TEAM PREVIEW: Arizona Cardinals

10-6 in 2009. Won NFC West.


The 2009 offseason was not very kind to the Arizona Cardinals. Kurt Warner retired (hes not coming back sorry Mazzetti), Anquan Boldin was traded, Antrelle Rolle left, Karlos Dansby is gone, just to name a few. There are some new players like Joey Porter, and Alan Faneca but the additions do not even come close to the subtractions.

Without Kurt Warner at the helm, the once highly touted, Matt Leinart steps in. He will be given every opportunity to do well, because if he doesn't, it will likely mean he is not a Cardinal going into next season. He is due to make about $18 million in 2011 and the Cards will not pay that if they don't think Leinart can get the job done. Beanie Wells is an imposing figure as a RB at 6'2", 228lbs. The Cardinals figure to put a heavy workload on him to lessen the pressure on Leinart. Larry Fitzgerald is one of the best WRs in the league and it still remains to be seen what type of stats he will put up without Warner throwing him precision passes in 2010. I do have high expectations for Steve Breaston and Early Doucet. Both showed flashes of promise last year, and with increased roles could prove to be valuable play makers in this offense. None of the TEs are impressive, but the Cardinals offense uses them more as blockers than receivers. The offensive line is anchored by Levi Brown and should be a good enough unit for Leinart not to get killed behind.

The losses of Rolle and Dansby should prove quite large going into 2010. Joey Porter is still pretty good, but at this point he doesn't add quite as much as Dansby did. The defensive line will get a major boost with Dan Williams out of Tennessee and Darnell Dockett is still a solid player. I am undecided on the LB core. There are a few good players there, however outside of an aging Porter, no real game changers. It remains to be seen what the LBs can do this season. At the DB position, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie is a top caliber player, but it could be argued the Cardinals lack a true number 2 talent. This affects the rest of the depth chart as well, slotting 4 and 5 type DBs in the 2 and 3 spots. At safety Adrian Wilson is one of the better ones in the league but not having Rolle should have a major overall impact on the secondary.

What this all comes down to is the Arizona Cardinals lost a lot more in the offseason than they gained. The NFC West is not a very good division, which could inflate their record, but I see the 49ers coming out on top. As good as the rest of the NFC is, I don't see the Cardinals making the playoffs this season. Unless Matt Leinart is better than advertised I think the Cardinals are in for a tough year.

-Prediction: 7-8 wins in 2010.