ARIZONA CARDINALS

SI’s Trotter: Besides Seahawks and 49ers, Arizona Cardinals’ big worry is age

Jan 29, 2014, 9:28 PM | Updated: 10:17 pm

Follow @theAdamGreenPresented By...

LISTEN: Jim Trotter, Sports Illustrated senior writer

With a 10-6 record, the Arizona Cardinals finished third in the NFC West behind the Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers.

Half of the Cardinals’ losses came via the ‘Hawks and Niners, though Arizona did become the first road team to win in Seattle in nearly two years when they knocked off the NFC’s Super Bowl representative 17-10 in December.

So, it’s probably fair to wonder just how far back the Cardinals are of the teams they are chasing after year one of the Bruce Arians era.

“I don’t think they have a lot of work to do, but I worry about the timeline,” Sports Illustrated NFL insider Jim Trotter told the Dan Bickley Show with Vince Marotta on Arizona Sports 98.7 FM Wednesday from Radio Row in New York. “But I worry about the timeline because they’ve got some guys now who are getting up there in age.

“This league is not very kind when you start to get older.”

Many of the team’s key contributors are on the wrong side of 30, but none showed any serious decline in 2013.

On defense, 35-year-old John Abraham collected 11.5 sacks while being selected for the Pro Bowl, while 32-year-old Darnell Dockett had 46 tackles and 4.5 sacks and linebacker Karlos Dansby, also 32, had a career-best season with 122 tackles, 6.5 sacks and 4 interceptions.

And on offense, only four starters were in their third decade of life, but neither Larry Fitzgerald, Carson Palmer, Eric Winston or Daryn Colledge had what would be described as down seasons, as Palmer set franchise passing records, Fitz reached double-digit touchdowns and the linemen held their own throughout the season.

Of course, that does not mean a decline isn’t coming at some point, possibly soon.

“When you look at Seattle, really young team. When you look at St. Louis, really young team,” Trotter said. “When you look at San Francisco, it’s right in between; they’ve got some young talent but they’ve got some older guys they’re going to have to look to replace.

“When you look at Arizona, for me, I start to think about it as an older team where pretty soon here you’re going to have to start replacing parts. So to me, Arizona’s window is now. You’ve got to start doing it.”

No doubt folks in Arizona are not against the idea of the Cardinals winning big now, but then the question remains of whether or not they will have enough to get past the monsters already in the division and win it.

“Can they? Yes,” he said. “Will they? I don’t think so.

“I think that Seattle and San Francisco are clearly better teams right now, but I thought that was impressive that they would go up to Seattle and win the way they did.”

Presented By
Western Governors University

Arizona Cardinals

Desmond Ridder runs the rock against Houston...

Tyler Drake

Desmond Ridder eager to remind fellow Cardinals QB Clayton Tune about college wins

Cardinals quarterback Desmond Ridder may not know Kyler Murray just yet, but he and Clayton Tune go way back.

14 hours ago

LSU's Malik Nabers, a top NFL Draft prospect...

Kevin Zimmerman

NFL Draft: Malik Nabers to visit Arizona Cardinals after LSU pro day, per report

Top NFL Draft receiver prospect Malik Nabers will reportedly visit with the Arizona Cardinals after the LSU Tigers' pro day.

17 hours ago

Desmond Ridder looks to pass...

Tyler Drake

QB1 or not, Desmond Ridder keeping starter mentality with Cardinals

New Cardinals QB Desmond Ridder is focused on using the good and the bad from his first two seasons rather than listening to outside chatter.

1 day ago

Jonathan Gannon and Kyler Murray look on...

Tyler Drake

Cardinals’ Jonathan Gannon: Kyler Murray’s ‘best football is ahead of him’

Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon believes Kyler Murray will continue taking the necessary steps forward with a full offseason of work.

2 days ago

Kyler Murray chats with Jonathan Gannon...

Arizona Sports

Arizona Cardinals will face ‘really good’ AFC opponent for joint preseason practices

The Arizona Cardinals expect to hold joint practices in the preseason against a really good AFC opponent, in the words of Jonathan Gannon.

2 days ago

Patriots and Cardinals kick off return in 2020...

Associated Press

NFL owners approve new kickoff rules for 2024

NFL kickoff rules will take on a hybrid approach similar to the XFL. League owners approved the new measures Tuesday.

2 days ago

SI’s Trotter: Besides Seahawks and 49ers, Arizona Cardinals’ big worry is age