Arizona Cardinals

NFL Previews - Arizona Cardinals

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2007 ARIZONA CARDINALS PREVIEW

It seems like every year, the Arizona Cardinals are starting over. Unfortunately, that seems to be true again for this season.

In 2006, the Cardinals rebuilt their offense. They landed a prized free agent in running back Edgerrin James, who struggled behind a subpar offensive line, and decided to start rookie quarterback Matt Leinart five weeks into the season.

Alas, despite boasting an offense that contained the talented James, the high- profile Leinart, and arguably the best wide receiver duo in the league in Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, the Cardinals finished 5-11.

Part of the reason was the inability of James to ever get going, as the Cardinals ranked 30th in the league on the ground. On the other side of the ball, the overmatched Arizona defense just couldn't stop the pass, and in turn, the opposing offenses from turning in big plays.

Other times, the team just had a run of bad luck and mental breakdowns.

Case in point came in Week 6 against the then-undefeated Chicago Bears. Arizona had a 20-point lead at halftime, but went on to lose 24-23 after the Chicago defense and special teams scored three touchdowns alone in the second half.

So, out went Dennis Green and his 16-32 mark as head coach over three seasons with the club. In is Ken Whisenhunt, who comes to town from Pittsburgh after serving as the Steelers' offensive coordinator for the past three seasons.

That's good news for Leinart, as Whisenhunt's reign as the Steelers' offensive coordinator began the same season Ben Roethlisberger took over under center in 2004. Roethlisberger went on to win his first 13 career starts, earned Offensive Rookie of the Year honors, and the following season became the youngest quarterback in NFL history to win a Super Bowl.

Whisenhunt should bring a more disciplined style to Arizona, while Clancy Pendergast will try again this year to improve the defense. One of the few left from Green's staff, Pendergast and his defense ranked 30th against the pass, in 2006.

The D will need to step it up this year, as the Cardinals' offense -- which could become even more deadly if the offensive line improves under new line coach Russ Grimm and with the emergence of second-year tight end Leonard Pope -- should put up plenty of points.

Below we take a capsule look at the 2007 edition of the Arizona Cardinals, with a personnel evaluation and prognosis included therein:

RB: Many, except the Cardinals apparently, feared James would suffer behind the Cardinals' poor line last year, and the public was right. The former Colt was able to hunt for holes in Indianapolis, but never had the time or room last year to use his vision. Whisenhunt will use a fullback scheme more than Green did last year, something James (1,159 rushing yards, 6 TD) will have to adjust to. However, it might help open up holes for the 29-year-old back. Marcel Shipp (41 yards, 4 TD) will serve as James' primary backup, though he shouldn't expect to get too much time on the field as James has played in at least 15 games in each of the last three seasons. J.J. Arrington is the third back and has underachieved since being selected by Arizona in the second round of the 2005 draft. Fullback Terrelle Smith is best at blocking and will do just that.

WR/TE: Few teams possess a receiving tandem as scary as Boldin and Fitzgerald. Boldin is the playmaker with his quickness and ability to pick up yards after the catch. Fitzgerald (69 receptions, 6 TD) fell just 54 yards short of joining Boldin in the 1,000-yard club last year, and his 6-foot-3 frame makes him a tough matchup. Bryant Johnson (40 receptions, 4 TD) was an excellent number three receiver last year, posting 740 receiving yards, but had several back-breaking drops. Free agent pickup Sean Morey and 2007 fifth-round draft choice Steve Breaston will compete for the fourth spot. Tight end Leonard Pope (16 receptions) will benefit from the coaching change, and could become a big red zone target for Leinart. That can be taken literally, as the second-year tight end checks in at 6-foot-8. Rookie Ben Patrick and Troy Bienemann will battle for playing time as the second tight end.

OL: The Cardinals were never able to get things going on the ground last year in large part to the poor performance of the offensive line. So it comes as no surprise that the club used the fifth overall pick in this year's draft on offensive lineman Levi Brown out of Penn State. Brown played the left tackle spot in college, but will shift to the right side in Arizona. Free agent pickup Mike Gandy will hold down the left tackle spot after Oliver Ross was placed on injured reserve. Reggie Wells played all 16 games last year and shifted between left guard and right tackle, but should find a home at the left guard spot this season. Deuce Lutui will start at the right guard position. Finally, center Al Johnson was signed in the offseason to replace Nick Leckey, who moves to the bench.

DL: The Cardinals' official Web site currently has the club using a 4-3 defense, but Arizona is expected to use a 3-4 alignment more often than not. A torn left biceps could land Chike Okeafor (52 tackles, 8 1/2 sacks) on IR. Okeafor was expected to drop back into a linebacker spot off the end in the 3-4. Now, Antonio Smith (25 tackles, 2 1/2 sacks) and Bertrand Berry (23 tackles, 6 sacks) will play the left and right end spots, respectively. Darnell Dockett (50 tackles, 2 sacks) returns to play one of the tackle positions, though he could shift to the outside in a 3-4 formation. Gabe Watson (16 tackles, 1 sack) will line up along side of Dockett, but will also be looking over his shoulder at rookie Alan Branch. The Cardinals traded up to the first pick in the second round to grab Branch. Chris Cooper, Joe Tafoya and Jonathan Lewis round out the weak Cardinal bench.

LB: Out of the 4-3, Calvin Pace, Gerald Hayes and Karlos Dansby are slated to start at the linebacker spots. Dansby (80 tackles, 8 sacks) started 10 games last year and perhaps a change in coaching will help him take his game to the next level. Hayes (93 tackles, 1 sack) broke out last year after starting 14 games, leading the team in tackles. Pace (29 tackles, 1 sack), a first-round pick by Arizona in 2003, is entering a make-or-break year. Like the offensive line, the Cardinals' reserves at linebacker are less-than-stellar with the likes of Darryl Blackstock, Monty Beisel and Brandon Johnson.

DB: This is another spot that should improve under a new head coach. It all starts with safety Adrian Wilson, who was named a Pro Bowl starter based on his play last year. Wilson (82 tackles, 5 sacks, 4 INT) is a strong blitzer, can stop the run, deliver hard hits and is by far the best defensive player for the Cards, as evidenced by his 99-yard interception and fumble returns for two separate TDs last year. Wilson will have a new playing partner this year in free safety Terrence Holt, who replaces Robert Griffith. Holt (76 tackles, 3 INT for Lions) will have Wilson's back when he attacks the line. Aaron Francisco (49 tackles, 2 INT) can back up both safety spots. The corners underachieved last year, and Whisenhunt will look for improvement in '07. Antrel Rolle (84 tackles, 1 INT) and Eric Green are the starters (43 tackles) while free agent signee Roderick Hood (21 tackles) will push both for playing time.

SPECIAL TEAMS: Kicker Neil Rackers will hope to recover from a subpar 2006. Two seasons ago, Rackers (28-37 FG) hit 95.2 percent of his field goal attempts, and was deadly from beyond 50 yards. However, he slipped to just 75.7 percent last year, and was hardly automatic. Punter Scott Player did not survive the final cut, and is likely to be replaced by ex-Steeler Mike Barr. The main reason the Cardinals used their fifth-round pick on Breaston was to improve their return game, a spot the Michigan product excelled at in college. Shipp and Arrington (22.7 kick return avg.) will also help return kickoffs.

PROGNOSIS: The Cardinals are taking the right steps but are still some ways away from competing. They have a young quarterback in place for the long haul, Boldin and Fitzgerald are also young, and the club has a head coach in place that it can build around. However, the Cardinals still have a lot of work to do on the defensive side and outside of Brown, the offensive line needs to be shaped. It's a shame Arizona is in its current state, because the NFC West is ripe for the taking. However, the club and its fans will have to go through another season of (sigh) rebuilding.

WagerOnFootball.com - Arizona Cardinals Predictions

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