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| Jeff Risdon. 4th September, 2007 - 2:04 pm
 Last season: 5-11, last in NFC West
Coming: C Al Johnson, S Terrence Holt, FB Terrelle Smith, CB Roderick Hood, OL Mike Gandy
Going: OL Leonard Davis, G Chris Liwienski, CB David Macklin, DT Kendrick Clancy
Key Rookies: RT Levi Brown, DT Alan Branch
What I like: QB Matt Leinart comes off a promising rookie campaign and has assumed more leadership on a team in desperate need of a focal point. His rookie numbers compare favorably to Peyton Manning and Troy Aikman, and I fully expect Leinart to quickly emerge as one of the top QBs in the game. His backup is Kurt Warner, who has embraced his role as mentor and can still get the job done if called upon. Leinart gets lots of help from one of the top 3 WR duos in the league in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Fitzgerald has everything you want in a wideout--size, speed, football IQ, great hands, precision route running, blocking. Boldin has seen more passes come his way than any WR the past 2 seasons, and he excels at running after the catch. Bryant Johnson is a very good #3 WR, and he?s playing for his impending free agent contract. RB Edgerrin James started slowly (an understatement) but finished is first season in the desert resembling his old Indy self, a bruising north-south runner with exceptional balance and vision. He benefited from a stabilized offensive line, and that O-line has the potential to finally rise above laughing-stock status this year. Adding Al Johnson and 1st rounder Levi Brown brings better agility, power, and nastiness to a line in desperate need of all those traits. Deuce Lutui quickly developed as a very good RG, and he and Brown together could be one of the top right sides in the league for a long time. Bringing in highly respected OL Coach Russ Grimm can?t hurt either. K Neil Rackers had a down year, but he?s consistently been one of the best field goal artists in the league.
SS Adrian Wilson is the best player at his position in the NFL. His ability to blitz, stuff runs in the box, and ballhawking over the deep middle make him indispensable to the Cards defense. Bert Berry is a premium pass rusher who should handle the transition to OLB in the new full-time 3-4 scheme just fine. LB Karlos Dansby also excels at rushing the passer, and he?s quite good at dropping into coverage, often filling the hole left by the blitzing Wilson. DL Darnell Dockett is an active gap shooter and a sure tackler, and the ex-Wolverine combo of Gabe Watson and Alan Branch brings lots of functional bulk and good depth to the DL. Aaron Francisco played surprisingly well in 2006 at safety, and newcomer Terrence Holt is a solid run support safety with great range. Free agent signee Roderick Hood won a starting job at CB with a very strong preseason, which means the coverage will have improved depth and less reliance on the enigmatic Antrell Rolle, who now finds himself properly cast as the nickel back.
What I dislike: There are a lot of directions I could go here: inexperienced, undersized, woefully thin OL; complete absence of an NFL caliber TE; rookie head coach; barely adequate personnel at CB and LB; the season-ending injuries already suffered by top OLB Chike Okeafor and OL Oliver Ross indicates the injury bug has found Glendale, AZ; unproven, unreliable backups at RB and WR. But the bottom line is that these are the Cardinals, perennial underachievers who find new and exciting ways to disappoint their fans and pundits alike every year. That culture of losing, ineptitude, and disappointment is very difficult to break, and until I?ve seen evidence that this group can consistently compete against better teams for a full 60 minutes every Sunday, my expectations are highly tempered. This team hasn?t upgraded significantly from last season other than internal development, but that gets blunted by the coaching changes across the board.
Best case: Leinart quickly ascends to the pantheon of NFL field generals behind an improved line; the corners make plays and provide better tackling; James re-establishes himself as a premier RB, getting 1400+ yards and 10+ TDs; the Cards continue to win divisional games and establish a true home field advantage. The first two games are @SF and home against SEA, two division rivals that the Cards theoretically match up with quite well. Winning those games could be enough to get a young, pretty talented group to believe in themselves and win 10 games and the NFC West.
Worst case: See the last 5 seasons, and add in career-altering injuries to Lutui, Leinart, Fitzgerald, or Adrian Wilson.
Prediction: Last year I defied my own logic and thought a seemingly favorable schedule was the Cardinals ticket to a winning season. I thought the same thing in 2003. Once Bitten, Twice Shy, Three Times an Idiot, and I?m really hoping my wife is wrong and I?m not an idiot. With good OL and DL play, there?s no reason the Cardinals can?t win the NFC West. No reason other than beating themselves, which they do better than anyone. Until proven otherwise, I?m a pessimist even though there is a lot to like here. Another disappointing season in antiseptic Glendale will find the Cardinals at 6-10.
The author can be reached at Jeff.Risdon@RealGM.com |
