2014 Record: 11-5
2015 Non Division Opponents: NFC North, AFC North, New Orleans, & Philadelphia
2014 in review: The Cardinals were the surprise team of 2014, and owned a 9-1 Record after ten games. An injury to the most important position ruined everything. First Carson Palmer got hurt, and then Drew Stanton got hurt, leaving Ryan Lindley under center. Lindley did not perform well and threw for 82 yards in a playoff loss at Carolina.
2015 offseason: Things did not go well. The Cardinals went shopping, and signed Guard Mike Iupati away from San Francisco with a 5 year $40 million deal. Unfortunately for Arizona, Iupati is already injured and is going to miss the beginning of the regular season. That’s ok, though. They signed Corey Peters to anchor their defensive line. Peters tore his ACL in practice Wednesday and is out for the season. If I were Cory Redding, Sean Weatherspoon, or Jermaine Gresham I’d be worried.
2015 Draft: The Cardinals have some rookies that can fill in. Fourth round pick Rodney Gunter is the next man up for Peters position. First Round Pick D.J. Humphries was a tackle at Florida, but it may be all hands on deck with the Cardinals’ injuries.
Player on the hot seat: Can Carson Palmer stay healthy? Arizona is a different team with the veteran under center. A healthy Palmer will go a long way in determining the Cardinals fate in 2015.
Players you want on your fantasy team: Everyone is high on Andre Ellington, but I don’t see it. In fact, I think if you have any Cardinals on your team you are in trouble. Palmer is a game manager. Larry Fitzgerald is a shell of his former sell. Michael Floyd has yet to live up to his potential. It’s not a fantasy wasteland, and there are players here worth taking fliers on, but I wouldn’t want to leave my draft with any of these guys as a starter.
Season Prediction: Arizona rode a great start to a playoff berth last year, despite a rash of injuries. The injuries have already started to mount this year. I expect a regression in the desert. SFTB prediction: 7-9