Green: At 2-1 it’s time for a change

The Cardinals are 2-1. Excuse me for not breaking out in celebration.

Sure, the team is tied for first. And yes, I understand the NFC West is weak. I also understand that as long as the Cardinals can make the playoffs, well, anything can happen from there.

But through three games I can tell you that I don’t exactly see a team capable of winning the NFC West, let alone making noise in the postseason.

But Adam, the 49ers are 0-3, so we should be happy with the Cardinals’ record.

Sorry, but just because that team in San Francisco stinks doesn’t mean the Cardinals do not. In fact, the Niners have lost to some pretty good teams, while the Cardinals have barely beaten two bad squads and got destroyed by the one good team they’ve faced. By the way, the Cardinals next two games are at San Diego and vs. New Orleans. 2-3, anyone?

Come on man, you would have taken the team being tied for first after three games just a few years ago.

Perhaps, but expectations have since risen considerably. You can’t go to a Super Bowl one year, win 10 games the following season and feel like the team should take a considerable step back – even with the changes that were made. Besides, remember the 2002 season? The Cardinals started off 4-2, including a home win over Quincy Carter’s Dallas Cowboys that not only put the team in a tie for first, but likely also set the NFL back a few years. After starting off 4-2 the team finished 5-11. Why? Because the early start was a mirage, a bad team taking advantage of an easy start.

Dude, relax. The team hasn’t played well and sits at 2-1. Once they get healthy and used to each other they will improve and run away with the division.

Sorry, but that’s wishful thinking. The reason the team has struggled is because the team has a gaping hole at the most important position on the field.

Sure, saying Derek Anderson is an awful quarterback is not something that will (or should) make you think of me as some sort of football savant. No, his three touchdowns, three interceptions, 50.2 completion percentage and QB rating of 67.6 should be all the evidence you need. Oh, and that he can’t seem to complete passes to Larry Fitzgerald is a problem as well, given that with Fitz all you need to do is put the ball near him and he’ll go get it.

Adam, DA completed 6 of 7 and 3 of 3 passes on the game-winning drives vs. the Rams and Raiders. He’s clutch and comes up big when the team needs him most.

While Anderson is streaky, that the team moves the ball when he’s completing passes should not be used as evidence of his ability; rather it should be at the forefront of why he needs to find a seat on the bench. A quarterback’s job is to complete passes throughout four quarters, not one, and if Anderson was capable of doing so the Cardinals would not need late game heroics to beat some of the NFL’s worst teams.

Green, you’re crazy. Derek Anderson is not the team’s biggest problem. Why don’t you look at the defense?

Anderson’s failures take a toll on the defense, preventing them from doing what they do best.

The Cardinals defense is constructed to be a fast unit that can get to the QB and create turnovers. They are not built to grind it out, but instead to make plays when the team has a lead. Anderson’s inability to generate points prevents that, and his epic failure to move the chains causes the defense to be on the field more than it should be.

We know Anderson isn’t very good but he’s the best option on the roster.

How can you be so sure? What exactly makes Anderson the best option? The deep ball that he hasn’t completed or the veteran experience that has led to shovel passes off of shoulder pads? Either way he looks jittery in the pocket and unsure of himself. He’s continually made poor decisions and even worse throws. So really, if that’s what you’re going to get from the fifth-year pro…

“If I’m gonna watch bad QB play I’d rather it be from a rookie.” – Me during week 1.

Two-and-a-half games later I stand by the statement, with one caveat: I fully expect Max Hall to be not very good. In fact, I’m pretty confident he is not, and will never be, the long-term answer for the Arizona Cardinals. However, if there is one thing that was missing from Sunday’s victory (besides good football) it would have to be excitement, and the only way to get that is by bringing in the rookie.

Whether Ken Whisenhunt truly believed the former Browns reject could be Kurt Warner’s replacement or not, the fact is Anderson is who we thought he was: a sub-par NFL quarterback. Whether anyone else on the roster could do a better job, I don’t know. But it’s a lot easier to get excited about a possible future than a wasted present.

Adam can be reached with your questions and comments by
e-mail
here, and you can follow him on Twitter @theAdamGreen

Follow @theAdamGreen