Cardinals’ window of opportunity won’t be open long
When the Cardinals finally move past the sting of Saturday's 49-15 loss at Carolina, they will realize how much they achieved this season.
Arizona Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians talks to Carson Palmer during the second half the NFL football NFC Championship game against the Carolina Panthers, Sunday, Jan. 24, 2016, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
(AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
TEMPE, Ariz. — During the season, coach Bruce Arians gives his players 24 hours to move past the last game, win or lose. As the Cardinals enter the offseason on the heels of a disappointing performance in the NFC Championship, the rules have changed.
“Now you’ve got (the) nine-month rule,” Arians joked. “It will linger, but there were so many good things, so many positive things that they far outweigh that.”
When the Cardinals finally move past the sting of Sunday’s 49-15 loss at Carolina, they will realize how much they achieved this season, including a franchise-best 13 regular-season wins, a third NFC West title, numerous offensive records and a berth in just the franchise’s second conference title game.
With team president Michael Bidwill, GM Steve Keim, Arians and the core players all working in unison to create a culture never before seen in this franchise, it is tempting to view this season as a building block toward something bigger.
It is also a dangerous belief.
“When you have guys that are above 10 years in the league at critical positions, your window is very short,” said Arians, echoing a sentiment he voiced at the beginning of the season.
Chief among those veterans is quarterback Carson Palmer, who will be 37 next December. No matter how good your culture is, if you don’t have an elite quarterback in the NFL, you’re not going to win championships.
Palmer managed to stay relatively healthy this year, and he was joined in the NFL’s final four by 38-year-old Patriots QB Tom Brady and 39-year-old Broncos QB Peyton Manning so it is not far-fetched to believe Palmer can play at a high level for another couple seasons.
Beyond that, all bets are off, and Palmer isn’t the only key player with double-digit years of NFL service. Receiver Larry Fitzgerald will be 33 next season, when he enters the final year of his contract. Fitzgerald proved his worth on the field again this season, and his worth in the locker room is unquestioned.
“Our window is not like other teams where you’ve got young franchise players in place for a long time,” cornerback Jerraud Powers said. “Carson is a hell of a quarterback but how much longer does he have and how much longer does Fitz have to continue to play at these high levels?
“There’s no question we feel the urgency to win now.”
Keim told The Doug and Wolf Show on Monday that he is already beginning work on improving the roster for next season. The GM’s track record suggests that is exactly what will happen.
“You don’t get to be 13-3 with a bunch of slouches,” Palmer said. “There’s great players, there’s great coaching and the way we work is as good as I’ve been around so the foundation is definitely here.
“The one thing you can look back on is we’ve gotten better each year and that’s something that Steve Keim and Bruce can be proud of. We just need to continue to improve and take that next step.”
Perhaps the biggest question for the Cardinals is how will Palmer bounce back from a postseason in which he turned the ball over eight times (six interceptions, two fumbles), fueling the narrative that he is not a clutch postseason performer.
“I’m sure he is as pissed as anybody and disappointed,” Arians said. “He will probably come back as determined as he did from (last season’s ACL) surgery.”
A look at the Cardinals’ free agents
Unrestricted
ILB Sean Weatherspoon
CB Jerraud Powers
QB Drew Stanton
TE Jermaine Gresham
C Lyle Sendlein
G Ted Larsen
S Rashad Johnson
LS Mike Leach
OLB Dwight Freeney
OLB Jason Babin
OLB Lamarr Woodley
RB Chris Johnson
DE Red Bryant
RT Bradley Sowell
S Chris Clemons
CB Corey White
RT Bobby Massie
Restricted
S DJ Swearinger
P Drew Butler
S Tony Jefferson
WR Jaron Brown
Exclusive rights
DE Josh Mauro
ILB Kenny Demens
TE Darren Fells
TE Ifeanyi Momah
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Comments
24 Comments
Go after Osweiler in free agency?
Dary, thank you for your comments. However, there are some issues to consider with your assessment. There is no substitute for being really experienced about the game. Kudos to Peyton Manning because he is just that. But, you have to compare apples to apples. Cam is a young mobile QB. There actually were lots of mobile QB's that have won the SB and have been stars in the league. Aaron Rodgers is a mobile QB. I am not talking about running QB's.
One of the reasons Cam lost was because he became more stiff pocket passer as you mentioned in that game. They will kill you if they know you are fixed on staying in the pocket. They should have been more creative. Again, Peyton is so experienced (18 years with good teams) is what made the difference which is the EXACT point I was trying to make. And Peyton himself said that he studies the game like no bodies business. He is a cut above. Cam does not have 18 years experience-we can agree on that. But, the younger pocket passers have NOT been getting there and the younger mobile passers have. That is my point for today going forward.
The reason you have everyone eventually favoring the pocket passer is because the myth has been stated over and over and over and over again so often that people actually believe it is the ONLY way to win. Well my life lessons and research tells me that THERE IS NO ONE BEST WAY TO DO ANYTHING. Which is my point. If the pure pocket passers are so superior in the NFL then where are they of late when it comes to the SB???? They are very surprisingly missing. Hmmmmm.
I studied Randal Cunninghan and he said, I won't get hurt playing my way, but the minute they tell me to play safe and slide and stay in the pocket, he believed he would get hurt. So, guess what? that is exactly what happened to him. He had been jumping over people and running just like all the other positions do on the field and he did not get hurt. It was only when they forced him to stay in the pocket.
That is what happens to the mobile QB's. People try and change then too fast and they often get hurt trying to change up their thinking too soon and stay in the pocket.
The reason I selected Michigan State is because they have a lot of QB's in the league now, Stanton is one. And they are said to have great preparation to hit the ground running in the NFL because they play in a pro style offense in college. So, if they were effective they would have a large head start over players like Cam and Russell and yet they are the same age and are struggling in the league. Maybe the reason Peyton and Brady are so successful as pocket passers is because they are special talents that bring other intangibles to the table and it is NOT just because they are your typical pocket passers. Ohh the intangibles!!! It does not come down to being a pocket passer, trained, etc, but the intangibles!!!! Knowing and doing what is needed in a given football situation. Be that run for the first down, or standing in the pocket and passing for the first down.
On Arians, he used to be a mobile QB himself at VA Tech. In fact, he still owns the college record, even over Mike Vick for the most rushing touchdowns. So, that is why I believe he would understand the heart of RG3 and his skill set. Check out "A Football Life Bruce Arians and you will see why Arians would be perfect with RG3' talent and personality. It is on youtube also. If RG3 did not have an accurate and strong arm, I would not suggest it. But, Arians would know how to coach him to playing the NFL accepted style while bringing a serious threat of being mobile at the best times. ARians has coached big ben and Andrew Luck who both have mobile skills. He knows how to take a players strengths and coach them up to be highly successful on the NFL stage. Arians is a winner and so is RG3 and that's why I believe together it would be magic. RG3 has good pocket presence when he has support and a good offensive line.
Check out his scouting report.
http://nflfilms.nfl.com/201...
You left out the fact the the QBs who won the past two SuperBowls, and about 48 of the past 50, are those stiff old pocket passing veterans. And the reason they are old veterans is because they're pocket passers. Simple fact is the read option QBs get killed in the NFL. RG3 only lasted one season. Kapernicky lasted 2.5. Cam became a stiff pocket passer in the Super Bowl. The only read option QB who could take the punishment, Tebow, was run out of the league.
Arians? You kidding? He hates mobile QBs. He helped create the Peyton Manning monster. Arians wouldn't know what to go with a read option QB.
No clue why you fixated on one university as a feeder school? There are quite a few others - even a D2 school this year feeding a top QB draft pick.
I support your theory, and wish the read option QBs could rock the NFL - but time and time again they haven't been able to survive. Johnny Football maybe, if he can stay off the booze.