Joel Buchsbaum's notepad

Cardinals’ Plummer facing a crossroads season

By Joel Buchsbaum, Contributing editor
As published in print June 26, 2000

Cardinals QB Jake Plummer

This is a critical year for Arizona QB Jake Plummer. He has shown a great ability to improvise and make big plays at the ends of games, but his inconsistency early in games constantly gets the Cardinals in trouble.

There were two books on Plummer when he came out of Arizona State. Some scouts felt he could evolve into a Joe Montana-type quarterback. Obviously, the Cardinals felt the same way when they gave Plummer a huge contract. Other scouts said Plummer only made plays in desperation time when things fell apart and that he couldn’t play well in a structured offense.

Last season Plummer quite frankly stunk, but he was playing hurt all year and couldn’t grip the ball properly because of his injuries. This year he must show he has what it takes to play every down in a stable offense, or else the Cardinals will be in a huge bind, considering all the salary-cap money they have invested in Plummer over the long haul.

• Although many people think the Rams were a one-year wonder, they were actually a team that was built over time but never really showed it because of poor coaching and injuries. But if you look at the Rams, they were almost constantly coming up with good draft picks such as Kevin Carter, Isaac Bruce, Todd Lyght, etc. They also did an excellent job of finding free agents.
  
  Getting Kurt Warner and Marshall Faulk definitely put them over the top, but even before that, they had a talented nucleus of players, thanks to their drafting and scouting skills.

• Coming out of Notre Dame, Rick Mirer was rated almost on a par, if not on a par, with Drew Bledsoe. Mirer had a good rookie season, but ever since, his career has been going downhill.
  
  The two big knocks against Mirer are that, although he is IQ smart, he lacks football smarts, and he lacks a passion for the game. The Jets were shocked at how little leadership Mirer showed when they gave him the starting job last season, and some players said Mirer acted almost unconcerned.

• Many scouts believe true parity has come to the NFL. As one scout put it, "Who really can’t win in this league? Cincinnati has compiled a lot of good, young talent over the years. The Browns got some solid veterans last year, they have drafted well and they have unlimited resources. Plus, they have a quarterback in Tim Couch. What if Couch turns into this year’s Peyton Manning? The Browns could be a huge surprise team. Even the 49ers, despite all their rebuilding, have potential. Everyone talks about how they totally have to revamp their defense, but remember: The first time they won the Super Bowl, they won with three rookies and a free agent starting in their defensive backfield."

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1999 - 2000 Season