Cardinals Record Prediction For 2019

Cardiac

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7-9 with a chance to win up to 10 games if the Oline remains relatively healthy.

Cards can win more than many expect if Murray and Kingsbury are who they think they are. The Offense will score enough points to pressure the opposition to abandon the run and play catch up. With our pass rushers going all out pass rush we will force TO's and help keep the TOP in our favor.

I will remain optimistic until they give me a reason not too. Yes I'm ignoring our vast history of let downs.
 

Russ Smith

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I haven't been this uncertain about a season since the Jeff Blake, Boldin a rookie year where we had a whole new OC and a whole new offense. I managed to convince myself that year we might be better but it turned out to be a horrible team with just the one bright spot, Boldin.

I'm hoping this year goes better.

I'd be surprised if we surpass 6 wins and I'm thinking 5-11 is most likely but i have to admit I have not gone down the schedule and checked off wins and losses. I somewhat expect us to be one of the worst teams again. I think Wilks and Keim did serious damage last year the conversion to 4-3 let key guys go that we had to replace this year going back to 3-4. Not having PP for 6 games is a huge problem on defense. The OL appears to suck and could get substantially worse as most of the OL is an injury waiting to happen.

So we're basically hoping Murray is legit, that Keesean is sort of a poor man's Boldin in terms of impact as a rookie. Outside of Murray I think the biggest question on the roster is David Johnson, is he DJ before the wrist injury or the one after or somewhere in between.
 

MadCardDisease

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I'd be surprised if we surpass 6 wins and I'm thinking 5-11 is most likely but i have to admit I have not gone down the schedule and checked off wins and losses. I somewhat expect us to be one of the worst teams again. I think Wilks and Keim did serious damage last year the conversion to 4-3 let key guys go that we had to replace this year going back to 3-4. Not having PP for 6 games is a huge problem on defense. The OL appears to suck and could get substantially worse as most of the OL is an injury waiting to happen.

Which key guys were let go from the 3-4 to 4-3 conversion?

Wilks was basically given a roster with 3-4 players and he tried to shoe horn them into a 4-3 which was a huge mistake on his part. A player like Deone Buccanon was a horrible choice for a 4-3 LB.

However I believe the major damage was done way before last season even began. It started in 2017 when the Cardinals tried to make one last run with the oldest team in football. Then when the window slammed shut on them, and the older players were sent to pasture in 2018, the Cardinals were left with Keim's failed draft picks to fill the holes on defense (Nkemdiche, Reddick, Brandon Williams).
 

Russ Smith

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Which key guys were let go from the 3-4 to 4-3 conversion?

Wilks was basically given a roster with 3-4 players and he tried to shoe horn them into a 4-3 which was a huge mistake on his part. A player like Deone Buccanon was a horrible choice for a 4-3 LB.

However I believe the major damage was done way before last season even began. It started in 2017 when the Cardinals tried to make one last run with the oldest team in football. Then when the window slammed shut on them, and the older players were sent to pasture in 2018, the Cardinals were left with Keim's failed draft picks to fill the holes on defense (Nkemdiche, Reddick, Brandon Williams).


I'd have to look it up but coming off losing Campbell for Nkemdiche, last year we lost Rucker and Dansby too. I agree the bigger issue was the bad drafting and signing before that so the guys who were coming in like Nkemdiche, Deonne and Reddick were just not very good but it seemed to me like that one year switch to the 4-3 hurt us because if we'd stayed 3-4 we would have possibly kept or signed different guys.

It still stuns me how quickly our run defense fell apart in recent years.
 

kerouac9

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I'd have to look it up but coming off losing Campbell for Nkemdiche, last year we lost Rucker and Dansby too. I agree the bigger issue was the bad drafting and signing before that so the guys who were coming in like Nkemdiche, Deonne and Reddick were just not very good but it seemed to me like that one year switch to the 4-3 hurt us because if we'd stayed 3-4 we would have possibly kept or signed different guys.

It still stuns me how quickly our run defense fell apart in recent years.

I think that letting go of guys like Josh Mauro, Xavier Williams and Kareem Martin set us back in the transition. The hurry to cast aside players who didn't quite work out like you hoped instead of signing them to contracts that align with their market value is weird.

Markus Golden is on a 1-year deal with $2.25 guaranteed. Deone Bucannon is on a 1-year, $2.5 million contract. Are things so bad here that they'd rather up and move, or did Keim try to low-ball them?
 

RugbyMuffin

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One win better than last season?
Yes.

But, WAY more competitive.

I think this team will lose a lot of games by less than a touchdown.

The youth of the team, and inexperience of the head coach will allow for more than a few games to slip away.

I expect the team to be better but, how many games within the division do they win?

I am not even sure what 4 games they are going to win, but they should win 4, and be in a bunch of close games, more than likely, shoot outs.

One last point, If Jimmie G. is healthy last year, and Rogers & McCarthy didn't have thier divorce, 4-12 would be a 4 win improvement.

Last years team was atrocious, and that is the foundation this team is sitting on. There is a reason there is talk of the Cardinals signing 5+ guys off waivers.

Sent from my mystical communication warp drive device thingy
 
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Russ Smith

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I think that letting go of guys like Josh Mauro, Xavier Williams and Kareem Martin set us back in the transition. The hurry to cast aside players who didn't quite work out like you hoped instead of signing them to contracts that align with their market value is weird.

Markus Golden is on a 1-year deal with $2.25 guaranteed. Deone Bucannon is on a 1-year, $2.5 million contract. Are things so bad here that they'd rather up and move, or did Keim try to low-ball them?


I'd forgotten about Golden but he was injured so he wasn't a bad decision just a bad outcome. Yeah the other guys too were useful pieces we didn't adequately replace.

Last year was just a nightmare every bad decision we made over the last X years came back to haunt us.
 

Chris_Sanders

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Split 49ers
Split Seahawks
Swept by Rams
Lose to 3 out of 4 of the South
Beat the Giants
Win 2 out of 4 with the North
Beat Detroit

So that was my 7 wins.

5 wins Chickens sweep us and we only win 1 of the AFC North
 
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Arz101

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I think that letting go of guys like Josh Mauro, Xavier Williams and Kareem Martin set us back in the transition. The hurry to cast aside players who didn't quite work out like you hoped instead of signing them to contracts that align with their market value is weird.

Markus Golden is on a 1-year deal with $2.25 guaranteed. Deone Bucannon is on a 1-year, $2.5 million contract. Are things so bad here that they'd rather up and move, or did Keim try to low-ball them?

With Suggs 7 million, both Golden and Bucannon could have been signed and have a million left over! With Hicks, Bucannon and Hope (that is Reddick) the LB corps would have some depth.
 

kerouac9

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Yes.

But, WAY more competitive.

I think this team will lose a lot of games by less than a touchdown.

The youth of the team, and inexperience of the head coach will allow for more than a few games to slip away.

I expect the team to be better but, how many games within the division do they win?

I am not even sure what 4 games they are going to win, but they should win 4, and be in a bunch of close games, more than likely, shoot outs.

Sent from my mystical communication warp drive device thingy

That's going to be problematic for Coach Sub-.500 in college, I think. If one-score games are a coin-flip, then going 4-7 in them looks really bad — especially if you're on the wrong side of blowouts in the remaining 5. It's also weird to think that we're would have close games with BOTH, like Detroit and, like, Seattle.

I think we're going to handily beat (8+ points) some three of DET, BAL, CIN, NYG, SF, and TB. The rest will be toss-ups.

I think that, including 3 of the above, we can manage close games (within one score) against half of CAR, ATL, PIT, CLE, SEA, and the other SF game. That's 6 games. Let's say we lose 4 of those close ones. That's 5 wins!

I don't think we'll stand much of a chance in the rest. We'll be a team in the lower-third of the league, but not cover-your-eyes awful. The challenge is getting off to a rolling start against weak opponents early in the schedule before our starting corners come back. Have to make some hay in home games against Detroit, and on the road in Cincy and against the Giants.

Hard to imagine a successful season, even by these modest standards, beginning with a high-variance loss to the Lions.
 

MadCardDisease

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I'd have to look it up but coming off losing Campbell for Nkemdiche, last year we lost Rucker and Dansby too. I agree the bigger issue was the bad drafting and signing before that so the guys who were coming in like Nkemdiche, Deonne and Reddick were just not very good but it seemed to me like that one year switch to the 4-3 hurt us because if we'd stayed 3-4 we would have possibly kept or signed different guys.

It still stuns me how quickly our run defense fell apart in recent years.

Campbell had nothing to do with the 4-3 transitions. He was gone before the regime change.

Rucker and Dansby were more of an at the end of their career thing and were part of that one last run thing I mentioned before.
 

MadCardDisease

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I think that letting go of guys like Josh Mauro, Xavier Williams and Kareem Martin set us back in the transition. The hurry to cast aside players who didn't quite work out like you hoped instead of signing them to contracts that align with their market value is weird.

Markus Golden is on a 1-year deal with $2.25 guaranteed. Deone Bucannon is on a 1-year, $2.5 million contract. Are things so bad here that they'd rather up and move, or did Keim try to low-ball them?


Xavier Williams might be available soon:
https://clutchpoints.com/chiefs-3-players-on-the-roster-bubble-entering-preseason-finale/

Here is a sneak preview of three on the roster bubble, and on the verge of being released.
...
2. Xavier Williams – DT
The Chiefs brought in Xavier Williams to stop the run in 2018; but the former Arizona Cardinal didn’t perform up to expectations in his first season. In his first season as a Chief, the interior run-stuffer started just four games and tallied 47 total tackles and 2.5 sacks

In 2019 preseason and training camp football, Williams hasn’t given a vote of confidence to stay on the team. According to Chiefs Wire’s Charles Goldman, Williams has dealt with back issues for much of training camp — which can be an extensive recovery considering Williams measures in at 6-foot-4, 311-pounds.

In Emmanuel Ogbah and Khalen Saunders, Kansas City has their (youthful) options to replace Williams. Ogbah came via a trade from the Cleveland Browns; he’s different from Williams in that he’s a better pass-rusher than run defender. Saunders fits the need of a run-stuffer if Williams is to be released.
 

Russ Smith

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Campbell had nothing to do with the 4-3 transitions. He was gone before the regime change.

Rucker and Dansby were more of an at the end of their career thing and were part of that one last run thing I mentioned before.

Right Campbell was an example of bad drafting we thought we could let him walk because of salary because we had picked Nkemdiche and thought he would take over.

Yes Rucker and Dansby were end of career guys but they were still productive players and were replaced by guys who were just not nearly as good.

You are right the bad drafting was a huge issue. The one last run thing I complained at the time if they were going to do that they should have spent the money to keep Calais not the guys they did keep. But to be fair losing Palmer doomed that season. That was a 5-6 win team that won 8 because Arians did a good job. The prior year we were an 11 or 12 win team that won only 7 just crazy combination of bad luck and just not making plays when we had to. The best and worst coaching jobs Arians did for us in back to back years IMO
 

Son of RedRage

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DET - W
BAL - W
CAR - W
SEA - L
CIN - W
ATL - L
NYG - W
NOLA - L
SF - W
TB - W
SF - W
LAR - L
PIT - L
CLE - W
SEA - W
LAR - L

10-6.
I'm a little optimistic, but I see some very winnable games on this schedule.
Side note: The Steelers have a legendarily bad record historically on the west coast, so there's a very real chance we beat them.
 

jmt

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Rut would be great to beat Pitt and Clev - I hope we can win 6 or 7.
 

mjb21aztd

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3 and 13... i see promise but take all oline in next yr draft to protect Murray and our future will look bright
 

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Vegas is smart putting the over-under and 5.5 wins. Homers gonna homer :) I'll take the under.

5-11

KM won't be a generational GOAT from day 1. We're seeing that, and anyone that still thinks he'll be God's gift to the NFL day 1 is delusional...still :) I'll be happy if he flashes that talent and gets better as the season goes. Then there are the other issues on this roster. 5-11 will almost be a success. Then we can fire Keim and rebuild.
 

DVontel

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Vegas is smart putting the over-under and 5.5 wins. Homers gonna homer :) I'll take the under.

5-11

KM won't be a generational GOAT from day 1. We're seeing that, and anyone that still thinks he'll be God's gift to the NFL day 1 is delusional...still :) I'll be happy if he flashes that talent and gets better as the season goes. Then there are the other issues on this roster. 5-11 will almost be a success. Then we can fire Keim and rebuild.
Keim ain’t getting fired if we go 5-11 or better. It would take another 3-13 or less season.
 

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