Adrian Fedkiw
Each day leading up to the official start of the NFL football season, I will be providing you with player rankings, team previews, analysis, predictions, opinions and a whole lot more.
The time is now for the Arizona Cardinals, it’s Super Bowl or bust.
That window could be closing pretty soon. Quarterback Carson Palmer is 36, wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald is 33 and defensive end Calais Campbell is a free agent at the end of the season.
But that title is possible. The Cardinals added pass rusher Chandler Jones via trade, guard Evan Mathis and running back David Johnson seems to be everyone’s breakout candidate in 2016.
The question for the postseason then becomes whether Palmer can handle the big stage. He put up phenomenal numbers during the regular season, but was intercepted four times with six turnovers in all during an abysmal NFC Championship Game loss to the Carolina Panthers.
Yikes!
Grading the Roster
QBs- Carson Palmer (8.2), Drew Stanton (7.2)
RBs- David Johnson (7.6), Chris Johnson (7.3), Andre Ellington (7.3)
WRs- Larry Fitzgerald (7.7), John Brown (7.6), Michael Floyd (7.5), J.J. Nelson (7.2)
TEs- Darren Fells (7.3), Jermaine Gresham (7.3)
Ts- Jared Veldheer (8), D.J. Humphries (7.2), John Wetzel (7.1)
Gs- Mike Iupati (7.9), Evan Mathis (7.6), Antoine McClain (7.1)
Cs- A.Q. Shipley (7.3), Earl Watford (7.2)
DEs- Calais Campbell (8.2), Frostee Rucker (7.3), Robert Nkemdiche (7.3), Ed Stinson (7.2)
NTs- Corey Peters (7.3), Red Bryant (7.2)
OLBs- Chandler Jones (8.1), Markus Golden (7.4), Kareem Martin (7.2), Alex Okafor (7.2)
ILBs- Deone Bucannon (7.6), Kevin Minter (7.2), Donald Butler (7.2), Chris Clemons (7.1)
CBs- Patrick Peterson (8.5), Brandon Williams (7.2), Justin Bethel (7.3), Kevin Harlan (7.1)
Ss- Tyrann Mathieu (8.2), Tony Jefferson (7.3), Tyvon Branch (7.3)
K- Chandler Catanzaro (7.3)
P- Drew Butler (7.3)
KR- David Johnson (7.3)
PR- Patrick Peterson (7.4)
Team Rankings
Team- 7.450 (5/32)
Offense- 7.490 (6/32)
Defense- 7.454 (6/32)
Quarterbacks- 7.7 (8/32)
Running Backs- 7.4 (7/32)
Receivers- 7.43 (5/32)
Offensive Line- 7.43 (5/32)
Defensive Line- 7.42 (4/16)
Linebackers- 7.38 (8/16)
Secondary- 7.57 (3/32)
Special Teams- 7.325
Coaches- 7.4
PREDICTION– 13-3 (1st NFC West)
QUARTERBACKS
Palmer is the perfect fit for head coach Bruce Arians’ vertical attack in the desert. At 6’5, 230 pounds, he’s the ideal pocket passer who can get the ball downfield using his cannon for an arm. Palmer led the NFL with 8.7 yards per attempt and finished second in touchdown passes with 35.
It was by far Palmer’s best season of his 13-year career, picking apart defenses by easily going through all of his progressions. His release is compact and nobody can outrun his deep ball. Where Palmer can get into trouble is when he gets pressure in his face, that’s when he tends to overthrow his receivers.
Drew Stanton is Palmer’s backup and Matt Barkley is the third stringer.
RUNNING BACKS
I believe Johnson is a potential star in the making. He was used sporadically until Chris Johnson went down and made the most out of his opportunity, averaging 4.6 yards per carry.
He’s a long strider who gallops and covers a lot of ground, easily outrunning tacklers despite before 6’1 and weighing 224 pounds. He’s also very agile for a man his size and uses it to deliver blows to the defender.
Even though he’s not a great route runner, D. Johnson can make plays as a receiver in the flats due to his explosiveness and power. He’s also an exceptional kick returner.
C. Johnson is an ideal backup at this point in his career, while former starter Andre Ellington gives the Cardinals a solid trio of backs.
RECEIVERS
The best wide receiver trio resides in Arizona and each wideout brings something different to the table.
Fitzgerald had a career renaissance in 2015, posting 100-plus catches for the first time since 2007 to go with 1,215 yards. He was Palmer’s go-to guy while working from the slot.
John Brown is the speedster and home-run threat, while Michael Floyd is the intermediate guy who is a solid route runner with good hands. J.J. Nelson is also a speed demon. Fitzgerald and Floyd, meanwhile, are also very good blockers.
The dilemma is Arizona doesn’t have a pass-catching threat at tight end. Former basketball player Darren Fells has the athleticism and potential to become one.
OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
For Arians’ vertical attack to be effective, it starts up front with the pass protection and giving the receivers enough time to get upfield. Veldheer is solid in this area, but does show inconsistency due to his aggressiveness and wanting to win the battle early. This makes him very susceptible to spin moves. Due to his power, Veldheer is a good in-line blocker and pushes people backwards. Last year’s first-rounder D.J. Humphries will be the starter opposite of him.
Mike Iupati is a top-notch run blocker at left guard. He’s comfortable pulling to either side and can locate defenders in space. He’s very powerful and pushes his opposition off their spots. His pass blocking has never been his strong suit. He has slow feet and gets off balanced a lot, but he makes his money as a run blocker.
According to Pro Football focus, Mathis was their top ranked guard in 2012 and 13 before falling to No. 2 in 2015 and No. 3 in 2016. Mathis’ run blocking is exceptional and is at his best in space. He’s agile enough to get to the second level and strong enough to lock up defenders.
A.Q. Shipley is the underrated one of the bunch and will start at center.
DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
Campbell is 6’8, 300 pounds, just an absolute beast of a man. He’s tallied at least 55 tackles and five sacks in each of his past six seasons, just a model of consistency.
As you can imagine he has ridiculously long arms and uses them to his advantage when performing the swim move. He is explosive off the line of scrimmage. In the run defense, he knows how to use his size and plays with great leverage .
Frostee Rucker and Rodney Gunter have been battling all summer for the other defensive end spot. The starting nose tackle spot is also up in the air. The Cardinals could slide Gunter into that role or go with Corey Peters.
LINEBACKERS
Jones has been the pass rusher the Cardinals have been seeking for years. He had a career-high 12 1/2 sacks year to go with four forced fumbles.
He’s lengthy and knows how to use it to his advantage. Offensive linemen rarely grab hold of his chest. He also has a variety of different pass moves. His length also helps him in run defense. Jones has active hands and vision and doesn’t miss a lot of tackles. Markus Golden is the starter opposite of Jones.
Deone Buccanon seamlessly made the transition from safety to linebacker and with the way the game’s changing, 220 pounds really isn’t that light anymore for an inside backer. Kevin Minter will start alongside him.
DEFENSIVE BACKS
Following a bit of a disappointing year in 2014, cornerback Patrick Peterson rebounded in 2015. His 4.4 yards per pass allowed led all cornerbacks, according to Football Outsiders.
Peterson has all the physical tools you’d love to mold a cornerback into. He’s 6’1, 219, he’s super athletic, runs like a deer and is a threat to take any pick to the house. He’s an outstanding pure man cover corner when motivated. He showed a lot more aggressing last season and did a much better job of disrupting the timing of the quarterback and wide receiver. As a run defender Peterson is up and down. He loses track of the ball a lot, loses contain a lot, but when he does get in position he takes ball carriers down to the ground. It appears that the Cardinals will go with third-round rookie Brandon Williams as the other starter at the cornerback spot.
Tyrann Mathieu tore his ACL late in the year, but man, the Honey Badger was having a hell of a year and quite frankly could’ve thrown his name into the mix for Defensive Player of the Year.
His quick feet allows him to play slot receivers with ease and although he lacks size, he’s only 5’9, Mathieu still has the feistiness to compete with tight ends, especially when attacking the catch point. Mathieu is a beast in the run game, the guy is physical, which is just so damn impressive for his size. He plays with a low center of gravity too, so it’s tough for a blocker to get under his pads. And when he gets to the ball carrier, he lays the boom, he doesn’t just want to wrap them up. Tony Jefferson is his running mate at safety.
TEAM PREVIEWS
Buffalo Bills | New England Patriots | Miami Dolphins | New York Jets
Baltimore Ravens | Cincinnati Bengals | Pittsburgh Steelers | Cleveland Browns
Indianapolis Colts | Houston Texans | Jacksonville Jaguars | Tennessee Titans
Denver Broncos | Kansas City Chiefs | San Diego Chargers | Oakland Raiders
Los Angeles Rams | San Francisco 49ers
NFL PLAYER RANKINGS