How Rodgers-Cromartie stacks up
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How Rodgers-Cromartie stacks up
Sheil Kapadia, Philly.com
The latest Kevin Kolb rumor is that the Cardinals are prepared to offer cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in exchange for the Eagles' backup QB.
This one came from Arizona radio host Mike Jurecki, who identified the offer as a "straight-up" deal that would not include any draft picks, at least not initially.
So what does Rodgers-Cromartie bring to the table?
Let's start with the basics. He's 6-2, 182 pounds and just turned 25 in April. Rodgers-Cromartie is signed through the 2012 season and is not scheduled to make a lot of money: $950,000 in 2011 and about $1.1M in 2012.
He was the 16th overall pick in the 2008 draft and made the Pro Bowl in his second season. But statistically, 2010 was completely different than 2009 for Rodgers-Cromartie.
There are several free-agent cornerback options available this offseason. Here's a look at how Rodgers-Cromartie stacked up to them in 2010.
The last column is success rate, a metric used by Football Outsiders, defined as "the percentage of passes that don't manage to get at least 45 percent of needed yards on first down, 60 percent of needed yards on second down, or 100 percent of needed yards on third down."
| Ht. | Wt. | Age | Success Rate (Rank) | |
| Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie | 6-2 | 182 | 25 | 39% (55th) |
| Nnamdi Asomugha | 6-2 | 210 | 30 | 62% (9th) |
| Johnathan Joseph | 5-11 | 190 | 27 | 52% (43rd) |
| Ike Taylor | 6-2 | 195 | 31 | 52% (45th) |
As you can see, Rodgers-Cromartie did not have a particularly good year in 2010. Not only did he have a poor success rate when the ball was thrown in his direction, but he was a horrible tackler.
According to Football Outsiders, he missed 10 of 53 tackle opportunities (18.9 percent), which was the worst rate among NFL defensive backs. According to Pro Football Weekly, Rodgers-Cromartie added 10 pounds of bulk this offseason (as of June 26), presumably to help him be a little more physical.
So those are the negatives.
But there's a bright side too.
In 2009, by the numbers, Rodgers-Cromartie was one of the best cornerbacks in the league. He had a success rate of 63 percent, which was good enough for third-best in the league. Rodgers-Cromartie also had six interceptions and made the Pro Bowl.
So what conclusions can we draw? The talent is there with Rodgers-Cromartie, and it's reasonable to project that with the right coaching and the right system, he can be an effective player.
At the same time, there is risk involved, and he is not as much of a sure thing as some of the veteran free agents available. You don't quite know what you're getting with Rodgers-Cromartie just yet.
MY TAKE
I still need to watch some Cardinals games from 2010 to see what went wrong with Rodgers-Cromartie, but my initial take is that acquiring a starting cornerback and a mid-round pick would be good compensation for Kolb.
The assumption would be that he starts opposite Asante Samuel for the next two years and then the franchise decides what to do from there. Samuel will be 32 at that point and is scheduled to make $8.4M in 2012 and $10.4M in 2013. Maybe Trevard Lindley or Curtis Marsh develops into a starter by then. Who knows?
But by plugging Rodgers-Cromartie in at right cornerback with his inexpensive contract, the Eagles could presumably spend big in other areas (perhaps defensive line?).
As we've covered at length here, the Birds lost leverage because of the lockout as QB-needy teams filled their holes through the draft. If the Eagles can get a starting-caliber defensive player with a high ceiling and a 2012 pick, my guess is they'd be pretty happy.
One concern with adding Rodgers-Cromartie to the fold would be youth in the secondary. With Nate Allen and Jaiquawn Jarrett at safety, the Eagles would potentially be playing with three guys 25 or younger in their defensive backfield. Part of me really likes the idea of adding a veteran presence back there like Ike Taylor. Then again, if Rodgers-Cromartie can play like he did in 2009, it probably doesn't matter.
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DooDooFresh, Weren't you thrown off of CSN for your nonsense? Your never on there anymore.— The Marco Islander- DRC does not fit the scheme and he can't tackle. So we'll have 2 starting cover corners playing a zone scheme (which relies on tackling) that can't tackle. Then we'll have a starting FS in Nate Allen coming off a significant injury and a rookie SS in Jarret or Kurt Coleman to round out the secondary. It isn't ideal, but to get DRC at his low salary for Kolb is still decent value. I think the scheme would have to be adjusted. I do like the idea of getting Charles Johnson at DE, we'd wreak havoc. Plax is a must -- the guy is a winner and solves the Red Zone issue. Avant and Cooper can play special teams and Avant will have even more room to work the slot. I'm very curious to see how the LB situation plays out -- Is Chaney the real deal, how does Keenan Clayton stack up, does Bradley get resigned, is Matthews a starter? These are all legitimate concerns. At LB, I see us having Bradley, Chaney, Clayton, Matthews, Fokou, and Rolle. I think the special teams will be great this year after another offseason with Coach April. The offense will have to figure out the RT situation. I could see a switch to Peters--McGlynn--Jackson--Watkins--Herremans if Justice does not work out...but King Dunlap is certainly not the answer. Love the direction for this team.— dsh129
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- Another poor tackler really??? Take Seattle's first and third. Or is Andy more concerned about where Kevin plays? We need a TOUGH defense. Cmon Joe, build us a great defense like the Ravens, Jets, or Steelers.— greenflyer
- If you take the time honored draft philosopy..TAKE THE BEST PLAYER AVAILABLE....[1]make Asomugha the best offer you can right away ! !
[2]Then you can parlay Kolb[or keep him a few games into the season when somebody NEEDS a QB]into MORE than the sum total of Cromartie and whoever.Asomugha is a step above Cromartie and the proverbial KEEPER that seriously improves the franchise.— Ernie Garman - He's coming off of a very poor season, ...like you said Sheil, you don't know the reason for the poor performance. I'd say until that question's answered, and a return to upper level production assured, we have to assume him to be what his stats say he is, ...a below average cornerback with poor tackling skills. Why trade a starting quaterback for that?
The Cards have another cb that's far more appealing.— andyd - It would give us a matching set at CB. Guys who are not that fond of tackling. Let's see...this is complicated...if I'm an opposing offensive coordinator...maybe I run the ball wide and throw plenty of screens?
Seems like you get Rodgers-Cromartie if you're interested in trading Samuel and starting Lindley on the right side.— armchairGM - This isn't an easy deal, If I were "Cromartie", I'd hold out for a better contract. What's Arizona going to do, release him? $1.4 Million? He should be able to command $4.25 Million a year. Dawkins is raking in $6 Million in Denver...— Dexter
- Forget DRC we need a press corner who can tackle not Assante Jr.— brs50
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- Who cares about 'success rate', how many air-guitar riffs did he play last year?
-not bob levy— remyy - YES..Age and experience is right...money is a JoeB "no-brainer" and then they can get Hainesworth (skins can pay for half the contract) so we have taken care of needs 2 and 3....Spending money on a very good right tackle to protect Michael takes care of need 1 and signing a linebacker would be need 4— nuggett
- Eagles should trade for DRC and draft picks and then sign Ike Taylor or Jonathan Joseph that way we will not have to worry about cornerback troubles for a while.— briandawkins20
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- Add a poor tackler to an already suspect tackling team? It never ends. This S _ _ _ is not hard. Spend as much as you can, win Super Bowl, break up team. We've been waiting for more than 50 years. Until then, we get another year of Bucs, Rams, Skins, and Saints fans holding up the wrapper of a cigarette pack, joking that it resembles the EAGLES trophy case. SOOOO FUNNY, but more than that, outright pathetic.
CARDS get nothing if Peterson isn't on the table. Kolb is worth more to us than ARC any day of the week. We do not have time for projects. Peterson is the real deal, and only reason to do business with the CARDS.— jpjack44 - Yeah, like the Cardinals are going to trade away the best CB in the draft. Keep dreaming. (Although, that would be sweet...DRC is way overrated.)
And overspending never lead to the Super Bowl.
— phillychaos - Yep, trade Kolb, Vick gets hurt by game 2 and we're dead last in the NFC East. Smart.— hititwheretheyaint
- If they get him they better get some serious d-line help.— beerflow
- Somehow the idea of pairing one non-tackling CB (Rodgers-Cromartie) with another, Samuel, seems rather suspect to me. And decent LB's will not make a difference. EVERY player on the defense needs to be able and WILLING to tackle. Period.
Casting my vote for Joseph or Ike Taylor.— FishFryFrank - GreenWing--I agree except that Romo had a couple of good seasons at MLB in 94-95 right after SJ.— snj7195
- Ditto what Faber said. Why no talk about linebackers? The Birds haven't had a playmaker at LB since Seth Joyner.— GreenWing
- I completely agree that the eagles really undervalue the LB position...but you gotta give Trot and Willie T some love! Carlos Emmons had a really good season with the birds too. But I hear ya...I want a monster back there, a Willis, Urlacher, Lewis...Those guys dont grow on trees though — relly142
- If the Eagles had any Linebackers nobody would have to worry about how the CB's tackle.— FABER
- As long as his 2010 performance wasn't some hidden injury that will come out later, it sounds pretty good. Sometimes poor tackling has to do with trying to protect shoulder and/or back injuries. The 10 pounds of bulk can't hurt.— borntosuffer
- Sheil, if Cromartie fits their scheme and has good character it would be a good trade. He's talented and has played only three seasons. He's young but experienced enough that he can hit the ground running with the Eagles.— soulman386
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- Dude, seriously that is getting old... — PhilliefaninAZ
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