NFL team previews — NFC East
By Mike Jurecki
As published in print Aug. 21, 2000
|
 |
Cardinals QB
Jake Plummer
|
The temperature’s rising in the desert, as the Cardinals face possibly their most
pivotal season since relocating to the valley of the sun in 1988. The team certainly has
enough talent to be competitive, but with an unproven quarterback, a lame-duck head coach
and a stadium vote looming, the Cardinals are feeling the pressure to win now.
Arizona is coming off a disappointing 6-10 season, which comes just a year after the
team made a memorable late-season surge to reach the playoffs in ’98. Notorious for
slow starts, the Cards must take advantage of a favorable home schedule that features six
of the first nine games in Tempe.
This offense is built around playmakers, but it all starts with QB Jake Plummer who
comes off an injury-plagued season. Plummer worked closely with offensive coordinator Marc
Trestman in the offseason, trying to improve the young QB’s game-management skills.
The running game should be much improved with the addition of free-agent C Mike
Gruttadauria and the drafting of RB Thomas Jones in the first round to complement veteran
RB Michael Pittman. The passing game will be hurt by WR Rob Moore’s season-ending
knee injury, but Plummer still has Frank Sanders and David Boston.
At least offensively, there shouldn’t be any more excuses.
Top of page
| Quarterbacks |
Grade C+ |
| Plummer struggled last year with only nine touchdowns and 24
interceptions, and for the first time in his career he dealt with a rash of injuries.
After hyperextending his thumb and fracturing his ring finger, he had great difficulty
gripping the ball. Plummer has worked extensively with Trestman breaking down game film
and dissecting the West Coast offense in order to improve his decision-making. One of
Plummer’s biggest challenges is grasping the idea of letting the game come to him
instead of trying to do too much. As the young quarterback enters his fourth season,
he’ll answer one question: Is he "Jake the Snake" or "Jake the
Fake"? Veteran backup QB Dave Brown started in five games last year and was 3-2.
Brown proved that he could be a valuable reserve when called upon. He knows the NFC East
well from his years in New York. However, when he is in the game, the Cardinals’
offense is simplified. Third-string QB Chris Greisen has shown he has a strong arm but
needs to show he can play at the next level. Top of page |
| Running backs |
Grade B- |
| Last year the Cardinals’ ground game produced only 75.4
yards per game. Michael Pittman showed flashes that he can be "the Man," but his
durability remains a major question. When he is healthy, Pittman is a powerful back with
excellent receiving skills. He rushed for 133 yards against the Lions in one of his two
starts last season. With the jury still out on Pittman, the Cardinals used the seventh
overall pick to select the most complete running back in the draft, Jones. He shows
breakaway speed, likes to run inside the tackles and has soft hands as a receiver. Jones
could emerge as the starter before it’s all said and done. This will give Arizona a
1-2 punch, which is something the Cards haven’t had in a while. Kickoff returner
Mario Bates rushed for a team-high nine touchdowns last season. Bates will be used in
short-yardage and goal-line situations. He gives the Cardinals an insurance policy. At
fullback, Joel Makovicka needs to step up and become a better blocker and more aware of
the blitz. Makovicka has shown improvement in training camp but needs to stay healthy.
Dennis McKinley is a solid blocker but needs to improve his pass-catching skills. Top of page |
| Receivers |
Grade C |
| This looked like the strength of the team before Moore got
hurt. He emerged as Plummer’s top red-zone receiver. Now Plummer will turn to Sanders
and Boston. Sanders is a possession receiver who catches a lot of passes and makes plays,
but finding the endzone isn’t his strength (only one touchdown in ’99). He will
drop a few from time to time. The X-factor is still Boston, a first-round pick a year ago.
After a disappointing rookie season, Boston will be called upon to be the speedy deep
threat and possibly more. He must show that he can go up and get the ball in traffic. At
tight end, Terry Hardy is more of a receiver than a blocker. After a year out of football
due to an illness, Chris Gedney returns. Gedney gives the Cardinals some depth at the
position. He will be used at times as the fourth wide receiver in the red zone.
Fifth-round draft pick Jay Tant has been limited in camp because of injuries. Top of page |
| Offensive linemen |
Grade C |
| After holding out all of last training camp, first-round OLT
L.J. Shelton did a solid job protecting Plummer’s blind side. Shelton, who is very
athletic at 6-6, 340 pounds, has quick feet and could be the cornerstone of the line for
years to come. At the ORT position, the big fella, Anthony Clement, is even more mammoth
than Shelton. Clement weighs in at 6-8, 355, but he doesn’t have Shelton’s
athleticism. Clement’s long arms make it tough to get around him. Chris Dishman
struggled in ’99 but has shown vast improvement so far this year and is battling
veteran Matt Joyce for the OLG spot. At right guard, veteran Lester Holmes is back after
having both of his knees operated on during the offseason. Yusuf Scott and Noberto
Davidds-Garrido will provide depth at the OG positions. Arizona signed Gruttadauria from
the Super Bowl-champion Rams to anchor the line. Gruttadauria is an upgrade and will help
out on the field and in the locker room. He had his knee scoped during training camp but
should be ready by Week One or Week Two. With Gruttadauria sidelined, backup Mike Devlin
has taken the majority of the snaps in camp. Top of page |
| Defensive linemen |
Grade D |
| This was supposed to be the strength of the Cardinals, but
that’s when they thought the line would feature Simeon Rice, Andre Wadsworth, Eric
Swann and Mark Smith. When the season begins, Wadsworth still could be out with a knee
injury, and Rice could remain a holdout. Swann was released and now is with Carolina, and
Smith is trying to wipe off the rust from missing most of last season with a knee injury.
The only experienced starter is undersized DT Tony McCoy, a free-agent acquisition. He was
a backup for Indianapolis most of last season. The Cardinals hope to use Smith and McCoy
at the tackles and rotate several players elsewhere. In the mix are three rookies —
third-round pick Darwin Walker of Tennessee, fifth-rounder Mao Tosi of Idaho and
sixth-rounder Jabari Issa of Washington. The team likes all of them but isn’t sure
which position each should wind up playing. Until the rookies are ready, veterans Brad
Ottis and Jerry Drake and second-year pro Thomas Burke will get more time in the rotation. Top of page |
| Linebackers |
Grade C |
| A year ago, the Cardinals didn’t know how they would
replace Jamir Miller. Now they consider his replacement, Rob Fredrickson, the best of
their LB corps. Fredrickson, who had off-season knee surgery, is a cerebral player who
always seems to be in the right spot at the right time. Veteran MLB Ronald McKinnon, who
had 223 tackles last season, is undersized. But when the line does its job and allows
McKinnon to get away from blockers, he makes plays. The Cardinals thought they had found a
keeper at the other OLB spot. Zack Walz, a sixth-round pick from Dartmouth three years
ago, won the starting job in training camp last season. Walz was having a solid season
when he suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in mid-November. He still isn’t
fully recovered. Until he returns in late September or early October, the job is up for
grabs. Second-year pro Johnny Rutledge began training camp as the starter but hasn’t
secured the job and hurt his knee in the preseason. Rookies Sekou Sanyika, a
seventh-rounder, and Raynoch Thompson, a second-rounder, could see playing time here, as
well as ex-Raider James Folston. Top of page |
| Defensive backs |
Grade B |
| Injuries could hurt this unit. SS Tommy Bennett is still
recovering from a knee injury. Six-time Pro Bowl performer Aeneas Williams and Tom Knight
are the projected starters at corner, though Knight has a hand injury and was being pushed
by third-year pro Corey Chavous. Underrated Kwamie Lassiter will be at free safety. Until
Bennett returns in October, third-year pro Pat Tillman, a converted linebacker, will start
at strong safety. If Tillman fails, the Cardinals could move Chavous there. He was drafted
as a safety. Nickel back J.J. McCleskey was lost for the season with a broken ankle. Top of page |
| Special teams |
Grade B- |
| The Cardinals believe they upgraded the PK position when they
brought in Cary Blanchard to replace Chris Jacke. Blanchard is consistent on field goals
from 45 yards and in, but he doesn’t have a booming leg on kickoffs. Then again,
neither did Jacke. A couple of years ago, P Scott Player seemed to be a liability. But he
is coming off a solid season and seems to have found a home. PR Mac Cody was a late camp
pickup in ’99 from St. Louis and quickly won the job. He finished the season as the
NFC’s leading punt returner. Bates is an underrated kickoff returner who has
deceiving speed. Top of
page |
Back to 2000 predictions chart
Back to team previews main page |
|
 |
The Archives
2000 - 2001 Season |
| Online writers — features and
columns by our PFW staff, columnists, AFC reporters, NFC reporters and contributing
writers |
| College football — articles,
college notepad, key college game previews, PFW's college top 10 |
| Fantasy football — articles,
injury reports, weekly fantasy tips, weekly matchups, The Fantasy Doctor, mock drafts,
draft boards, "In our opinion" daily fantasy columns |
| Free-agency |
| General features — Internet
features, features from our print edition, Hall of Fame features, team reports, training
camp reports |
| Handicapper's Corner —
staff selections, games of the week, PFW Players of the Week, NFL standings, weekly
handicapping columns, predictions |
| "A closer look" —
in-depth analysis of general football topics |
| "In our opinion" daily columns
— opinions on general football topics |
| "PFW spins" —
short-takes on current events |
| Joel Buchsbaum
— college player evaluations, NFL player analysis, NFL draft coverage, NFL notepad,
NFList, college game previews and other NFL articles by PFW's contributing editor |
| NFL Draft — player evaluations,
printouts, feature stories, commentaries, draft recaps |
| Ron Pollack —
articles and commentary by PFW's editor-in-chief |
| Season in review —
the 2000-2001 NFL season |
| XFL — the inaugural year |
|
