The 6 Wins Debate

[D-Dogg]

Interesting that of the top 10 RBs in yards last season 4 were drafted in the first round and 6 in later rounds.

Meanwhile the Cards can't find a RB in any round.

Right, late round gems at running back are starting to be common. Hopefully we've finally joined that club, after taking two swings this year.

 

[HotSauce]

The path to 9 wins starts by going 3-3 in the division. You have to beat St. Louis twice and at least one other of four games between Seattle and San Francisco.

You have to beat inferior teams on the road. You just have to. With Carson Palmer, I think we should be able to beat three of Jacksonville, Tampa, Tennessee, and Philly. That's six wins.

You have to play tough at home, and sometimes outperform against equivalent or slightly superior competition. At UofP, the Cards should be able to beat three of Detroit, Carolina, Houston, and Indy. That's nine wins.

But I think it's nine wins and out of the playoffs, because I think we could go 3-1 against the AFC South, and those wins aren't as valuable, because the entire division might only lose four games against the AFC South. That division is garbage.

Count me as one not convinced that the Titans, Bucs, or Eagles are inferior. Or that 3-3 in this division is likely yet.

 

[kerouac9]

Count me as one not convinced that the Titans, Bucs, or Eagles are inferior. Or that 3-3 in this division is likely yet.

Of whom on the Tennessse Titans offense are you frightened?

Who is good on the Tampa Bay Bucanneers defense? Who rushes the passer for them?

The Philadelphia Eagles are undergoing an enormous personnel and philosophical overhaul. No one know how that experiment is going to shake out. What I do know is that the Philadelphia Eagles drafted before the Arizona Cardinals two weeks ago, and that the Arizona Cardinals have had their number in the 2010s.

I don't understand why anyone is afraid of St. Louis. Their defense is all right, I guess, but their offense lost their best player this offseason.

 

[HotSauce]

Of whom on the Tennessse Titans offense are you frightened?

Who is good on the Tampa Bay Bucanneers defense? Who rushes the passer for them?

The Philadelphia Eagles are undergoing an enormous personnel and philosophical overhaul. No one know how that experiment is going to shake out. What I do know is that the Philadelphia Eagles drafted before the Arizona Cardinals two weeks ago, and that the Arizona Cardinals have had their number in the 2010s.

I don't understand why anyone is afraid of St. Louis. Their defense is all right, I guess, but their offense lost their best player this offseason.

While I'm not sure any of this matters, I believe that the Titans may have very well formed the best OLine in the league this offseason which should get Chris Johnson back on track. And if he's on track, play action should become a significant factor for them. And Kenny Britt playing for a new contract isn't something to sneeze at, IMO.

Tampa Bay is getting St. Louisian Adrian Clayborn back from injury (7.5 sacks as rookie) and I'd guess that their defense should see an upswing with Revis taking on the opposing team's #1 WR alone, freeing up the others.

The Eagles are perhaps a bit more unknown than some others, but they still have a pretty talented rosters. One with perhaps too much speed for the defense to handle.

Didn't mention St. Louis, but I believe that they have upgraded their roster on offense as Austin > Amendola and while Jackson has the big name, he might be one of the more overrated backs in the league, IMO. Unlike Jackson, they got guys who take it to the house now.

 

[SissyBoyFloyd]

I still think we are weak at OL until these new guys prove me wrong. Of the 5 positions along the line, I still see 2 weak links. Until will solidify them once and for all, I think we will still struggle in the running game and pass protection. We have made some progress, but must finish the job of improving it next year before we can truly compete for the playoffs.

 

[Phrazbit]

I have no doubt our offense will be significantly improved but I have no clue how the defense will work out. How much of our defensive success was the players (half of which are gone) and how much was it Horton... obviously gone.

I knee jerked on the Todd Bowles hire and it was unfair to kill him for the disaster that Philly was, but even so, new coach, 3/4ths of a new secondary, star LB gone...

8-9 wins if the defense is solid...

5 wins if the D struggles.

My gut is 5 wins will be closer. Probably resemble the D from Horton's first year, bumpy at first with all the new players and tweaked system then solidifies as the season goes on.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

While I'm not sure any of this matters, I believe that the Titans may have very well formed the best OLine in the league this offseason which should get Chris Johnson back on track. And if he's on track, play action should become a significant factor for them. And Kenny Britt playing for a new contract isn't something to sneeze at, IMO.

Tampa Bay is getting St. Louisian Adrian Clayborn back from injury (7.5 sacks as rookie) and I'd guess that their defense should see an upswing with Revis taking on the opposing team's #1 WR alone, freeing up the others.

The Eagles are perhaps a bit more unknown than some others, but they still have a pretty talented rosters. One with perhaps too much speed for the defense to handle.

Didn't mention St. Louis, but I believe that they have upgraded their roster on offense as Austin > Amendola and while Jackson has the big name, he might be one of the more overrated backs in the league, IMO. Unlike Jackson, they got guys who take it to the house now.

Valid points.

And yes, correct, just making arguments here based on how teams look on paper.

The St. Louis Rams -

that is my personal litmus test for the Cardinals. I see good points on both sides of why the Cardinals should beat the Rams, and why the Rams should beat the Cardinals. It starts with getting beat by the Rams twice. Remember draft time, and my concerns with passing over Chance Warmack ? The Rams are the nightmare that pushed that belief. When somebody mentions the Rams, I think of their defensive tackles pushing our guards and center into our QB. Secondly, for as poor as the Rams look against other teams, they have our number right now. I have a hard time saying the Cardinals will sweep the Rams. It's a struggle for me to see the Cardinals going 1-1 against them. Cooper may help, I just don't think it is enough.


Titans I have as a win. It is tough, this was the team that I said, we will win this game......if we have any resemblance of an NFL offense next season.

With the Eagles and them being a wildcard, IMO, and then Panthers whom are my surprise team this year I went 50/50. The Eagles may be better then expected but we usually play them pretty well. The Panthers may not be a great team, but in non-playoff games they usually play us well. Then there are the Detroit Lions who......I just don't get the Lions, how can they always be so bad ?

The Tampa Bay Bucs are the interesting debate here though. K9 is exactly right, they have bigger questions marks for a pass rusher then the Cardinals! McCoy, a defensive tackle, is there biggest threat. Yet, the reason why I don't see the Cardinals beating the Bucs is because their secondary is very much improved with Revis, Golston, and Barron and can keep them in the game defensively....again, having a hard time seeing the Cardinals offense as "productive" after last year.

On offense, the Bucs are getting scary. Better offensive line this year, Doug Martin another year as the go to guy, the receivers, the tight ends are a little better, and I am a HUGE Josh Freeman fan. Doesn't look like a win for us, in my book

Good points on both side. I personally see 6 wins, but that means doodily squat.

As for this debate...... gotta admit I feel better about the season when I looked at the rosters of these teams a little closer. So, much roster change over that you forget the Bucs lost Michael Bennett, or that the Titans have a huge void at linebacker for them, and their pass rush is quite suspect.

I'll give you all a surprise win for next season if the Cardinals show they have an offense, the New Orleans Saints. Overrated last year, and will be even more overrated this year, IMO.

 

[Cardiac]

I'm glad that Rugby enjoys spending so much time looking at rosters and putting quality thought into his posts. Makes for superior threads that demand deeper thinking for responses.

I question that keeps bouncing around in my brain is how bad were Snyder, Colledge and Sendlein? Obviously Young, Batiste were and are hot garbage and Massie stank it up for the first 8 games. But then the light bulb goes on for Massie and Potter played far better than Young and Batiste.

So Snyder was hampered by an elbow injury all year and horrible RT play next to him for half the season. He gets cut by the new regime and then gobbled up by his old team fairly quickly. The 49ers had like 15 draft picks and still needed to bring Snyder back as at least a back up. How bad is Snyder really?

Grimm has been labeled as a horrible Oline coach by most and yet Arians was looking to bringing him and Whiz with him if he became a HC for a team not named the Cardinals. So how bad is Grimm? I'll go on record as saying I'm glad he's gone and leave it at that. This means that the Oline coaching has to improve, right? If so then the Oline play has to be better simply because the first 8 games last year it was horrific.

Both College and Sendlein have started on Olines that played in the SB, so did Levi for that matter. This tells me they aren't hot garbage and can start on an NFL team. So those 3 start along with Massie and now Cooper and that means upgrade....right?

Now factor in a legit NFL QB and the Oline will at least play a little better, right? A QB who can complete passes and dump the ball off quicker and scare teams at least a little bit with the long ball should stop teams from putting 8 to 9 defenders in the box. This should improve a run game that was hampered not only by the lack of a quality RB but also little threat of a passing game.

A QB who can actually read a defense and throw an accurate ball will generate more first downs, help with the time of possession and actually score some points will also help the D.

QB -HUGE upgrade
RB - Upgrade. Yes it's mostly on paper but an Injured Beanie and Williams makes it a slam dunk the position is upgraded.
OL - Upgrade. Cooper in of himself improves the line.
WR - Great unit so I'll play it safe and say push. Forget that, having a legit QB means we get far more production from this unit.
TE - With a legit QB and a HC who loves to use the position expect more production from this unit.

Dline- Upgrade. CC and DD allowed to play to their strenghts and the depth just got younger and better.
OLBer - At best a push and the glaring hole on the D side of the ball.
ILBer - Upgraded big time. I'll just hitch my wagon to Rugby's post.
CB - At least a push at this time.
Safety - Losing ADub did hurt. Rhodes will be missed. Thing is Rashad was starting to make some plays last year. Didn't he have a couple of picks when his playing time was expanded? Probably one of the reasons why the FO felt they could cut the pricey Safety tandem.

Why I see more than 6 wins and will dissapointed with less than 8 is the change in coaching staff and FO. Arians proved last year he knows how to use rookies. He will do so with this years crop and that means more wins, especially coupled with a legit NFL QB.

 

[Duckjake]

I'm glad that Rugby enjoys spending so much time looking at rosters and putting quality thought into his posts. Makes for superior threads that demand deeper thinking for responses.

I question that keeps bouncing around in my brain is how bad were Snyder, Colledge and Sendlein? Obviously Young, Batiste were and are hot garbage and Massie stank it up for the first 8 games. But then the light bulb goes on for Massie and Potter played far better than Young and Batiste.

So Snyder was hampered by an elbow injury all year and horrible RT play next to him for half the season. He gets cut by the new regime and then gobbled up by his old team fairly quickly. The 49ers had like 15 draft picks and still needed to bring Snyder back as at least a back up. How bad is Snyder really?

Grimm has been labeled as a horrible Oline coach by most and yet Arians was looking to bringing him and Whiz with him if he became a HC for a team not named the Cardinals. So how bad is Grimm? I'll go on record as saying I'm glad he's gone and leave it at that. This means that the Oline coaching has to improve, right? If so then the Oline play has to be better simply because the first 8 games last year it was horrific.

Both College and Sendlein have started on Olines that played in the SB, so did Levi for that matter. This tells me they aren't hot garbage and can start on an NFL team. So those 3 start along with Massie and now Cooper and that means upgrade....right?

Now factor in a legit NFL QB and the Oline will at least play a little better, right? A QB who can complete passes and dump the ball off quicker and scare teams at least a little bit with the long ball should stop teams from putting 8 to 9 defenders in the box. This should improve a run game that was hampered not only by the lack of a quality RB but also little threat of a passing game.

A QB who can actually read a defense and throw an accurate ball will generate more first downs, help with the time of possession and actually score some points will also help the D.

QB -HUGE upgrade
RB - Upgrade. Yes it's mostly on paper but an Injured Beanie and Williams makes it a slam dunk the position is upgraded.
OL - Upgrade. Cooper in of himself improves the line.
WR - Great unit so I'll play it safe and say push. Forget that, having a legit QB means we get far more production from this unit.
TE - With a legit QB and a HC who loves to use the position expect more production from this unit.

Dline- Upgrade. CC and DD allowed to play to their strenghts and the depth just got younger and better.
OLBer - At best a push and the glaring hole on the D side of the ball.
ILBer - Upgraded big time. I'll just hitch my wagon to Rugby's post.
CB - At least a push at this time.
Safety - Losing ADub did hurt. Rhodes will be missed. Thing is Rashad was starting to make some plays last year. Didn't he have a couple of picks when his playing time was expanded? Probably one of the reasons why the FO felt they could cut the pricey Safety tandem.

Why I see more than 6 wins and will dissapointed with less than 8 is the change in coaching staff and FO. Arians proved last year he knows how to use rookies. He will do so with this years crop and that means more wins, especially coupled with a legit NFL QB.

I agree with most of the above but not the Dline. I think its an area of concern actually. When Dockett and CC were allowed to play to their strengths the Defense was terrible. Now we not only have several new players who need time to adjust to playing together we also have a new DC with little experience as a coordinator. Of course the last time we picked up a secondary coach to be our DC it worked out really well.

Well at least a couple of us think it did. Most of the board claimed he was overrated. But only after he left.

 

[BigRedArk]

RBs even as unknow as they all are. I think Wells was flat out bad, and we have a full stable of potential this yea. Upgrade imo.

I disagree. Based on this:

IndividualRecordsThrough2011

RUSHING YARDS (All 100–yard games) 228 ��Beanie Wells at St� Louis, Nov� 27, 2011 (27 carries)

Here's the link from where i got this from:

http://prod.static.cardinals.clubs.nfl.com/assets/docs/2012/IndividualRecordsThrough2011.pdf

 

[BigRedArk]

OLB/Rush Linebackers: Sam Acho, Lorenzo Alexander, Alex Okafor, O'Brien Schofield, Dan Giordano
Diagnosis: No scheme, no pass rush, no good. Second only to the offensive line when it comes to holding this team back.

I dunno. That is a suspect line of pass rushers. Sam Acho and Alex Okafor (unless he is a HUGE surprise) are better all around linebacker types. A few sacks here and there, but better in coverage, against the run, and will make big plays but not so much sacks. Lorenzon Alexander ? There is a lot of hype about this guy, but he is a career special teams guy with a crazy NFL background. Once a defensive lineman, and then a 4-3 DE, and now a OLBer. He is a good athlete and verstile, but is he an answer to rush the passer as a starter in the NFL, as a OLBer in a 3-4 ? That is A LOT to expect out of a player who is 29 years old and never had more then 58 tackles or 2.5 sacks in a season. O'Brien Schofield is a huge question mark. At best he will be what we saw last year, but that is not too much to hang your hat on, and again IF he is as good as he was last year. He got hurt....again....last season and has to come back from that injury. If it were not for the lack of depth, and talent at this position he would have been cut this offseason. Schofield is in the final year of his contact, that could be a good thing, but again he is a HUGE question mark just to be status quo. Yeah, you know it! I add Dan Giordano cause I really like this kid. He is an UDFA and I may look very foolish a few months from now if/when he is cut early, but the potential is there. He is a Kyle Vanden-Bosch type with a high motor, high effort, and big time attitude. He has only played DE in colledge but if he makes the roster it is because he can get after the QB.

Thus while there is a big time question on whether this unit will do what it needs to, the reality is, on paper we have two solid OLB'ers who lack pass rushing ability. We have two big, huge, enormous question marks in Alexander and Schofield and a long short UDFA. Not to say they can't live up to potential, but the odds are stacked against them.


Inside Linebacker: Daryl Washington, Karlos Dansby, Jasper Brinkley, Kevin Minter, Reggie Walker
Diagnosis: Dansby pulls it all together. This position has improved greatly

When a team brings in three guys that are better then one of the better players at the position last year it is going to be an improvement. After bashing the heck out of the guy, I am a huge Reggie Walker fan. Reggie Walker can play and start in this league. He won't be doing so for this team however. Jasper Brinkley and Kevin Minter are going to be that "Gerald Hayes" role in the 3-4. Big, strong, stock, extremely good between the tackles and against the run. Brinkley will be the stop gap, and Minter will be the future of the position. My hope is that Reggie Walker can be the depth guy behind Minter in the future. This will be something we have lacked in the past. Lenon and Steward Bradley were battling against Reggie Walker last year, and would be behind Brinkley and Minter if still on the team. Remember being weak against the run ? Well, remember it because it won't be the case this year.

Now onto the position of strength. Daryl Washington is a stud. He smoked pot, and has women problems. I am not touching that situation cause I am not one to judge those two things. On the field Washington is a beast, but with him gone for four games what are the Cardinals going to do ? Hello, Karlos Dansby. Dansby solidifies the position, and not only does he do that. When Washington comes back ? Our nickel package is going to be the envy of the league. Dansby is a very good coverage linebacker, and so is Washington. They can keep up with TE's and running backs. They can run with those athletic QB's, and what is best is Dansby has the size that Washington doesn't and will hold up better against the run if out on the field with just Washington. This group can really help out the whole defensive and bring Todd Bowles defense to the level of yester year.

Good stuff RM!

As far as OLB goes I have a "what if" question. What if....Dansby is nearly as good or as good at WILB ss hew was before he left for Miami while Darrell Washington is out for his 4 game suspension and is approved to return for the 5th game. Is there a chance that DWash could move to WOLB next to Los at WILB? If not why couldn't he?

 

[Duckjake]

Good stuff RM!

As far as OLB goes I have a "what if" question. What if....Dansby is nearly as good or as good at WILB ss hew was before he left for Miami while Darrell Washington is out for his 4 game suspension and is approved to return for the 5th game. Is there a chance that DWash could move to WOLB next to Los at WILB? If not why couldn't he?

Dansby would be the better candidate to move outside at 6'5" 250. Dansby is an extremely versatile LB. The Cards could probably move him to SILB when Washington comes back and still have a solid defense.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Dansby would be the better candidate to move outside at 6'5" 250. Dansby is an extremely versatile LB. The Cards could probably move him to SILB when Washington comes back and still have a solid defense.

I cannot think of one good reason why Dansby should not be out there with Washington as much as possible

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Snyder and Colledge can play the role of weakest link on a good offensive line pretty well.

I would not be surprised if Colledge "looks better" at right guard this year.

BTW, it looks like the Cardinals are happy with Sendlein.

 

[Phrazbit]

I disagree. Based on this:

IndividualRecordsThrough2011

RUSHING YARDS (All 100–yard games) 228 ��Beanie Wells at St� Louis, Nov� 27, 2011 (27 carries)

Here's the link from where i got this from:

http://prod.static.cardinals.clubs.nfl.com/assets/docs/2012/IndividualRecordsThrough2011.pdf

One moment of brilliance does not set aside several seasons of poor play and injuries. Last year he could not cut... at all. He was a slow, straight line runner. Now we're hearing that his knee is basically toast. Two months after being released he still has not found a job.

I would not be surprised if he never plays again.

I have no doubt our running back situation is improved, just for the fact we have options, while last year all we had was injuries.

 

[BigRedArk]

I cannot think of one good reason why Dansby should not be out there with Washington as much as possible

My thoughts exactly RM!

 

[BigRedArk]

One moment of brilliance does not set aside several seasons of poor play and injuries. Last year he could not cut... at all. He was a slow, straight line runner. Now we're hearing that his knee is basically toast. Two months after being released he still has not found a job.

I would not be surprised if he never plays again.

I have no doubt our running back situation is improved, just for the fact we have options, while last year all we had was injuries.

Perhaps I misread Beerz meaning in his statement about the RB's. I read it that he was saying that Wells was flat out bad. I took that to mean for his entire career as an Arizona Cardinal and I disagree with that.

Yes he was flat out bad last year. That isn't news. However he was good his Rookie year and he helped us win some games. Could he have been better his R year? Yeah. He started off slow and had to overcome some injuries.

Yes, I wish would've been better at pass protection. Also a better receiver out of the backfield. He left something to be desired in both of those areas.

Beanie Wells had more than one moment of brilliance as an Arizona Cardinal however. He punished a few would-be tacklers with that great stiff-arm of his. Go ask the NY Giants when we upset them 24-17 in the last game they played each other in the old Giants stadium (I think that was the name of it) in NJ. the date was 10-25-09. IIRC it was a Sunday Night game. Beanie punished some unfortunate DB on the Giants on a TD run at the end of the game w/ a GREAT stiff arm as he took it to the end zone. Without him I am not sure we win that game. I have been following this team since the mid 60's and ANYTIME the Cards beat the Giants it is a big win. Beating them at home in their last year of playing in that old stadium, that was an automatic W for the Giants nearly every time we went there, was a HUGE win! Beanie played a BIG part in us getting that W.

Also he had a great game against the Packers in the playoff game in our 51-45 win against the Packers in the playoffs too. Without him do we win that game? Maybe Maybe not. He had a good game and as the score indicated every point was crucial.

It sounds as though one of your criticism's of Beanie is his lack of longevity? Well he played about the average # of years for a RB. I wish he could've played longer. I wish he would've contributed more last year. I'm not gonna criticize him for the fact that it looks like his career may be over. He has a lot of company with him in that. That happens all the time in the NFL among RB's,

 

[Duckjake]

Perhaps I misread Beerz meaning in his statement about the RB's. I read it that he was saying that Wells was flat out bad. I took that to mean for his entire career as an Arizona Cardinal and I disagree with that.

Yes he was flat out bad last year. That isn't news. However he was good his Rookie year and he helped us win some games. Could he have been better his R year? Yeah. He started off slow and had to overcome some injuries.

Yes, I wish would've been better at pass protection. Also a better receiver out of the backfield. He left something to be desired in both of those areas.

Beanie Wells had more than one moment of brilliance as an Arizona Cardinal however. He punished a few would-be tacklers with that great stiff-arm of his. Go ask the NY Giants when we upset them 24-17 in the last game they played each other in the old Giants stadium (I think that was the name of it) in NJ. the date was 10-25-09. IIRC it was a Sunday Night game. Beanie punished some unfortunate DB on the Giants on a TD run at the end of the game w/ a GREAT stiff arm as he took it to the end zone. Without him I am not sure we win that game. I have been following this team since the mid 60's and ANYTIME the Cards beat the Giants it is a big win. Beating them at home in their last year of playing in that old stadium, that was an automatic W for the Giants nearly every time we went there, was a HUGE win! Beanie played a BIG part in us getting that W.

Also he had a great game against the Packers in the playoff game in our 51-45 win against the Packers in the playoffs too. Without him do we win that game? Maybe Maybe not. He had a good game and as the score indicated every point was crucial.

It sounds as though one of your criticism's of Beanie is his lack of longevity? Well he played about the average # of years for a RB. I wish he could've played longer. I wish he would've contributed more last year. I'm not gonna criticize him for the fact that it looks like his career may be over. He has a lot of company with him in that. That happens all the time in the NFL among RB's,

Very well stated. Beanie Wells was a victim of circumstances playing for a coach who thought running the ball was against the rules and changing Offensive Guards every season was a requirement of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. However, he did get tripped up more than any RB I ever saw and that really held him back from being a top line runner. He wasn't Ottis Anderson but neither was he Leland McElroy.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Very well stated. Beanie Wells was a victim of circumstances playing for a coach who thought running the ball was against the rules and changing Offensive Guards every season was a requirement of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. However, he did get tripped up more than any RB I ever saw and that really held him back from being a top line runner. He wasn't Ottis Anderson but neither was he Leland McElroy.

Wells had promise that his body couldn't deliver.

 

[Cardiac]

I agree with most of the above but not the Dline. I think its an area of concern actually. When Dockett and CC were allowed to play to their strengths the Defense was terrible. Now we not only have several new players who need time to adjust to playing together we also have a new DC with little experience as a coordinator. Of course the last time we picked up a secondary coach to be our DC it worked out really well.

Well at least a couple of us think it did. Most of the board claimed he was overrated. But only after he left.

I do share your concern about Bowles and believe Horton is a Defensive mastermind. So we are where we are now and look forward to seeing how DD & CC can get up field and blow up plays. It could open the flood gates to the running game or hopefully not.

Dansby would be the better candidate to move outside at 6'5" 250. Dansby is an extremely versatile LB. The Cards could probably move him to SILB when Washington comes back and still have a solid defense.

Agree.

I cannot think of one good reason why Dansby should not be out there with Washington as much as possible

Agree.

 

[Chopper0080]

I agree with K9 and Rugby that the Rams will be the test as that team is really staring at a step back season.

Bradford has been underwhelming at times. Some say this is because of a lack of weapons, but losing Amendola didn't help.

They lost Steven Jackson who was a physical presence their team depended on. He is gone and they didn't replace him.

Amendola is a big loss because he had a great repoire with Bradford. Adding Cook and Austin look great on paper, but in reality, they come with huge question marks. Cook is a liability in the run game and only showed flashes with the Titans. Austin is very small, and will struggle with the physicality of the NFL. His developmental curve will dictate the effectiveness of the Rams passing game.

The Rams defense is good, but if you can limit their front 4, they become limited because of talent. S is a big issue for the Rams.

We will see, because obviously the Cardinals have issues as well. However, if we can get production out of our offensive line, our offense has all of the pieces to become a very dangerous unit. We have the running backs to produce a decent running game though not a dynamic one on paper. Our wide receivers are as talented as any in the NFL thanks to Fitzgerald and have the potential to create huge issues for any secondary in the NFL. Again, we will see.

 

[Totally_Red]

I agree with K9 and Rugby that the Rams will be the test as that team is really staring at a step back season.

Bradford has been underwhelming at times. Some say this is because of a lack of weapons, but losing Amendola didn't help.

They lost Steven Jackson who was a physical presence their team depended on. He is gone and they didn't replace him.

Amendola is a big loss because he had a great repoire with Bradford. Adding Cook and Austin look great on paper, but in reality, they come with huge question marks. Cook is a liability in the run game and only showed flashes with the Titans. Austin is very small, and will struggle with the physicality of the NFL. His developmental curve will dictate the effectiveness of the Rams passing game.

The Rams defense is good, but if you can limit their front 4, they become limited because of talent. S is a big issue for the Rams.

We will see, because obviously the Cardinals have issues as well. However, if we can get production out of our offensive line, our offense has all of the pieces to become a very dangerous unit. We have the running backs to produce a decent running game though not a dynamic one on paper. Our wide receivers are as talented as any in the NFL thanks to Fitzgerald and have the potential to create huge issues for any secondary in the NFL. Again, we will see.

The Rams are an interesting week one opponent. I am very curious to see how well BA's offense does against a solid defense. As you mentioned, I wonder how the Ram safeties will play against BA's home-run offense and whether the Cardinal O-line can hold up.

 

[BigRedArk]

Very well stated. Beanie Wells was a victim of circumstances playing for a coach who thought running the ball was against the rules and changing Offensive Guards every season was a requirement of the Collective Bargaining Agreement. However, he did get tripped up more than any RB I ever saw and that really held him back from being a top line runner. He wasn't Ottis Anderson but neither was he Leland McElroy.

Very well stated yourself Duck! You nailed it because Beanie was a victim as you described.

Also how could I forget him tripping over his own feet all-too-often? There was plenty to gripe about when it came to Beanie Wells. It is too easy to forget all the good stuff he did for us too though.

 

[Duckjake]

Very well stated yourself Duck! You nailed it because Beanie was a victim as you described.

Also how could I forget him tripping over his own feet all-too-often? There was plenty to gripe about when it came to Beanie Wells. It is too easy to forget all the good stuff he did for us too though.

Still hard to believe the Cards were dead last in rushing attempts 4 of the last 5 years including the 2008-2009 playoff seasons.

Whisenhunt's rankings: 25th, 32nd, 32nd, 32nd, 28th, 32nd. Maybe he thought the 11th commandment was "Thall shall not run."

 

[Mulli]

I went with 4-12 for the second straight year, so when they go 5-11, it will be an achievement.