Early Season Disappointments

[Duckjake]

#1. The offensive line. I really thought that with coaches like Arians and Tom Moore and Harold Goodwin that our offensive line would be more cohesive and much better than the Russ Grimm line. I was wrong. It wasn't Grimm after all our guys just aren't any good.

#2. Carson Palmer; The last thing I expected through the first 3 games of the season was for him to be inaccurate and have more INTs than TDs doing an impersonation of the rouges gallery of Cardinal QBs who preceded him. Of course some of it is related to #1, his sack % is the highest since 2008 when he only played 4 games and significantly higher than most of his NFL seasons, but come on Carson. You are better than this.

I also have several Early Season Pleasant Surprises but I can't post them because as soon as I do they'll suffer a season ending injury or get arrested or something.

 

[Cardiac]

I agree Duck. I also expected a bit more from the Dline. Their run D has been very good but I was hoping for a bit more in the pass rush department. 4 combined sacks from DD and CC isn't bad but I expected more consistent pressure. Maybe I should point the finger at Bowles since he was suppose to turn those two loose.

Housler has missed two games due to injury but.......

 

[Shane]

I agree Duck. I also expected a bit more from the Dline. Their run D has been very good but I was hoping for a bit more in the pass rush department. 4 combined sacks from DD and CC isn't bad but I expected more consistent pressure. Maybe I should point the finger at Bowles since he was suppose to turn those two loose.

Housler has missed two games due to injury but.......

4 combined sacks isn't great at all when 3 of them came in one game that we still got our doors blown off in.

 

[Garthshort]

1. Levi Brown, don't feel you can blame the whole OL, due to Cooper's injury. If he were able to play the line play would be better. But as they say a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. And that link is Levi. Going forward I'm sure we'll get a LT in next year's draft, and it's possible that Levi will be kept and moved to RT, where he's had some success. Levi, Winston and Massie, coaches will pick a starter for RT and cut the other vet, (if Massie is the starter both vets will be jettisoned imo) and possibly keep Massie for developmental purposes, if Levi or Winston is selected.
2. Rob Housler. I know he's been injured, but I was expecting more. Still have hope.

 

[Cardiac]

4 combined sacks isn't great at all when 3 of them came in one game that we still got our doors blown off in.

Agreed, hence why I said consistent. Just how crazy is it when we get 3 sacks from DD in game and get our doors blown off.

 

[juza76]

Dockett had 3 sacks against a rookie undrafted free agent getting first start of his career

 

[82CardsGrad]

Agreed, hence why I said consistent. Just how crazy is it when we get 3 sacks from DD in game and get our doors blown off.

So Cardinal-esque...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

 

[82CardsGrad]

#1. The offensive line. I really thought that with coaches like Arians and Tom Moore and Harold Goodwin that our offensive line would be more cohesive and much better than the Russ Grimm line. I was wrong. It wasn't Grimm after all our guys just aren't any good.

What logo is on the helmet?

 

[Duckjake]

1. Levi Brown, don't feel you can blame the whole OL, due to Cooper's injury. If he were able to play the line play would be better. But as they say a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. And that link is Levi. Going forward I'm sure we'll get a LT in next year's draft, and it's possible that Levi will be kept and moved to RT, where he's had some success. Levi, Winston and Massie, coaches will pick a starter for RT and cut the other vet, (if Massie is the starter both vets will be jettisoned imo) and possibly keep Massie for developmental purposes, if Levi or Winston is selected.
2. Rob Housler. I know he's been injured, but I was expecting more. Still have hope.

I agree on Cooper. Threw all the continuity of the offseason workouts out of whack. But it's not just Levi Brown though he hadn't played very well, I really thought that the new coaches were going to make a huge difference with our oline and that hasn't happened. That's why oline is biggest disappointment so far.

I do see several positives with the team but don't want to jinx them. Can't believe I cost Massie his starting job. So if anyone wants to start an early season surprises thread please do so.

 

[kerouac9]

1) Karlos Dansby. I love the man, and I hadn't watched a ton of Dolphins games the last couple years. But he's clearly lost (at least) a step, and that turns him from an above-average coverage LB into a slightly more rangy Jasper Brinkley.

2) Rashard Mendenhall. His 3.9 YPC so far this season is T2nd lowest since his second season in the league. Arians proclaimed to want a clear #1 RB, but Mendenhall has limped himself into a committee with Alfonzo Smith (who is objectively awful) and the promising Andre Ellington.

3) Rob Houlser. This guy has just run out of excuses.

4) John Abraham. Can't believe I let myself get sucked in to the hype on this guy. Mulli was absolutely right about this signing.

 

[Mulli]

Good job, me.

 

[Duckjake]

1) Karlos Dansby. I love the man, and I hadn't watched a ton of Dolphins games the last couple years. But he's clearly lost (at least) a step, and that turns him from an above-average coverage LB into a slightly more rangy Jasper Brinkley.

2) Rashard Mendenhall. His 3.9 YPC so far this season is T2nd lowest since his second season in the league. Arians proclaimed to want a clear #1 RB, but Mendenhall has limped himself into a committee with Alfonzo Smith (who is objectively awful) and the promising Andre Ellington.

3) Rob Houlser. This guy has just run out of excuses.

4) John Abraham. Can't believe I let myself get sucked in to the hype on this guy. Mulli was absolutely right about this signing.

I agree with all of these but I really didn't expect much more out of them, though I thought Mendenhall would have a better YPC, so they didn't make my list. I never got too fired up about Abraham because he's 35 years old.

I wonder whose idea it is to make the Cardinals as old a team as possible? I really like having veteran players but veterans who have been on our team for years not weeks.

 

[Cardiac]

1) Karlos Dansby. I love the man, and I hadn't watched a ton of Dolphins games the last couple years. But he's clearly lost (at least) a step, and that turns him from an above-average coverage LB into a slightly more rangy Jasper Brinkley.

Dansby has lost a step but he is still above avg in coverage IMO. Brinkley is below avg so I wouldn't list them in the same sentence.

2) Rashard Mendenhall. His 3.9 YPC so far this season is T2nd lowest since his second season in the league. Arians proclaimed to want a clear #1 RB, but Mendenhall has limped himself into a committee with Alfonzo Smith (who is objectively awful) and the promising Andre Ellington.

Mendenhall is the best RB we've had in forever. The Oline and his nagging injuries are the issue with his YPC. Because of his injury history I'm glad the Cards drafted 2 RB's because Mended can't be good if he is always dinged up.

3) Rob Houlser. This guy has just run out of excuses.

I'll give him another 4 games to prove he is not just hype.

4) John Abraham. Can't believe I let myself get sucked in to the hype on this guy. Mulli was absolutely right about this signing.

I'm with you and because of Mulli's posts I had lowered my expectations heading into the season but still.....

 

[Cheesebeef]

I wonder whose idea it is to make the Cardinals as old a team as possible? I really like having veteran players but veterans who have been on our team for years not weeks.

this is what I've actually been the most disappointed about. I see some people talk about "we're building, laying the groundwork!" but what has Keim and Arians really added that we've seen pay dividends as far as laying the ground work? Mathieu was a GREAT pick and hopefully Cooper will be also, but everyone gets a first round pick. Otherwise, we signed a bunch of older guys, most of them to one year to year deals, most of them not really producing all that much. Meanwhile, the team came into the off-season most dire at OLB, QB, LT, OG, #2 CB and both S spots and so far it looks like going into next off-season, will be looking dire at QB, LT, OLB, #2 CB and 1 S spot and now add in RT as Winston doesn't look long for this team with a one year deal and apparently our HC soured on Massie.

I know Rome wasn't built in a day, but I fear we didn't build much of anything in an entire off-season.

 

[82CardsGrad]

this is what I've actually been the most disappointed about. I see some people talk about "we're building, laying the groundwork!" but what has Keim and Arians really added that we've seen pay dividends as far as laying the ground work? Mathieu was a GREAT pick and hopefully Cooper will be also, but everyone gets a first round pick. Otherwise, we signed a bunch of older guys, most of them to one year to year deals, most of them not really producing all that much. Meanwhile, the team came into the off-season most dire at OLB, QB, LT, OG, #2 CB and both S spots and so far it looks like going into next off-season, will be looking dire at QB, LT, OLB, #2 CB and 1 S spot and now add in RT as Winston doesn't look long for this team with a one year deal and apparently our HC soured on Massie.

I know Rome wasn't built in a day, but I fear we didn't build much of anything in an entire off-season.

I'm not sticking up for BASK... However, who did you want them to bring in? Who did they miss??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

 

[clif]

Old and Slow must go.

 

[juza76]

I did hope for better teaching,bowles is not something to be disappointed,his defense system was not good even before

 

[Cardinals.Ken]

After the first round of free agent signings, I was understandably unempressed.

This is not a case of "sprinting the spint", this is a case of "the art of tanking, without tanking".

If we win more than 4 games this year, I'll eat boot soup.

You must be registered for see images

But after signing Palmer, and Winston, and Abraham, I totally marked-out...and believed that, at the very least, we could be a .500 ballclub.

Even though it's only 3 weeks into the season, I see the all too familiar trend of another stinker of a season. We'll stink it up for the first half, then put things together for the second half to look more competitive, and end up 4-12, or 5-11.

Just good enough to put us in the #6-#10 overall pick range...again...

I deserve this:

You must be registered for see images

 

[Duckjake]

I'm not sticking up for BASK... However, who did you want them to bring in? Who did they miss??


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

Kerry Rhodes, Adrian Wilson, William Gay, David Carter, Quentin Groves, O'Brien Schofield, Ray Horton....

 

[82CardsGrad]

Kerry Rhodes, Adrian Wilson, William Gay, David Carter, Quentin Groves, O'Brien Schofield, Ray Horton....

Not who "do" they miss! The question was who "did" they miss? As in FA's that Cheese thinks we should have brought in but didn't...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

 

[Duckjake]

Not who "do" they miss! The question was who "did" they miss? As in FA's that Cheese thinks we should have brought in but didn't...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk - now Free

Hey they were all free agents. But it was all in jest. Thought you'd see that.

What I think Cheese was saying, and I don't want to put words in his mouth, is it's not so much who they brought in but how they brought them in. Leaving us with the potential to have to again make major changes to the roster next year.

I know I'm not alone in being puzzled by the massive changes to the Defense other than that the new coaches thought they needed to wipe the slate clean from Horton. Yeah I know the run defense was bad last year. Who cares! At one point in the game Sunday New Orleans had thrown 32 passes and run the ball 8 times.

Run the ball. Stop the Run. Finish last.

 

[wa52lz]

Kerry Rhodes, Adrian Wilson, William Gay, David Carter, Quentin Groves, O'Brien Schofield, Ray Horton....

5-11 with them, 5-11 without them

 

[Duckjake]

5-11 with them, 5-11 without them

You Da Man!

Sucks having to put up with that every Sunday though.

The St.Louis Cardinals just won their division for the 7th time and made the playoffs for the 10th time since 2000. When are we going to get a run like that? When do we get to be the Patriots or the Ravens. Why do we almost always have to be at the bottom of the heap in the NFL.

I'm filing a class action suit against the NFL on behalf of all 12,945 Cardinal fans.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Hey they were all free agents. But it was all in jest. Thought you'd see that.

What I think Cheese was saying, and I don't want to put words in his mouth, is it's not so much who they brought in but how they brought them in. Leaving us with the potential to have to again make major changes to the roster next year.

I know I'm not alone in being puzzled by the massive changes to the Defense other than that the new coaches thought they needed to wipe the slate clean from Horton. Yeah I know the run defense was bad last year. Who cares! At one point in the game Sunday New Orleans had thrown 32 passes and run the ball 8 times.

Run the ball. Stop the Run. Finish last.

This...buy Not only that, but we didn't look at Alex Smith, Brandon Albert was apparently available at LT, Dumervill was available as a dominant OLB. We let Toler go. We decided to spend a bunch of money on a lot of players...most of them old, past their prime...and on one year deals. The others like Alexander and Brinkley were guys who have never established themselves as difference makers...or even a starter in Alexander's case.

Thus, it looked like an offseason of going quantity over quality. I'm not saying we should have signed smith, traded for Albert and signed Dumervill all together...but they didn't even kick the tires on any of them...all of them playing key positions and being relatively young who could be building blocks. There's more FA that were out...a Martellus Bennett at TE for example that also wasn't looked at or brought in and more and have discussed them before, but on my smart phone so I don't have the patience to find it right now.

Again, I'm sure someone's going to twist my words and say there's no way we could have signed all of them at once, but even just ONE of those guys would have solidified a position for years. I just didn't see ANYONE we signed in FA as actually filling any kind of role past this year and sadly, most of them look like they can't even fill a role this year anyway.

 

[clif]

I'm mainly dissappointed that once again we have no real threat on offense outside of Fitz and frankly he is not racing past anyone. We need weapons to force teams to actually have to cover people.


This team is old and slow. No threat for the big play. That is why they are so desperate to get PP in the lineup.