Sports360AZ
Former USC quarterback Matt Barkley, from all accounts, impressed the Cardinals brass during the interview portion of the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Ind.
After not working out at Lucas Oil Stadium, is nailing an interview enough to convince the cardinals organization that they should make Barkley the guy at No. 7?
One of the biggest negatives to Barkley’s game is his arm strength. This could pose challenges in executing Bruce Arians’ vertical passing game, which would require his quarterbacks to have good to excellent arm strength if they expect to penetrate opposing defenses.
A lot of scouts feel Barkley isn’t the right fit for what Arians and assistant head coach Tom Moore are trying to do for the foreseeable future.
During his press conference in Indianapolis, Barkley promised that his arm will be stronger than ever and that it will impress during his Pro Day on March 27.
It’ll be a crucial day for Barkley to show prospective employers that he is back to his junior year form with Southern Cal.
Personally, I think they need to strengthen their offensive line at No. 7, and a young tackle like Eric Fisher from Central Michigan could come in and add more depth at that position.
Things with Barkley and the no. 7 will ultimately hinge on what the team does with quarterback Kevin Kolb, and whether or not they end up restructuring his contract.
I kind of think in the back of my mind that Arians is intrigued by Barkley and what he could do with him, with some work of course.
He’s probably reflecting on what he was able to do with Andrew Luck last season and he might be thinking he could pull off the same with Barkley.
Who knows?
As far as Kolb is concerned, I believe he sees the writing on the wall here, and he knows he’s not going to get $11 million from any team this year, especially with the Cardinals, based on his checkered track record. So he better be open to work things out, or he’ll be packing his bags for another destination, like the Jets, who he’s rumored to land at if talks with him and the Cardinals aren’t productive.
Free agency kicks off this coming Tuesday afternoon, so it should be an interesting time around the Tempe facility over the next few weeks, as the team will be taking a look under the hood of some players on the open market.
