I don't get why so many people hate on Blaine Gabbert. This guy has all the tools, the proper mindset, and the willingness to work hard. It baffles me that people would want Tebow or any other QB over Gabbert because he had a rough year last year. There are PLENTY of issues to consider when discussing Blaine. How about the fact that the O-line didn't do him a lot of favors last year. Or the Wide Receivers dropping a ton of passes. Heck how many TDs did Mercedes Lewis drop on his own like 7?

People are quick to judge Gabbert based on his completion percentage, QB rating, etc. But all in all it was a bad offense because it was NOT BUILT for the passing game. To the people who complain about his QB rating... if Lewis didn't drop those TDs he would not have been the worst QB in the NFL. If the wideouts don't drop at least 6 passes a game his completion percentage would have been better. I know at times he looked terrible but that is what happens with a rookie.

Give him some time and he will get the job done. I am confident in that.

Per Adam Schefter on twitter. Can not wait to see what else Gene has in store, I have a feeling he will sign another player too.

#Jaguars RT @AdamSchefter: Jacksonville reached agreement with former Giants CB Aaron Ross on a three-year deal worth up to $15.3 million.

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Why not take a shot on Micheal Egnew from Missouri? The kid can make plays and has played with Gabbert before already. Maybe we could get that 2 tight end thing going like the Patriots. Lewis could be our version of Gronkowski and Egnew our Hernandez. I think he would be good value in the 4th or 5th personally. He can even line up in the slot.

Seems like something Gene would do as well. I will say I may be somewhat biased because I live in Missouri and I am an avid Mizzou fan so I would love to see these guys hooking up again because they were very good together at Mizzou. Go Jags!

Another guy I would love is Marvin McNutt. I went to high school with him at Hazelwood Central. Great guy, doesn't get into any trouble and he has a TON of heart. Definitely a Gene guy if I ever saw one. Plus he's 6'4 with pretty good hands. Also, take into account that in high school he didn't play a single down at Wide Receiver, he was a QB. I think there is a lot more potential to grow with his route running and natural instincts at the position. Could very easily end up being a steal.

Brandon Merriweather from the Patriots. Free Safety

Brandon Tate Patriots WR

Donnie Avery Rams WR

Tavares Gooden LB Ravens (Would be good for depth IMO)

Seyi Ajirotutu WR Chargers (Would love to grab him)

I think these four players could help our team in some way... especially the WR. Our receiving core needs some help. These guys could give us another reliable option and I think Ajirotutu would come on and be our 3rd. The guy is a good player.

I like everything I have seen from this guy. I know he is a DT but if the Jags don't go d line in the 1st round, do you take this guy in the second or third and think about putting Tyson out on the end? It seems Temple knows how to teach the D Tackle.

I'm not sure if Gene would go with this but I just have a feeling Wilkerson will be a beast in the NFL.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Q8TQg6uoSg

http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft2011/notebook?page=seniorbowl0125&action=login&appRedirect=http://insider.espn.go.com/nfl/draft2011/notebook%3fpage%3

He says that Kerrigan has not looked good going up against Nate Soldier and Gabe Carimi but says that they are the elite tackles in this years draft. To me that is a bad sign and one that says we should not take Kerrigan. We need an end who can come in and go up against the best tackles in the game and be successful some of the time. We need someone to come in and have 10 sack ability. 

I haven't been high on Kerrigan from the beginning and I think Aldon Smith or Cameron Jordan will be the pick at 16. Smith is going to be a very good end in the NFL if he is put there. And if we run a hybrid, he will also be able to play outside linebacker in a 3-4. He reminds me a lot of Terrell Suggs and I think he can be just as good. I got to watch him a lot this season and the kid has a big time motor. Had he not broke his leg this year, he would probably top 5 talent no question. 

As for Jordan, he seems like he is making a good name for himself and someone I could see Gene going with. He played with Tyson at Cal and I believe this could be our guy as well. We definitely need to shore up the defense with round 1 in my opinion and I think Smith or Jordan may be heading to Jacksonville. 

I think there could possibly be some guys we could get for QB that may be worth pursuing. If the Broncos are set on going another direction, I would try to trade our 2nd pick for Orton. I think this guy could be the guy for years because he is still fairly young.

Or, if Carolina really is going to draft Luck, then why not try to deal a pick for Claussen? This guy has not been given a chance to succeed and I think getting him for our 3rd and one of our 4ths could be a good move if Carolina would be willing. Then you can either trade DG for a pick or keep him and give Claussen a year to learn the offense.

Either way I think this may be the way to go as far as QB that way we can get a good defensive prospect with our first pick, which is where we should focus on in the draft. The pass D needs to be addressed in my opinion.

Exactly how did trading Anthony Smith help this team? I don't get it, and I thought he was playing pretty decent paired with Alexander. Also, WHEN WILL DEREK COX GET THE STARTING JOB BACK? Jones has not been good in my opinion. He got absolutely eaten alive on 3rd down tonight, and Wayne had 15 catches against him. How is this better than Cox? I guess next year we will draft 7 defensive backs.

With the Rams tendering Atogwe at the lowest level, should we make an offer for him? I live in St. Louis and have seen him play a lot and I think he is a very solid Free Safety and would be a huge upgrade over Nelson. We would not have to give up a draft pick for him, he is still pretty young. I am all for it, just wondered what you all thought about the possibility. It would also make us not have to spend a draft pick trying to shore up the secondary.

To possibly help the interior line for the rest of the season, do you maybe roll the dice on Richie Incognito? I know he has his temper issues, but I think Del Rio could possibly contain this kid. I live in St. Louis and have watched him plenty, he has all the tools, but just needs to be controlled, and I think Del Rio could be the guy to reel him in. Just wondered what people would say if Gene did something like this.

With the Kyle Lohse  signing I feel that is a good start to the offseason. Its a contract that really isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be. I have a few Ideas that may bring us a winner in 2009.

Here is how I would like the line-up to look come opening day.

C-Molina

1b-Albert

2b-Lopez or Ellis. I like Lopez and I think he responded well in St. Louis, after all, how many second basemen have re-energized their careers in St. Louis? Ellis would be a good option as well.

SS- Edgar Renteria- I think at around 6 or 7 mil a year he could be a very useful bat in the lineup, and could allow tony to bat ludwick or ankiel 2nd like he wishes. I think Edgar could also be a good option in the 9th spot with Tony's lineup style.

3b- Glaus

Lf- Ludwick or Schu- Ludwick had a great year, dont trade him. If Colby makes the team, Lopez can lead off and Schu is a great 4th OF.

Cf- Ankiel or Rasmus- If Colby makes the team, that would really answer line-up questions and make our team much better overall. Ank is a great CF too.

Rf- Ank or Ludwick

Bench

IF- Miles- Great back up player if the price is right

IF- Freese- Corner player, opens a spot for Wallace at AAA, good backup for Albert and Troy

OF- Dunc- Unfortunately he will be back.

OF- Mather/Schu/Barton-- depends on Rasmus. I like Barton's speed

C- Larue- did a good job this year, accepts the role.

Rotation

You cant count on Carp to come back, they did that this year and it ended up coming back to bite them. Heres how I see the rotation shaping out

1- Waino

2- Lohse

3- Welle

4-Pinero

5- Boggs/Todd/ Mortenson/ Thompson- I dont like the idea of Kmac to the rotation, I think he is valuable in the pen.

Bullpen

Kinney

Franklin- shares time in the 8th with kinney

Kmac

TJ- if healthy

Motte

Perez- Battles with Motte for closer

Lefty reliever- would prefer Fuentes but wont happen, Ohman may be a good solution.

* Izzy- if he will take a low base high incentive contract, may be able to bounce back for one more year.

The other day my brother asked me if I could take all former cardinal players to make a coaching staff, who would I take. It made me wonder if anyone else had thought about it so I decided I would post it on here. Here would be my picks.

Manager- Jose Oquendo, I think he should get the job after Tony.

Bench Coach-  Larry Walker- was a very smart player and I believe he could possibly become a good manager at some point.

Pitching Coach- Mike Matheny, learned from Dunc, handled the pitching staff extremely well.

Bullpen Coach- Alan or Andy Benes, couldnt decide but I think either of these guys would be goo with assisting Matheny in helping the pitchers. I tend to think Alan may have a future with the club as a pitching coach once Dunc is gone.

Hitting Coach- Big Mac, his knowledge of hitting is astounding and he can teach hitters how to prepare for a game by using examples of how he wa able to prepare for each game and show them the techniques that made him one of the game's most feared hitters. Even if you say steroids were the reason, you still gotta be able to hit a pitch.

1st Base Coach- Willie McGee, ran bases well and fan favorite

3rd Base Coach- None other than the Wizard, Ozzie Smith, this town needs him involved with St. Louis baseball again.

I thought this may be an interesting topic to see who people would choose, if not, then oh well.

Long time reader, first time poster here. I was thinking about some possible ideas for Mo to possibly make at the deadline this year.

First I'll start with what I believe is the most pressing need for the Cards right now, a Left-Handed Reliever.

Even when he comes back, Flores is just not good enough for what we need him to be. I would personally love to see Ron Mahay or Damaso Marte if we could possibly get one of them. However, I know that is highly unlikely.

There are a few second teir options I think may be worth checking out.

• Eddie Guardado- Having a good year and Texas may think he is expendable. Should come at a reasonable price as well.
• Arthur Rhodes- May be the easiest LH reliever to pick up. Having a good season but the Mariners are heading no where.

Second on the list to me is the impact bat. There are a few middle infielders and outfielders that come to mind. Bay and Holliday to me are too far out of reach, i don't think Mo would pull the trigger even though we could probably put together a good enough package.

• Xavier Nady- Not sure if Pirates would keep him in the division but it could happen. Should be attainable at a moderate price.
• Brian Giles- Could possibly be a move like the Rockies made with Walker in 04 and I think Giles would be served well if he moved out of Petco. May not be too pricey because of his age and contract, type of move the Cards could possibly make. I know we have a lot of lefties, but a left handed bat could move in another trade or this one possibly.
• Barry Bonds- If he would play for the minimum, you never know. It would be nice to make an impact without trading prospects and Bonds would definitely see good pitches behind Albert and he would see better pitches in front of Bonds. I could tolerate Bonds if it got us to the play offs.
• Khalil Greene- A guy who I think would give us a good bat at a spot we definitely need one. Send Ryan in a package and we could improve vastly. Greene is also slick defensively and could use a change of scenery.
• Mark Grudzielanek- Never wanted him to go and with his age and contract shouldnt be too hard to get.Having a good year and  would look good batting in the 2 spot. Gets on a lot.
• Christian Guzman- Shouldn't comand too much and could open up the ability to trade schu or make him your 4th outfielder so we could get some more pop in the lineup. Guzman could bat 1st.

I think another need that has come up that a lot of people don't think is a problem is our starting rotation. Here are some guys I would love to see and then some guys who could provide decent starting pitching until Waino and Carp return, if they do.

• Josh Fogg- This guy should be at the top of the list because he should be easy to acquire and has decent stuff and can pitch good in the majors. He will keep you in the game and the Reds have him in AAA because they don't like him. Walt may also help LaRussa and Co out as well.
• Odalis Perez- Could also be put in the pen when the Aces come back. Having a solid year but wont command too much.
• Livan Hernandez- Type of guy the Cards like to pursue. Would be better in the NL and could rebound for a team that plays the defense the Cards do. Had interest in the past.
•  Kei Igawa- This is a guy who could be good in the NL, in my opinion. Yankees don't seem to have a use for him and could come cheap. Also, locked up until 2011, that could be a good thing at only 4 Million per year.
• Freddy Garcia- Don't really think it will happen but wouldn't cost prospects and has good stuff. If he takes a deal at around 6 mil after incentives prorated, I think it may be worth a chance, but I doubt the Cards would.

I know It was lengthy, but this is what the Cardinals could possibly bring in and not Mortage the future. Mo should definitely look into some of these options. Now, you can start the bashing because I know it is inevitable.

That the real reason Rolen and Edmonds are always having problems with LaRussa is that when they are hurt and not producing he calls them out in the papers and when Albert is hurt and not producing he makes excuses for him? I think that's be biggest problem with LaRussa as a manager, he plays too much favortism. If it wasn't for that then Dan Haren would still be a Cardinal. He didn't like Haren so they shipped him out, which is why they haven't shipped out Reyes yet, they are afraid the same thing will happen. The bottom line is, Tony needs to stop letting Pujols dictate what happenes in the clubhouse because it sure seems like that's the case. When Tony tells him to sit a game, he doesn't do it. So why should Scott and Jim sit down when Albert doesn't. Yes, I know he produces more than they do but thats a moot point. He still needs to treat him the same. When you are having problems with 2/3 or you "MV3" thats not a good situation.

Has anyone thought of the possiblity of the Cards moving Pujols back to third and playing Duncan at first makin left field available for that Right handed OF bat the Cards crave? And if you can move Rolen for a decent starting pitcher, this could possibly work out. I have been an advocate of trading Duncan recently because if he moved back to first or went to DH then it would be best for HIM and the Cards. This guy would be better off for the Cards if he moves to first or is dealt for a pitcher because we could find a bat that can produce like he can, a pitcher would be worth letting him go, IMO.

Also, Reyes needs to go, he wont be good until he gets away from Duncan. Duncan somehow doesnt want him to pitch the way he was successful in the Minors. But he did that in Game 1 of the WS and look how great that turned out. We need to make some moves that will be good for the team and these players, we could probably send reyes and a few b grade prospects to get Tejada and fill the SS hole for this year.