State of the Union: Arizona Cardinals

Arizona's season is in this guys hands.

Good news for Cardinals fans though. You may have lost potential Hall of Famer Kurt Warner. You may have lost the explosive arial attack that came with lining up Anquan Boldin opposite Larry Fitzgerald. You still have Beanie Wells. When he went down with a potentially serious rib injury earlier this camp, the entire franchise held its breath. Despite the fact that Ken Wisenhunt insists that they will play the same system, this will certainly be a different offense than the Cardinals of late. There will be immense pressure on Beanie and Tim Hightower to carry the load but they may be up to the task as they have both been impressive. Officially, the two are supposed to split carries this year, but more likely than not Beanie will get the majority of the work load. Beanie has come into camp looking great after having a fully healthy offseason for the first time. If he can improve on his already solid 4.5 yards per carry, Leinart may not have to be a wizard for this offense to succeed.

Matt Leinart. I really have no idea where to start with him. Has anyone underwhelmed so much without being bad enough to be deemed a complete bust? The organization still has faith in him, but most of that has to come from the fact that he hasn't had to carry the load. Word from their camp is that he hasn't been great, but he hasn't been bad either. More of the same. This story plays out every summer with Matty and I don't expect the results to be much different (mediocrity sprinkled with failure). Unfortunately for the Cards, QB happens to be the most important position in the NFL, and if he fails the team fails. You can't win in the playoffs with a bad QB at the helm. Fortunately for him, he has an all-world receiver to throw to, and his running game is better than anything Warner ever had. If he can't succeed in this situation then it's time for him to hang up the pads. Or at least never be expected to start again. Either one works.

A defense that ranked 23rd against the pass and 17th against the run needs improvement, especially if they're going from a high flying passing offense to more of a grind it out game. To help out against the pass, the Cardinals have brought in safety, and former Jet, Kerry Rhodes. Some people in these parts don't care much for Kerry, but sometimes a change of scenery can rejuvenate a player. Getting out from the expectations of New York and having someone like Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the secondary can help as well. Joey Porter is another familiar face that's found his way into the desert. They're hoping he'll get back to his 2008 form (17.5 sacks) and help put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. If he can do that, and Darnell Dockett can continue to look scary as hell/improve on the field, then this defense has the potential to be good enough to win in the playoffs.

This team finds itself as an underdog in the weak NFC West for the first time in several years. Reports indicate that they're relishing this role and looking to prove doubters wrong. If it weren't for Matt Leinart, I'd say the Cardinals have a shot. Arizona relied heavily on Kurt Warner, and Matt seems to be the only person in camp who hasn't stepped up. This is still the period where almost everything coming out of camp is positive yet there are still uncertainties about him. Maybe this is just adds to the "nobody believed in us factor," but Matty seems too steeped in booze and smoking broads to care. If we were timing keg stands I'd take him in a second, but as the starting quarterback for my team I'd rather look elsewhere.