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2005 Team Report: Arizona Cardinals
Quarterbacks
Starter: Kurt Warner
Starting QB: Kurt Warner steps into a perfect situation at his 3rd club in 3 years. A young team needing veteran leadership with a solid offensive line and one of the best trio of young receivers in the NFL. Add in a prototypical Dennis Green running back and a defense which is likely to be vastly improved, and Warner could be one of the surprise passers of 2005. However, the last 3 years have showed us that he is not the same quarterback that led the Rams to two Super Bowls in three years. Injury and a loss of confidence have taken their toll on the multiple MVP. Dennis Green's excellent record with veteran quarterbacks notwithstanding, Warner should only be drafted late as a backup to your fantasy squad.
Backup QB: Josh McCown appears content as the team's backup, but given Kurt Warner's recent injury history his opportunity may not be far away. The occasional good performances in his first full season as starter were punctuated by more than his fair share of ordinary ones. The coaching staff has confidence that McCown can develop into a regular starting quarterback, and coach Green has even compared him to Brett Favre. 2nd year man John Navarre, who started one game last year, appears set as the emergency QB. He has the size and arm to be a
Running Backs
Starter: J.J. Arrington (R)
Starting RB: J.J. Arrington was drafted in the 2nd round to offer the Cardinals a solid running game following the retirement of Emmitt Smith. Arrington gives Dennis Green his prototypical back. He has good size, electric speed, and instinctive running ability. Last year he was the only NCAA back to rush for 2000 yards and managed the rare feat of exceeding 100 yards in every game he played. Arrington also led the NCAA in yards per carry. It will be crucial for him to absorb the intricacies of the Cardinals playbook and learn NFL blocking schemes. The Cardinals have him in camp on time, which should give him every chance to bolster the running game they so desperately require. Backup RBs: Marcel Shipp is the only serious competition to J.J. Arrington's bid to start, but he must show he's recovered from last year's injury. Shipp is a solid runner, who is easily the best receiver and at the very least should be a 3rd down back. James Jackson will be fighting for a roster spot. J.R. Redmond was lost for the season with a shoulder injury, leaving former Miami Hurricane James Jackson as the team's 3rd string tailback.
Fullback: Obafemi Ayanbadejo is the only fullback on the Cardinals roster who offers any kind of fantasy output. Last season Ayanbadejo scored 4 times and amassed almost 300 total yards. James Hodgins missed last season, but when fit he is a punishing blocker. Casey Moore was released during the preseason.
Wide Receivers
Starters: Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald
Starting WRs: The anticipated great pairing of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin was delayed after the latter suffered a knee injury forcing him to miss the first 6 games of the season. Upon his return, the Cardinals were mired in a cycle of poor production from the quarterback position. A new season brings new hope and with both young receivers one more year experienced, anticipation in fantasy circles grows. The arrival of multiple MVP winner and former Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner gives a sense of optimism to Cardinal fans. Anquan Boldin has set receiving records in his first two seasons, and Larry Fitzgerald looks like one of the greatest prospects in years. How that translates to 2005 remains to be seen. Fantasy owners can expect solid production from both of these young stars with Boldin likely to be the more consistent option, provided his broken nose (suffered at the start of camp) doesn't turn into an unexpected long-term issue. Backup WRs: Bryant Johnson is the clear No.3 receiver and should receive plenty of opportunities; in fact, he's even listed as a third starter. If defenses give him an inch, they'll pay for it. Charles Lee gives the team a veteran option as the team's primary backup. Lee spent the last two seasons in Tampa Bay, but has had difficulty staying healthy during his four year career. Seventh round rookie receiver LeRon McCoy has a good chance of sticking. He has nice size and is fast, but has been plagued by character and maturity issues.
Tight Ends
Starters: Adam Bergen (R)
It is likely that most fantasy owners have no idea who the staring tight end is in Arizona now that Freddie Jones has left the club. The Cardinals were placing their faith in Eric Edwards, but he suffered a torn pectoral muscle in camp and will be sidelined at least a few weeks. If he returns on schedule, he would probably be re-installed as the starter but in the interim the situation is a quagmire. The Cardinals upgraded across the board offensively during the offseason except at TE. Adam Bergen and John Bronson were rookie free agent additions. Bergen is someone to play particular attention to, he impressed at the Combine and is a natural pass catcher but went undrafted likely because of fears over his level of collegiate competition (he played for Lehigh University). Place Kicker Neil Rackers : Rackers made good use of his strong leg last year. His 23 touchbacks on kickoffs led the league. He also entered the Pro Football Hall of Fame last year (actually just his shoes did) after connected on three 50+ yard FGs in one game. He was 22 of 29 (75.9%) on FGs. He is far more reliable now than his early years in Cincinnati. Kick and Punt Returners Kick Returners: Reggie Swinton, Charles Lee, LeRon McCoy, Bryant Johnson RB J.R. Redmond was on track to be the PR/KR specialist, until an injury landed him on IR. The team replaced him for six days with J.J. Moses, claimed off waivers in late August. He was around long enough to beat out rookie WR Dan Sheldon, who was released in the final round of cuts. When the Texans released WR Reggie Swinton, the Cardinals signed him and released Moses. Swinton showed potential when he was with Detroit (40 returns, 24.1 avg., 1 TD in 2003), but was displaced by Eddie Drummond. Should he fail to stick as the team's lead return man, FA acquisition WR Charles Lee could be pressed into action. Punt Returners: Reggie Swinton, Charles Lee, Bryant Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Antrel Rolle Both players who fielded punts last year are gone. Aging and slowing WR Karl Williams (42 returns, 6.8 avg) was released and CB Duane Starks (7 returns, 6.1 avg) is now a Patriot. WR Reggie Swinton was also a very capable PR backup in Detroit (23 returns, 13.8 avg., 1 TD in 2003), and will now get a chance to prove his talent outside of the Lions' system. WRs Bryant Johnson and Anquan Boldin are possible backups. Boldin was the team's primary PR in his rookie year, although his 6.5 avg. ranked 60th in the NFL. First round pick CB Antrel Rolle would be a superior option but the team is reluctant to use their top pick and lead cover corner in a Special Teams capacity. The Cardinals have struggled in this department. They've ranked 25th, 30th, and 29th in PR average the last three years and scored zero TDs. Offensive Line
Projected Starters: RT Oliver Ross, RG Elton Brown [r], C Alex Stepanovich [inj], LG Reggie Wells, LT Leonard Davis
Will this be the year the Cardinals offensive line puts all the pieces together and becomes the elite unit many thought they could develop into? This unit has a ton of talent and with the free agent signing of tackle Oliver Ross, the sky is the limit for these guys. Leonard Davis has disappointed thus far in his career but still has the potential to be awesome. At 370+ pounds, he is a bulldozing lineman who should thrive if moved back to the guard position. The team stole guard Elton Brown in the fourth round and will be a great pro. Oliver Ross has a nice blend of size and power and guard Reggie Wells has nice athleticism and has loads of potential. Center Alex Stepanovich is a talented 2nd year player who played well as a rookie a year ago. The Cardinals offensive line will be better in 2005 and still has the potential to be one of the best units in the NFL. Team Defense After a decade or so as one of the NFL's doormats, the Arizona defense began to show signs of life in '04. Though lacking any semblance of consistency, they made great statistical improvements in many categories including top 12 finishes in total yards and points allowed along with a top 10 against the pass. Maybe even more importantly Arizona finally began to make big plays, posting their best sack total (38) since Moby Dick was a guppy and snatching 30 turnovers. The numbers can be a little deceiving though as the Cards were red hot early in the season recording 18 of their takeaways over the first 6 games only to fade in November and December. Defensive end Bert Berry and linebacker Karlos Dansby were the only significant personnel additions to last years squad as the Dennis Green brain trust seemed willing to live with the collection of mostly wasted draft picks the previous regime had spent defensively, while implementing the new defensive scheme and concentrating on offensive improvement. This off season has been a lot different. Arizona has added 3 veteran free agents that project as starters (Chike Okeafor, Robert Griffith and Orlando Huff), and three rookies that will have a good shot at making the opening day lineup in corners Antrel Rolle and Eric Green and a linebacker in Darryl Blackstock. The bottom line here is that while Arizona is better than they had been, there are still holes to fill and/or much experience to be gained on a unit that is still a little thin on talent and depth. Defensive Line
Starters: RDE Bert Berry, LDE Chike Okeafor, NT Russell Davis, DT Darnell Dockett
Starting DL: Bert Berry single handedly put the Arizona defensive line back on the map in '04 by finishing second in the league with 14.5 sacks. It was the first time since 1999 that a Cardinal had reached double digits in sacks. Unfortunately no other lineman could muster more than 4. The addition of Chike Okeafor (8.5 sacks in '04) should resolve that issue and give the Cards a formidable pass rush combo from the ends. The downside here is that the club has not addressed its deficiencies versus the run where they finished 27th a year ago. Both Berry at 250 pounds and Okeafor at 265 are undersized to be every down ends. Neither Russell Davis nor Darnell Dockett will ever be mistaken for dominating interior linemen though both are solid players who will allow the club to concentrate on more pressing needs. Backup DL: In short the Cardinals are unproven if not very thin when it comes to depth along the DL. Arizona spent a first round pick on Calvin Pace two years ago. He played a significant role early last season before finding his way into the coach's dog house. Pace managed four sacks in the three games prior to the team's week six bye but was never heard from again. Luckily he's been a man possessed this preseason and has re-emerged as a key backup.
Linebackers
Starters: WLB Orlando Huff, MLB James Darling, SLB Karlos Dansby
Starting LBs: There is a changing of the guard in progress at the Cardinals linebacker positions. Former starters Ronald McKinnon and Raynoch Thompson along with backups LeVar Woods and LeVar Fisher are all out the door either being released or simply not offered new contracts. Free agent addition Orlando Huff (Seattle) was projected to take over the vacant MLB job but will instead start on the weakside. Huff lost his job in Seattle late last year to rookie Niko Koutouvides and was not offered a new contract. In the middle, the early advantage went to Gerald Hayes, but he got hurt and will miss at least eight weeks. The injury caused Arizona to promote James Darling to the starting middle linebacker position. Karlos Dansby was impressive as a rookie and is now the Cardinals best linebacker hands down. Backup LBs: To offset the mass exodus at the LB position the Cardinals added Darryl Blackstock and Lance Mitchell in the 3rd and 5th rounds of the draft respectively. Mitchell could start in the middle by mid season, as Darling is little more than a stopgap. Blackstock was projected by most as an OLB for a 3-4 scheme because of his pass rush skills and his questionable ability against the run. With him in the mix the plan may be to shuffle the positions around and get Dansby into a spot where he can make more plays.
Defensive Backs
Starters: RCB David Macklin, LCB Antrel Rolle , FS Robert Griffith, SS Adrian Wilson
Starting DBs: Hats off to the Cardinals for landing the best corner in this year's draft. No one was in more dire need of the services of Antrel Rolle than Arizona. Rolle will be an immediate starter and gives the Cards a shutdown corner for the first time since the departure of Aeneas Williams. With Rolle in the picture David Macklin can return to the role of #2 corner where he should be a solid contributor. Look for third round pick Eric Green to contribute right away as well. The safety positions are a little better with a quality player in Adrian Wilson at SS, but what are they thinking in putting Robert Griffith at FS? Not only has he never played FS but Griffith is going to be 35 years old and is clearly not the same player he was earlier in his career. Griffith was never considered fast even in his youth and isn't a ball hawk at all with just 23 interceptions over his 11 NFL seasons. Backup DBs: Raymond Walls and Eric Green will man the dime and nickel roles, respectively. Quentin Harris and Adrian Mayes made the 53-man roster at safety.
Last modified: 2005-09-06 08:51:55
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