Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
As the Cardinals head into the 2017 season, much has changed in a year's time. No longer considered a Super Bowl contender by the Las Vegas oddsmakers and national pundits, the Cardinals find themselves on the opposite end of last year's expectations. Some players like Carson Palmer think that's a good thing -- as the Cardinals traditionally have performed better as underdogs.
In my opinion, here are some of the ways in which the Cardinals could rediscover some of the 2015 magic that produced an unprecedented 9 game winning streak, a perfect 6-0 in prime-time games and a fabulous 7-1 record on the road.
* Steve Keim needs to make a few nifty personnel moves between now and the trading deadline, as he did in 2015 when he added the likes of Dwight Freeney and Red Bryant. Keim's re-signing of veteran RB Chris Johnson would appear to be a good start. The wild and crazy 48 hours of cuts (from 90 to 53), waiver wire claims, trades and practice squad signings on the weekend of September 1st should be very interesting to watch. The current depth on the Cardinals' roster and having what appears to be 4 compensatory picks in the 2018 NFL Draft could allow Keim the kind of trading chips it will take in order to solidify the Cardinals' talent and depth...and perhaps to get something in return for bubble players they would likely have waived anyway.
* BA needs to focus his coaching on what he does does best. He is a masterful teacher who given players an edge when they can hammer down the fundamentals and the details of their responsibilities. This year it would seem that BA needs to take a more hands-on approach. While he likes to delegate a majority of coaching responsibilities to the staff members he trusts, with a more hands-on approach this year, BA can try to ensure that all the coaches are on the same page. Most importantly, BA needs to mentor his coordinators a little more diligently, especially STs coordinator Amos Jones. If the Cardinals' STs continue to struggle this year, BA will no longer be able to insist that Jones is an outstanding coach. BA has to do all he can to protect his investment in Jones and in James Bettcher who is evolving and growing as an NFL defensive coordinator and hopefully starting to enter his prime. BA's vow to drill the fundamentals of blocking and tackling is paramount to the team's success.
* As the best teachers know, the ultimate goal is for the teacher to set the tone and then for the students to assume the ownership of the classroom. This is another one of BA's greatest strengths -- he loves to transfer the ownership of the team from the coaching staff to the players themselves. This year, the Cardinals need a number of players to step up as leaders...not just as vocal leaders, but most importantly as leaders in their preparation and the consistently accountable quality of their effort and performance on the field.
Offensive Leaders:
* QB Carson Palmer
* WE Larry Fitzgerald
* G Mike Iupati
* T Jared Veldheer
Defensive Leaders:
* DE Chandler Jones
* ILB Karlos Dansby
* CB Patrick Peterson
* S/CB Tyrann Mathieu
Special Teams' Leaders:
* K Phil Dawson
* ST Justin Bethel
* ST Scooby Wright
* ST Jaron Brown
Young Rising Leaders:
* RB David Johnson
* DE Markus Golden
* LB Deone Bucannon
Veteran Leaders:
* C A.Q. Shipley
* TE Jermaine Gresham
* RB Chris Johnson
* DE Frostee Rucker
* NT Corey Peters
* S Antoine Bethea
* Keys on Offense:
1. Improving the tempo and pace in order to generate faster starts and sustained production.
2. Mixing up snap counts.
3. Spreading the ball. The Cardinals are always at their best when they do this -- which may mean fewer touches at times for David Johnson, but that actually could be a win-win for the whole offense.
4. Eliminating (as much as possible) the unforced errors like throwing into double or triple coverage, particularly on 1st and 2nd down. When BA's team win the turnover battle, they are something like 35-2.
5. Running higher percentage plays in the red zone.
6. Catering the offense and the protections to Carson Palmer's strengths -- like more play action and less zero backfield spreads.
7. Ball security.
* Keys on Defense:
1. Remaining stout versus the run without DE Calais Campbell and SS Tony Jefferson, the 2016 team's two best tacklers. Getting the players set up and aligned well before each snap (big problem in 2016).
2. Finding a way to prevent teams from constantly exploiting the RCB/CB opposite Patrick Peterson.
3. Finding a way to re-vitalize the Honey Badger's magic.
4. Improving the pass rush on the interior and from backup edge rushers.
5. Improving pass coverage with faster LBs to cover RBs and TEs and finding a bona fide centerfielder in deep coverage.
6. Eliminating the coverage assignment mixups, particularly in short yardage and red zone situations.
7. Ball hawking.
* Keys on Special Teams:
1. Tackling. Needs significant improvement.
2. Blocking. On returns and in protecting the punter and kicker.
3. Kicking under pressure.
4. Kicking touchbacks when needed most.
5. Finding a kickoff returner and punt returner who are explosive and not tentative.
6. Putting pressure on other team's kickers and punters.
7. Ball security.
* Embracing the Process and the Schedule. Turning perceived negatives into positive challenges.
* Establishing a more constructive and respectful relationship with the referees and officials. The past approach has not worked. The Cardinals have to erase the stigma of being a bunch of crybabies.This year the Cardinals have to find a way to influence the officials in a positive way. So sick of seeing the Seahawks get all the breaks. Now it has to be the Cardinals' turn.
In my opinion, here are some of the ways in which the Cardinals could rediscover some of the 2015 magic that produced an unprecedented 9 game winning streak, a perfect 6-0 in prime-time games and a fabulous 7-1 record on the road.
* Steve Keim needs to make a few nifty personnel moves between now and the trading deadline, as he did in 2015 when he added the likes of Dwight Freeney and Red Bryant. Keim's re-signing of veteran RB Chris Johnson would appear to be a good start. The wild and crazy 48 hours of cuts (from 90 to 53), waiver wire claims, trades and practice squad signings on the weekend of September 1st should be very interesting to watch. The current depth on the Cardinals' roster and having what appears to be 4 compensatory picks in the 2018 NFL Draft could allow Keim the kind of trading chips it will take in order to solidify the Cardinals' talent and depth...and perhaps to get something in return for bubble players they would likely have waived anyway.
* BA needs to focus his coaching on what he does does best. He is a masterful teacher who given players an edge when they can hammer down the fundamentals and the details of their responsibilities. This year it would seem that BA needs to take a more hands-on approach. While he likes to delegate a majority of coaching responsibilities to the staff members he trusts, with a more hands-on approach this year, BA can try to ensure that all the coaches are on the same page. Most importantly, BA needs to mentor his coordinators a little more diligently, especially STs coordinator Amos Jones. If the Cardinals' STs continue to struggle this year, BA will no longer be able to insist that Jones is an outstanding coach. BA has to do all he can to protect his investment in Jones and in James Bettcher who is evolving and growing as an NFL defensive coordinator and hopefully starting to enter his prime. BA's vow to drill the fundamentals of blocking and tackling is paramount to the team's success.
* As the best teachers know, the ultimate goal is for the teacher to set the tone and then for the students to assume the ownership of the classroom. This is another one of BA's greatest strengths -- he loves to transfer the ownership of the team from the coaching staff to the players themselves. This year, the Cardinals need a number of players to step up as leaders...not just as vocal leaders, but most importantly as leaders in their preparation and the consistently accountable quality of their effort and performance on the field.
Offensive Leaders:
* QB Carson Palmer
* WE Larry Fitzgerald
* G Mike Iupati
* T Jared Veldheer
Defensive Leaders:
* DE Chandler Jones
* ILB Karlos Dansby
* CB Patrick Peterson
* S/CB Tyrann Mathieu
Special Teams' Leaders:
* K Phil Dawson
* ST Justin Bethel
* ST Scooby Wright
* ST Jaron Brown
Young Rising Leaders:
* RB David Johnson
* DE Markus Golden
* LB Deone Bucannon
Veteran Leaders:
* C A.Q. Shipley
* TE Jermaine Gresham
* RB Chris Johnson
* DE Frostee Rucker
* NT Corey Peters
* S Antoine Bethea
* Keys on Offense:
1. Improving the tempo and pace in order to generate faster starts and sustained production.
2. Mixing up snap counts.
3. Spreading the ball. The Cardinals are always at their best when they do this -- which may mean fewer touches at times for David Johnson, but that actually could be a win-win for the whole offense.
4. Eliminating (as much as possible) the unforced errors like throwing into double or triple coverage, particularly on 1st and 2nd down. When BA's team win the turnover battle, they are something like 35-2.
5. Running higher percentage plays in the red zone.
6. Catering the offense and the protections to Carson Palmer's strengths -- like more play action and less zero backfield spreads.
7. Ball security.
* Keys on Defense:
1. Remaining stout versus the run without DE Calais Campbell and SS Tony Jefferson, the 2016 team's two best tacklers. Getting the players set up and aligned well before each snap (big problem in 2016).
2. Finding a way to prevent teams from constantly exploiting the RCB/CB opposite Patrick Peterson.
3. Finding a way to re-vitalize the Honey Badger's magic.
4. Improving the pass rush on the interior and from backup edge rushers.
5. Improving pass coverage with faster LBs to cover RBs and TEs and finding a bona fide centerfielder in deep coverage.
6. Eliminating the coverage assignment mixups, particularly in short yardage and red zone situations.
7. Ball hawking.
* Keys on Special Teams:
1. Tackling. Needs significant improvement.
2. Blocking. On returns and in protecting the punter and kicker.
3. Kicking under pressure.
4. Kicking touchbacks when needed most.
5. Finding a kickoff returner and punt returner who are explosive and not tentative.
6. Putting pressure on other team's kickers and punters.
7. Ball security.
* Embracing the Process and the Schedule. Turning perceived negatives into positive challenges.
* Establishing a more constructive and respectful relationship with the referees and officials. The past approach has not worked. The Cardinals have to erase the stigma of being a bunch of crybabies.This year the Cardinals have to find a way to influence the officials in a positive way. So sick of seeing the Seahawks get all the breaks. Now it has to be the Cardinals' turn.
