The Cardinals, Better or Worse this year?

[Catfish]

Everyone has an opinion, here's mine.

THE OFFENSE:

Last year the Offense began very slowly due to the shuffling of players from the Whiz era, and the depth and complicity of the playbook under Bruce Arians. Suffice it to say that the playbook will not be hampering the Offense this year, and with Palmer, Ellington, Fitzgerald, and Floyd all settled in, the playbook will be a big help instead of a hurdle to learn and overcome.

The O-line will be solid from the start, (on the left side). Look for Watford to win out over Faniaka at RG, and Massie to win RT over Sowell. That should be the case after TC, and make no mistake about it, this line will be very strong and athletic, unlike those we have been accustomed to.

With Ginn and Brown spelling each other as speed receivers, Palmer should have a fresh one taking double coverage away from Fitz and Floyd every passing play.

I don't expect much from Housler, but the other TE's should be formidable as blockers, and the new guy from ND should be a treasure for Palmer in the red zone.

This offense is poised to put a whole lot of points on the board this year, and help keep the defense off the field for considerable periods of time. There should be no comparison of this group to last years offense, and I expect them to come out the door scoring.

DEFENSE:

While a lot of people are lamenting how far back the defense will be compare to last year, I am not nearly so concerned about that. Yes, both Dansby and Washington will be missed-----but our defensive front will only be stronger, especially after Ta'amu returns. The depth will be formidable as well.

The defensive secondary looks to be very formidable too, especially after the Honey Badger returns. With Peterson, and Cromartie at the corners, and at some point, (hopefully soon), Bucannan should join them and form one of the better secondaries in the league. This should mitigate some of the coverage provided on TE's by Dansby or D-Wash last year.

I look for our OLB corps to be very deep and fairly talented. At ILB, Minter should be a tackling machine. He is an excellent wrap-up tackler. I am also sure that he will be given help with additional ILB's brought in before the start of the season, and a body might even move from OLB to ILB. In any event, this defense should be very adept at containing the QB and the RB of the opponent, and if the secondary covers like it seems, then our entire defense should be adequate against the pass, and strong against the run.

SPECIAL TEAMS:

I have a sneaking suspicion that Feely will once again win the place kicking job. I don't know if they keep another guy for kick-offs, but that is not out of the realm of possibility. (Remember that the league has authorized an additional player to be activated on Game Days this year), and that could make carrying both a field goal specialist, and a strong legged kickoff guy possible for this team. Just a thought.

I look for special teams to be significantly improved from last year.

OVERALL:

I can see the Offense more than making up for any decline in the Defense, (which should be quite stout). Improved Special Teams play should make for much better field position than last year's penchant for putting our Defense in a hole from the start. I look for this Cardinals Team to compete at least evenly with both Seattle, and San Francisco for the division title and a playoff spot.

 

[WindCardinal]

OL: Upgraded
QB: Same
RB: Same
WR: Upgraded
TE: Upgraded
DL: Same/Slightly Upgraded
LB: Downgraded
DB: Upgraded

Id say overall better than last year with the exception of Linebacker

 

[juza76]

With the loss of daryl is pretty impossible the defense would play the same level of last year.

 

[Catfish]

With the loss of daryl is pretty impossible the defense would play the same level of last year.

Never said they would. I said they should play the run, and contain the QB very well. What we lost in covering the TE's because of Dansby and D-Wash's loss, might just be countered by the better secondary play that we would expect to see with HB, returning to health, and Bucannan becoming a starter pretty soon.

Our defense will not be lame or porous, it will simply be different. Our line-backing corps will have to rely on contain at the line of scrimmage, rather than sacks for loss against the QB and RB they face.

 

[Duckjake]

With the loss of daryl is pretty impossible the defense would play the same level of last year.

I agree. But you are talking to serious Kool Aid drinkers. Palmer could go down, Dockett could get arrested, Campbell could leave to join a commune, Peterson could quit to go play LaCrosse, Valdeer could go join the UFC, Floyd could become a Priest, and there would be posters here who would claim it was no big deal and the Cards were still in contention in the NFC West.

Losing Dansby and DWash on Defense is akin to losing Fitzgerald and Floyd on offense. It is going to take some serious work to replace those guys. I just don't see any Karlos Dansbys or John Abrahams on the free agent market. But who knows?

I'm just disappointed that DWeed has brought us back to wishing and hoping.

 

[Cardsfanstl]

Loss of both Dansby and Dwash hurt us badly. Is it the end of the world? No. Now we find out what the FO saw in Minter.

 

[jbeecham]

The offensive line will be better this year, but it will probably take them a few games (3-4) into the regular season to really gel. We'll likely have 4 new starters on the OL and OTAs, training camp & pre-season just don't prepare you like real game action will. Hopefully I'm wrong, but I see us struggling offensively early on in run blocking & pass protection.

The defense is taking a step back & there are a lot of unknowns when we're counting on rookies or unproven players to take the place of guys like Dwash, Dansby & Bell. Cromartie should be an improvement if he's healthy, but he's going to be tested a lot as teams stay away from PP. Hopefully Bethel, McCann & Powers have made some strides because we're going to need them for more than just special teams. I expect to see honey badger playing a lot of nickel corner with Rashad Johnson at S.

There should be some improvement because the majority of the players know the playbook & strategies on both sides of the ball this year (and can help teach the new guys), but we're already having to go to the "next man up" strategy & we haven't even been hit with any injuries yet. We need to get lucky & pick up a quality ILB that ends up being a cap casualty (or 2). Having CB quality depth would be nice too.

 

[speedy]

Not trying to be a darksider or debbie downer, but we lost 2 pro-bowl quality LB's on the inside. Get real here; its gonna hurt. I have confidence in this staff, but the defense is going to have to figure out a new identity. Last year we crushed the run game, and both Los and Dwash made a TON of plays in the flats and backfield… We will see. But the biggest strength of the team just became the weakest link...

 

[Cardsfanstl]

Not trying to be a darksider or debbie downer, but we lost 2 pro-bowl quality LB's on the inside. Get real here; its gonna hurt. I have confidence in this staff, but the defense is going to have to figure out a new identity. Last year we crushed the run game, and both Los and Dwash made a TON of plays in the flats and backfield… We will see. But the biggest strength of the team just became the weakest link...

What he said!!!

 

[SissyBoyFloyd]

We are done as far as winning our division goes. Our schedule is tough, so I will not be surprised to see us fall back to an 8-8 team. And that even depends on what other losses we might get in pre-season which always seems to hurt us.

 

[GatorAZ]

Said 9-7 before the D-Wash suspension but wasn't factoring in Badger's rehab. I think Vegas has us at 7 wins which sounds like a solid number. Defense will be worse and I have no faith in Carson Palmer's decision-making.

 

[conraddobler]

The Cardinal curse is up and fully running.

Countdown begins until it drags Bruce A under the water and another promising HC goes under the waves wondering why me lord?

Face it this organization is cursed with losing, it's in their DNA, it's infested within at a core level that defies fixing.

I've seen this movie before.

Coach comes in, coach makes changes, coach experiences some success and the inertia of the curse or just how this organization roles begins the slow grind of assassinating all hope.

Everyone thinks they can fix it, everyone says the same things.

We will carry on, we will just have to work with what we have, one heartbeat, pie, moxie, and now....................

Fill in the blank she's rolling over.

 

[Snakester]

To me I think we are still a 10-6 team. With D-Weed I thought we could go 11-5. This team is still very talented and we have a very good coaching staff. I believe the improvement we will see on offense will offset our losses on defense. I also think we will pick up a decent inside linebacker before the season starts. I still think it will take about four games before the team gels. We have to at least go 3-3 in our division to have a chance at the playoffs. Hopefully we stay healthy and have a good start to the season.

 

[Garthshort]

Catfish, what you wrote is pretty much what we're all hoping will happen. But it does make sense. I think that Wind is wrong about the RB situation, provided AE can hold up with the increased work load. So I'm saying that it will all come down to how CP plays. He'll have improved protection, and better receivers, when you throw in the TE's and rookie draft picks. So in my mind, CP will have no excuses. The BIG problem at ILB should allow Todd Bowles, if he can scheme around it, to earn a Ready Now rating for a HC job. JMO.

 

[Catfish]

Catfish, what you wrote is pretty much what we're all hoping will happen. But it does make sense. I think that Wind is wrong about the RB situation, provided AE can hold up with the increased work load. So I'm saying that it will all come down to how CP plays. He'll have improved protection, and better receivers, when you throw in the TE's and rookie draft picks. So in my mind, CP will have no excuses. The BIG problem at ILB should allow Todd Bowles, if he can scheme around it, to earn a Ready Now rating for a HC job. JMO.

Carson Palmer himself has said that this offense is light years ahead of where they were last year this time. That is mostly due to players knowing the playbook. When you add the athleticism that projects to this new O-line, the run game gets much better. Now add the new receivers with speed, (Ginn and Brown), and the red zone threat TE, (Nicklas), and we look to be very sound offensively.

Defense loses two pro-bowl quality ILB's and that does hurt. But Foote and Minter should be adequate starting in the middle. Remember, much of Dansby's production came because of the strength of our D-line. He did not compare in Miami, and will be hard pressed to repeat last year's performance in Cleveland. Therefore the defensive front and middle should be adequate overall. The D-secondary looks to be very strong after Mathieu and Buchanan get lined out, and should take up some of the coverage slack. Our D should be middle of the road overall.

With ST's being better, we should not be giving away field position. I look for us to be competitive with the best.

 

[MrYeahBut]

Pretty much everyone is optimistic, including me, about Cooper helping tremendously on the OL. I have yet to see him play a down as of yet.

All I can do is hope at this point.

 

[REDRUMRUNNER]

I look for our OLB corps to be very deep and fairly talented. At ILB, Minter should be a tackling machine. He is an excellent wrap-up tackler. I am also sure that he will be given help with additional ILB's brought in before the start of the season, and a body might even move from OLB to ILB. In any event, this defense should be very adept at containing the QB and the RB of the opponent, and if the secondary covers like it seems, then our entire defense should be adequate against the pass, and strong against the run.

What is the LB analysis based on? Our OLB stink, we signed no one and aside from Acho, who is mediocre and comign off injury, they are mostly scrubs. Abraham is not an OLB, he is a pass rush specialist now. Minter is slower than my grandmother.

Last year we blitzed more than any other team, we had too. Do not think last years defense was good, it wasn't, we just were able to get to the QB allot too mask our woeful secondary. In division we have one advantage aside from the 49ers no teams have great WR's, thus we may not need a great 5th DB. Unfrotuantely we face 3 top 10 running games so time of possession will not be in our favor.

 

[SissyBoyFloyd]

Our greatest weakness on D last year was our inability to cover TEs over the middle. Now without a strong ILB, will we be even worse? Or can Bucannon make up the difference? Mintor so called greatest weakness in his game is in coverage. That doesn't help. I think our opponents will easily game plan for how to beat us over the middle again and again.

For us fantasy players, feel free to pick up off FA and insert the Cardinals opposing TE in your lineup each week.

 

[Duckjake]

Our greatest weakness on D last year was our inability to cover TEs over the middle. Now without a strong ILB, will we be even worse? Or can Bucannon make up the difference? Mintor so called greatest weakness in his game is in coverage. That doesn't help. I think our opponents will easily game plan for how to beat us over the middle again and again.

For us fantasy players, feel free to pick up off FA and insert the Cardinals opposing TE in your lineup each week.

Was our defense really that great last year? Or was it just we were playing weak offenses? Only 3 of our 10 wins came against teams ranked in the top half of the NFL in scoring and we played the 30th,31st, and 32nd ranked teams in scoring.

 

[splitsecond]

No Mendenfumble = addition by subtraction. There will be frustrations on defense but our offense is immensely upgraded especially at OL and TE, which will allow the RBs and WRs to perform to their ability.

Seriously, the offense should come close to rivaling the Warner era. Should being the key.

 

[Krangodnzr]

I think we're slightly better, even with the loss of Los and DWash.

Our offensive line should be better with the addition of Veldheer, the return of Cooper and shuffling Sowell over to RT. I predict the line will be slightly better early in the year, but will be makedly better by the end of the year. Also Sowell will end up as an upgrade over Winston at RT. And yes, Sowell is probably going to beat out Massie, the coaching staff doesn't seem to be be too high on Massie.

TE has improved. Despite Kerouac's love of Jim Dray, he was a stiff and he doesn't belong in the same conversation as a healthy John Carlson. I think moving Housler out of the full time TE position is going to pay dividends; his natural fit is in the "move" TE position and he will excel having to only really worry about running pass routes. Niklas has the potential to be the best Cardinals TE in over a decade. I'm adamant about this; he is an absolute beast as a blocker and an underrated pass catcher. I think TE is a position that others aren't considering when factoring in how much this team has or has not improved. We are much better at TE with the removal of detritus such as Jim Dray and Jeff King with true quality players like Carlson and Niklas.

Running back will be better with an offseason spent gameplanning to best use Ellington and his natural progression as an NFL player. Jonathan Dwyer should be able to replicate what was lost (not much) from Mendenhall and Taylor is a good short yardage/special teamer. I expect Robert Hughes to win the 4th RB spot since he offers versatility, which Arians seems to covet at all levels of the team.

I also think some fans are discounting the prospect that Wide Receiver has been improved. I expect Mike Floyd to continue to become a good #1 WR; I think this is the year that he fully supplants Larry Fitz as the best WR on the team. And that will be good for all parties involved, since Fitz should get easier coverage matchups. I'm also excited about the team adding not one, but two speed receivers, a position that the team hasn't addressed in a very long time. Overall I think Wide Receiver is going to better.

The defense is going to take a step back early in the season, but I expect that it will still be a pretty good NFL defense. The loss of our ILBs is going to hurt, but Minter will step in and be a darn good 2 down LB and an adequate player on 3rd down. The defensive line depth has improved, and the addition of Martin will allow the team to have more 4-3 looks with Martin, Abraham, Dockett and Campbell on the defensive line. That looks really good on paper getting after QBs on third down.

The secondary is better with the addition of Cromartie and Bucannon, but likely won't be markedly better until the return of Mathieu. Rashad Johnson is an underrated, capable depth player and Bucannon is the tough guy enforcer that the secondary needed. He was a reach for most teams, but perfectly filled a need for this team and I expect that by the second half of the season, Bucannon will be a quality starter and a tonesetter for the secondary.

I unfortunately expect Feeley to win the kicking job, but will be pleasantly surprised if one of the young bucks beat him. This could be an area that we could drastically improve since Feely is a subpar kick off guy and is looking unreliable on fieldgoals. Feely is terrible, probably my least favorite Cardinal over the past few years.

This all adds up to at least maintaining our 10-6 record, with a basement of 7-9 and a ceiling of 12-4. I think the Seahawks take a step back this year down to the 11-5 range with an outside shot of falling behind the Cardinals. I think the Niners treaded water, but should be the favorites to win the West this year. The Rams look better on paper, but their overall direction as a franchise is suspect in my opinion.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I think we're slightly better, even with the loss of Los and DWash.

Our offensive line should be better with the addition of Veldheer, the return of Cooper and shuffling Sowell over to RT. I predict the line will be slightly better early in the year, but will be makedly better by the end of the year. Also Sowell will end up as an upgrade over Winston at RT. And yes, Sowell is probably going to beat out Massie, the coaching staff doesn't seem to be be too high on Massie.

TE has improved. Despite Kerouac's love of Jim Dray, he was a stiff and he doesn't belong in the same conversation as a healthy John Carlson. I think moving Housler out of the full time TE position is going to pay dividends; his natural fit is in the "move" TE position and he will excel having to only really worry about running pass routes. Niklas has the potential to be the best Cardinals TE in over a decade. I'm adamant about this; he is an absolute beast as a blocker and an underrated pass catcher. I think TE is a position that others aren't considering when factoring in how much this team has or has not improved. We are much better at TE with the removal of detritus such as Jim Dray and Jeff King with true quality players like Carlson and Niklas.

Running back will be better with an offseason spent gameplanning to best use Ellington and his natural progression as an NFL player. Jonathan Dwyer should be able to replicate what was lost (not much) from Mendenhall and Taylor is a good short yardage/special teamer. I expect Robert Hughes to win the 4th RB spot since he offers versatility, which Arians seems to covet at all levels of the team.

I also think some fans are discounting the prospect that Wide Receiver has been improved. I expect Mike Floyd to continue to become a good #1 WR; I think this is the year that he fully supplants Larry Fitz as the best WR on the team. And that will be good for all parties involved, since Fitz should get easier coverage matchups. I'm also excited about the team adding not one, but two speed receivers, a position that the team hasn't addressed in a very long time. Overall I think Wide Receiver is going to better.

The defense is going to take a step back early in the season, but I expect that it will still be a pretty good NFL defense. The loss of our ILBs is going to hurt, but Minter will step in and be a darn good 2 down LB and an adequate player on 3rd down. The defensive line depth has improved, and the addition of Martin will allow the team to have more 4-3 looks with Martin, Abraham, Dockett and Campbell on the defensive line. That looks really good on paper getting after QBs on third down.

The secondary is better with the addition of Cromartie and Bucannon, but likely won't be markedly better until the return of Mathieu. Rashad Johnson is an underrated, capable depth player and Bucannon is the tough guy enforcer that the secondary needed. He was a reach for most teams, but perfectly filled a need for this team and I expect that by the second half of the season, Bucannon will be a quality starter and a tonesetter for the secondary.

I unfortunately expect Feeley to win the kicking job, but will be pleasantly surprised if one of the young bucks beat him. This could be an area that we could drastically improve since Feely is a subpar kick off guy and is looking unreliable on fieldgoals. Feely is terrible, probably my least favorite Cardinal over the past few years.

This all adds up to at least maintaining our 10-6 record, with a basement of 7-9 and a ceiling of 12-4. I think the Seahawks take a step back this year down to the 11-5 range with an outside shot of falling behind the Cardinals. I think the Niners treaded water, but should be the favorites to win the West this year. The Rams look better on paper, but their overall direction as a franchise is suspect in my opinion.

can't disagree with too much of this, but I think the entire season rides on Carson's shoulders. he played much better football the second half of the season, but he was still relatively turnover prone. Thing was, we had a defense that seemingly could always step to the plate when those turnovers happened. This year, I fear that won't be the case. Hopefully with a full year and another off-season under his belt and an improved O-line and more weapons, Carson can cut down on those turnovers. If he can, the offense could be very, very good which would mitigate the step back I think the D will take.

Floor for me is 7-9 with a ceiling of 10-6. Likely outcome playing in the toughest division in football for me is 9-7. Hope to be proven wrong.

freaking DWashout!

 

[Phrazbit]

We just went from having probably the second best pair of ILBs in the entire league to a pair that consists of one guy with 4 career tackles and a grab bag of castoffs next to him.

I expect the defense to be worse, unless Minter is an absolute monster then I dont see how the defense cant be worse. Now, barring a Palmer injury I think the offense will be better, but I dont think it will be better enough to counter the downgrade of our once elite defense.

The good news is, outside of the division and a trip to Denver, our schedule is pretty soft.

 

[GuernseyCard]

What is the LB analysis based on? Our OLB stink, we signed no one and aside from Acho, who is mediocre and comign off injury, they are mostly scrubs. Abraham is not an OLB, he is a pass rush specialist now. Minter is slower than my grandmother.

Last year we blitzed more than any other team, we had too. Do not think last years defense was good, it wasn't, we just were able to get to the QB allot too mask our woeful secondary. In division we have one advantage aside from the 49ers no teams have great WR's, thus we may not need a great 5th DB. Unfrotuantely we face 3 top 10 running games so time of possession will not be in our favor.

Bizarre...

 

[NeverSayDieFan]

Hey, Catfish...

I tend to be more koolaider than darksider (though I often myself agreeing with their spot-on observations.)

Having been a fan since 67'...(DEAR LORD...I'M OLD!! LOL) I want to win...badly. That being said, I know winning it all is, well, "magical." So many things have to go just right....

I will say this...while we have lost "talented-players" (...and yeah, I know talent wins in this league...) Can you ever truly know what's deep down in a man's heart? How determined he is to do everything he can possibly can to help his team win?
A true "brotherhood", as I'm sure many of our military on here (THANK-YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE) will attest to, is one of the greatest forces on the face of the earth.

I believe there is a very good reason WHY the f/o is bringing into the fold various captains of teams. Good "leaders" get more out of you than you ever dreamed possible.

I expect us to be...COMPETITIVE!

...And I'm NOT settling here but...I CAN HONESTLY LIVE WITH THAT.

ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE...I'VE SEEN IT!

Mark in SC