Arizona Cardinals:                

2013 RECORD: 10-6  
2012 RECORD: 5-11   
2011 RECORD: 8-8   
2010 RECORD: 5-11        

TEAM OVERVIEW: Arizona seemed to be overachieving at 3-4, but that was nothing compared to going 7-1 in games 8-15 just before a tough overtime loss against San Francisco in the finale. Bruce Arians was coach of the year in ’12 with the Indianapolis Colts under trying circumstances. He nearly repeated that honor despite having to face Seattle and San Francisco four times. Arizona won 10 times despite a below par OL, a QB who threw 22 interceptions and some pretty severe changes to the defensive secondary. There is no question about these Cardinals being excited about ’14 and the future but this Division is brutal and Arizona faces many challenges moving forward. 

KEY STATS: Arizona allowed 20.25 points per game, seventh in the NFL. The run offense is still below standard at 3.6-97. Having a veteran presence at QB did help sacks allowed move from 57 to 41, but overall the line has to improve as Palmer rushed throws as evidenced by his 22 interceptions. Arizona has now allowed 201 sacks the past four seasons. The run D improved from a below average 4.3-137 to 3.7-84.5. These numbers were second and first, respectively. Arizona went from a -49 first downs by rushing ratio up to +16. Teams ran for just five TD’s against their the stout front line. Defensive sacks improved from 38 to 47, tied for sixth in the NFL. Spread-wise, Arizona was just 15-32 as a favorite of >3 points before going 3-0 in the role in ’13.

2013 DRAFT REVIEW: Past Arizona drafts have been criticized for not addressing the offensive line in the early rounds. Arizona took Cooper as a start to fixing the NFL’s worst protection unit but he broke his thumb and missed ’13. Minter is strongly rated (see below, rated the sixth best LB in the ’13 draft), but did little as a rookie. Moving Mathieu to safety was huge. He’s instinctive and his safety grade would have been higher. Only Swope was “cut” (see below) and the rated Ellington was a great fit. Many free agents contributed, with the late addition of former Cardinal Dansby (122-6.5-4 ints) making a huge difference defensively. Carson Palmer was easily better than the awful collection of QB’s used in ’12 despite his penchant for throwing interceptions.

1-07, OG Cooper: Athletic and strong.  Still needs to develop as a pass blocker. IR as a rookie.

2-45, LB  Minter: Only four tackles but still expected to be a starter very soon

3-69, CB Mathieu: Move to safety was terrific and he had 65 tackles in 13 games played

4-103, DE Okafor: Can get to QB as evidenced by bowl game. Played one game then put on IR.

4-116, OG Watford: Snail-like speed, a pass blocker who understands angles.  No action in ’13.

5-140, RB S. Taylor: Role player who can catch, but has no speed or 2^nd gear

6-174, WR Swope: 233-13 career production but quit football before the season (concussions).

6-187, RB Ellington: Timed slow, but productive at Clemson with lateral agility. Strong debut.

7-219, TE Jefferson: Cut and ended up on Carolina roster

2012 DRAFT REVISITED: WR Floyd is one of the better No. 2 targets and he caught 65 for 1041-5. CB Fleming was cut in September, ’13. OT Massie started all 16 games as a rookie with generally below standard results.  He rode the bench in ’13. OG Kelemete never made an impact here and was on and off the New Orleans roster in ’13. Safety Bethel plays mostly special teams and had 22 tackles. QB Lindley is/was not of NFL quality due to gross inaccuracy. OG Potter remains on the bench. All the draftees made the team in ’12 but only Floyd is really contributing.

TOP STRENGTH AND WEAKNESS PRIOR TO THE DRAFT: The strength remains at WR, with elite WR Fitzgerald heading up a trio that includes solid No. 2 Floyd and a very solid No. 3 in Roberts. NOTE: Roberts left early in free agency but for now this area will remain at the top. Despite improved numbers, likely a result of having the veteran Palmer at QB, the OL is still the weak link. TE play and an aging QB situation closely follow.

FREE AGENCY ANALYSIS AND STAFF NOTES: As of March 24th. Rashard Mendenhall retired and Jonathan Dwyer takes his place in the RB rotation. Is that enough? Veteran John Carlson replaces Jim Dray at TE. As noted above, WR Roberts left. Ted Ginn had a surprisingly productive year in Carolina but may be just a short term replacement as the #3 option. OT Veldheer is a great addition and will start immediately. OL Estes and Lawson add filler depth.  LB Dansby was solid in ’13 but got a great offer elsewhere and he’s gone. Antonio Cromartie might make a good secondary even better. Perhaps Danny Hauptman will challenge Jay Feely at PK.

2014 DRAFT NEEDS: Draft Needs as of March 20th: 1-2 OL, good young QB from this draft, DE and DL depth, No. 3 WR, OLB. The OL remains incomplete and must open bigger run holes. Palmer is on the downside of his career and a succession plan needs to be drawn up. A mid-round pick such as Georgia’s Murray or someone else has to be added. DE’s Dockett and Campbell are playing well but depth is awfully thin. WR’s are plentiful in this draft. The ILB’s are set but there is room to upgrade at OLB. The DB’s as a whole performed admirably but the individual talent level could use an upgrade. NT Ta’Amu is unlikely to be ready to start ’14 (torn ACL). Adding DL depth seems like a good idea.