Here’s a look at the team preview for the Arizona Cardinals:
ARIZONA CARDINALS
Coaching Staff:
- Head Coach– Steve Wilks (first season as an NFL head coach)Steve Wilks comes to Arizona after spending the previous six seasons with the Carolina Panthers. He was their defensive coordinator last year. He has served as secondary coach and assistant head coach in the past.
- Offensive Coordinator– Mike McCoy (19 yrs, 1st w team)McCoy has had his teams in the top 10 passing in the previous six seasons. Also, he has coached 12 Pro Bowlers.
- Defensive Coordinator– Al Holcomb (10 yrs, ist w team)Holcomb comes from the Panthers and has had his defense listed in the top 10 in total defense four of his five seasons.
ODDS TO WIN:
- NFC Championship- 35/1
- Super Bowl- 80/1
- Over/Under Win Totals- 5
Last 4 Season Win Totals:
- 2014- 11
- 2015- 14
- 2016- 7
- 2017- 8
The Offense
Quarterbacks:
Sam Bradford is their man as he signed a two-year contract with several incentives to be healthy and ready to play. He has missed 48 of 128 career games which included the entire 2014 season with an ACL injury. The Cardinals drafted some insurance with quarterback Josh Rosen. In his career at UCLA, he started 30 games and completed 61% of his passes for 9,339 yards for 59 touchdowns. As a veteran insurance policy at quarterback, they signed Mike Glennon to a two-year $4m contract to be a backup.
Running Backs:
David Johnson is their best hope as he returns from an injury. His best asset appears to be in the passing game. Chase Edwards will be prepared to give Johnson a breather and former Rosen teammate, Derrick Coleman was signed after spending last year with the Falcons. Others on the roster include D.J. foster, Elijhaa Penny, and T.J. Logan.
Receivers:
Larry Fitzgerald returns for his 16th NFL season and will have a new quarterback to work with. Look for the combo to hook-up well over one hundred times in the slot. The Cardinals selected Christian Kirk from Texas A&M will be the #2 target and will play outside the slot. Others to get some time to play will be J.J Nelson, Chad Williams, and tight end Jermaine Gresham. One pleasant surprise could be the undrafted and former teammate of Kirk at A&M, Ricky Seals-Jones who averaged 16.8 yards per catch and three touchdowns last season in college.
Offensive Linemen:
In the last few seasons, the Arizona quarterbacks were hit over 200 times and the new coaching staff went to work to attempt to correct that issue. They signed free agent Justin Pugh to a five-year contract valued at $9m per year. He will bring an aura of toughness to the squad. DJ Humphries will return from knee surgery and Mason Cole was drafted out of Michigan and will challenge for a spot.
The Defense
Defensive Linemen:
The 4-3 defensive scheme will be employed by the new coaching staff which moves Markys Golden and Chandler Jones to the end positions. Jones had 17 sacks to lead the league in that category. At tackle, they will have Corey Peters and Robert Nkemdiche and Olsen Pierre will roam the need spots. Benson Mayowa and Rodney Gunter are looking to help out where needed. The defense will need to get better this next season in order to compete.
Linebackers:
The team will have a few weaknesses in this area. The only sure starters appear to be Haason Reddick, Deone Bucannon, and Josh Bynes. After that, there are a host of players including Vontarriys Dora, Jeremy Cash, and Edmond Robinson.
Secondary:
Chris Campbell was drafted out of Penn State to play several different spots due to his size and athleticism. Budda Baker returns as a Pro Bowler and Antoine Bethea will return for another season. Look for Harlan Miller and Ruby Ford try to edge their way into the game.
Special Teams
Jeff Rodgers brings 17 years of experience to the Cardinals as special teams coordinator and he will deal with kicker Phil Dawson. He started slow last year but got better as the team lost a few games with missed kicks. Punter Andy Lee has shown success with a 47.3 yard average with his punts and Christian Kirk will be targeted as the punt returner. Kickoff returner has been given to T.J. Logan. The previous few seasons have seen the Cardinals as one of the worst in special teams.
The Schedule
Preseason Schedule:
August 11 Chargers HOME 7 PM
August 17 Saints AWAY 5 PM
August 26 Cowboys AWAY 5 PM
August 30 Broncos HOME 7 PM
Regular Season Schedule:
(all games Pacific/Mountain time)
September 9 Redskins HOME 1:25 PM
September 16 Rams AWAY 1:05 PM
September 23 Bears HOME 1:25 PM
September 30 Seahawks HOME 1:05 PM
October 7 49’ers AWAY 1:25 PM
October 14 Vikings AWAY 10:00 AM
October 18 Broncos HOME 5:20 PM
October 28 49’ers HOME 1:25 PM
November 4 BYE WEEK
November 11 Chiefs AWAY 11:00 AM
November 18 Raiders HOME 2:05 PM
November 25 Chargers AWAY 2:05 PM
December 2 Packers AWAY 11:00 AM
December 9 Lions HOME 2:25 PM
December 16 Falcons AWAY 11:00 AM
December 23 Rams HOME 2:05 PM
December 30 Seahawks AWAY 2:25 PM
Other Information
Owner- William V. Bidwell
General Manager- Steve Keim
Address- 8701 S. Hardy St Tempe, Arizona
Phone- 602-379-0101
Website- www.azcardinals.com
Stadium- University of Phoenix Stadium
Capacity- 65,000
Surface- Grassv
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