Official 2023 Cardinals Camp thread

[dreamcastrocks]

There is no rhyme, nor reason to this post, but I’m starting to think this team may be one of those scrappy squads that somehow wins 7 games.

Right? You never know. The first preseason game has bumped my expectation. I was wavering between 4 and 5 wins and trending towards 4.

I now think we win 5, maybe even 2 out of our first 3!

 

[Stout]

There is no rhyme, nor reason to this post, but I’m starting to think this team may be one of those scrappy squads that somehow wins 7 games.

Oh Cheese, not you too

 

[BritCard]

There is no rhyme, nor reason to this post, but I’m starting to think this team may be one of those scrappy squads that somehow wins 7 games.

The Giants went 9-7 last year and made the playoffs. What was so great about that team?

Jones, ugh.

Receivers - Slayton led the team. Richie James, Hodgins, Sills, Robinson, Bellinger at TE. Huge bag of ugh.

KT and Ojulari had 9 sacks between them.

No stars at DB or LB, just a bunch of ok guys.

Only real good or great guys on the team were Thomas at LT. Lawrence and Leonard at DT. And Barkley at RB.


So yeah, with a prevailing wind it's not out of the question that the Cards get 7 wins. Really all depends on when Kyler comes back and how good he is when he's back.

If we get 2021 Kyler then 7 wins would be pretty straightforward I think. If we get 2022 Kyler then nope.

 

[Garthshort]

In order to win seven games, the football gods would have to help out:
*Injuries don't become a factor.
*Kyler returns sooner rather than later.
*JG proves that coaching matters.
*Vets like Froholdt and Collier show that PS Game One wasn't a mirage.
*Draft picks contribute.

It can happen. And believe me the FB gods owe us one.

 

[kerouac9]

The Giants went 9-7 last year and made the playoffs. What was so great about that team?

They played the NFC North and AFC South.

 

[CardNots]

In order to win seven games, the football gods would have to help out:
*Injuries don't become a factor.
*Kyler returns sooner rather than later.
*JG proves that coaching matters.
*Vets like Froholdt and Collier show that PS Game One wasn't a mirage.
*Draft picks contribute.

It can happen. And believe me the FB gods owe us one.

As well, turnovers will play a factor in deciding games

 

[BullheadCardFan]

As well, turnovers will play a factor in deciding games

In close games turnovers can/will be the difference

 

[BritCard]

They played the NFC North and AFC South.

Vikings were 13-4
Lions were 9-8
Packers were 8-9

Granted the AFC South wasn't great outside the Jags.

Point being we don't know how those divisions will shake out. Plus our own division isn't as strong. Rams look sucky now. Can Geno reproduce now he got paid? It's one thing playing as the underdog and another being "The Guy".

 

[slanidrac16]

There is no rhyme, nor reason to this post, but I’m starting to think this team may be one of those scrappy squads that somehow wins 7 games.

I get your vibe. Trying to keep it real based on 1 preseason game. But I get your vibe.

 

[HairZach]

The Giants went 9-7 last year and made the playoffs. What was so great about that team?

Jones, ugh.

Receivers - Slayton led the team. Richie James, Hodgins, Sills, Robinson, Bellinger at TE. Huge bag of ugh.

KT and Ojulari had 9 sacks between them.

No stars at DB or LB, just a bunch of ok guys.

Only real good or great guys on the team were Thomas at LT. Lawrence and Leonard at DT. And Barkley at RB.


So yeah, with a prevailing wind it's not out of the question that the Cards get 7 wins. Really all depends on when Kyler comes back and how good he is when he's back.

If we get 2021 Kyler then 7 wins would be pretty straightforward I think. If we get 2022 Kyler then nope.

Jones has actually been pretty good ever since he fixed his problem of getting strip sacked once per game. The stats aren't there but I blame that on his big WR signing being Kenny Golladay.

 

[slanidrac16]

The Giants went 9-7 last year and made the playoffs. What was so great about that team?

Jones, ugh.

Receivers - Slayton led the team. Richie James, Hodgins, Sills, Robinson, Bellinger at TE. Huge bag of ugh.

KT and Ojulari had 9 sacks between them.

No stars at DB or LB, just a bunch of ok guys.

Only real good or great guys on the team were Thomas at LT. Lawrence and Leonard at DT. And Barkley at RB.


So yeah, with a prevailing wind it's not out of the question that the Cards get 7 wins. Really all depends on when Kyler comes back and how good he is when he's back.

If we get 2021 Kyler then 7 wins would be pretty straightforward I think. If we get 2022 Kyler then nope.

I think our style of play may keep games close. Running the ball with conviction will go a long way to keep us competitive.
However McCoy or Tune or Blough will make it very hard to scare defenses to fear the big play. They will be able to play the run which will make it harder to run.
That’s why I was hoping for a rb that could bust a 50-60 yard run. I don’t believe we have that on this current roster. We are going to see defense playing 7 in the box, daring us to throw the ball.
If and when Kyler returns that will change things.

 

[DVontel]

They played the NFC North and AFC South.

Not to mention, he named 4 top heavy guys, which is 3 more than we currently have.

 

[Goodyear Card]

Arizona Cardinals defensive unit could use a veteran addition at cornerback

The Arizona Cardinals would benefit highly from adding an experienced cover guy to the team's extremely undermanned defensive unit.

raisingzona.com

 

[kerouac9]

Not to mention, he named 4 top heavy guys, which is 3 more than we currently have.

They were also 6-3-1 on games decided by seven points or fewer. Expect BIG regression from the Vikes and Giants this year.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Oh Cheese, not you too

Eh… there’s a 95-97% chance this team is a complete and utter abomination. But there is an okay…ish chance that maybe this coaching staff is better than last year’s dumpster fire. There was just zero composure from the jump last year starting from the second we rewarded every major failure from the end of the 2021 season with long term huge contracts. And we saw that attitude continue with a powder puff training camp and still glaring lack of discipline in preseason games. At least up till right now I don’t think EVERYONE involved with the team outside of the owners box is completely incompetent.

So I’ll step back from the 100% certainty we’ll be one of the biggest abominations ever and focus on the 3-5% we’re merely going to be bad with a extremely high and likely unobtainable feeling of 7 wins while I can. After all, doesn’t hurt to do so and we’ll prob know from halftime of game 1 what’s ultimately what here.

 

[TheCardFan]

People....we have no talent. The only way out of this is a full rebuild.
Good news - I think we have the right HC and GM to make it happen.

 

[TheCardFan]

How many of our current starters would start on other teams?

1) Healthy Kyler
2) DJ
3) Paris
4) Marquis Brown
5) Healthy Zach Ertz?

5) Budda
6) Thompson
7) Kyzir

Where are the impact players outside of Budda?

 

[Stout]

People....we have no talent. The only way out of this is a full rebuild.
Good news - I think we have the right HC and GM to make it happen.

...if we begin to participate fully in the offseason.

 

[TheCardFan]

...if we begin to participate fully in the offseason.

We don't have the foundation (solid draft picks across the team) or general talent to compete for anything right now. We don't have quality starters and our depth is bad.
Free agency isn't going to help for a couple of years...we have to build through the draft.

Bottom line - we have a roster mostly void of talent and a top 5 paid QB (ACV). You can't build a championship team that way or at least - nobody has ever done it. Why do we think we can do it?

 

[Stout]

We don't have the foundation (solid draft picks across the team) or general talent to compete for anything right now. We don't have quality starters and our depth is bad.
Free agency isn't going to help for a couple of years...we have to build through the draft.

Bottom line - we have a roster mostly void of talent and a top 5 paid QB (ACV). You can't build a championship team that way or at least - nobody has ever done it. Why do we think we can do it?

So, to be clear, you're advocating for something like a 3-4 year rebuild? Because that's a sure-fire how not to do it in the modern NFL. Turnarounds can usually happen almost immediately if you have a good FO and coaching staff. Keim and co left us in such a bad place as a team that this couldn't happen. If we do it right (and had done it right), there's no reason we couldn't have been back in the playoffs next season.

 

[SoonerLou]

Watched the 49ers game. I saw old vets like Snead and Conley out there as 3rd stringers and legit looked like they'd be much better than most of our current wrs.

 

[TheCardFan]

So, to be clear, you're advocating for something like a 3-4 year rebuild? Because that's a sure-fire how not to do it in the modern NFL. Turnarounds can usually happen almost immediately if you have a good FO and coaching staff. Keim and co left us in such a bad place as a team that this couldn't happen. If we do it right (and had done it right), there's no reason we couldn't have been back in the playoffs next season.

Bottom line - I agree. Keim left us with nothing. We have to move on.

Do you want to be mediocre/slightly competitive or do you want to win a championship?

IMO - you can't build a championship team from where we are now (lack of talent on roster) with Kyler's contract. Name one team who started with a roster like us and a top 5 paid QB who has done it.

Yes, I am advocating a complete rebuild that will take 2-3 years.

 

[Garthshort]

Just read on the Cards Wire that in both PS games our starting defense has played well. Has not given up a point. So in almost total darkness there's a glint of light.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Through two preseason games this team is about where I expected it to be. The starting units look pretty solid with some question marks. Depth remains a huge question mark.

1st Team Offense:

The starting Offense looks pretty solid. Colt McCoy is just OK but he won't take you anywhere. Still I think he can handle running the offense for a few weeks. I've been very happy with the OL play. Paris doesn't look like a rookie out there at RT. Nice to finally see a first round pick who will be able to contribute from day one! The Great Dane has really impressed me at center. I think he has locked that position down as the starter. Love his physical style of play.

James Conner looks ready to roll and I think he can be a top 15 RB in the league this year if he can stay healthy. Brown, Rondale and Wilson have looked good at WR. Again it all comes down to can they say healthy. The Jury is still out on the TEs but I think McBride has shown promise so far.

1st Team Defense:

The Starting Defense has played better than I expected. I was imagining a complete dumpster fire for this unit. They have so far shown that playing smart football as a team can cover holes on the roster. Finally getting to see White play for the first time was eye opening. Love how physical he plays and you can tell he is super comfortable in this offense. Barnes and Woods also look solid at the ILB spot.

Budda and Thompson are elite. No worries with those two out there. They already look comfortable in this new scheme. Simmons however seems to be struggling some. He looked lost at times against the Chiefs. This is obviously a make or break year for him but so far it isn't looking good.

Marco Wilson has one of the CB spots locked down IMO. The #2 spot is still up in the air IMO. I really like what I have seen with Clark as a rookie. However as I mentioned in my training camp review there will be growing pains if he is forced into starting. Hamilton may be the better short term solution. Matthew doesn't look good enough to start. Boyd is a backup at best. I am curious to see what Garrett Williams can do when he is finally healthy. Still the CB position remains one of the bigger question marks on this defense.

The pass rush was pretty much non-existent against Mahomes and the Chiefs stellar OL. Collins and Gardeck didn't generate much pressure. The few times that they did Mahomes was able to do what Mahomes does. With Thomas, BJO and Sanders missing the game with injuries it's hard to judge what they have at Edge but so far, but it clearly looks like another position of weakness. The Cardinals will have to bring more that 4 to generate a pass rush this year.

The DL, while full of no name players, looks actually decent. Ledbetter, Collier, Watkins and crew have done a pretty good job of maintaining gap discipline.


The Backups:

This is where the Cardinals are thin. I believe that the Cardinals have a pretty solid starting unit. However if one or two starters go down there just isn't much left in the cupboards to replace them. This was pretty much a known issue for this team coming off a complete rebuild. However it is probably the main reason this team won't win much more than 3 games this year. You can see how deep a Super Bowl champ like the Chiefs are. That is where Monti needs to take this team next season. Find a few more quality starters and build the depth across the board.

 

[Crimson Warrior]

Through two preseason games this team is about where I expected it to be. The starting units look pretty solid with some question marks. Depth remains a huge question mark.

1st Team Offense:

The starting Offense looks pretty solid. Colt McCoy is just OK but he won't take you anywhere. Still I think he can handle running the offense for a few weeks. I've been very happy with the OL play. Paris doesn't look like a rookie out there at RT. Nice to finally see a first round pick who will be able to contribute from day one! The Great Dane has really impressed me at center. I think he has locked that position down as the starter. Love his physical style of play.

James Conner looks ready to roll and I think he can be a top 15 RB in the league this year if he can stay healthy. Brown, Rondale and Wilson have looked good at WR. Again it all comes down to can they say healthy. The Jury is still out on the TEs but I think McBride has shown promise so far.

1st Team Defense:

The Starting Defense has played better than I expected. I was imagining a complete dumpster fire for this unit. They have so far shown that playing smart football as a team can cover holes on the roster. Finally getting to see White play for the first time was eye opening. Love how physical he plays and you can tell he is super comfortable in this offense. Barnes and Woods also look solid at the ILB spot.

Budda and Thompson are elite. No worries with those two out there. They already look comfortable in this new scheme. Simmons however seems to be struggling some. He looked lost at times against the Chiefs. This is obviously a make or break year for him but so far it isn't looking good.

Marco Wilson has one of the CB spots locked down IMO. The #2 spot is still up in the air IMO. I really like what I have seen with Clark as a rookie. However as I mentioned in my training camp review there will be growing pains if he is forced into starting. Hamilton may be the better short term solution. Matthew doesn't look good enough to start. Boyd is a backup at best. I am curious to see what Garrett Williams can do when he is finally healthy. Still the CB position remains one of the bigger question marks on this defense.

The pass rush was pretty much non-existent against Mahomes and the Chiefs stellar OL. Collins and Gardeck didn't generate much pressure. The few times that they did Mahomes was able to do what Mahomes does. With Thomas, BJO and Sanders missing the game with injuries it's hard to judge what they have at Edge but so far, but it clearly looks like another position of weakness. The Cardinals will have to bring more that 4 to generate a pass rush this year.

The DL, while full of no name players, looks actually decent. Ledbetter, Collier, Watkins and crew have done a pretty good job of maintaining gap discipline.


The Backups:

This is where the Cardinals are thin. I believe that the Cardinals have a pretty solid starting unit. However if one or two starters go down there just isn't much left in the cupboards to replace them. This was pretty much a known issue for this team coming off a complete rebuild. However it is probably the main reason this team won't win much more than 3 games this year. You can see how deep a Super Bowl champ like the Chiefs are. That is where Monti needs to take this team next season. Find a few more quality starters and build the depth across the board.

Thanks MCD! Nice Write up!

Agree with most, especially your take on the oline.

Ingram looks he should be upgraded to a "maybe" in terms of being a meaningful contributor for this year. Very impressed with his running last night, and there's a little hope for the RB room now.

So what may hold us back on offense is the WR Corp. It's going to be H. Brown, ?, and ?. It's a passing league, and after Brown we don't have anybody proven at WR. Also, we have an aging Ertz and then just hope at TE. Not good!