We Aren't the Pats or SeaHags

[82CardsGrad]

Been saying this since pre season... It's nearly impossible to sustain success in the NFL, unless you're the Pats and more recently the Hags...
The Vikes and Sam Bradford snap a 4 game losing streak and end our season. But in reality, this ending was baked in the cake long before Carson got his ass beat in today.
The Cards made some bets on players that, had they paid off would've been sweet pay days... Instead, these guys have shown that they are nothing more than long-shot odds that should never be relied upon to consistently produce. They include, in order of their incompetence:

1.). Michael Floyd. He is simply a mental midget who, as far as I'm concerned, can't get out and stay out of a Cards jersey soon enough!

2.). AQ Shipley. One of the most critical positions on the o-line, let alone the entire team, and for some reason BASK seemed comfy taking a shot on a back-up at best in Shipley. He has killed us all year long.

3.). John Brown. Talk about the definition of a long shot. A diminutive player from a diminutive school. Had his one great season in the sun. But is simply not capable of being a full time NFL starter. He too has killed us this season and that 100 yard INT for TD today is all on him. He just isn't able to be physical enough to fight off a defender and at least get a hand on a ball that was thrown to where Brown was supposed to be. And I won't elaborate on his complete brain fart on that punt! WTF???

4.). JJ Nelson. See John Brown, only without the one great season.

5.). Kevin Minter. A liability no matter how you slice it. Each week he is the worst ILB in the game...

6.). Justin Bethel, who gave us Brandon Williams, who gave us Marcus Cooper. Add it all up and that opposite of PP21 position has crushed us all season...

7.). Carson Palmer. I really, really like Carson... dude is tough as nails. But at this stage of his career, he needs everything and every player to be 100% perfect in order to give him a chance at success. He has zero ability to improvise, and with the state of our o-line, that is a classic recipe for disaster... And worse, as we all know, the Cards have been entirely incapable of locating a young QBOF. So we ride with the tired old horse in Palmer. Who when given time can still make throws. But in todays NFL, is a misfit...

8.). Special Teams. Seriously, how can Butler be the best option??? How can our ST Coach still have a job??

The NFL Gods have exacted their inevitable toll on the Cards this season... and what a heavy toll it is. A slew of strange plays, coupled with a massive number of odd/bad calls by inept refs... and well, married with all of the problems I noted above, and it's no surprise the season is over after 11 weeks...

I guess you can say there have been some great teams who are able to shake off this type of season and bounce back the following year with a post season berth. Maybe BASK are capable of pulling that off. However, Palmer, our Not-so Special Teams, and the center, CB and ILB issues seem so large and so critical that it's hard for me to see us in the playoffs in 2018.

It's been a fun ride with BASK. I can handle this season if BASK can somehow make the course corrections that are needed... or, we may be at the start of a long, frustrating run is same 'ol Cards. This offseason should be quite a circus to say the least!

 

[Dude]

Great post.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Great post.

Wish it all weren't true...

 

[82CardsGrad]

Anyone know how Shipley, as a Center, allowed himself to be called for a False Start??
Also, any ideas as to why DJ was held out of the game for so long in the 2nd quarter?

 

[Jetstream Green]

Been saying this since pre season... It's nearly impossible to sustain success in the NFL, unless you're the Pats and more recently the Hags...
The Vikes and Sam Bradford snap a 4 game losing streak and end our season. But in reality, this ending was baked in the cake long before Carson got his ass beat in today.
The Cards made some bets on players that, had they paid off would've been sweet pay days... Instead, these guys have shown that they are nothing more than long-shot odds that should never be relied upon to consistently produce. They include, in order of their incompetence:

1.). Michael Floyd. He is simply a mental midget who, as far as I'm concerned, can't get out and stay out of a Cards jersey soon enough!

2.). AQ Shipley. One of the most critical positions on the o-line, let alone the entire team, and for some reason BASK seemed comfy taking a shot on a back-up at best in Shipley. He has killed us all year long.

3.). John Brown. Talk about the definition of a long shot. A diminutive player from a diminutive school. Had his one great season in the sun. But is simply not capable of being a full time NFL starter. He too has killed us this season and that 100 yard INT for TD today is all on him. He just isn't able to be physical enough to fight off a defender and at least get a hand on a ball that was thrown to where Brown was supposed to be. And I won't elaborate on his complete brain fart on that punt! WTF???

4.). JJ Nelson. See John Brown, only without the one great season.

5.). Kevin Minter. A liability no matter how you slice it. Each week he is the worst ILB in the game...

6.). Justin Bethel, who gave us Brandon Williams, who gave us Marcus Cooper. Add it all up and that opposite of PP21 position has crushed us all season...

7.). Carson Palmer. I really, really like Carson... dude is tough as nails. But at this stage of his career, he needs everything and every player to be 100% perfect in order to give him a chance at success. He has zero ability to improvise, and with the state of our o-line, that is a classic recipe for disaster... And worse, as we all know, the Cards have been entirely incapable of locating a young QBOF. So we ride with the tired old horse in Palmer. Who when given time can still make throws. But in todays NFL, is a misfit...

8.). Special Teams. Seriously, how can Butler be the best option??? How can our ST Coach still have a job??

The NFL Gods have exacted their inevitable toll on the Cards this season... and what a heavy toll it is. A slew of strange plays, coupled with a massive number of odd/bad calls by inept refs... and well, married with all of the problems I noted above, and it's no surprise the season is over after 11 weeks...

I guess you can say there have been some great teams who are able to shake off this type of season and bounce back the following year with a post season berth. Maybe BASK are capable of pulling that off. However, Palmer, our Not-so Special Teams, and the center, CB and ILB issues seem so large and so critical that it's hard for me to see us in the playoffs in 2018.

It's been a fun ride with BASK. I can handle this season if BASK can somehow make the course corrections that are needed... or, we may be at the start of a long, frustrating run is same 'ol Cards. This offseason should be quite a circus to say the least!

Zero ability to improvise for Palmer, that is wrong... it might only be 30% but he has some as seen last year hitting Fitz in the playoffs and had a few throws this year rolling out due to pressure

 

[BullheadCardFan]

Well put 82.

Frustrating season with some strange plays and calls. The FO needs to look in the mirror and make the proper adjustments. Not sure they will be able to do it.

 

[cardpa]

Arians and Keim are from the same home town, York Pa. Maybe the connection is too tight between the two and one of them needs to go.

 

[NYCARDS]

Great post. From Super Bowl contenders to what now looks like the need for some major changes/improvements.

 

[daves]

I have a hard time picking out any players on D and saying they're not good enough for the Cardinals to win, when the Cardinals have the #1 D in the entire league right now [even without the Honey Badger playing like himself and with the "fat idiot" James Bettcher running the show.] Minter and the #2 CBs are not great players, but they've been good enough to make the D work.

The significant flaws of diminutive players like Brown and Nelson, and lack of focus (?) or whatever it is with Floyd, have indeed been exposed this season. Yet, when the O-line was giving Palmer enough time last season, they were good enough for the Cards to have the #1 O in the league last year.

This year has been characterized by (a) historically horrible special teams, and (b) injuries and poor play on the O-line, combined with adjustments by defenses and perhaps Palmer being a bit "off" on long balls, to prevent the Cardinals from completing any long passes. That's resulted in the O slipping to #9 in yards. The points ranking is worse because of a remarkable knack for shooting themselves in the foot at the worst possible time. Floyd's drops, Brown and Nelson's inability to out-muscle defenders and run their routes, Brown's concussion, and Nelson's inability to hold onto the ball after being hit, have killed a lot of drives.

Aside from the O-line, i see the personnel on the team as being good enough to win a Super Bowl. But "extra" special teams and the O-line woes have magnified the other flaws on O, killing this season. And even with a new special teams coach, i'm not sure whether they'll be able to keep enough talent on the team to be a contender next year. Sigh.

...dbs

 

[juza76]

The distance is considerable

 

[NeverSayDieFan]

...And that about sums it up. Well presented 82. I'd add that losing Jaron Brown hurt, as well. As you pointed out, winning in the NFL is a tricky business. This years things just haven't gone our way. However, I can take hope in that we're still competitive. It's not like we're getting blown out 30-3 every week. Yes, change is coming and since B.A./ S.K./ and M.B. have made us relevant I see absolutely no reason to believe they're going to go back to accepting mediocrity in the desert.

Mark

 

[BillsCarnage]

Anyone know how Shipley, as a Center, allowed himself to be called for a False Start??
Also, any ideas as to why DJ was held out of the game for so long in the 2nd quarter?

I really think the false start was on Palmer as everyone else looked set.

 

[DeAnna]

7.). Carson Palmer. I really, really like Carson... dude is tough as nails. But at this stage of his career, he needs everything and every player to be 100% perfect in order to give him a chance at success. He has zero ability to improvise, and with the state of our o-line, that is a classic recipe for disaster... And worse, as we all know, the Cards have been entirely incapable of locating a young QBOF. So we ride with the tired old horse in Palmer. Who when given time can still make throws. But in todays NFL, is a misfit...

I was just saying this yesterday. That type of QB is a relic of the past, but that's the kind of QB that BA likes to run his system.

Carson improvise? I think BA has told him to take the sack instead.

 

[82CardsGrad]

I have a hard time picking out any players on D and saying they're not good enough for the Cardinals to win, when the Cardinals have the #1 D in the entire league right now [even without the Honey Badger playing like himself and with the "fat idiot" James Bettcher running the show.] Minter and the #2 CBs are not great players, but they've been good enough to make the D work.

Certainly can't argue with the overall play of our defense. However, that doesn't detract from the holes we possess at ILB and opposite of PP21.

The significant flaws of diminutive players like Brown and Nelson, and lack of focus (?) or whatever it is with Floyd, have indeed been exposed this season. Yet, when the O-line was giving Palmer enough time last season, they were good enough for the Cards to have the #1 O in the league last year.

There have been a large number of instances where teams & players have been really good for a season, may be two... and then, for a number of reasons, they fall from grace. Maybe it's because they didn't want to put in the massive effort it takes to improve, physically/technically/mentally... Maybe it's because of injuries... Or, maybe it's because they just weren't good enough. Sure, the Cards had the #1 offense last season, and guys like Palmer and Smoke had incredible seasons. Big deal...in pro sports, it's not about a single game or a single season. It's about sustained success over a period of time that only happens via extreme levels of dedication and hard work (see Larry Fitzgerald). What about Floyd do we see that would indicate he has worked on his deficiencies and has made himself better?? I distinctly recall how Fitz, after a very successful first few seasons in the league, was challenged to improve his ability to gain YAC. And he did just that... Floyd? He actually seems to have digressed over his career... As for guys like John Brown and JJ Nelson - they're fun toys... at times. But IMHO, notwithstanding the great season Smokey had last year, they are simply not long-term consistent contributors.

Aside from the O-line, i see the personnel on the team as being good enough to win a Super Bowl. But "extra" special teams and the O-line woes have magnified the other flaws on O, killing this season. And even with a new special teams coach, i'm not sure whether they'll be able to keep enough talent on the team to be a contender next year. Sigh.
...dbs

No way... Fitz and DJ can't do it all themselves...even with a healthier o-line. We do not have a reliable #2 WR. And more importantly, I seriously question Palmer's ability to deal with the moments when crap happens and he's forced to "make a play"... He's never been at the high-end of the improvisational scale. But now, at the end of his career, he is a statue. It places far too much pressure on the o-line and RB's, as well as the WR's to somehow be perfect. Without their perfect execution on EVERY play, odds are Carson will not be successful. I absolutely do NOT see a Super Bowl with a healthier o-line and improved special teams. There is much, much more work needed to enter the Super Bowl conversation...