2010 NFL Predictions: Arizona Cardinals

July 13, 2010

It seems as though it will be an uphill battle for the 2010 Arizona Cardinals as they lost their offensive leader Kurt Warner to retirement. Warner has been on of the best quarterbacks of his generation, and will without question, become a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame when he’s eligible in 2014.

The quarterback situation sits firmly on the shoulders of Matt Leinart this season. Leinart has been a huge disappointment since being taken in the first round out of USC 5 years ago. His work ethic has been highly criticized, but many people surrounding the Cardinals organization have said that he has worked diligently this off-season to prepare himself for the starting job this year. It remains to be seen if he can get back the Heisman caliber form that he once possessed in leading the Trojans to the National Championship. Derek Anderson hasn’t looked anything like the QB that led the Browns to a 10 win season back in 2007. That season Anderson passed for 3787 yards with 29 touchdown passes. He has never been extremely accurate which is the antithesis of the departed Kurt Warner. After his tremendous year in 2007 the Browns rewarded Anderson with a huge contract. The weight of the world must have been on Anderson as he has been nothing short of horrific since. He didn’t exactly have a tremendous group of playmakers to help him in Cleveland, but that’s no excuse for how poorly he performed. Leinart may not have a long leash in terms or retaining the starting job so he will need to come out of the gates showing that he’s focused and can lead this team offensively.

It became increasingly apparent during the course of the season that Beanie Wells is the best running back on this team. Despite only getting 176 touches last year, Wells was able to rack up almost 800 yards with a 4.5 yards per carry average. He is a bulldog that has tremendous agility. Tim Hightower may have the edge in terms of being more well rounded, but Wells is clearly a better runner. Expect Wells to carry the bulk of the workload this year due to his productivity in 2009 and the fact that the coaching staff will try to lighten the workload for Leinart as he gets acclimated to the starting job once again. For all of you fantasy football players, Wells may be a solid pick-up if you can grab him in the 3rd or 4th round.

Larry Fitzgerald should make Leinart’s comeback slightly easier as he is possible the best wide receiver in the game today. Although he had somewhat of a down year in 2009, Fitzgerald has the best hands in the game, and is tremendous inside of the red zone. The departure of Anquan Boldin will make it harder on Fitzgerald, but Steve Breaston has proven that he is more than capable of assuming the number 2 receiver role. Breaston had over 700 yards receiving as the number 3 receiver last season, and can easily crack the 1000 yard barrier if teams decide to double-team Fitzgerald. This offense is a work in progress, but may be put in position to win more games than expected due to the resurgence of the Arizona defense.

It’s hard to get a true reading as to how good the Cardinals defense can be based on their overall defensive numbers from last season. They finished the year ranked 20th in terms of yards allowed, but much of that is due to opposing teams “airing it out” in the second half of many games. Getting big leads is never a bad thing, but the defense ends up paying the price as they have to guard against the pass for the remainder of the game. Arizona’s pass rush isn’t bad as Darnell Dockett showed in the playoffs last year. However, the Cardinals are a player or 2 short in their defensive front. They have tried to fill those voids via the 2010 NFL Draft as they selected DT Dan Williams with the 26th pick overall, and LB Daryl Washington midway through the second round. Only time will tell if they are capable of being a cohesive unit right out of the gate, but they have a ton of potential.

As a whole the 2010 Arizona Cardinals look to be a .500 team this year. Many NFL picks have them finishing with either a 7-9 or 8-8 record based on their schedule. This may be the case, but if they keep going in a positive direction they could be a force in years to come.

Written by Glenn Andrew · Filed Under NFL

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