Keys to the Season

[DVontel]

K9 does have a bit of a point though.

I honestly expect us to be a really good/maybe even great at defending the run before pass-rushing.

 

[THESMEL]

Run game is the engine, makes every other facet easier, lets hope for a boring winning season.

 

[Harry]

Don’t be shocked if you don’t see much creative from the pass rush. I expect little in the way of coordinated pressure. Why show strategy in an exhibition game. A few guys will win match ups one on one. I expect the designed played to be far more complex when it is needed. They’ll keep it in the closet as long as possible if they can. Pass pressure can be contagious. Adrenaline is a powerful force.

 

[CardNots]

If the tendency and scheme are the same as last year then it’s quite possible the outcome will be similar for our pass rush.

 

[ASUCHRIS]

It's definitely not time yet to "crown their azzes", to steal a phrase. The contrast should be noticeable at D-line regardless.

 

[THESMEL]

Don’t be shocked if you don’t see much creative from the pass rush. I expect little in the way of coordinated pressure. Why show strategy in an exhibition game. A few guys will win match ups one on one. I expect the designed played to be far more complex when it is needed. They’ll keep it in the closet as long as possible if they can. Pass pressure can be contagious. Adrenaline is a powerful force.

Yes but cream should still rise to the top

 

[BACH]

Now, in comparison to the rest of the division, is our DL better than the Rams? None of our guys would start ahead of their top four, and then they added Poona Ford.

In San Francisco, Bosa is better than anyone on our DL, and they added a first-round pick at the position.

In Seattle, their top three DL are currently better than any of ours, and they've actually proven it as a group. Seattle was 7th in ANYA last year and 8th in pressure rate. The Cards were 21st and 27th in those categories last year.

Puna Ford, Bosa and the two best players on Seahawks DL all have more than 64 starts. You earlier stated that signing Sweat was bad because all DL go downhill after 64 starts. So, how can they be good?

Also. How come DR and Nolen are maybes when Mykal Williams is a positive?

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Fine but the idea that the season rests primarily on Kyler's shoulders is silly.

QB play is overrated.

It's a teeth smashing front seven that wins championships. All day. Every day.

This comment cannot hr more wrong imo.

 

[slanidrac16]

Your opinion was completely valid and not without merit. Was this portion needed?

No it wasnt

 

[slanidrac16]

Harry , as always , thank you for your contributions to this board and ignore the snide remarks.
I agree with your assessment but I am going to emphasize the rotation of the front 7. It appears the personnel can be kept fresh with little or no drop off.
I give up on Kyler being great. If the run game can be as good a just a little bit better we just need Kyler to be a little above average.
And lastly, injuries.

 

[Harry]

Harry , as always , thank you for your contributions to this board and ignore the snide remarks.
I agree with your assessment but I am going to emphasize the rotation of the front 7. It appears the personnel can be kept fresh with little or no drop off.
I give up on Kyler being great. If the run game can be as good a just a little bit better we just need Kyler to be a little above average.
And lastly, injuries.

If snide remarks bothered me I would have stopped writing 30 years ago, but thanks for the kind words. A good writer on a board like this wants to stimulate conversation either in support or disagreement. The more they grouse, the more they accomplish my aim. It’s only when no one responds that I know I’m on the wrong track.

 

[BigDavis75]

Stills looks awesome. Whoops thought I was in pregame game thread, maybe still relevant here though!

 

[Crimson Warrior]

This comment cannot hr more wrong imo.

Take four prominent NFL QBs.

Lamar Jackson
Joe Burrow
Josh Allen
Jalen Hurts

If you had to win a game, which is the last one you would want to start for your football team?

 

[kerouac9]

Take four prominent NFL QBs.

Lamar Jackson
Joe Burrow
Josh Allen
Jalen Hurts

If you had to win a game, which is the last one you would want to start for your football team?

Hurts

 

[BACH]

Take four prominent NFL QBs.

Lamar Jackson
Joe Burrow
Josh Allen
Jalen Hurts

If you had to win a game, which is the last one you would want to start for your football team?

Mahommes
Allen
Lamar
Burrow
Hurts

 

[Crimson Warrior]

Hurts

And yet it was the team of the (relatively) pedestrian Jalen Hurts which won the Superbowl this year.

I acknowledge a team's QB is very important, but it's gotten to the point where we worship at the alter of QB play to the detriment of our appreciation for defense.

 

[BACH]

And yet it was the team of the (relatively) pedestrian Jalen Hurts which won the Superbowl this year.

I acknowledge a team's QB is very important, but it's gotten to the point where we worship at the alter of QB play to the detriment of our appreciation for defense.

The answers would be sharper if we knew the situation.

Hurts is great in the scheme and with his surrounding cast. However, if we are putting a QB in a random situation he would be lower on my list.

If we are putting the QB on a bad team and ask him to carry the team and make something with nothing I wouldn’t even put Hurts in the top 10

 

[BritCard]

then they added Poona Ford.

This is your problem, man.

You automatically crap on our FA moves as guys their previous teams didn't want, then in the same breath mention the guy on his 4th team in 3 years as an upgrade for our opponents.

There's a whole bunch of reasons players leave teams, including them not wanting them to leave at all, but you're just programmed to automatically think the worst of anything we do.

 

[BritCard]

Puna Ford, Bosa and the two best players on Seahawks DL all have more than 64 starts. You earlier stated that signing Sweat was bad because all DL go downhill after 64 starts. So, how can they be good?

Also. How come DR and Nolen are maybes when Mykal Williams is a positive?

Because everything others do is good and everything we do is bad. He's just programmed that way.

 

[keith wenzel]

Harry I really like you insights and observations often pointing out things I never saw or thought of. Being in Mississippi don't get a lot of cardinal information so I appreciate any and all I can get. Thank you. I hope you always keep posting.

 

[eastcoastDave]

This is the “Hope” and “Wish” portion of the season. I HOPE Kyler plays up to his potential. I HOPE the defensive line is as good as we expect. I WISH the team would trade for Player X. I WISH the team would draft another QB. Our hopes and wishes usually fall short (and, believe me, if you’re a long-term Cardinals fan, you know that all too well.) I hope this year is different and that we make the playoffs and win at least one game when we get there.

 

[kerouac9]

And yet it was the team of the (relatively) pedestrian Jalen Hurts which won the Superbowl this year.

I acknowledge a team's QB is very important, but it's gotten to the point where we worship at the alter of QB play to the detriment of our appreciation for defense.

Hurts is “only” a top 10 qb. People act like he’s Trent Dilfer when throwing up this strawman argument over and over.

The debate isn’t whether Kyler can play QB in the NFL. The debate isn’t whether he can be a top 10 type QB for 15-17 weeks and into the playoffs.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Last year's team is the baseline. That's what they have to be better than. The baseline, on a per attempt basis, was among the worst in the NFL.

Okay, so we added a bunch of personnel. All of them could have been retained by their previous teams, but weren't deemed priorities.

Is Robinson going to be good? Maybe, but based on what we saw last season in limited time, he doesn't seem like a game-changer.
Is Walter Nolen going to be good? Maybe, but he's missed all of camp and wasn't a top-tier prospect in the draft.
Is Barron Browning going to be good? I think he could be as good as the average Josh Sweat season -- seven sacks.

Now, in comparison to the rest of the division, is our DL better than the Rams? None of our guys would start ahead of their top four, and then they added Poona Ford.

In San Francisco, Bosa is better than anyone on our DL, and they added a first-round pick at the position.

In Seattle, their top three DL are currently better than any of ours, and they've actually proven it as a group. Seattle was 7th in ANYA last year and 8th in pressure rate. The Cards were 21st and 27th in those categories last year.

Cards ended up in the middle of the league in defensive counting stats because they held opponents to very few plays. You can say that starting all over again is going to work from the jump. It's possible, but it's also possible that Josh Sweat plays like the guy he's been his entire career outside the Super Bowl, Darius Robinson is a good run defender but a very-mid pass rusher (which he was in college until he was moved to Edge, where he probably won't be playing much here), Walter Nolen comes in and plays like Jalen Carter Year 2 as a rookie with no camp, and we don't need more from Calais Campbell than the 4 or so sacks he's averaged the past six years.

It's a bigger jump from last year to the best pass rush in the league than you probably thought.

I was just commenting on your faulty use of last years data as a measuring stick. It can’t be baseline if the components are different and other than collins, they are entirely different. I’m not arguing if they’ll be good or bad, though I’d think given the components changed there’s a strong argument it will be improved (not best in the league but certainly improved - we were rushing likely the worst class of players over the course of the entire season in the aggregate).

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Take four prominent NFL QBs.

Lamar Jackson
Joe Burrow
Josh Allen
Jalen Hurts

If you had to win a game, which is the last one you would want to start for your football team?

lol is your argument who won the superbowl? That’s a lame argument. The Super Bowl winner is always the sum of the parts. That doesn’t discount the impact the quarterback makes. But I’ll play your game . . . let’s replace hurts with other similar quarterbacks. Lesser dual threat QBs. Take other lesser running quarterbacks like fields or Richardson and they likely aren’t winning the superbowl. Hell, even upgrade the dual threat QB to middle of the pack with Kyler and the eagles aren’t winning the superbowl.

Take Allen off the bills and that team is likely dreck. Take Lamar Jackson off the ravens and they are battling to make the playoffs. Heck, swap Kyler with both and I think bills are dreck and ravens are struggling to make the playoffs. There are a minute few players at other positions that you can make similar arguments about.

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

And yet it was the team of the (relatively) pedestrian Jalen Hurts which won the Superbowl this year.

I acknowledge a team's QB is very important, but it's gotten to the point where we worship at the alter of QB play to the detriment of our appreciation for defense.

Nah, that’s just you projecting a narrative to protect kyler. I’m a defensive guy. Played defense all through my career into college, appreciate a defensive battle more than a shootout, love middle linebackers. No position comes close on an individual player basis in terms of impact on a game than QB. It doesn’t mean there aren’t multiple QBs that could win a Super Bowl with a superior roster, but does mean as you drop tiers of QB you lose massively more ability to win it.

You’re also sleeping on how good hurts is with what he does. I’m guessing you think he’s the equivalent of Kyler. He’s not. He’s better. He’s a more physical runner, he’s bigger, he seems to have a better feel for when he needs to make plays with his feet and most importantly, he doesn’t shrink when lights are brightest.