2006 Arizona Cardinals Predictions & Season Preview


June 5, 2008 | Posted By Larry Cook

2007 Arizona Cardinals Season Preview & Predictions from our staff!

A lot of people are expecting big things from the 2006 Arizona Cardinals, but getting past the 8-8 mark might be a stretch.  Pinnacle is listing the team at 8 wins with the over listed at -107 juice and the under at -103 juice.  Bodog also has the team coming in at 8 wins with the over juice at -110 and the under at -120.

The team should be better than the one that went 5-11 this year as long as Kurt Warner remains healthy, especially since Edgerrin James was brought in to revive a ground game that ranked last in the NFL last season with only 71.1 rushing yards per game.  If Warner gets hurt that means Matt Leinart is going to have to come in and start his tenure prematurely, which means less wins and more growing pains for Arizona.  The air attack will be greatly helped by getting some balance with James, and Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are probably the top pair of pass catchers in the league.  There are still major questions as to whether the line can open up holes for James and protect their quarterback, or else this offense will be one teams won’t want to mess with.  Defensively there are a lot of questions as to whether key players can return to full strength.  Head coach Dennis Greene wants to be aggressive but the team was in the bottom half of the league in both sacks and interceptions.  This team isn’t going to contend with the top tier teams in the NFC, but with a weak schedule you could possibly see them get to 8 wins, just not over it so we’ll go with the under.

The quarterback situation is only solidified if Kurt Warner can remain healthy and as accurate as he once was.  He’ll have plenty of weapons surrounding him and the addition of James will also help with protection, as Edge is one of the top blocking backs in the league.  James will go over 1,000 yards this season, which is rare for backs out there in the Arizona sun.  Boldin and Fitzgerald are two of the best in the league, but neither is a deep threat.  The team is going to need a speedy third receiver in order to completely open up the field.  Leonard Pope will come in at tight end and provide another huge target for Warner.

The 2006 Arizona Cardinals are going to have a lot of youth in the defensive line when it comes to depth.  If there are injuries here then rookies will have to step in and learn fast.  Bertrand Berry is a Pro Bowl contender, but he’s going to need help or else he’ll get lost in a sea of double-teams.  The linebacking corps is maybe the worst in the NFL, without a real standout who can roam sideline to sideline and make big plays.  Antrel Rolle went down with a knee injury last season and if he doesn’t return to full strength then the secondary is going to be classified as a group of chumps, especially since Robert Griffith showed his age in Cleveland.

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