Tap the breaks on Ike Taylor talk
Jun 28, 2011, 9:01 PM | Updated: 10:08 pm
Maybe I’m just in a surly, anti-Pittsburgh mood after hearing of a planned celebration in the Steel City for Dancing with the Stars winner Hines Ward. Or maybe I’m just being a contrarian.
Tap the brakes a little bit on the talk the Cardinals should pursue Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor.
To be fair, I was one of those here at Sports 620 KTAR who fueled the talk; at first glance it seemed like a great idea. Trade DRC to Philly for Kevin Kolb and go sign Taylor to replace him and to serve as a Mr. Miyagi type for young Patrick Peterson. In theory it sounds excellent, especially when you factor in Ray Horton as the Cardinals new defensive coordinator. The whole thing has a plug-and-play feel to it.
The idea that the Arizona Cardinals have turned into Pittsburgh-West isn’t new and on the coaching front I think it’s worked out well. Ken Whisenhunt, Russ Grimm, Horton. I’m completely on board with transplanting that culture to the desert and making it our own.
But……
The Steeler player pipeline hasn’t worked out so well. Bryant McFadden. Joey Porter. Alan Faneca. To a lesser degree, Brian St. Pierre. For the most part, Clark Haggins has been pretty good, though age is starting to get the best of him.
Not a huge sample size to be sure.
It’s possible the Cardinals coaches are putting a little too much stock in guys they know so well; a fact that Whisenhunt alluded to at the end of the season. It’s possible, hell it’s likely, that the Steelers are such shrewd talent evaluators they know exactly when to let a guy go. It’s possible there is no coincidence whatsoever.
Just make sure you’re signing a player because he’s a quality football player and not just because he’s an ex-Steeler.