The Arizona Cardinals Report by Phoenix49ers

Why are they going after James Harrison? I thought the Cardinals were set at OLB.

I didn't know they got Cromartie. Pretty good CB tandem

Originally posted by fortyninerglory:
Go Ellington -- he was my first RB selected for my fantasy team :)

yeah! i picked him up too in my PPR. he should get a lot of catches out of the backfield and line up in the slot! i have him Monte Ball, and Forte so im super confident in my pass catching RBs

An unbiased report on a division rival ? Is this the Twilight Webzone ?

Good report. Anxious to see final cutdowns as they may be able to find some bubble gum to plug the holes up the middle of the front 7.

How's their DLine?

Dansby and Washington are huge losses, throw in the recent Docket injury and a once formidable defense is a question mark. Palmer runs hot and cold, Arians is as tough as they come.

I'm a little surprised the Dockett injury isn't generating more discussion. Presumably because everyone already knows about it, so there's no special insight provided inside the local market? I think that, along with their ILB issues, the loss of Dockett is huge. It is going to seriously hinder their ability to stop the run, which was a huge part of why they played us so closely last year. It certainly makes it harder for them to compete in the NFCW.

Originally posted by TheG0RE49er:
How's their DLine?

They signed Isaac Sopoaga and Tommy Kelly after Dockett's injury. Also drafted Kareem Martin and Ed Stinson, two good looking prospects. Campbell is a stud, but Dockett's injury definitely creates a void on the other side unless someone else steps up. Bigger question for me is their LB situation.

A lot of people think that Dockett was no longer the player he use to be. They look at his production and statiscally he is not the player he use to be.

What people forget is our defensive coordinator Bowles uses him a lot differ eel than he was used in the past. He was used to do the dirty work while our linebackers benefited statistically. He is one of the reasons out linebackers were as good as they were.

Despite what a lot of us Cardinals fans think. I think his leadership can't be replaced. And this year his ferocity on the field won't either. The same opportunities out linebackers had most likely won't be the same. However if those players do fill in and can replicate what dockett did the drop off may not be as big as people think. We did upgrade our safeties. And corner backs.

With the offense being well ahead of where it was last year, in regards to offensive line play. Allowing bigger running lanes, and more time for Palmer to make hopefully better decisions we have a chance to have the top improve by a good two minutes a game. We did end up averaging I believe 28 points a game in the back half of the season. That could continue with Floyd, Fitz, Brown, and Ellington all stepping up. While ginn gets burie again.

Originally posted by Harbaalke:
Still have Carson Palmer

thank god for that... I dread the day they replace him with a competent QB. I don't know if yall remember, but Arizona went up to Seattle and had to face the Seahawks and Carson Palmer. They barely won.

how is that rookie looking, Thomas is it?

Originally posted by lazy:
Why are they going after James Harrison? I thought the Cardinals were set at OLB.

More depth, adding to Arians fetish for collecting over-the-hill former Steelers, kinda how Nolan used to collect former Ravens.

Originally posted by Afrikan:
thank god for that... I dread the day they replace him with a competent QB. I don't know if yall remember, but Arizona went up to Seattle and had to face the Seahawks and Carson Palmer. They barely won.

how is that rookie looking, Thomas is it?

Thomas was great in the first game, completely on fire, was hitting everything right on target and then he kind of just fell back down to earth and has been *meh* ever since. Their backup, Drew Stanton has looked really good, good enough that he could perhaps be a potential starter in the NFL. Very poised with a strong arm, has limited the turnovers that have killed him in his NFL career thus far.

Originally posted by Overkill:
I'm a little surprised the Dockett injury isn't generating more discussion. Presumably because everyone already knows about it, so there's no special insight provided inside the local market? I think that, along with their ILB issues, the loss of Dockett is huge. It is going to seriously hinder their ability to stop the run, which was a huge part of why they played us so closely last year. It certainly makes it harder for them to compete in the NFCW.

In terms of ability, Frostee Rucker isn't that big of a drop-off, at least those are the reports coming out of the Cardinals organization and what I've been hearing on sports talk radio. It might be optimism but Rucker was a starter before and was solid as a backup in the past. Where they really are going to miss Dockett is his leadership, he was the firestarter on that defense, a well-respected veteran that set the tone for everyone else. It will be interesting to see who on that defense takes up his mantle.

Originally posted by TheG0RE49er:
How's their DLine?

Still pretty talented but missing Dockett is going to hurt. Calais Campbell is still a beast and one of the better DE's in the NFL. Frostee Rucker is a solid veteran player that has drawn praise from the coaching staff. Kareem Martin is a young guy who has been promising as a pass rusher but has struggled against the run. Ed Stinson is a late round guy from Alabama, similar to Dial in some ways, looks to be nice depth, and then they've gone and signed some over the hill guys in Soap and Kelly.

I think the loss of Dockett will be pretty big and they'll need some of these younger guys to step up big time. Because the ILB's have downgraded, the DL will have to be a lot more effective in stuffing the run, additionally, the loss of Washington is huge since I thought he was one of the most effective blitzer's in the NFL. He had 9 sacks in 2012 and while he only had 3 last year, he still managed to get up in the face of plenty QB's so that's a big weapon that they will be lacking. Minter has been hobbled with an injury and its tough to know just how much Larry Foote still has left in the tank.

We did sign Kelly to shore up the Defensive line who was cut by the Pats,
http://www.patsfans.com/new-england-patriots/messageboard/threads/schefter-reporting-kelly-anderson-and-smith-cut.1111494/

The Patriots fans are surprised, he was running with the ones all this offseason and was having an impressive camp. They though he was a lock and a little perplexed by the cut. Some use the word shocked, and upset that he was cut and that it doesnt make sense. . Some were even upset.

I think this is going to be a big signing in replacing what was lost by Dockett, in combination with what Frostee Rucker will provide... Read the link, there are no pats fans that are happy about the release!