2007 Arizona Cardinals Predictions & Season Preview


June 5, 2008 | Posted By Larry Cook

Arizona hasn’t had a lot of success with their football team, but our 2007 Cardinals predictions are seeing a little bit of a turnaround out West. Out is Dennis Greene and the underperformance of a year ago, and in is rookie head coach Ken Whisenhunt who is coming over from the Pittsburgh Steelers. It’s going to have to start with the offensive line because at the skill positions this team has plenty of talent to compete.

At quarterback the team is led by Matt Leinart, who should show some progress over a rookie campaign in which he didn’t fare all that bad. He has plenty of talent around him to throw to in receiver Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin and what should be an improved offensive line to give him more protection. Kurt Warner has shown he can make Pro Bowls as a starter and will be more than able as a backup. At running back there is Edgerrin James, who had 1,000 yards last year and a bigger and better offensive line this season. He should also get more work as Whisenhunt has declared he is going to run the ball a lot more this season. JJ Arrington is more than a capable backup. The group of pass catchers on this team is unrivaled in the league with Boldin and Fitzgerald both being Pro Bowlers. The team added Steve Breaston in the draft to join Bryant Johnson, giving the Cardinals four solid options.

The Cards will be making a switch in 2007 to the 3-4 defense from the 4-3. The team is hoping to return to the top-10 defensive levels from 2005, but will have to ask a lot of players to make changes. How ends Bertrand Berry and Chike Okeafor make the move to outside linebacker at times will be something to watch closely. Tackles Kendrick Clancy and Darnell Dockett are both reliable and can anchor the line at tackle. At linebacker the team is lead by playmaker Karlos Dansby, who will need to stay healthy in order to anchor this group. Gerald Hayes is a an excellent run-stopper who dominates the middle. The secondary has plenty of potential with Pro Bowler Adrian Wilson, who is one of the best in the business at the safety blitz and Aaron Francisco who is a big-time hitter. At corner the team is looking for more from Antrel Rolle and Roderick Hood comes in from free-agency to help.

Going over the seven win mark seems like it shouldn’t be too much of a problem for Arizona. At Info Plays we are pretty set on the team finishing at 8-8, but there is potential for them to take the 49ers and Seahawks in order to capture the NFC West. The odds makers seem to be in agreement with the team’s chances of winning the division, NFC, and Super Bowl. We think the odds are pretty much right on par with the value we see in them so we recommend taking a look at different teams with these wagers.

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