What Arizona has to do to reach the playoffs in 2013




  1. Address Offensive line in the first round
As a Cardinals fan I can empathize with Bears fans whose team is an offensive line away from contending for the Superbowl. On a smaller scale the Cards are an offensive line away from the playoffs. The defence is one or two pieces from being in the top 5. Dating back to the days of Kurt Warner, the Arizona franchise has been unwilling to address the line early in the draft (I guess Levi Brown will do that to you). In light of Jake Mathews and Taylor Lewan returning for their senior years, pickings at Offensive Tackle are slim. Fortunately Eric Fisher's meteoric rise into the upper echelon of prospects has left Arizona with an ideal prospect that fills a need and makes sense at number 7. It is time for Arizona to build their line instead of plugging it from year to year


  1. draft or sign a QB to battle it out with Kevin Kolb

I'm prepared for flack as consensus seems to be that Arizona needs to replace Kolb. I know it seems like decades ago Cards fans but we started the year 4-0 and the main catalyst for this (defense aside) was the steady if unspectacular play of Kolb. With the defence rounding into form all this team needs is a quarterback that makes good decisions and keeps them competitive in order to reach the playoffs. That is exactly what Kolb brings. That being said he does not deserve to be just given the starting job. These are pro athletes; competition brings out the best in most players. Tyler Wilson is this years version of Christian Ponder. An overvalued quarterback who should not be touched until the late first or early second, but might end up being taken in the top 15. Wilson is a big trigger man who has experience behind a suspect offensive line and is capable of being a productive Quarterback assuming his mechanics can be developed to match his arm talent. Should he be overvalued (there is a good chance), Arizona should wait until the middle rounds and take a flier on EJ Manuel. Manuel is a big, raw and inconsistent trigger man whose upside may be the biggest in a weak quarterback class. In free agency a game manager such as Alex smith (assuming he gets cut) would be excellent competition for Kolb. Either way competition is a must.

  1. Find a pass rusher to compliment Sam Acho

The shift of the NFL from a ground and pound to a passing league has been well documented and team priorities are changing as a result. Pass rushers are of uber importance and contrary to the recent trend this year features another solid and deep group of pass rushers. The only thing the Cards defense is missing (other then a veteran corner, more on that latter) is an elite pass rusher to compliment Acho's excellent all around play. A pure pass rusher would be welcomed in such a strong defence that has the luxury of looking for one. This draft features not just big name prospects like Bjoern Werner, but great value based on the sheer volume of rushers. As a result rushers will be more readily available because of the depreciation that is created by the sheer depth of this class.

  1. Find the “answer” at running back

With mums of Beanie Wells departure http://espn.go.com/nfl/story/_/id/8779054/beanie-wells-arizona-cardinals-expects-play-elsewhere-2013 Arizona finds itself with an interesting development in their backfield. Larod Stephens-Howling showed flashes when given the opportunity to carry the load. He is a solid number 2 and a luxury as a number three, Arizona should continue to utilize him in a specialized role as a number 2/ 3rd down man to get the most production out of him. Ryan Williams also presents an interesting dilemma. When healthy he is a capable runner who is still learning to read blocks, but the talent is there. Unfortunately the durability is not. If Williams and Howling split time as the number 2/ change of pace running back than Zona would feature one of the deepest backfields in the league. This brings us to the main and hardest spot to fill. If Beanie decides to leave, the Cards will be faced with another hole on offence. They cannot afford this. As a result they will have to look to the draft or free agency to address this need.

  1. Sign a veteran corner to teach Patrick Peterson proper mechanics

I want to first state that Patrick Peterson is a personal favourite of mine and his combination of size, athleticism, strength and speed makes him capable of guarding any receiver in the league. When Peterson was drafted he was thrust into the number one corner back spot from the get go and instantly became the best corner on the team. However Peterson remains raw, relying on his incredible athleticism too much. Mind you this athleticism allowed him to reach the pro bowl and collect 7 interceptions this season. Signing a veteran corner who has been around the league for a while could significantly improve Peterson's technique allowing him to take the next step into shut down corner territory. Take Janoris Jenkins for example. Another cant miss prospect with unparallelled athleticism, was able to learn under Cortland Finnegan this season. The result was Jenkins becoming a top 15 corner by the end of the season. Don’t underestimate the presence of a veteran it could be the difference between good and great.


Update: Beanie Wells has been released by the Cardinals

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