Things aren’t exactly going the way the Arizona Cardinals drew it up before the season began. They are 3-6-0, which means they have equaled last year’s win total. So, there’s that.
But injuries have turned this roster from promising to hemorrhaging. This weekend, the offense will start their third quarterback.
RELATED: CARDINALS HISTORY: THE RECEIVERS SINCE 1988
Is this year’s team improving, or imploding? So far, nobody in the media is discussing whether head coach Mike LaFleur should be on the hot
seat. He isn’t. And shouldn’t. LaFleur came from successful franchises that know how to win. This just doesn’t happen overnight. You don’t go from driving an F-150 to a Peterbilt 589 with peak torque of 1,450 and 605 HP.
And then there is the attrition problem. Last year, it was a laundry list of starters.
The same thing is starting to appear this season as well. What is most troublesome is how many are listed at a key position: OT Paris Johnson, WRs Michael Wilson, Kendrick Bourne, and Jalen Brooks, OG Chase Bisontis, QB Gardner Minshew, CB Will Johnson and S Joey Blount, RBs Jeremiyah Love and James Conner, plus DL Kaleb Proctor and Zachary Carter. 15 players in all.
Many can wonder what a full season would be like if you took all of the injured and had them playing instead. Suiting up just the Johnsons – Paris and Will – would change a lot of things on both sides of the ball in every contest.
So, what does an insider think of this year’s effort?
Former Cardinals WR Frank Sanders was recently interviewed by Cardinals Insider Kyle Odegard. Part of the conversation circled back to this year’s roster. From a former player’s standpoint, what is going on?
Odegard wanted to know if Sanders thought maybe LaFleur is out of his league and a bit overwhelmed from being just an OC. Sanders stated:
“I love what he’s doing. I love how he’s handling the program, especially considering it’s not one of the easiest programs to run in the National Football League. For a coach coming in that did not bring anybody in, he’s picked up a lot of pieces that were not his pieces. I think he’s done a wonderful job.”
It’s one thing to be responsible for the offense and all of those job duties during the week. But LaFleur has to make certain that the defense and special teams are on point every week as well.
Preparation is super key going into a game. And Arizona isn’t in some quasi-easy division such as the NFC South where no team is even at .500 yet. The Cardinals would be tied for first place if they were allowed to relocate.
Sanders likes what he is seeing from the newbie head coach:
“His attitude is on point, his play-calling is solid. I like what he’s doing. Sometimes we just don’t have the athletes to compete.”
What a true observation: “just don’t have the athletes to compete.” But with the Cardinals, they just might have all the players and a solid roster. The problem is, a ton of them are gone for the season due to injury. Who projected the third overall draft pick to have ankle problems when he has been durable ever since high school? How do three receivers end up all hurt and gone for the year? A kid drafted high in the draft to come in and cement the guard position and then is out. A drafted defensive tackle that never even saw the field?
LINK: ODEGARD’S FULL INTERVIEW WITH SANDERS
Odegard shifted his interview and then focused on the team shipping off starting QB Jacoby Brissett, and now the rookie Carson Beck will be given an opportunity to show he belongs.
Sanders had his take:
“I think (Brissett) will do a wonderful job. You just need players around him. Jacoby doesn’t need a whole bunch of help, but he needs some help. He’s in a solid organization.”
And Beck?
“(A team) still needs depth at quarterback. You still need healthy competition. And you need somebody you can rest your hat on. You need some form of stability in that area.”
A lot of media outlets have indicated that the Cardinals will need to play Beck in several games in order to get a complete evaluation to see if he is indeed their QB going forward. Sanders doesn’t see that as a necessity.
“Winning is the most important part, and (developing) the offense is just as important. For me to be worried about Carson playing? No. I don’t have to see him for another two or three years if Gardner can be that guy. If he can’t? Then we have to make a decision.”
Sanders views Minshew as a solid quarterback who might be the better option as Beck develops. He stated he would stick with Minshew indefinitely.
“If Gardner Minshew can play okay. I don’t want to see (Beck). I just want to see someone who can get the job done.”
For the present, Sanders said he prioritizes winning and developing LaFleur’s offense. After all, it is a new system. Once the offensive line gels, their key receivers and tight ends get back healthy, and the defense gets a few new bodies, this team is being built to compete within the division where all the big boys play.
Sanders was a second-round selection of the Cardinals in the 1995 NFL Draft after he was a First-Team All-American and First-Team All-SEC out of Auburn. He played nine seasons in the NFL, eight of which were with Arizona wearing jersey #81.
He finished his career playing in 136 NFL games with 120 starts, with 6,749 yards and 24 touchdowns, and a 13.3-yard-per-reception average.
In 2013, Sanders was inducted into the “SEC Football Legends.”
