The Passing Game
As the Cards approach their first preseason game Gannon has announced the starters will play. How much? That likely depends on how they play. The general consensus is Gannon is concerned about the passing game. I would say he’s right to be concerned. The Cards will be a run first team, but if the passing game isn’t credible the opposition will stack the box. This will blunt much of the potential running game success. Also the Cards think they can be a playoff team. To win the “big games” they will need to be able to use the passing game to burn the defense deep if they do bring a safety down to control the run. If they can do that, they will be a very dangerous team indeed. The Cards will also need to sustain drives to avoid wearing out their defense. Third down receptions will be critical.
The WR room is filled with issues. Will Harrison become a dominant target? Can Wilson be an effective alternative or is he just a another mediocre option who will draw none of the heat off Harrison? Are the remaining guys, just bodies or can someone emerge as a go to threat? Can they be coordinated with McBride to pressure the opposition on a consistent threat.
The Best Kyler Murray
Then there’s the assortment of Murray issues. I won’t take the time to delineate them. They are well known. Suffice it to say this team will likely go no further than Murray takes them. Consistency is the key. He has the talent, but can he continually apply it. This schedule will afford very little margin for error. Murray must be at his best week after week. He certainly is not expected to win games singlehandedly. There will, however, almost certainly be games that come down to the final possession. Murray must be good enough to win the majority of those games. Murray must also avoid those previous games where he blows up and early on destroys any chance the Cards have of winning. Those are large demands on a QB with a long history of poor play in the second half of the season. Finally, this unit needs to maintain its composure if they fall behind early. With a young CB group this is inevitable. They will make their share of big plays, but they will also make mistakes. Williams will likely be playing a new role. Johnson has shown his uncanny ability to diagnose routes early and take the ball away. However, somewhere along the line he’ll get schooled by a talented veteran. Melton is developing, but fast enough? Even if they fall behind by two scores, the offense must not panic. They must rely on the defense to firm up and keep the opposition in striking distance. They must then incrementally reduce the gap.
The Pass Rush
I firmly believe the Cards potentially have the strongest pass rush in the NFL. They can be good enough to take the opposition apart like the Eagles did to teams in the playoffs. Those games will be fun to watch at least for Cards fans. It is critical this unit excels. The young CBs will need this rush to keep QBs off balance and force errant throws. Not only will this result in quick momentum changes, but guard against those CBs getting burnt too often and losing self confidence. The Cards will count on those momentum changes to win games. This group will also be critical to blunt major comebacks by the opposition. The most amazing part of this defense is the number of rushers they can unleash. The Cards can literally hit an offense from so many angles, even the smallest breakdowns in the opposition pass defense it can shutdown opposing drives. Of course, it’s critical the pass rush doesn’t loose sight of the run. The Cards once had a talented DE named Simeon Rice. I swear I saw him get so focused on getting to the QB, he ran right by the guy carrying the ball. The current defense cannot let that happen. Reasonable balance is required.
The Injury Issue
Last year’s Niners’ team made it quite clear that even a good roster could be destroyed by injury. The Cards team already have seen their CB room suffer major deletions due to injury. Further losses could be deadly. The loss of Murray would surely end playoff hopes if it was for multiple games. The same would likely be true of a Harrison or McBride injury. The offensive line just got deeper, but are they deep enough? All teams have to cope with injuries. This is the deepest Cardinal team in several years. Still, they will need some good fortune to be a playoff team.
Certainly a myriad of issues can potentially derail a team’s playoff aspirations. I believe the Cards are strong enough to overcome most of this type of issue. This could be a winning year, but it will not come easily.
As the Cards approach their first preseason game Gannon has announced the starters will play. How much? That likely depends on how they play. The general consensus is Gannon is concerned about the passing game. I would say he’s right to be concerned. The Cards will be a run first team, but if the passing game isn’t credible the opposition will stack the box. This will blunt much of the potential running game success. Also the Cards think they can be a playoff team. To win the “big games” they will need to be able to use the passing game to burn the defense deep if they do bring a safety down to control the run. If they can do that, they will be a very dangerous team indeed. The Cards will also need to sustain drives to avoid wearing out their defense. Third down receptions will be critical.
The WR room is filled with issues. Will Harrison become a dominant target? Can Wilson be an effective alternative or is he just a another mediocre option who will draw none of the heat off Harrison? Are the remaining guys, just bodies or can someone emerge as a go to threat? Can they be coordinated with McBride to pressure the opposition on a consistent threat.
The Best Kyler Murray
Then there’s the assortment of Murray issues. I won’t take the time to delineate them. They are well known. Suffice it to say this team will likely go no further than Murray takes them. Consistency is the key. He has the talent, but can he continually apply it. This schedule will afford very little margin for error. Murray must be at his best week after week. He certainly is not expected to win games singlehandedly. There will, however, almost certainly be games that come down to the final possession. Murray must be good enough to win the majority of those games. Murray must also avoid those previous games where he blows up and early on destroys any chance the Cards have of winning. Those are large demands on a QB with a long history of poor play in the second half of the season. Finally, this unit needs to maintain its composure if they fall behind early. With a young CB group this is inevitable. They will make their share of big plays, but they will also make mistakes. Williams will likely be playing a new role. Johnson has shown his uncanny ability to diagnose routes early and take the ball away. However, somewhere along the line he’ll get schooled by a talented veteran. Melton is developing, but fast enough? Even if they fall behind by two scores, the offense must not panic. They must rely on the defense to firm up and keep the opposition in striking distance. They must then incrementally reduce the gap.
The Pass Rush
I firmly believe the Cards potentially have the strongest pass rush in the NFL. They can be good enough to take the opposition apart like the Eagles did to teams in the playoffs. Those games will be fun to watch at least for Cards fans. It is critical this unit excels. The young CBs will need this rush to keep QBs off balance and force errant throws. Not only will this result in quick momentum changes, but guard against those CBs getting burnt too often and losing self confidence. The Cards will count on those momentum changes to win games. This group will also be critical to blunt major comebacks by the opposition. The most amazing part of this defense is the number of rushers they can unleash. The Cards can literally hit an offense from so many angles, even the smallest breakdowns in the opposition pass defense it can shutdown opposing drives. Of course, it’s critical the pass rush doesn’t loose sight of the run. The Cards once had a talented DE named Simeon Rice. I swear I saw him get so focused on getting to the QB, he ran right by the guy carrying the ball. The current defense cannot let that happen. Reasonable balance is required.
The Injury Issue
Last year’s Niners’ team made it quite clear that even a good roster could be destroyed by injury. The Cards team already have seen their CB room suffer major deletions due to injury. Further losses could be deadly. The loss of Murray would surely end playoff hopes if it was for multiple games. The same would likely be true of a Harrison or McBride injury. The offensive line just got deeper, but are they deep enough? All teams have to cope with injuries. This is the deepest Cardinal team in several years. Still, they will need some good fortune to be a playoff team.
Certainly a myriad of issues can potentially derail a team’s playoff aspirations. I believe the Cards are strong enough to overcome most of this type of issue. This could be a winning year, but it will not come easily.
