Got Questions for the Arizona Cardinals?

I’d summarize their defense by saying that right now they’re slightly above average to good. The run defense is pretty decent and should be improving each week. They started the season without their top two nose tackles and they’re slowing getting back to full strength. By the stats, they look very similar to the Panthers run defense considering that they both allow 4.0 yards per rush, both allowed 3 20+ yard runs and 1 40+ yard run. The only real discernible difference is attempts per game but that is most likely b/c the Cardinals have a couple lopsided wins (MIA, BUF and DAL didn’t run much in the 4th Q).

The pass defense is the biggest question mark for the Cardinals considering that they’re ranked 20th. It didn’t help that Adrian Wilson missed one game (NYJ) b/c he’s the heart and soul of the secondary, if not the entire defense. Their biggest problem has been allowing big plays and most of them have come on play action passes. Antrel Rolle is learning FS on the fly and he’s had problems staying deep. The one saving grace of the pass defense has been the pass rush. They were 2nd in sacks before the bye week and they have several guys who are capable of getting to the QB on any given play. Clancy Pendergast (DC) isn’t afraid to roll the dice at times and bring some exotic blitzes.

If we’re talking biggest strength and weakness: Pass rush vs. Allowing big plays

They haven’t closed the book on Leinart yet. By all accounts he had a great off season and worked harder than anyone on the team. He would have won the starting job over Warner had it not been for one bad half in Oakland. All that being said, he got sent to the bench by a guy who’s on pace for over 4,500 yards, 32 TDs and has a QB rating over 100, so it’s not like he’s starting behind Kerry Collins or Gus Ferrotte. I still believe, and I think most Cardinals fans would agree, that Leinart will be a good starting quarterback in this league. He’ll get his day in Arizona but for now he’s behind one of the better QB’s in the league.

If it’s possible to be ecstatic about a draft that hasn’t produced a starter yet, then I’d say we’re ecstatic. I took a quick look at each rookie (well at least the first five rounds) during the bye week and the overwhelming majority of readers were at least satisfied with what they’ve seen so far.
- First round pick, DRC has struggled at times but that’s about what we expected. He’s coming from a very small school so we all knew the learning curve would be steep.
- Second round pick, Calais Campbell looks like a star in the making. He’s playing quite a bit in the DL rotation and looks like he’s got the athleticism and strength to be a future star at DE.
- Third round pick, Early Doucet is closest thing to a disappointment b/c he’s technically the fifth receiver and therefore isn’t normally active on game days. He’s fifth b/c the fourth receiver contributes on special teams, something Early cant do, but when he’s been on the field (past two games) he’s been impressive.
- Fourth round pick, Kenny Iwebema was drafted as run stuffing defensive end and even though he hasn’t played much, he has shown that he’s got the strength to hold the point of attack. In fact, when the Cardinals were down to their last nose tackle, Iwebema became the backup.
- Fifth round pick, Tim Hightower might be most popular guy in a Arizona right now. Most Cardinals fans want him to carry the ball all the time b/c he’s got the burst that Edge no longer possesses. He’s been perfect in short yardage situations and great around the goal line.

Surprises – Well Hightower has to be surprise considering I’d never heard of him when they called his name.
Disappointment – If there is one, it’s Early Doucet. At the draft, I thought he was a lock the #3 job (of course we didn’t know about Steve Breaston then either).

At this point, the Cardinals running game is not something that any defense should be ‘worried’ about. Edge can’t out run your defensive tackles and Hightower probably won’t get enough carries to hurt you. The offensive line also isn’t full of great run blocking guys either. If they start to feature Hightower early on, you can raise you’re worry level to about 10%.

For the Panther defense to shut down the Cardinal offense they must……pressure Kurt Warner without blitzing and to be even more specific, pressure him off the edges. If you have to blitz KW to apply pressure, he can stand in the pocket just long enough to hurt you. If he can see the pressure coming (ie up the middle) he can normally get rid of it, but if you’re able to bring pressure off the edges, he can be made to look very bad. The Jets were able to apply pressure off the edges without blitzing and it led to a horrendous first half filled with interceptions and fumbles.

I can’t speak for the entire fan base of course but I will say that I still read/hear plenty of people who don’t fully trust or buy into Whiz being a very good to great coach. He’s gone through his share of questionable moves and rookie/young head coaching blunders but that’s expected of a guy in his first head coaching job. I do know though that no one can deny that he’s on pace to be the first Cardinals head coach in most of our lifetimes (last was ‘73-’74) to finish his first two seasons with a winning record. He’s brought something to this franchise that I have never seen, an attitude that won’t accept anything less than victory.

I, myself, am a hardcore Whiz-kid (just for the record) and I hope he’s the Cardinals’ head coach for quite a while.

He lines up at DE and DT but he’s got the moves to get to the passer and create havoc. You could also throw Travis LaBoy into the conversation b/c he’s kind of OLB/DE. Both guys are good pass rushers and can hold their own against the run.

I guess it would be a toss up between the Seahawks and Niners in the division. I’d personally say the Seahawks b/c of their fans, but that’s just me. Outside of the division, I think most would say the Cowboys, although that might be more hatred than rivalry.

First, I’ll say I certainly hope you don’t see the Bad Kurt. We try to keep him in his cage and out of sight.

That being said, the way to bring out the Bad Kurt is to bring pressure off the edges with your front four. I have no doubt the Cardinals will pay extra special attention to Peppers b/c they know that him coming off the edge (especially from KW’s blind side) will lead to fumbles. And once KW starts the turnover machine, it can get really bad really quickly.

Traveling is a concern for this team. I wrote a story yesterday about their road woes and how that’s the next hurdle that Whiz has to clear before this team is a legit contender. Also I don’t have the exact numbers in front of me but KW has a horrible record outdoors and a very good record indoors. Just saying.

He’ll likely follow Smith where ever he lines up. That’s what they did with TO last week and it worked well. Hood is above average but not anything special. If the Cardinals are able to generate a decent pass rush, I could see Hood limiting Smith’s effectiveness (and I stress limiting b/c there’s no shutting down SS). If the Panthers are able to give Delhomme time in the pocket though Smith will be able to create separation.