a huge rebuild was the quarterback. John Skelton, Kevin Kolb and Brian Hoyer are no longer with the team, and the only holdover is Ryan Lindley. Drew Stanton and Carson Palmer are now here, and both are solid quarterbacks. We all know the talent that both especially Palmer possesses.
But is Palmer better than Smith?
To answer a question like this I took to the people. And by people I mean football heads that eat, sleep, and breathe football. Here are some of the responses. When asked; did the Cardinals target the right guy, Brandon Rose, member of the Main Event Wolfpack, a sports group on Facebook stated: “Palmer is the better pocket passer, Alex was a game-managing quarterback”. “If the offensive line holds up, the receivers will flourish with Palmer”.
Eric Garnett, another member of the Wolfpack seems to agree with Brandon Rose in stating, “if the Cards want to take advantage of the recievers they posses such as Larry Fizgerald and Michael Floyd then I would go with Palmer”. Comedian Royals Rucker in Da Jungle stated “I think Palmer in the right system can be that guy because he has shown in the past he can move the ball with the best of them”. “The Cards will act a fool on Offense this year”. Cardinal fans are hoping for just that, fireworks on offense and they have the tools to do it.
Not all are sold on Palmer or even Smith. Damon Boyd, a member of Sports Talk Da Jungle, another Facebook group stated “They are both bad, but Smith would have been safer”. That can be understood, Alex Smith is known as a game manager and although he is not known to make big plays down field he has been relatively smart with the football in recent years.
Jon Doe another member of Da Jungle elaborated more on what Damon Boyd mention saying; “safer as in smart plays, I dont think Palmer makes smart plays he tries to force big plays too much, that’s when the interception factor comes in. Most NFL heads know that Palmer can really throw a interception, and bad ones at that. If Arians is going to continue his playcalling which calls for downfield passes, Palmer is going to have to make smarter plays with the football.
Most mentioned the offensive line as the wild card, as the question “Can it hold up?” remains. Are the changes made to the line during the offseason going to be enough to protect Palmer in the wild, wild NFC West?
Although Alex Smith is a good game-manager the Cardinals made the right choice in taking Palmer based on the needs of a Bruce Arians offense. Recent reports have Palmer speaking of his respect and admiration of the coach, and he, like everyone else in Cardinal land, are hoping that translates to big plays and big wins for the Arizona Cardinals.