The Cardinals were 5-11 this season, but only 2 games behind the division winner. Don’t expect the same next season. The Rams will be much better and there’s no doubt Pete Carroll’s Seahawks know that and will be making changes in order to defend their NFC West crown.
If the Cardinals want to have a shot at throwing their name in with those two teams, they need a new quarterback. Derek Anderson had plenty of shots in Cleveland and blew them all. Then Arizona gave him an opportunity at redemption, and again Anderson blew it. Arizona may want to use their early draft pick on a quarterback, but they should look for other options first. They may not have a choice if the new CBA isn’t reached soon, but if it is a trade might come in handy. The Redskins no longer trust Donovan McNabb, so they would likely be open to a trade. He might be a good fit in Arizona, and he’d certainly be better than anyone they have right now.
They also need to improve the other end of their passing game, the receivers. I’m not talking about the wide receivers, though. They actually look pretty solid at that position. But there is no compliment to Fitzgerald and Breaston. They need to get some better receiving tight ends. It is important for the TE position to be able to block, but these days it’s actually more important that he be able to catch. Arizona’s three tight ends combined for just 25 receptions this season, none of which were touchdowns. This is particularly disturbing. With the size of a tight end, he should be targeted more when the team is in the red zone.
Arizona will have to improve that offensive line, especially if they want to trade for someone. No veteran quarterback will want to come anywhere near the team with the offensive line they currently have. Everyone knows the Cardinals’ quarterbacks held on to the ball too long, but an offensive line has to adjust to that and these guys couldn’t. Perhaps a better route to take in the draft than picking a quarterback would be to take an offensive lineman with that first round pick in hopes that they can then get a veteran quarterback to come in.
The defense was also troubling. The secondary could use one or two extra guys, but a lot of pressure would be taken off the weaker defensive backs if the Cardinals could top the run, a statistic in which Arizona finished 30th in the league this season. The defensive line needs a serious tune-up but the linebacker corps is most troubling and will need a lot of attention this offseason.
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