The Cardinals, Better or Worse this year?

[Mitch]

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

I am with you, Mark. So is Fish! Team is what it takes.

 

[HotSauce]

While you are what your record says you are, I still think a team can actually be better than they were the year before, but have a worse record.

 

[Darkside]

While you are what your record says you are, I still think a team can actually be better than they were the year before, but have a worse record.

This is exactly along the lines of what I was getting ready to post. I think we're a significantly better team but I'm not sure we'll win 10 games this year. Our schedule is a lot tougher than last year. And frankly I think we caught some teams by surprise last year.

That being said, I do think we're significantly better this year. I even believe our offense can mitigate some of the damage of losing Dwash by improving time of possession and limiting defensive snaps. Still though, I think we have a tough schedule.

 

[Cardiac]

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.

Don't have the dislike for Feely as you but agree I hope someone beats him out.

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.

GREAT post and agree with 99% of it.

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!

Agree with this as well.

We need a poll on what should be DWash's new nickname.

DWashout.

DWeed.

DWaste.

I think DWeed has the better "ring" to it but DWaste covers the entire thought process better.

DWashout is right there with DWaste so...........

At this time I think DWashout is the best because it contains the DWash but then finishes it with the proper sentiment.

 

[Buckybird]

I think over all talent wise we're slightly better, but the loss of 2 stud athletic ILB's will be a huge loss defensively.

The schedule is tougher & all 3 division teams improved as well. As cheese said the whole season is gonna be on Carson's right arm & unless he plays lights out I don't see any chance at a playoff berth.

 

[Duckjake]

I think over all talent wise we're slightly better, but the loss of 2 stud athletic ILB's will be a huge loss defensively.

The schedule is tougher & all 3 division teams improved as well. As cheese said the whole season is gonna be on Carson's right arm & unless he plays lights out I don't see any chance at a playoff berth.

I'm just glad we have Palmer instead of Kolb and Skelton. Despite his flaws he is so much better than those two I can almost bet the over.

My biggest concern is that we are now weak at Safety and really weak at ILB. The middle of our pass defense. I thought we were weak at Safety last year and the Cards did drop from 5th in Pass yards allowed to 14th. So how Bowles responds will be critical.

On the other hand we seem to actually have coaches on offense who seem to know what they are doing and more than anything else Russ Grimm is still gone. So who knows? Could be a good year could be bad. Sad, because if we hadn't lost DWeed and Dan$by it could have been great.

 

[Buckybird]

I'm just glad we have Palmer instead of Kolb and Skelton. Despite his flaws he is so much better than those two I can almost bet the over.

My biggest concern is that we are now weak at Safety and really weak at ILB. The middle of our pass defense. I thought we were weak at Safety last year and the Cards did drop from 5th in Pass yards allowed to 14th. So how Bowles responds will be critical.

On the other hand we seem to actually have coaches on offense who seem to know what they are doing and more than anything else Russ Grimm is still gone. So who knows? Could be a good year could be bad. Sad, because if we hadn't lost DWeed and Dan$by it could have been great.

Spot on Texan!

I'm worried about our safeties as well, especially when we might have a Sooner starting early on. I don't think the Pot Badger plays in the 1st half of the season either, so that could be another blow.

If we still have issues at safety & still can't cover TEs along with swing & screen passes out of the backfield because of our LBs, we might be in deep doodoo. But hey, we've won games 31-28 before

 

[Cheesebeef]

GREAT post and agree with 99% of it.



Agree with this as well.

We need a poll on what should be DWash's new nickname.

DWashout.

DWeed.

DWaste.

I think DWeed has the better "ring" to it but DWaste covers the entire thought process better.

DWashout is right there with DWaste so...........

At this time I think DWashout is the best because it contains the DWash but then finishes it with the proper sentiment.

I'm going to have coined Juke and Dwashout?! Sweet!

 

[Cardiac]

I'm going to have coined Juke and Dwashout?! Sweet!

You got Juke? I thought that was Mitch. I'm giving you huge props for creative nicknames.

 

[Duckjake]

I'm going to have coined Juke and Dwashout?! Sweet!

Sorry, DWeed wins.

 

[Buckybird]

Sorry, DWeed wins.

Yep I already taped up my jersey lol

 

[Cheesebeef]

Sorry, DWeed wins.

lame!

 

[Cheesebeef]

You got Juke? I thought that was Mitch. I'm giving you huge props for creative nicknames.

Mitch wanted to nickname him The Duke. I put the flourish on it, but i'll take a co-writing credit if he wants to go that way.

 

[oaken1]

we took some defensive hits for sure.....Washington suxx...never expected dansby to resign anyway...either way we will drop a few slots on the defensive rankings this season...

offensively..lol....we may be about to see the return of the greatest show on turf...but on grass...I expect to see these guys top 50 points in a game this season...and top 40 several times.....expect to see a whole bunch of fifty yard air balls in pre season...even if they do not connect...it lets the league know what we are planning and will make them play us softer the first couple of weeks....I expect to see Fitz and Floyd really milking that 8-12 yd range this season

 

[GimmedaBall]

The roster changes for the Cards has to be read in comparison to the roster turnover/problems for our NFC-W rivals. Cards have some positions to fill . . . but so do our most immediate competition. Whether or not we have improved or taken a step back is relative to what is happening with the opposition.

For example here's what the Whiners are dealing with (I posted this in another thread dealing with the same subject):

LB N.Bowman ACL/MCL
Lost 3 of their 4 starting DBs from last year
Aldon Smith---facing possible suspension for a series of incidents
Starting C Goodwin (past 3 years) resigned with his old team the Saints
Davis refusing to come into OTA-wants more money (wait until he sees Kaps paycheck)
DE Carradine recovering from knee injury
RB Lattimore--still unable to participate fully in OTA
C.J. Spillman DB-hand injury, questionable to make training camp
Starting NT Williams still recovering from broken ankle last year mid-Sept
FB Bruce Miller-in IR in mid-December with shoulder
Add that the Head coach wants SB coach money before winning a SB--who can predict the self-destruction in the locker room created by the personality of their Head Coach?

So, if you list the Card's problems it needs to be done in contrast to our competition. I think the Whiners have at least as many problems going forward as the Cards. Would you trade their roster problems with ours? I wouldn't.

The team within our Division that has improved without the deep roster problems is the Rams. They need to take advantage of all the talent brought in as a result of their poor record (high draft picks) and the RGIII trade windfall. For some strange reason, they still have not found a #1 WR. Their DL is going to be tough. Their season depends upon Bradford in a make-or-break season for him. If he is 'average' the Rams have a chance.

I look for the teams in our Division to beat the snot out of one another. As the teams have improved, so has the competitive desire to beat one another. A 10-6 this year may well be a Division winner---even 9-7 may do it as the Division splits home-and-away with the out-of-division results determining the top team in the NFC-W.

I don't think I've seen a Cardinal coaching staff ever do more with less than the army of coaches working under BA. How did we ever go 10-6 with the worst OL in the entire league? A QB discard from the Raiders? Rookies starting in key postions? How did these coaches put such a polished product on the field when we had a mixing blender turnover of players? Something like 200+ moves by SK last season? That is one big + that has not changed---we still have BA's posse of old-timers coaching up the roster. Let's hope the 'Wild Bunch' gets it done this season.

 

[Catfish]

I don't think I've seen a Cardinal coaching staff ever do more with less than the army of coaches working under BA. How did we ever go 10-6 with the worst OL in the entire league? A QB discard from the Raiders? Rookies starting in key postions? How did these coaches put such a polished product on the field when we had a mixing blender turnover of players? Something like 200+ moves by SK last season? That is one big + that has not changed---we still have BA's posse of old-timers coaching up the roster. Let's hope the 'Wild Bunch' gets it done this season.

Gimme-----you've touched on one thing that has not been talked about much this year, but which I feel is very important to this club. Mitch and Mark both feel the same way that I do about it, and that is the chemistry and trust in each other that these players have. In fact that trust extends beyond the players to the coaches, and is returned in kind by them.

This is a VERY tight and together roster and coaching staff. Not only are the older coaches knowledgeable, but they have the trust of the players, (and the younger coaches on the staff). That trust is returned in kind, and even the players help each other out with exchange of information. There is no hoarding of information in order to keep one's job. Youngsters are welcomed by the veterans, and are assisted openly to catch up to speed.

You can even see this in the players who are new on the roster who came from the outside. They WANT to be here, and WANT to work for this staff. They WANT to fit into this mix. They WANT to help.

While that may exist with the 'Hawks and 'Niners to some extent, I don't see them having that same togetherness and that same oneness of thought. During the course of a season, that togetherness will make a great difference for this team. Anyone who has ever played on a great team, whether in sports, the military, or in business, knows what I am speaking of. There is no greater feeling of closeness than in one such team. GimmedaBall was so right to point this out, and my hat is off to him for doing so.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Gimme-----you've touched on one thing that has not been talked about much this year, but which I feel is very important to this club. Mitch and Mark both feel the same way that I do about it, and that is the chemistry and trust in each other that these players have. In fact that trust extends beyond the players to the coaches, and is returned in kind by them.

This is a VERY tight and together roster and coaching staff. Not only are the older coaches knowledgeable, but they have the trust of the players, (and the younger coaches on the staff). That trust is returned in kind, and even the players help each other out with exchange of information. There is no hoarding of information in order to keep one's job. Youngsters are welcomed by the veterans, and are assisted openly to catch up to speed.

You can even see this in the players who are new on the roster who came from the outside. They WANT to be here, and WANT to work for this staff. They WANT to fit into this mix. They WANT to help.

While that may exist with the 'Hawks and 'Niners to some extent, I don't see them having that same togetherness and that same oneness of thought. During the course of a season, that togetherness will make a great difference for this team. Anyone who has ever played on a great team, whether in sports, the military, or in business, knows what I am speaking of. There is no greater feeling of closeness than in one such team. GimmedaBall was so right to point this out, and my hat is off to him for doing so.

What? Come on. All ANYONE talks about the Hawks is the familial feeling they all have for each other and how that ALL starts with their Coach. And they rode that to one of the most dominating Super Bowls ever. To say they "may" have some of that but not as much as us doesn't really seem realistic to me.

 

[AzStevenCal]

I'll agree with the posters that have basically said: We know we're worse, we hope we're better.

Steve

 

[Cheesebeef]

I'll agree with the posters that have basically said: We know we're worse, we hope we're better.

Steve

this makes a lot of sense.

 

[52brandon]

short answer to the question: Better. Definitely

our offense will be hugely improved. While our new (actually GOOD) LT is new to the line, he's not new to Palmer at least. Which is good for his most blind blocker. That'll ease transition there a bit. Palmer is a good QB. Much better than his play last year. We keep him on his feet, he makes less mistakes. Better blocking obviously also improves the run game. We have a beast blocking TE, not just one but TWO deep speed threats, spots BA REALLY wanted to address and finally has, very well. With our offense better able to dictate the pace of the game, our D will get to rest more and be under much less pressure to be the unit to actually win games. I expect TM back in the first few weeks, likely by week 1. But Johnson is a more than serviceable backup. And with Bucannon back there and Cromartie on the #2. Our D backfield will be very much improved. We have 3 OLBs returning from IR, that will obviously make a noticeable difference to our pass rush. ILB, we have Minter after a year of learning the system and working with trainers, he should be better than decent. We do have 1 ILB gap, but in this unit, with so much individual talent, they should be able to compensate pretty easily IMO.

 

[GimmedaBall]

Here's an opinion that the Cards are going to be the best last-place team in all the Divisions. He's got the Rams pushing ahead of us:

http://www.sportsonearth.com/articl...tas-nfl-nfc-west-training-camp-preview#!WGM1E

 

[Catfish]

Due to the broken bone in Niklas' hand, and the fact that he was already behind the rest of the TE's, he is now going to be WAY behind, and may not be much of a factor early in the season, and probably will not ever reach 'Beast Mode' this year. We should still be strong at TE, and that will help a lot, but if one of the blocking TE's goes down early, we will probably be using Sowell, or Potter like we did Massie last year until Niklas can get up to speed and strength.

 

[CardLogic]

Found the following on NFL.com

Here's an interesting wrinkle to consider: Since 1989, teams that have improved their record by five or more wins from one season to the next have tended to regress a bit going forward, suffering, on average, 2.4 additional losses in the follow-up campaign. . .

 

[AzStevenCal]

Found the following on NFL.com: Here's an interesting wrinkle to consider: Since 1989, teams that have improved their record by five or more wins from one season to the next have tended to regress a bit going forward, suffering, on average, 2.4 additional losses in the follow-up campaign. . .

Some of that, perhaps much of that, is due to the way the NFL used to schedule. I think they stopped handicapping the schedules sometime in the early 2000's so for about half the period under discussion it would have been a significant issue. You do well, you get a tougher schedule the next season. You do poorly the next year and you get to go back to playing the weaker teams. As a Cards fan, I always preferred that method although it didn't do us all that much good because we were determined to be bad regardless. But teams like the Chargers seem to really benefit from it.

Steve

 

[john h]

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.

It will be tough to top 10 wins IMHO. I do think we can win 10 or more if Palmer can stay healthy all year. Making the playoffs will depend as much on how SF and Seattle do as how we do. I start the season with a much more positive attitude than I did last year.