2011 Arizona Cardinals Predictions
After back-to-back NFC West titles, the Arizona Cardinals found the division basement in 2010. Losing quarterback Kurt Warner to retirement hurt worse than anyone could have imagined as the Cards fell to 5-11 overall and 1-5 in divisional play.
The team believes it can make a quick turnaround in 2011 after upgrading the quarterback position with Kevin Kolb.
Offense: Arizona’s offense was one of the worst in the NFL in 2010. It ranked 31st in total offense with 269.3 yards per game and 27th in scoring with 18.1 points per contest.
The passing game was atrocious. It ranked 31st in the league with just 182.6 yards per game.
The Derek Anderson experiment backfired and neither Max Hall nor John Skelton showed enough to be considered viable options under center.
Knowing they needed to land a capable passer to keep star wideout Larry Fitzgerald happy, the Cards went after Kolb, who completed nearly 61.0 percent of his passes for 1,197 yards with seven touchdowns and seven interceptions in seven games with the Eagles last season.
Kolb is still largely unproven with only seven career starts, but he does offer the Cards hope entering the 2011 season.
Kolb will have the luxury of throwing to Fitzgerald, one of the elite targets in the game. He had his fewest receptions and touchdowns since 2006 last season but still caught 90 passes for 1,137 yards and six scores.
The only thing worse that Arizona’s passing attack a year ago was its running game. The Cards ranked dead last in the NFL with 86.8 yards per game on the ground. Not having to respect that passing game, opposing defenses were able to play closer to the line of scrimmage.
Beanie Wells didn’t have the kind of breakout season Arizona had hoped for so it invested in Ryan Williams with the 38th pick in the draft.
The Cardinals didn’t draft a lineman for a second straight season, which means they could find themselves in a world of hurt if the injury bug creeps up.
Defense: Arizona’s defense was better than its offense last season but not by much. The stop unit ranked 29th in the league in total defense with 373.6 yards allowed per game. It finished 30th in scoring defense with 27.1 points allowed per game.
Arizona’s pass rush wasn’t nearly as explosive a year ago and the defense as a whole suffered because of it. The Cards recorded 10 fewer sacks than in 2009 as Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell didn’t perform to expectations. The good news is these two are capable of better, and I expect both players to have bounce back seasons.
The Cardinals also need better production from outside linebackers Joey Porter and Clark Haggans, but that could be asking too much of these aging vets.
At least the play of inside linebacker Paris Lenon, who led the team with 127 tackles, was a pleasant surprise. Daryl Washington also showed promise with a solid rookie season.
Drafting Patrick Peterson allowed the Cards to part with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to get the Kolb deal done. It’s doubtful Peterson will be able to replace Rodgers-Cromartie in year one, but he projects as a better player in the long run.
Prediction: 2nd Place NFC West – Adding Kolb gives the Cardinals a chance to be competitive in what should be a very tight NFC West race. If he can build chemistry with Fitzgerald, the offense has a chance to do a 180. The defense may still be a liability. NFL odds makers have listed the Cardinals at +275 to win the NFC West.
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