Bruce Arians, Larry Fitzgerald, Carson Palmer, that Cardinal Defense: all positive indicators on this Cardinal team and proven beyond doubt. The offense needs work and a pass rush will improve things dramatically. Arizona fans know the storyline. An astute fan also knows the team is good and that the NFC West is one of the toughest divisions around. Any team that gets out of that division on top will have made a statement that the rest of the league cannot ignore.
Predictions are nothing but possibilities. And real knowledge gained is acquired through experience. With that being said, what do we know about this years’ Arizona Cardinals and about the season the team is about to embark upon? Sam Acho and Lorenzo Alexander are back on the team after missing out most of last year with injuries. The defense will be solid. Daryl Washington's suspension is a question mark, but I don't think it will affect the defense too much.
Offensively, the Arizona Cardinals were much improved late in the season. During the last 9 games of the season, they averaged over 27 points per game and almost 375 yards on offense. Given the cumulative experience Bruce Arians and Carson Palmer have acquired together, there is no reason to believe that the Cardinals can't do that again this year. In fact, offensively, the team should be much improved. Last year, Palmer threw 2 more touchdowns than interceptions. That is uncharacteristic of him and I believe it had more to do with him getting used to the offense. I’m going with the assumption that Palmer is poised to have a pretty good season.
In fact, Larry Fitzgerald will do well too. It’s only fitting that whatever knowledge Arians and Palmer have gained through experience will affect Fitzgerald in much the same way. And why not include the entire offense in that statement? If I look at the possibilities, the future looks bright for the entire Arizona Cardinals. The NFC West is stacked, and the Cardinals are on top of it trying to get some solid footing along with Seattle and San Francisco. It will be a great season this year.
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