Arizona Cardinals

Quarterback is still a Card as he tries to rally from rough rookie season

Dec 30, 2012; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers running back Rashard Mendenhall (34) runs the ball between Cleveland Browns linebacker Craig Robertson (53) and defensive lineman Jabaal Sheard (97) during the first half of the game at Heinz Field. Mandatory Credit: Jason Bridge-USA TODAY Sports It’s just June, but there has been a lot going in with the Arizona Cardinals. Here’s all the latest Cardinals news. Andrew Nordmeier of Bleacher Report rounded up all of the latest Cardinals news in one post, including Rashard Mendenhall seizing the reins at running back, Darnell Dockett’s new facemask and the Cardinals’ new training camp location. According to Revenge of the Birds, Kevin Minter likes to hit people. Head coach Bruce Arians said that he has intensity the Cardinals crave, but he had to be pulled out of a drill. It’s just June, so practice isn’t as important. However, it’s still important. According to Revenge of the Birds, Arians and the coaching staff are evaluating each player every day. Because there are a lot of new pieces on the team and open positions, each day of practice is important. Even though there are favorites at some position, there are some players who can end up surprising everyone. Arizona’s rookies have shown promise, and the team is looking good. If everything keeps going well for the team, it’s going to lead to success in the regular season.

Nov 24, 2012; Clemson, SC, USA; Clemson Tigers running back Andre Ellington (23) carries the ball during the second quarter of the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports Andre Ellington is a sixth-round selection for the Arizona Cardinals. Sixth round selections typically do not contribute right away, but the Arizona Cardinals 187th selection overall of Ellington could surprise us. Ellington has repeatedly shown his downhill speed in the ACC over the past three years. It was not until 2011 that Ellington flourished at Clemson racking up 1,178 yards and 11 touchdowns, a 5.3 YPC average. That season Ellington earned second-team All-ACC honors while missing only one game because of injury. He did finish strong and showed promise heading into his senior year with 125 yards in the ACC Championship Game win over Virginia Tech and 116 yards on 10 carries during their blowout loss to West Virginia in the Orange Bowl. Ellington enters a new era of Arizona Cardinals football, new coaches, a franchise quarterback, a new general manager and even a new practice bubble opening in August. Ellington’s patience and ability to follow the pulling guard should lend itself to some productive games, and running behind Jonathan Cooper, the seventh overall pick in this year’s draft, won’t hurt. I am not sure how many carries Ellington may get behind experienced NFL players like Rashard Mendenhall and Ryan Williams, or fellow rookie, Stepfan Taylor. All of whom, I think will get the carries before Ellington does. Ellington should provide a spark as a change-of-pace back. Ellington will need to improve his pass protection skill set if he wants to stay on the field otherwise he will be watching from the sidelines. Because I cannot predict how many carries Ellington will get, I will go with a modest 4 yards per carry (YPC) when he does see the field. After all that is the most important stat for a running back. Ellington will also wind up with 3-4 TDs, and I predict all of his touchdowns will be big plays of 20 yards or more. I envision that because I do not think Ellington will be on the field when they are inside the 20. At least not right away. Make no mistake about it, though, Ellington and Taylor are the future of this Cardinals team. Taylor will be the every down back, and Ellington should be the change-of-pace back.

Name Age Year Carson Palmer 33 11 Drew Stanton 29 6 Caleb TerBush 23 R Quarterbacks: This position is easy. For once we have a solid Quarterback leading the team, and a more than able backup to fill in just in case. What could be difficult to solidy however is that 3rd quarterback position, If we even carry three. The two guys vying for that position are Caleb TerBush and Ryan Lindley. I think Lindley has a future (let the boos commence), and I know very little about TerBush, but I have seen the guy throw, and I believe TerBush will usurp Lindley. Name Age Year Rashard Mendenhall 25 6 Ryan Williams 23 3 Stepfan Taylor 22 R Andre Ellington 24 R Runningbacks: Again, easy to describe. Both Taylor and Ellington are to valuable to put on the practice squad since another team could very well scoop them up. They also provide a baby blanket with both Mendenhall and Williams injury history. Mendenhall is already the starter as Arians has said, but Williams spot isn't so safe with Taylor or Ellington looking at that position with hungry eyes. Name Age Year Larry Fitzgerald 29 10 Michael Floyd 23 2 Andre Roberts 25 4 Ryan Swope 22 R LaRon Byrd 23 2 Robert Gill 29 R Wide-Receivers: The top 3 are locks at their positions. Swope is raising concern amongst the fans about his concussion concerns. Byrd has been called out about being inconsistent, and Gill blames his lack of speed at Fan Fest due to his hamstring. So the last three could very well switch around. Watch for Swope to be put on the Designated to Return IR if his concussion symptoms persist. Name Age Year Rob Housler 25 3 Jeff King 30 8 Jim Dray 26 4 Tight Ends: The Cardinals keep the same three guys from last year. Dray will likely see more snaps this year because he fits Arians scheme more. DC Jefferson will hit Practice Squad (Watch the Cowboys), and knowing Kings history of minor injuries, could be promoted. Name Age Year Position Levi Brown 29 7 LT 1 Nate Potter 25 2 LT 2 Bobby Massie 23 2 RT 1 Jamaal Johnson-Webb 23 R RT 2 Johnathan Cooper 23 R LG 1/C 2 Senio Kelemete 23 2 LG 2 Lyle Sendlein 29 7 C 1 Daryn Colledge 31 8 RG 1 Earl Watford 23 R RG 2 Offensive Line: This years offensive line looks on paper 10x's better than last seasons. The average age on this years line is 25, with a lot of young talent, albeit rather raw. Massie was top notch late last season, Potter filled in nicely when we finally replaced D'anthony Batiste. So here's my Offensive side of the ball for 2013. Give your input, attack it, bash it, make amends. I'm curious as to who you see on that 53 man roster come September.

One thing that stood out during the last week of offseason work was the fact that Nate Potter was neither at left tackle nor with the second team. It started out with his splitting time with Bobby Massie at right tackle with the first team and at second team left tackle during Fan Fest. Then, during the open parts of Wednesday's and Thursday's practices, Potter worked exclusively at right tackle with the first team while Massie was at left tackle on the second team. Bruce Arians said that his linemen have to "swing," but there could be a number of reasons why the change happened. AZCentral's Kent Somers gave three very possible reasons for the change, one likely, another plausible and one unlikely. They involved positional flexibility, possibly starting Potter over Massie and getting rid of Levi Brown. Now, based on things Arians has said, he made it sound like it is simply moving guys around. This way both Potter and Massie have had looks at tackle on either side. Daryn Colledge has been moved from left guard to right guard and will get looks at center. There is another possibility. While the team might not looking specifically at starting Potter over Massie, it may simply be trying see where they might be able to play him. Potter has been mentioned by name a few times this offseason, and yet he doesn't seem to have a place on the starting line. Levi Brown has been described as elite, so clearly, they do not feel that Potter is better than Brown. Massie played great late in the season, but they may just want to see if Potter perhaps is better than Massie there. Potter's name has come up as well as a possibility to play guard. I get the impression that they really like him, so they are giving him looks at other positions to see if he would be a better option -- not that they think he is, but that they just want to have a look. They have spoken about putting their five best linemen out there. It just appears like the team wants to see if he is or if he falls just short as almost top five or clearly number six. What do think? Simple flexibility? Possible cutting of Levi Brown? Possible starter over Massie? Or just trying to find a place for him, even though it doesn't look like he cracks the lineup in 2013? Keep up with Cardinals news and opinions when you are not on the site. Follow Revenge of the Birds on Twitter at @revengeofbirds and "like" us on Facebook. You can follow me individually at @senorjessroot.

After the schematic drawings I have shown you in previous posts (see the far right of the page for the other articles in this stream) I want to give you a real world zone blocking play that we can watch as it develops. I want you to go with me. I am going to start a running play that is just a little bit different than the one I did. It is a two-back set in the I-formation with no tight end. The defense is lined up in the 4-3 and not the 3-4 like my example. As the ball is hiked, you can see that the first step of the entire offensive line is the exact same thing -- a hard step to the right. These first steps are important and as the whole line moves as one. That is a tell-tale sign of zone blocking at work. You will notice that the weak tackle (#78) is going to pick up the blitzing linebacker, or the first person to cross his face. As we go forward, you can see that the linebackers are already starting to flow to the ball, heading in the direction the play is going. The weak side defensive end is unblocked as he in this case is a non-factor. In the next screen, you will see my "double team;" in this case, from the center and strong guard. In my examples this is the same thing that you would see with Daryn Colledge and the Bobby Massie. Maybe a half second double team all the while keeping your head up watching the linebacker. You can even see the center looking straight at the weak side linebacker in this photo. As we progress even further into the play, you can see that the defensive tackle that is on the strong guard actually wins. The fullback that was supposed to get into the hole and block the linebacker in this run had to actually pick up the tackle. The defense did a good job here stopping at the point of attack between the guard and tackle., You will see in this next one a couple of things. There is a lane forming for a cutback run for a back that is willing to trust in his offensive linemen, and the back has already made his decision, making his cut to take the lane instead of going outside. At last you see the hole formed. The center is able to keep his head on his linebacker and make a block. You can see that the strong side linebacker was forced to follow the fullback as it looks like he was trying to seal the edge to get outside. There you have it. A successful run play using zone principles. We might see some of this in 2013.

Jan. 18, 2013; Tempe, AZ, USA; From left Arizona Cardinals president Michael Bidwill , head coach Bruce Arians , Christine Arians , chairman William Bidwill and general manager Steve Keim pose for a photo during a press conference at the Arizona Cardinals Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports As an avid follower of the NFL for many years, there is one thing that I have learned about the competition in this league. From one year to the next and on any given day, or should I say on any given Sunday (because of the competition), anyone can beat anyone. After all, like Chris Berman (ESPN) says on Sunday NFL Countdown; “that’s why they play the game”. In my opinion, the odds will be against the Redbirds to be contenders for the Super Bowl in the 2013 and 2014 season. Realistically it will probably take at least a couple of years to compete for a championship. Here is my reasoning behind this. First of all, the Cardinals are now considered to be in the toughest division in the NFL this year. The funny thing is; who in their right mind would have thought the NFC West would be the toughest division before the start of last season. Most pundits suggested the NFC West was widely considered to be the weakest division, prior to last season. This in a nut shell, pretty much explains to you just how quickly things can change in this league. Never the less, I just do not see it. Now regarded as the toughest division and playing two games against the likes of last year’s Super Bowl contender, Collin Kaepernick and the San Francisco 49ers, the up and coming Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks and we must not forget about the St. Louis Rams.  After all, we must not forget, the Rams had the best record against their division foes last season. Furthermore, to say the Cardinals had a complete makeover in their regime would probably be an understatement. As we all know by now, the Redbirds had a changing of the guard so to speak. With a new general manager, a new head coach as well as a new QB at the helm and a slew of new players added to the squad. Realistically, it will take time for coaches to install their new regime. Realistically, it will take some time for players and coaches alike to get familiar with one another. For players to gain traction and fully understand what coaches are asking. It usually also takes time for coaches to find the strengths and weaknesses of their own players. Never the less, as mentioned previously, anything is possible in this league. We have seen it time after time. One year in this league, because of the talent and fierce competition, can make all the difference. We have seen time after time, teams that were in the cellar the previous year in their own division become division winners the very next year. Finally, who knows, perhaps this is the year for the Cardinals. Maybe this is the year that the new regime puts it all together in just one year. In my opinion, the odds are against the Redbirds.  But like they say; “that’s why they play the game”.

We know that Larry Fitzgerald is going to play more than one receiver position in 2013. We know that he is getting accustomed to it. Bruce Arians has said that it is about giving him more opportunities to get catches, creating mismatches for him and other on offense. The same thing happened in 2012 with Reggie Wayne, and it was fruitful. He dropped from 111 catches and 1355 yards in 2010 to 75 and 960 in 2011. In 2012, moving around, he was back up to what he was used to producing -- 106 catches and 1355 yards. Fitz had a similar drop in productivity. 2011 to 2012 saw him drop from 80 to 71 receptions, but from 1411 to 798 yards. Now, part is the change in quarterback that will be enough to improve the numbers. Wayne also had a change from Curtis Painter, et al., to Andrew Luck. Fitz goes from Kevin Kolb/John Skelton/Ryan Lindley/Brian Hoyer (all in one season) to Carson Palmer this year (ideally he is the only one). But a big difference for Wayne was used. He lined up in the slot a lot more than in previous years. (Info from Pro Football Focus) In 2011, Wayne ran 580 routes. Only 73 of those came from the slot -- only 12.6 percent of the time. He had 11 of his 111 receptions in the slot. In 2012, He ran 688 routes, but 421 of them from the slot -- 61.2 percent of the time. He had 48 of his 106 catches from there. Fitz is not quite the stranger to the slot that Wayne was. In 2011, he saw 136 of his 632 pass routes (21.5 percent) and 127 of his 688 routes in 2012 (18.8 percent) from the slot. You really can't predict how many more catches, but Wayne saw an increase of almost 50 percent of instances in the slot. His receptions increased by 41 percent. A 40 percent increase in catches for Fitz would mean 99-100 catches. That, of course, is the idea. Keep up with Cardinals news and opinions when you are not on the site. Follow Revenge of the Birds on Twitter at @revengeofbirds and "like" us on Facebook. You can follow me individually at @senorjessroot.

The dead period begins. No OTAs, no mini-camp, just a little more than a month of waiting for training camp. There are a few stories out there, though. Here they are: Cardinals: Word From the Birds Blog | Mistakes are there in black and whiteWe got another little peek into some of how Bruce Arians motivates and handles his players, thanks to Larry Fitzgerald when Fitzgerald was asked if he had yet felt the wrath of Arians on the practice field. A Look At #StuffDadSays To Celebrate Father's DayWe have all heard these sayings from dad once or twice. One Last MinicampThe Cardinals wrap up offseason work with minicamp and a final field goal Bruce Arians: Arizona Cardinals productive at minicampBruce Arians: Arizona Cardinals productive at minicamp,Heat Index: With a "thud," the Cardinals started their summer vacations on Thursday morning. Arizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians says team must be more fitArizona Cardinals coach Bruce Arians says team must be more fit,Cardinals coach Bruce Arians begins his summer vacation this weekend confident his players accomplished all they could during spring practices. NFL: NFL Quarterbacks as TV Dads - SBNation.comIt's Father's Day! Celebrate with two of your favorite pastimes coming together for one very special moment. NFL news roundup: Bengals on 'Hard Knocks', Victor Cruz wants to get paid - SBNation.comThe Cincinnati Bengals are likely the next team to be featured on HBO's "Hard Knocks," and Victor Cruz is after at least $9 million per season in his new contract. That, plus everything else you may have missed from Saturday. Ryan Broyles is biggest surprise at Lions minicamp - SBNation.comDespite two ACL injuries in 13 months, Broyles could be ready for a breakout season in 2013. Darrius Heyward-Bey to get more looks with Colts than with Raiders - SBNation.comDarrius Heyward-Bey could be in for a big 2013 season now that he's with a wide-open Colts offense. Keep up with Cardinals news and opinions when you are not on the site. Follow Revenge of the Birds on Twitter at @revengeofbirds and "like" us on Facebook. You can follow me individually at @senorjessroot.