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Levi to IR and moves to get to 75 on roster

The Cardinals have trimmed their roster to the requisite 75 by cutting 12 players today, in addition to waiving injured fullback Jared Crank (neck) and running back Thomas Clayton (knee) and putting on injured reserve tackle Levi Brown, which officially ends Brown’s season. The Cards had until Monday to make the moves. The cut to 53 players must come a week from today, the day after the Cards close out the preseason with a game against Denver.

The 12 released were:

– DE Landon Cohen

– WR Gino Crump

– S Eddie Elder

– WR Tre Gray

– CB Marshay Green

– WR Jaymar Johnson

– FB Reagan Maui’a

– LB Marcus McGraw

– LB Zack Nash

– CB James Nixon

– K/P Ricky Schmitt

– LB Paul Vassallo

On a side note, defensive tackle Ricky Lumpkin was fined by the NFL $21,000 for hitting a defenseless player in the head/neck area, in this case, Raiders quarterback Matt Leinart. It’s a hefty sum for a guy who has yet to collect anything more than a practice squad paycheck in the league. (Kicker and NFLPA player rep Jay Feely informs us the fine is not collected unless Lumpkin makes a roster.)

A guess at the 53

Going into the final game, there are, according to coach Ken Whisenhunt, still roster spots to be won. So to make a guesstimate at the final 53 before the final preseason game leaves a big opening to make a mistake. Injuries can change equations too. But this is what we do — speculate. Realistically, a good chunk of the roster is long set. The battles not left open by injury are usually down to — at most — the final six or seven spots. Frequently less.

(And that’s from an outside perspective. Internally, I am guessing by now the list is even shorter).

Things like the practice squad come into play — if you like two guys equally, maybe one can be on the practice squad and the other on the roster, and both stick around. Of course, anyone on the practice squad has to be exposed to the rest of the league, so you don’t know who might snap someone up. Even once the roster gets to 53, of course, it could immediately change if, say, the Cards grab a player (running back) who has been released elsewhere.(On this list, I am not putting a fourth running back in, even though I think it’s probable).

So, with all those caveats, here’s is my opinion on how it could shake out:

QB — (3) Kevin Kolb, John Skelton, Rich Bartel. Brodie Croyle just was here too late to make an impact.

RB — (3) Beanie Wells, LaRod Stephens-Howling, Alfonso Smith. Smith plays well on special teams. I think he’d stick around even if the Cards sign a fourth running back, which I think is a real possibility. And then the Cards would have to find a cut from elsewhere on the roster.

FB – (1) Anthony Sherman. Reagan Maui’a has had a good camp, but Sherman is a draft pick, he has impacted special teams and I think he has the right upside. You just can’t keep two fullbacks on the roster.

TE – (4) Todd Heap, Jeff King, Rob Housler, Jim Dray. It’s a tough call between Dray and Stephen Spach. Dray did some good things on special teams and his youth may give him the edge. Would I be shocked if Spach stayed? No.

WR – (6) Larry Fitzgerald, Andre Roberts, Early Doucet, Stephen Williams, Chansi Stuckey, DeMarco Sampson. I think Sampson has done enough to make the team, and Isaiah Williams could be on the practice squad.

OL – (8) Levi Brown, Daryn Colledge, Lyle Sendlein, Rex Hadnot, Brandon Keith, Deuce Lutui, Jeremy Bridges, Ben Claxton. It’s possible they could keep an extra swingman like Pork Chop Womack, but usually the Cards have just seven linemen active on game days, and since Bridges can play both guard and tackle, they should be set there.

DL – (7) Calais Campbell, Dan Williams, Darnell Dockett, Vonnie Holliday, Nick Eason, David Carter, Kenny Iwebema. Iwebema is the man on the fringe, but he can play special teams. The Cards kept seven at this spot last year too. It could be a spot that gets trimmed for another position.

LB – (8) Joey Porter, Paris Lenon, Daryl Washington, Clark Haggans, Stewart Bradley, O’Brien Schofield, Sam Acho, Reggie Walker. I could easily see rookie Quan Sturdivant making it over Walker. But they may try to get the raw Sturdivant to the practice squad.

CB – (5) A.J. Jefferson, Patrick Peterson, Richard Marshall, Michael Adams, Marshay Green. Green had a rough end to the Chargers’ game, but the season-ending injury to Greg Toler might work to his benefit. Not sure there has been enough time for Fred Bennett to prove himself. This could be another battle where the performances against the Broncos resonates. The Cards could also search the waiver wire. In the past, the Cards have had only nine DBs, but injuries may force them to go to 10.

S – (5) Adrian Wilson, Kerry Rhodes, Rashad Johnson, Hamza Abdullah, Matt Ware. With the uncertainty around Wilson’s biceps injury, keeping an extra safety — Ware, in this case — sounds prudent.

Special teams – (3) LS Mike Leach, K Jay Feely, P Ben Graham. After the way Graham punted last week, I think he’ll hold off Dave Zastudil. It’ll be interesting to see who punts Thursday night. That might be one of the spots that could still be decided.

Looking at the final cuts

Well, obviously I was off when I was coming up with my 53-man roster. I thought Lance Long cost himself a shot, I thought Aaron Francisco was ahead of Matt Ware, and I thought the Cards would want to keep a veteran like Victor Hobson over a rookie like Reggie Walker. I thought Elton Brown was in trouble and that Melvin Fowler would topple Ben Claxton in the battle to back up Lyle Sendlein.

Wrong on all accounts.

Nevertheless, the list is in. It’s not final by any stretch, and we’ll get a better idea of what coach Ken Whisenhunt was thinking at his 3 p.m. press conference. One thing is for sure — Whisenhunt and his staff are always looking to develop younger players. It’s the only way to survive in this league, so even if, for instance, Walker is a tad below Hobson, he’s likely got more long-term upside. This roster also clearly rewards hard work. You need talent, of course, but you see young undrafted guys like Walker, Michael Adams, Long, even Stephen Spach and you see the kind of mentality Whiz wants in the locker room.

One possible 53

In a couple of days, the Cards and coach Ken Whisenhunt will make their final decisions on an opening day roster (or close to it), trimming another 22 players from the current squad to 53. So that means I make my annual guesstimate on who is in, who is out, and who is truly on the bubble. This is never a foolproof thing; if there is a guy or two who pops available on the waiver wire the Cards want it changes the dynamics of what can happen, and that initial 22 can grow by a name or two to bring in newbies. That certainly happened on the practice squad last year, when the Cards went shopping for new names who weren’t around during training camp.

Again, this is my opinion, based on what I have seen and heard but still my opinion. And it doesn’t factor in what happens in Denver and if a guy wows a coach or two. Or if a guy gets hurt. It’s also just about the 53; for instance, undrafted rookie LB Reggie Walker doesn’t look like he will make the 53-man roster but he’s a guy who should end up on the practice squad. (Speaking of which, * will designate some PS candidates):

QUARTERBACKS
IN
Kurt Warner
Matt Leinart
Brian St. Pierre
OUT
Tyler Palko

WIDE RECEIVERS
IN
Larry Fitzgerald
Anquan Boldin
Steve Breaston
Jerheme Urban
Sean Morey
BUBBLE
Early Doucet
Lance Long*
OUT
Onrea Jones*
Ed Gant
Steve Sanders

RUNNING BACKS/FULLBACKS
IN
Tim Hightower
Beanie Wells
Jason Wright
Dan Kreider
BUBBLE
LaRod Stephens-Howling*
Tim Castille
OUT
Reagan Maui’a
Chris Vincent

TIGHT ENDS
IN
Stephen Spach
Ben Patrick (doesn’t count against the 53 during 4-game suspension)
BUBBLE
Anthony Becht
Leonard Pope
Dominique Byrd

OFFENSIVE LINE
IN
Lyle Sendlein
Reggie Wells
Mike Gandy
Levi Brown
Deuce Lutui
Brandon Keith
Herman Johnson
Melvin Fowler
BUBBLE
Oliver Ross
OUT
Elton Brown
Ben Claxton
Carlton Medder
Trevor Canfield*

DEFENSIVE LINE
IN
Darnell Dockett
Bryan Robinson
Calais Campbell
Kenny Iwebema
Gabe Watson
BUBBLE
Alan Branch
Keilen Dykes*
Rodney Leisle
OUT
Alex Field

LINEBACKERS
IN
Chike Okeafor
Bertrand Berry
Clark Haggans
Karlos Dansby
Gerald Hayes
Will Davis
Victor Hobson
BUBBLE
Ali Highsmith
OUT
Reggie Walker*
David Holloway*
Chase Bullock

CORNERBACKS/SAFETIES
IN
Adrian Wilson
Antrel Rolle
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
Bryant McFadden
Greg Toler
Rashad Johnson
Aaron Francisco
Ralph Brown
BUBBLE
Matt Ware
Michael Adams
OUT
Jameel Dowling
Wilrey Fontenot*

SPECIALISTS
IN
Mike Leach
Neil Rackers
Ben Graham

Wrapping up the week

The Cardinals had their final preseason practice today, and most of the talk was about the upcoming final cuts, which coach Ken Whisenhunt acknowledged was going to be tough — to the point where a few guys they would normally hope to waive to get to the practice squad isn’t going to work because other teams will likely pick them up. 

On the injury front, Whisenhunt ruled out WR Anquan Boldin (hamstring), QB Brian St. Pierre (back) and WR Early Doucet (ribs) for the Denver game Thursday night. He also said RB LaRod Stephens-Howling is still suffering some symptoms from his concussion so his status is up in the air for the Broncos game. 

I’ll have more later in a posted notebook, but for now, I need to get back to training for our site re-launch, which is coming Sept. 10.

Lewis cut; Garvin, Togafau waived

The Cardinals officially made their roster moves to get from 80 players to 75, including the release of safety/special teamer Keith Lewis. Undrafted rookie tackle Brandon Pearce was the only other straight release. Linebacker Cody Brown, as expected, was placed on injured reserve, ending his season, while two players were waived/injured: LB Pago Togafau, who broke his foot against the Packers Friday, and kick returner Michael Ray Garvin, who is recovering from knee surgery.

Both Togafau and Garvin could in theory eventually be brought back to the practice squad once they have healed (assuming they aren’t picked up by another team). Lewis’ departure isn’t a shock; the Cards were overloaded with reserve safeties. They still have rookie Rashad Johnson, Matt Ware and Aaron Francisco and there remains a chance either Francisco or Ware could be among the casualties of the final cuts at the end of the week (Johnson, as a third-round pick, isn’t going anywhere). CLARIFICATION: I had a couple questions about bringing someone like Garvin back. The Cards could bring him back to the practice squad or the roster, if he actually gets an injury settlement in the next five days. In that case, he would sit however long the injury settlement is (for example, two weeks of regular-season pay) plus another six weeks. Then Garvin could be brought back.

LB Holloway signed, Vallejo cut

The Cardinals added a linebacker Wednesday when they brought back David Holloway, last seen around these parts on the practice squad in 2007 (he was brought to the roster for the season finale before being inactive on game day). He also has spent time with Washington, Cleveland and Jacksonville. To make room for Holloway, the Cardinals waived/injured tackle Elliot Vallejo, who has been dealing with a dislocated kneecap. Vallejo is practice squad eligible, so if there is some kind of injury settlement, I would guess the Cards could bring him back if they wanted to do so.

Holloway is also practice-squad eligible, so if he fits, maybe he hangs around now that Cody Brown is done for the year. Don’t worry if you don’t remember him, but it’s too bad Holloway missed the Chargers game – I am guessing Chargers QB Billy Volek remembers Holloway and a certain preseason sack in 2007.