Cardinals fixed their defense by adding a quarterback

Aug 5, 2011, 4:51 PM | Updated: 6:14 pm

The Arizona Cardinals were a sieve on defense last season, allowing 434 points and 373.6 yards per game.

So, one of the priorities in the off-season was to improve on that side of the ball, and it appears they have.

Adding Ray Horton as defensive coordinator was a start, and bringing in players like Patrick Peterson, Stewart Bradley and Richard Marshall should help.

But the final piece to solving the defensive puzzle?

“On defense the final piece was Kevin Kolb coming in and solidifying our offense,” Horton told Sports 620 KTAR’s Doug and Wolf Friday. “He helps.”

It’s an interesting thought because there are many out there who believe the defense struggled last year largely because the offense failed.

Unable to sustain drives and control the ball, it seemed as if the defense was on the field for far too many plays and, at some point, maybe even gave up because they knew how inept the offense was.

While a poor reason to not play hard, it would be tough to give it your all when you know it wasn’t likely to matter.

But that ship has sailed, as the offense appears ready to start scoring points again. If Horton knows it you better believe the defense does, too.

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