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Hump day Wednesday may go down as a red-letter day for CardinalsPosted: Thursday March 27, 2003 4:16 PM
PHOENIX -- The way I figure it, the Arizona Cardinals had themselves a pretty good day all around Wednesday. Not only did they land running back Emmitt Smith, the biggest name player to ever don Cardinal red since the team arrived in the desert in 1988, they just might have lucked into a lead pass-rusher as well. Hours before Arizona announced the Smith signing, Arizona State defensive end Terrell Suggs worked out before an overflow crowd of NFL scouts, coaches and front office executives in nearby Tempe. Suggs turned in something less than a boffo performance, which might just drop him out of the draft's top five into the Cardinals' laps. Arizona, which openly covets Suggs, the hometown product, holds the No. 6 selection. Suggs' most disappointing showing came in the 40-yard dash. Known for his speed in rushing the quarterback, the NCAA's all-time single-season sacks leader (24 in 2002) was expected to run in the 4.6 range. Instead, scouts had him between 4.77 to 4.90. They might as well have timed him using sun dials rather than stop watches. Especially since Suggs ran on artificial turf rather than grass. Suggs blamed his slow times on the excess weight he has gained since last season. He weighed 257 pounds Wednesday, or about 12 more than his collegiate playing weight. He has been trying to add some bulk in an effort to show teams he is big enough to handle the role of being an every-down defensive end. At the Scouting Combine in February, Suggs talked extensively about how he had changed his diet for the better and had sworn off fast food. He weighed 262 at that point. But the extra weight apparently has robbed him of some of the speed that helped him make his name. That could cause top-five teams to think twice before making him their choice. But it's not expected to influence the Cardinals, who are in need of a pass rusher and have likened Suggs and his speed-rushing skills to the style of play exhibited last year by Indianapolis rookie defensive end Dwight Freeney. In perpetual search of more fan support, the Cardinals also don't mind selecting local collegiate stars. The arrival of Suggs would help off-set any lingering fallout from losing former ASU quarterback and fan favorite Jake Plummer in free agency. Besides his slow 40 times, Suggs also looked a little soft in the strength department. He bench-pressed 225 pounds a ho-hum 19 times. While lots of teams don't put too much stock in pre-draft workouts, it's clear that Suggs didn't help himself Wednesday and that any slim shot he might have had to be selected first overall disappeared. That's not good news for Suggs, but it might be for the Cardinals.
He gives the franchise instant credibility and some prime-time name recognition. His well-known face will be useful to the organization's marketing efforts. In time, the $7 million to $8 million that the Cardinals will pay Smith for his two years worth of work might register as a huge bargain in terms of overall payoff. But there's no getting around this fact: While Smith will be the starter, third-year veteran Marcel Shipp might be the team's best rusher. Shipp gained 834 yards and averaged 4.4 yards per carry last season despite seeing limited playing time. Smith gained 975 yards and averaged 3.8 yards per attempt seeing mostly full-time duty. In fairness to Smith, Arizona's offensive line is better than the underachieving mish-mash that Dallas put on the field last year. But it was Shipp's surprisingly strong showing that convinced the Cardinals' front office at the end of 2002 to award him a four-year contract averaging almost $1.5 million per season. With Arizona committed to giving Smith the ball in the lead back role, that could create an awkward situation for the Cardinals to deal with if Shipp clearly out-performs the future Hall of Famer. That's why Smith's signing, as understandable as it was, will only make sense if he proves he can still get the job done on the field. Adding him was a huge score for the Cardinals on the publicity front. But if he doesn't match that impact between the white lines, he may just wind up slowing down Shipp's development -- and by extension, the Cardinals'.
It is believed that Smith will be compensating Starks financially for surrendering his favorite digits. Fair enough, but that ought to give Starks some indication of where he ranks in the Arizona pecking order. It's Emmitt, and then the rest of you guys all line up over there.
That less than ringing endorsement in all likelihood means the disappointing Jones will be either released or shopped on the trade market before training camp.
Don Banks covers pro football for SI.com.
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