Why we should feel good about 2020 season

[SissyBoyFloyd]

In the last 32 seasons, since coming to AZ in 1988, the Cards are a team that wins 40% of its games. That is simply and accurately who we are. We are that team, and no other. Any time we win half our games or more, we should feel good about ourselves. We aren't, and never will be, one of the better teams in the league. The best we should hope for at the beginning of any season is that we compete and beat half of the teams we face, with that occasionally giving us a shot at the playoffs. Anything more is not being realistic as a Cards' fan. 7 to 9 wins is all we should reasonably expect at the end of any GOOD season by our standard. Any season better than that is a huge deviation from our norm. Even in our Super Bowl season of 2008, we were 9-7.

So cheer up, fellow fans. Try to remember who we are and that we win only 40% of our total games. 2020 was actually a good year for us. Just remember at the start of next season, that for the Cardinals:

1-4 wins is POOR season
5-6 wins is about AVERAGE season
7-9 wins is a GOOD season
10+ is a Great season

As a fan, if you need or expect more than that, you need to find a different team to root for. There is absolutely no indication whatsoever that the Cards will be any different of a team over the next 32 years.

 

[Buckybird]

Kliff is that you?
8-8 a good season? Hogwash

This team has more questions than positives & hope going into the 2021 season. Truth!

 

[FB94]

Still putting lipstick on a pig

 

[Finito]

Kliff is that you?
8-8 a good season? Hogwash

This team has more questions than hope going into the 2021 season. Truth!

well...it’s not a losing season

I honestly don’t see a lot of questions

 

[Buckybird]

well...it’s not a losing season

I honestly don’t see a lot of questions

1) The HC & his 47 negatives he brings to the table that I won’t go into because most here see them, weekly!

2) the inconsistencies of the DC

3) lots a free agents & roster decisions right around the corner.

4) a GM who has a poor draft record

I’ll stop right there

 

[Hoodhero]

Keim & K2 fighting to keep jobs is damn exciting to me. What does a man who got Kyler followed by DHop do to save his coach & job this time? Can't beat that type of drama thats for sure.

 

[Finito]

1) The HC & his 47 negatives he brings to the table that I won’t go into because most here see them, weekly!

2) the inconsistencies of the DC

3) lots a free agents & roster decisions right around the corner.

4) a GM who has a poor draft record

I’ll stop right there

I could literally name you 3-4 plays that cost us games this year. We were not far from 10/11 wins. 5 losses all by 1 score this year that tells me even in losses we were competitive.

Had a top ten offense WITHOUT a good 2 or 3 receiver and an average running back. Just imagine Smith, Waddle or Pitts in this offense

on defense we are adding arguably the best pass rusher in all of football next year.

guys on this board act like we just went through the Jets season and people act like cupboards are bare.

most important positions in football

QB: Kyler Murray
LT: The Captain
Pass Rusher: Chandler Jones
CB: .....

we are pretty much set at our building block positions

 

[Cardsfaninlouky]

well...it’s not a losing season

I honestly don’t see a lot of questions

I see lots of questions & no answers. The salary cap will go down to 175 million, we have so many FA's. Which ones do we sign? Who's gonna be our #1 CB? Who's gonna be our #2 & #3 WR's? How do we get our interior OL fixed? Looks like we're gonna be stuck with VJ again so how do we get him to fix all the issues on defense? How do we get KK to realize his personnel sets needs to change week to week? How do we get him to stop calling those stupid east/ west WR screens that never work? I could go on but those are just a few off the top of my head.

 

[Cardsfaninlouky]

I could literally name you 3-4 plays that cost us games this year. We were not far from 10/11 wins. 5 losses all by 1 score this year that tells me even in losses we were competitive.

Had a top ten offense WITHOUT a good 2 or 3 receiver and an average running back. Just imagine Smith, Waddle or Pitts in this offense

on defense we are adding arguably the best pass rusher in all of football next year.

guys on this board act like we just went through the Jets season and people act like cupboards are bare.

most important positions in football

QB: Kyler Murray
LT: The Captain
Pass Rusher: Chandler Jones
CB: .....

we are pretty much set at our building block positions

I wish I could be as positive about everything as you are? Sure, 8-8 is better than 2019 & I agree we could've & should've had more wins. Fact is we didn't. Our DC couldn't stop a bootleg play against a high school QB imo. Our head coach just refuses to switch his personnel groups even when they work. We see it as fans, why does he not? Stop using so much damn 10 personnel & use the TE's more. We need to use more 12, 21 & 11 personnel & be creative with motion & the TE's.

 

[Finito]

I wish I could be as positive about everything as you are? Sure, 8-8 is better than 2019 & I agree we could've & should've had more wins. Fact is we didn't. Our DC couldn't stop a bootleg play against a high school QB imo. Our head coach just refuses to switch his personnel groups even when they work. We see it as fans, why does he not? Stop using so much damn 10 personnel & use the TE's more. We need to use more 12, 21 & 11 personnel & be creative with motion & the TE's.

do you think we have the roster to run all that stuff? I don’t. I see Hopkins and a bunch of below average WR.

Dan Arnold is alright but even he had a horrible game against SF and I mean horrible.

our defense only gave up two field goals against the Rams. I can’t complain about anything they did.

I just look at it different. If I send someone to do something and they mess it up nothing on earth pisses me off more than excuses and BS. We all have jobs and do I mess up of course I do, if I make it idiot proof and you still fail it’s on you.

if I need to do my job and your job why do I need you.

I see plenty of blame, but at the end of the day the coach can’t go out there and catch the passes for you, he can’t go out there and make those field goals for you. Everybody here complains about accountability but I’ve seen players lose us games and it’s fire the coach.

I see a flawed roster as our main problem

 

[Cardsfaninlouky]

do you think we have the roster to run all that stuff? I don’t. I see Hopkins and a bunch of below average WR.

Dan Arnold is alright but even he had a horrible game against SF and I mean horrible.

our defense only gave up two field goals against the Rams. I can’t complain about anything they did.

I just look at it different. If I send someone to do something and they mess it up nothing on earth pisses me off more than excuses and BS. We all have jobs and do I mess up of course I do, if I make it idiot proof and you still fail it’s on you.

if I need to do my job and your job why do I need you.

I see plenty of blame, but at the end of the day the coach can’t go out there and catch the passes for you, he can’t go out there and make those field goals for you. Everybody here complains about accountability but I’ve seen players lose us games and it’s fire the coach.

I see a flawed roster as our main problem

I agree with a lot of what you said. Our roster is flawed big time but that's the fault of Steve Keim. Yes KK only has what Keim gives him & we don't know to what extent on routes our WR's messed up on plays he called? But he seems stubborn with his personnel groupings. Maxx Williams can catch the ball & block, still not much 12 & 21 personnel this season. Play fakes & rollouts using the TE. Creative plays with the TE like that long delayed TD against the Falcons last year. That was a misdirection play that totally fooled them, I haven't seen it one time since. He can be so much more creative & was in 2019. It was said that Kugler heard complaints last season about too much 10 personnel, so he started using more 12 & 21. It worked. We didn't win as many games but our roster wasn't as deep either. That RPO stuff only works so long. 3rd & 18 against the Rams & he calls an option play for a one legged QB, are you freaking kidding me. Where has all of his creativity gone? A good OC can adapt & be creative with what he has. He showed last season that he can mix it up, why not do that this season? Especially with Hopkins knowing the defense is keying on him. Where's all his pinch block & release plays with the TE? Dan Arnold may not be the best blocker in the world but he can block for a 2 second count then release to get free. So many times it's RPO, 10 personnel, WR screen that never gains anything. There's so much more he could've done with what he had to work with. If he could do it in 2019 he could do it in 2020, especially with Hopkins. Again, where did all of his creativity go?

 

[Buckybird]

Without a doubt there were plays that could’ve got us in. If you want to say that we could’ve lost 2 more as well. BUT, imo Kyler Murrays running ability & ability to improvise made Kliffs offense look better than his play calling. Yes that might be nitpicking but Kliff had no answers to if that failed & it did down the stretch. Dramatically!!! The schemes & route tree are simplistic & not confusing to defenses it seems. He made no adjustments as the season went on or when it started to struggle. None

Do you really believe Kliff maximized Dhops skills with his playcalling & schemes? Running him 85% of the snaps on the left side by himself? Let’s just say that Hopkins was the best left wing in football lol. I still say he didn’t use others well enough either. Regardless of the talent we think we have at WR they were underused by Kliff. Hell he couldn’t even figure out how to use or get one of the goats in #11 the ball.

Coaching matters, talent matters & scheme matters. Kliffs record & same ol same ol mistakes he keeps making for 8 straight years matter. His Tech teams were always penalty fillled, faded down the stretch after solid starts & he makes the same poor decisions game after game after game. To me that’s a huge red flag!

Regardless of Humps comments about Kliff (because teams always back their coach), do Murray, Dhop & the other skills guys really believe in his offensive scheme or him as a play caller? I sure did see lots of frustration & odd conversations off & on during the season.

I could literally name you 3-4 plays that cost us games this year. We were not far from 10/11 wins. 5 losses all by 1 score this year that tells me even in losses we were competitive.

Had a top ten offense WITHOUT a good 2 or 3 receiver and an average running back. Just imagine Smith, Waddle or Pitts in this offense

on defense we are adding arguably the best pass rusher in all of football next year.

guys on this board act like we just went through the Jets season and people act like cupboards are bare.

most important positions in football

QB: Kyler Murray
LT: The Captain
Pass Rusher: Chandler Jones
CB: .....

we are pretty much set at our building block positions

 

[Buckybird]

I see lots of questions & no answers. The salary cap will go down to 175 million, we have so many FA's. Which ones do we sign? Who's gonna be our #1 CB? Who's gonna be our #2 & #3 WR's? How do we get our interior OL fixed? Looks like we're gonna be stuck with VJ again so how do we get him to fix all the issues on defense? How do we get KK to realize his personnel sets needs to change week to week? How do we get him to stop calling those stupid east/ west WR screens that never work? I could go on but those are just a few off the top of my head.

I see lots of questions & no answers. The salary cap will go down to 175 million, we have so many FA's. Which ones do we sign? Who's gonna be our #1 CB? Who's gonna be our #2 & #3 WR's? How do we get our interior OL fixed? Looks like we're gonna be stuck with VJ again so how do we get him to fix all the issues on defense? How do we get KK to realize his personnel sets needs to change week to week? How do we get him to stop calling those stupid east/ west WR screens that never work? I could go on but those are just a few off the top of my head.

 

[Cardsfaninlouky]

Without a doubt there were plays that could’ve got us in. If you want to say that we could’ve lost 2 more as well. BUT, imo Kyler Murrays running ability & ability to improvise made Kliffs offense look better than his play calling. Yes that might be nitpicking but Kliff had no answers to if that failed & it did down the stretch. Dramatically!!!

Do you really believe Kliff maximized Dhops skills with his playcalling & schemes? Running him 85% of the snaps on the left side by himself? Let’s just say that Hopkins was the best left wing in football lol. I still say he didn’t use others well enough either. Regardless of the talent we think we have at WR they were underused by Kliff. Hell he couldn’t even figure out how to use or get one of the goats in #11 the ball.

Coaching matters, talent matters & scheme matters. Kliffs record & same ol same ol mistakes he keeps making for 8 straight years matter. His Tech teams were always penalty fillled, faded down the stretch after solid starts & he makes the same poor decisions game after game after game. To me that’s a huge red flag!

Regardless of Humps comments about Kliff (because teams always back their coach), do Murray, Dhop & the other skills guys really believe in his offensive scheme or him as a play caller? I sure did see lots of frustration & odd conversations off & on during the season.

Maybe one of the things KM wouldn't talk about in his press conference is this. I wanna call the plays in 2021 & while we're at it, please God fix our interior OL lol?

 

[The6]

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Arizona-Cardinals

 

[cardpa]

Still putting lipstick on a pig

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[cardpa]

I agree with a lot of what you said. Our roster is flawed big time but that's the fault of Steve Keim. Yes KK only has what Keim gives him & we don't know to what extent on routes our WR's messed up on plays he called? But he seems stubborn with his personnel groupings. Maxx Williams can catch the ball & block, still not much 12 & 21 personnel this season. Play fakes & rollouts using the TE. Creative plays with the TE like that long delayed TD against the Falcons last year. That was a misdirection play that totally fooled them, I haven't seen it one time since. He can be so much more creative & was in 2019. It was said that Kugler heard complaints last season about too much 10 personnel, so he started using more 12 & 21. It worked. We didn't win as many games but our roster wasn't as deep either. That RPO stuff only works so long. 3rd & 18 against the Rams & he calls an option play for a one legged QB, are you freaking kidding me. Where has all of his creativity gone? A good OC can adapt & be creative with what he has. He showed last season that he can mix it up, why not do that this season? Especially with Hopkins knowing the defense is keying on him. Where's all his pinch block & release plays with the TE? Dan Arnold may not be the best blocker in the world but he can block for a 2 second count then release to get free. So many times it's RPO, 10 personnel, WR screen that never gains anything. There's so much more he could've done with what he had to work with. If he could do it in 2019 he could do it in 2020, especially with Hopkins. Again, where did all of his creativity go?

Maybe he isn't as creative as he made himself out to be. Remember this is the NFL (Not For Long) where the big boys play, not college ball.

 

[CardLogic]

In the last 32 seasons, since coming to AZ in 1988, the Cards are a team that wins 40% of its games. That is simply and accurately who we are. We are that team, and no other. Any time we win half our games or more, we should feel good about ourselves. We aren't, and never will be, one of the better teams in the league. The best we should hope for at the beginning of any season is that we compete and beat half of the teams we face, with that occasionally giving us a shot at the playoffs. Anything more is not being realistic as a Cards' fan. 7 to 9 wins is all we should reasonably expect at the end of any GOOD season by our standard. Any season better than that is a huge deviation from our norm. Even in our Super Bowl season of 2008, we were 9-7.

So cheer up, fellow fans. Try to remember who we are and that we win only 40% of our total games. 2020 was actually a good year for us. Just remember at the start of next season, that for the Cardinals:

1-4 wins is POOR season
5-6 wins is about AVERAGE season
7-9 wins is a GOOD season
10+ is a Great season

As a fan, if you need or expect more than that, you need to find a different team to root for. There is absolutely no indication whatsoever that the Cards will be any different of a team over the next 32 years.

Sissy, I believe this is your best post ever!!

This post isn't saying that he/we shouldn't hope and wish for the Cardinals to be better! Of course we would want to witness a dynasty to eclipse the Steelers, the Packers, and the Patriots! But accurately stated that IS NOT who the Cardinals are. . .

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Arizona-Cardinals

THIS IS the Cardinals Football Club!

No one is asking anyone to like the situation as IT IS, but accepting reality leads to a longer and healthier life.

 

[Cardsfaninlouky]

Maybe he isn't as creative as he made himself out to be. Remember this is the NFL (Not For Long) where the big boys play, not college ball.

I just can't understand his personnel groups & play calls at times. In 2019, once the OL complained about 10 personnel, he mixed it up big time. Started running 12 & 21 & mostly 11, it worked, won us a few games & kept us in others. With a more talented roster this season, what does he do, goes back to 10 more often than not & becomes predictable. He was creative last season, I expected he would go with what worked in 2019 & expand on it this season? I was wrong. For the love of god, it just baffles me how many times he uses those stupid east/west WR screens that gain squat. He better figure out how to get the job done with his play calling this off-season or 2021 will be his last.

 

[Brak]

A fading 8-8 season is better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick. Only slightly better - the stick missed the eye and mangled your ear. Still no fun.

 

[Dynomite]

Nah going off this board kyler is weak. Time to draft yet another qb and suck even more for the next 4 years.