The Arizona Cardinals are a confusing team heading into the 2022 season for the folks at NFL.com
Dan Hanzus of NFL.com finds the Arizona Cardinals a bit perplexing which probably contributes to his ranking of the team at #17 going into the NFL preseason period.
Citing the extension of Kyler Murray followed by the controversy over the “independent study clause” and Murray’s bout with COVID, Hanzus doesn’t seem to know what to make of the Cardinals.
He is explicit in his misgivings about the team.
“You just get the feeling it won’t be long before the Cardinals find their way back in the headlines for the wrong reasons.” – Dan Hanzus of NFL.com
The Arizona Cardinals have had their fair share of offseason headlines. Murray started it all off with the scrubbing of his Instagram page in a contract dispute with the front office, but that was only the beginning.
- New addition, Jeff Gladney, tragically passed away in an automobile accident in Dallas, TX.
- DeAndre Hopkins was suspended for the first six games of the 2022 season.
- Star center Rodney Hudson seriously contemplated retirement.
- Marquise Brown was arrested for criminal speeding.
- Running backs coach James Saxon was charged with domestic violence and put on administrative leave.
AZ Cardinals off-season
– Murray scrubs IG 📉
– DHop suspension 📉
– Jeff Gladney accident 📉
– Hudson mulling retirement 📉
– Hudson returns! 📈
– Murray gets paid 📈
– Hump gets paid 📈
– Brown arrested 📉
– Saxon charged 📉— Kyler Burd (@AZCard_BurdsEye) August 4, 2022
No wonder then that Hanzus believes the “vibes are off in Arizona.” In the end, the only way to disprove that is success on the field in 2022.
The team here at AZSports Underground are going to give their quick reactions to the Arizona Cardinals coming in at No. 17.
Joe Comeau – I don’t fault analysts for having difficulty projecting the Arizona Cardinals for the upcoming season. The 2021 Cardinals were a Jekyll and Hyde team, if ever there were – looking like the best team in the NFL during the first half of the season and losing to the gritty, but cellar-dwelling Detroit Lions, and eventually getting embarrassed by the Rams in the playoffs. The team has as exciting a quarterback as can be found in the NFL and some tantalizing offensive playmakers. But the team also has a lot of uncertainty, with a youth-movement on the defensive side of the ball and the need to shore up what is, arguably, the most important defensive position – cornerback.
Full disclosure: I have a hard time getting a read on who this team will be. Are they a contender, driven by an elite offense, or are they a team poised to fall apart yet again? This is a high-variance team, whose ceiling is the Super Bowl, and whose basement is finishing third place in the NFC West (Seattle has fourth on lock down). It is worth noting, however, that most of the negative press connected with the Cardinals has been of the “off the field” variety. The tragic loss of Jeff Gladney and the DeAndre Hopkins suspensions have clear on-the-field impacts, no doubt. But the rest is just noise.
The question is, have the players been able to filter out that noise? With leaders like J.J. Watt in the building, I believe they have. And, ultimately, I see the Cardinals as being in the 9-12 range, with the potential to climb to the peak of the power rankings by mid-season. Staying there – now, that’s another story.
Andrew Heidemann – I think that this is fair. The Cardinals need to prove that they are real contenders. When Kingsbury has been at the helm, the team has collapsed in the last half of the year for the past two seasons in a row. This has to change. Otherwise, mediocrity will always plague the Cards.
Scott Allen – The Cardinals have a team that can win. Too many people are pushing the panic button. Sure, there have been several issues. But contract issues with Kyler were taken care of. Covid has happened to many of us, why are we making an issue Kyler got it? The James Saxon issue happened in May, it just happened to be made public in August. Life happens everywhere, including to the Cardinals. I don’t think any of these things will contribute to the success or lack thereof on the field. 17 is fair for now but I expect they will put wins on the board to at least keep the naysayers at bay for a bit and see a rise in the rankings as time carries forward.
Robert Moore – The Arizona Cardinals being ranked 17th in the power ranking seems to be a reflection of all the drama from the off-season as well as other teams ahead in the rankings just got better statistically. All the negative news that piled on month after month almost seems as if it was building up a hype train for the show “Hard Knocks” which will feature the Arizona Cardinals. What is being overlooked is that the Cardinals improved their weakness from last year which was depth. They’re looking to run it back with as close to the same team as last year. Even with the 2nd most difficult schedule in the league, the Arizona Cardinals are still a very dangerous team that could potentially put the NFC on notice in the beginning of the season as they did last year. The true test will be how they finish. Remember, the NFL season isn’t a sprint, it’s a marathon.
17-0