[At one point in Wednesday's news conference at the Arizona Biltmore Resort, site of this week's NFL annual meeting, Cardinals vice president Rod Graves even was asked if any part of Smith's contract was tied to ticket sales.] There is nothing in this particular contract about that, ... Thank goodness. |
[The successful recent player additions are the result of] Coach Green's leadership and focus in terms of what he wants and what he feels he needs, ... He's defined that for us very well, and then we just go after it. |
Anybody that's watched this organization over the last two or three years would have to say we're doing things in a different way, |
At this point, we are going to step back and sort of regroup and determine where we are going to focus. I still believe we'll be able to take advantage of additional opportunities in free agency. |
Basically it was a structure that we had to have in order to accommodate all we were trying to accomplish with this deal. |
Coach Green's leadership and focus in terms of what he wants and what he feels he needs. He's defined that for us very well, and then we just go after it. |
Ever since we've adopted sort of this best player approach to the draft, it really doesn't matter to us as much as to what happens ahead of us. We're just prepared to take whoever we feel like is available from our top board. That concept has worked effectively for us the last couple years. |
He planted the seeds for that, and I think that we'll see the fruits of that a lot more next season. By having players like him that have been in winning situations, they have a lot to offer in terms of helping your younger players grow. |
I accepted his visit as typical of one you get from a veteran player who has a strong interest in seeing his team in a better position to win. In my opinion, it was a great discussion we had. |
I can't comment on players that haven't hit the market yet, but I will say that based on guys that are speculated to be free, it could be a buyer's market. |
I feel it was a very positive meeting. We'll evaluate our decision today and expect to have an announcement soon. |
I think what it does demonstrate is that we're committed to building a strong nucleus for our football team, and part of that effort is making the right decision about the players you reinvest in. We just consider Kurt Warner part of that process, to reinvest in quality people and quality players. |
I'd pick him up at the airport. We'll see what happens. |
I'm not sure how much of an advantage. We are still trying to put our arms around that. There are so many rules and implications on uncapped years, so we have to be guarded in what we do. |
I've said before that if Vince Young was there (at No. 10), I'd drive out and pick him up at the airport. If Vernon Davis is there, I'll drive out and pick him up, too. |