Last time I focused on the Arizona Cardinals' offense, so now let’s take a look at the roster health of individual players and positions for their defense and special teams, very early into the off-season. Defense NO.     NAME     POS     AGE     HT     WT     EXP     COLLEGE     ANALYSIS 97     Bryan Robinson     NT     35     6-4     304     13     Fresno State- Robinson has been perhaps the most consistent NT force for the Cardinals for two seasons, but at age 35 and [...] Continue reading →

Let's take a look at the roster health of individual players and positions for the Arizona Cardinals offense, less than a week into their off-season. NO.     NAME     POS     AGE     HT     WT     EXP     COLLEGE     ANALYSIS 7     Matt Leinart     QB     26     6-5     232     4     USC     Matt Leinart sits firmly on the fence. There are valid concerns about  his ability to lead the team and make all the necessary throws, but if Kurt Warner retires Leinart is first in line to get his shot. There is too much invested in him to stop the experiment at this point, unless the Cardinals find themselves in position to snag a sure bet veteran or draft pick. [...] Continue reading →

If you hadn't watched every snap of the Cardinals season as I did and only caught their playoff performance, you might surmise that their defense is awful. To be sure, Arizona's season ended on a sour note at the hands of a very good football team. Nothing went Arizona's way: I mean let's face it, it is hard enough to stop the No.1 ranked offense with a full, healthy roster. With LB Gerald Hayes (arguably the Cardinals best run-stuffing backer) already having been declared inactive for the game, after Pro Bowl CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie (the Cardinals' only true cover DB) and Pro Bowl alternate Safety Antrel Rolle were both injured early, and it was game on for the Saints. [...] Continue reading →

He has been ridiculed for getting beaten repeatedly in pass coverage in recent weeks, leading critics to proclaim that at 5'8", Cardinals' CB Michael Adams is simply overmatched because of his less than ideal height. Darrell Green was one of the best defensive backs in NFL history and he was 5'9"/184 lbs. Adams is 5'8"/181 lbs. While Green's best asset was his Olympic-caliber speed, Adams has shown off an astounding vertical leap. Adams is a work in progress and a great prospect if he continues to improve. He has flashed tremendous athleticism and is a hard worker. Yet those positive qualities are not going to keep fans off of his back [...] Continue reading →

Michael Adams, the 5'8" reserve defensive back who had been picked on repeatedly in coverage by Aaron Rodgers the past two weeks, initiated the game winning play by causing a fumble while sacking Rodgers. It was scooped up and run in for a touchdown by linebacker Karlos Dansby on the fourth play of overtime to bless the Cardinals with a 51-45 victory. Miracle in the Meadowlands, Immaculate Reception, and how about Cardinals Benediction? In an instant classic, Rodgers led Green Bay back from a 17-0 deficit with a 21-point fourth quarter to tie the game at an amazing 45. Rodgers [...] Continue reading →

The Cardinals crushed Minnesota and handed them their second loss of the season when people were saying the Vikings were the most complete team in football, beat the Giants and handed them their second loss of the season when people were saying they were the best team in football, and lost to Green Bay when they weren't playing. The Packers lost to Minnesota twice in what were arguably their two most meaningful games of their year, beat Dallas when the Cowboys were playing their worst ball of the year, and lost to a Pittsburgh team that couldn't beat Oakland, Kansas City or Cleveland in the weeks leading up to their [...] Continue reading →

While the Cardinals pieced together a calculated patchwork of backups and starters on pitch counts, the Packers played three quarters of the game as if the outcome mattered. Only time till tell which strategy was the right one, but there were clearly two entirely different approaches to yesterday's game between Green Bay and Arizona. Green Bay chose their poison: momentum, flow, sync and confidence, wanting to start the postseason on a roll . Arizona selected their strategy: to rest players, hold their cards close to their vest so as to reveal virtually nothing. The result is that Cardinals fans are quick to point out that it appeared the Arizona [...] Continue reading →

Minnesota hosts the New York Giants in an early Sunday game, and the outcome will dictate the Arizona Cardinals' game plan for their later game slot against the Green Bay Packers. If the Vikings win the Cardinals will surely fall back on plan B, which will be to rest key players and keep the game plan as plain as Breyer's vanilla bean ice cream. With the strong likelihood of facing the Packers the following week on the same field in the first round of the playoffs, it would be foolish to reveal too much to Green Bay. If the Vikings lose, the Cardinals will be gunning for the #2 NFC seed. Of course, they will [...] Continue reading →

In the most complete game Arizona has played since upending the Vikings three weeks ago, the Cardinals took care of business by ousting the undermanned Rams 31-10 to earn 10 wins for the first time since 1976. With the NFC West crown wrapped up last weekend, the Cardinals also still have an outside chance of earning the No.2 seed in the NFC playoffs should the Vikings lose their last two games. Aside from that, this game served primarily as a much needed tune-up for the playoffs after two shaky outings. The game featured several milestones: Kurt Warner became only the second QB in NFL history to pass for [...] Continue reading →

It is hard to criticize a team after a win that helped enable them to bring home their second consecutive division championship, but playing down to a 2-11 opponent and barely eeking out a victory will never earn high marks. The Arizona Cardinals did just enough to oust the lowly Lions, and the Eagles did their part by bettering the 49ers, to give the Cardinals the NFC West crown and another playoff berth. Here are my grades for their performance. Rushing offense- B With Tim Hightower still battling a thumb injury, it was Beanie Wells who secured the ball and a heavy workload. He responded with his first career 100-yard game as a pro including a 34-yarder and an 18-yard touchdown run. [caption id="attachment_2869" align="alignright" width="429" caption="Photo by Gregory [...] Continue reading →