In watching the NFC and AFC Championship games I started to wonder just how close the Cardinals are to competing for the Lombardi trophy.
The Cardinals have made important strides the past two seasons---there is no question about that. But, let's ask ourselves the tough questions. I will pose them and provide my own answers---but I am particularly interested in yours.
1. Do the Cardinals have the right ownership?
With the mergence of Michael Bidwill, I really believe the Cardinals do have the right ownership. Michael ate the rest of Whisenhunt's and his coaches' salaries and let Rod Graves go in order to promote Steve Keim and hire Bruce Arians and a record number of assistants. Michael Bidwill has made it clear: he wants to win championships and he will make the best decisions he can and write the biggest checks he can to accomplish that goal.
2. Do the Cardinals have the right GM?
Steve Keim has done a wonderful job of building up the depth and talent base of the football team---and he is a tireless worker.
That said---as he enters his third year---a year that he himself signaled as the key year in his three-year plan---we are going to learn a lot about Keim's sense of direction and fortitude.
Keim hired Bruce Arians---he made the trade for QB Carson Palmer---he signed LT Jared Veldheer---he was able to sign a number of veteran free agents at or even below market value such as Karlos Dansby, John Abraham, Larry Foote, Antonio Cromartie and Tommy Kelly.
Keim has found some late draft pick, undrafted college free agent and waiver wire gems in Andre Ellington, Chandler Catanzaro, Kerwynn Williams, Jaron Brown, Darren Fells, Almeda Ta'amu, Ed Stinson, Josh Mauro, Tony Jefferson, etc.
On the other hand, Keim has taken some measured gambles in agreeing to pay ILB Daryl Washington his $10M bonus in the wake of Washington's off-field transgressions. He made Patrick Peterson the highest paid CB in the NFL, despite the fact that Peterson lost interest in returning punts and has not dominated his position in the manner that one would expect from an athlete of his caliber. He and Arians waited all summer on DE John Abraham to report and got burned. And lastly, Keim re-signed Carson Palmer to a lucrative three year contract extension a few weeks after a mysterious shoulder injury that kept him sidelines for nearly a month, only to watch Palmer land on the season-ending IR three days later and watch him question his future with the team in his presser following the injury.
Keim has shown that he wants to be pro-active in re-signing the core players on the team. Hopefully, Keim's effort in this regard will be rewarded at some point.
Where Keim was not as pro-active this past season was in failing to add a hammer RB following Jonathan Dwyer's early dismissal from the team. There were some opportunities there that Keim did not capitalize on. And then the decision to re-acquire QB Ryan Lindley when a veteran QB was needed, turned out to be a regrettable one. Not that Keim had good options to work with---but---it was also regrettable that Keim drafted a QB in the 4th round and that player was not a viable option for playing time when the Cardinals needed it most.
Speaking of Keim's drafts---this is another area that deserves a fair degree of scrutiny. Keim hailed his inaugural pick G Jonathan Cooper as the next Reggie McKenzie and despite a leg injury Cooper was unable to beat out smallish veteran guard Ted Larsen this year. Ugh. Keim's second pick in that draft, ILB Kevin Minter, has been a disappointment thus far and has not been the run stuffer he was drafted to be. Plus, he has been a liability in coverage. Keim took a measured gamble on Tyrann Mathieu in the third round---and the Honey Badger was fantastic in year one, but not the same player in year two following his knee injury late in season one. Alex Okafor in round 4 is looking like a bargain pick at this point...and Andre Ellington in round 6 was a sensational steal.
This past year's draft has some promise as SS Deone Bucannon is the kind of physical big hitter the secondary needs. TE Troy Niklas is the kind of burly TE the team needs if he can shake the constant injury bug. WR John Brown was the Ellington of this year's draft. QB Logan Thomas is even more of a question mark moving forward at this point, but DEs Kareem Martin and Ed Stinson really need to step up in order for Keim's 2nd draft to be considered a good one.
This off-season, Keim, as we know, faces a number of very difficult personnel decisions. He has to try to find a way to create valuable cap space in order to add key free agents while dealing with Larry Fitzgerald's projected $23.5M cap figure, Darnell Dockett's exorbitant cap figure and Daryl Washington's on-going disciplinary and contract issues.
Keim has to make important decisions on the team's current free agents, most notably CB Antonio Cromartie, NT Dan Williams, CB Justin Bethel, LB Larry Foote, G Paul Fanaica and DE Tommy Kelly.
The immediate team needs are at RG, NT, ILB, OLB, and CB.
In addition, whether Keim publicly admits it or not, he cannot feel entirely comfortable with the current QB situation, especially in light of how QB unfriendly at times Bruce Arians' offense can be.
We are going to learn a lot about Steve Keim this off-season. Whether the team continues to take takes forward or will start to regress is largely dependent on the decisions he makes over the next six months.
3. Do the Cardinals have the right Head Coach?
Bruce Arians has turned around the fortunes and the direction of this organization with his vision, his passion and his knack for "coaching up" the players and motivating them. No question about it.
This third year is a huge year for Arians as well because there are deficiencies and weaknesses in the personnel and in the schemes that need to be addressed and hopefully solved.
One of the reasons why Bill Cowher used to butt heads with Whisenhunt and Arians in Pittsburgh is that Cowher wanted to stress the running game and his OC's wanted to highlight the passing game.
Now that Arians is a head coach and now that we can see more than ever this year in the playoffs the need for a formidable, tough running game, Arians is going to have to start focusing his attention on it more and he is going to have to start demanding it from his players.
In addition, for two years straight Arians has put up with return men who look flat-out chicken in that role. Both Peterson and Ted Ginn Jr. are two of the more electrifying return men in the NFL and yet under Arians neither one of them stepped up to the plate.
In short, Arians needs to make his football team tougher and hold them more accountable. Arians needs to create a beast mode in AZ.
Interestingly, it wasn't until the Cowboys focused on drafting offensive linemen and relinquished HC Jason Garrett of his play-calling duties, that they suddenly found their own beast mode in the running game. Therefore, it might not be such a bad idea for Arians to consider hiring an OC, so that he can focus evenly on the entire football team.
4. Do the Cardinals have the right DC?
Watching the Packers go into another defensive meltdown down the stretch yesterday in Seattle, gave us another glimpse into how fortunate we were to have Todd Bowles as the Cardinals' DC, especially late in close games.
It seems Arians wants to promote the new DC from within---and it looks like he wants to tab his long-time colleague Nick Rapone and give Rapone the help he needs by hiring Dick LeBeau as defensive guru.
Obviously, Rapone is an unknown. He has an excellent college coaching resume and has had two years to get his feet wet in the NFL.
However, if the Cardinals truly have their sights squarely on the Super Bowl, why don't they pursue a DC with proven NFL abilities?
We will have to see how this unravels...but the scenario seems odd. if anything, LeBeau should be hired as DC with the thought of him grooming Rapone to be his successor. That is, unless LeBeau is actually happier being the guru, a la Tom Moore. But, knowing LeBeau, that wouldn't seem to be the case. Like BA, LeBeau loves the challenge of coordinating his side of the ball and making all the calls on game day. They live for this stuff.
5. Do the Cardinals have the right QB?
Carson Palmer is tough and he is resilient. Plus, he has shown a command of the offense. But---Ryan Lindley has almost as much playoff experience at this point as Palmer has. Odd to think of it that way, but it's true. There is something about Palmer that just doesn't feel right. That's strictly my own feeling---and if we indeed go ahead with Palmer and he can hold up physically and mentally, then I hope I am flat-out mistaken.
The important thing is that BA believes in Palmer and BA's confidence in him is obviously extremely important.
6. Can the Cardinals win the NFC West next year?
On paper right now---one could argue that the Seahawks, 49ers and Rams have the edge in talent and toughness across the board.
Much needs to be accomplished roster-wise, player development-wise and coaching-wise if the Cardinals are going to challenge for the division title again next year. The Cardinals need a real leader to emerge on offense who is going to make them especially tough, they need to become a tackling, sacking, intercepting force on defense, and they need to morph into a consistent dynamo on special teams.
It should be interesting to watch BA&SK put their hard work to the test.
