Offense
When Carson Palmer is healthy, this team wins it's as simple as that. They had a bottom third offense last season, but for roughly half the season they were strolling out Drew Stanton or Ryan Lindley who just aren't very good. Carson Palmer on the other hand is a good NFL quarterback, and under Bruce Arians he has shown that he can lead a great NFL team. He has the tools Arians wants in a QB, and they have found a way to limit his mistakes and utilize his big arm. The best way they have done that, is they found him three very good weapons. The trio of Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and John Brown are really going to turn some heads next season. Fitz is just a reliable star, and even though he didn't put up good numbers last season that can partially be attributed to Carson Palmer's injury. Michael Floyd seemed due for a big time breakout year in 2014, but I think the entire offense going through QB change delayed it. He has all the tools to be a great WR, and I think he'll surpass 1,000 yards with at least 8 touchdowns in 2015. In the slot, I think John Brown is ready to burst onto the scene. He had an up and down rookie season, capped by an incredible touchdown catch against the Rams in week 14. He needs to be more consistent, but he has a very high ceiling and gives the Cardinals three very big threats at wide receiver. At tight end, last years second round pick Troy Niklas should be the starter. He is enormous for a tight end (6'6/270 lbs) and is a great blocker too. If he can be solid in the passing game, he will be an impact player for Arizona. The Cardinals have invested a lot into their offensive line in recent years. At left tackle, they have Jared Veldheer who is coming off of a terrific first season in Arizona. They also just signed Mike Iupati who has incredible talent (especially in pass protection) and should be an anchor for them in the middle. He will really help their run game, but also be a big factor in keeping Palmer upright because their guards were subpar last season. At center, Ted Larsen should take over, and he isn't great but he has the advantage of being beside an elite guard in Iupati that could help take pressure off of him and minimize his role. Opposite Iupati, Jonathan Cooper is looking to get his career back on track. He has been injured, and inconsistent, and this will probably be his last chance to prove he can start, BUT he still has a lot of talent. He is extremely athletic and hopefully he can stay healthy and put together at least a decent year. At right tackle, D.J. Humphries should be the starter. Bobby Massie wasn't bad last season, and he should get regular playing time either inside or as a swing tackle, but Humphries is a more talented tackle. Management has done a terrific job with this O-line and should be applauded for it. In the backfield, Arizona will rely on a combination of Andre Ellington, Stepfan Taylor and David Johnson. Andre Ellington is still their most talented back, and if he stays healthy he should be very good, but don't sleep on David Johnson either. He's a big back, and he has Le'Veon Bell like traits in the passing game (Mike Mayock's words not mine, to be honest I haven't seen much of him yet, just reading scouting reports). This offense could be in a position to surprise people. They aren't thought of as a great offense, but I don't really see a weak spot on this team if Carson Palmer is healthy. Their O-line should be greatly improved, they have two young talented running backs, they have a big armed gunslinger of a quarterback and they have a dangerous trio at wide receiver. I don't think it will be a top 10 offense, but I think it could be top 12 offense, and I think it will be at least a league average offense. Andre Ellington has less pressure on him, because last season he was being compared to Jamaal Charles after 118 carries in his rookie year. If he plays closer to how he did as a rookie, and Palmer stays healthy, this offense will produce. Plus, Bruce Arians. Yeah, the guy can flat out coach.
Defense
This is a special defense. I don't mean it will go down in history as the most dominant defense ever, or they don't use a cool name (that I know of?) like the Legion of Boom, but no matter what changes they go through, they are shutting down opponents. On the defensive line, they lost Dan Williams which could spell trouble for them, but either Corey Peters or Alameda Ta'amu should be srevicable replacements. Both players are solid, and Peters can move along the defensive line so his versatility might lead Ta'amu to start and Peters to be a key rotation player. At one 3-4 end spot, the Cardinals have their best overall player anchoring down the spot in Calais Campbell. Yes, I said best player. I think he is better than Patrick Peterson, Larry Fitzgerald and anyone else on the team. He is an elite defensive end that is dominant in the run game and is a weapon as a pass rusher too. Opposite Campbell, Kareem Martin will probably split reps with Cory Redding. Martin should be the better option as a pass rusher, so in obvious passing downs (3rd and long, etc.) Kareem Martin will probably get a chance to show what he can do in his sophomore season. At linebacker, Arizona is missing star talent, yet they end up getting a lot of production out of their guys anyways. Outside, a combination of Alex Okafar, Matt Shaughnessy and Markus Golden will take up most of the snaps for them. Golden is a hard working guy with a non-stop motor, and the Cardinals are relying on him to have a big rookie season. Inside it's not as bad, as Arizona has Kevin Minter, Sean Weatherspoon and Darryl Sharpton. Kevin Minter was solid last season, but Weatherspoon is my sleeper impact player for this team. If he's healthy, he has a lot of talent and could be huge in replacing Daryl Washington because of his suspensions and unreliability. They are fairly thin at linebacker, but this coaching staff has historically gotten more production then they should out of their linebackers. In the secondary, this team should be pretty damn good in 2015. Patrick Peterson should have a bounce back season. Not that he was bad in 2014, he was very good, but he got burned for touchdowns more than he would like. I definitely think he'll be an elite cornerback again in 2015. Opposite Peterson, Jerraud Powers and Justin Bethal are the options they have. Neither one of those players inspire much confidence, so I'm expecting opposing offenses to attack the slot and 2nd cornerback. At safety, this team has a few very good players. Tyrann Mathieu is the star at safety, and being another year further removed from his knee injury should bode well for him. I wouldn't be surprised if he was a top 3 safety after this season and led the entire NFL in forcing turnovers. He's just that good. Beside Mathieu, the Cardinals have two young safeties in Tony Jefferson and Deone Bucannon. Jefferson will probably start, but Bucannon will play a lot too, and has the size and strength to play linebacker in the nickel defense. I think Bucannon will take a big step forward in 2015, and be the physical presence in the secondary that the Cardinals need. This defense on paper looks worse in 2015. They don't have Antonio Cromartie, they seem very thin on the edge and they also lost Dan Williams at nose tackle. My biggest worry for them is the loss of Todd Bowles as defensive coordinator, but I think them staying in house was smart and all the players should still be very comfortable with this defense. I think they will still be a top 10 defense, and the coaching staff will get the most out of their players like they always do.
The Cardinals were 9-1 last season. They most likely would have won the division if Carson Palmer hadn't have gone down with an injury. Bruce Arians can inspire players, and he is one of the best coaches in the NFL. With that being said, I still think this team isn't as good as Seattle, and they seemed destined for a wildcard playoff berth. I think that what separates this team from Seattle is the depth that Seattle has on defense. Mainly up front, I have concerns about whether this team can still bring the pressure even though they have taken a hit on the edge and up the middle. Arizona is still a very good team, and they will be extremely competitive in every game they play because that is how Bruce Arians coaches his teams.
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