Arizona Cardinals 2010 Season Preview, Predictions Picks & Odds
With the NFL Football season just around the corner, we are providing season previews for all 32 teams to give you the betting edge. Follow the best NFL Football Handicappers as they analyze the the Arizona Cardinals in this 2010 season preview. Use our comprehensive and insider info to bet successfully on the NFL in our recommend sportsbooks.View the rest of our 2010 NFL Season Previews here.
Arizona Cardinals 2009 NFL Record: 10-6 Home: 4-4 Away: 6-2
Arizona Cardinals 2010 Preview
It’s not difficult to come up with a storyline for the Cardinals’ 2010 season: Is there life after Kurt Warner? Everything else is in place: A stable front office, one of the best coaches in the business (Ken Whisenhunt) and young talent on both sides of the ball. But it’s impossible to overstate how much Warner, who retired in the offseason, meant to the Cardinals the last couple of years. And it’s folly to think Matt Leinart can even approach Warner’s skill level. Fortunately, Leinart doesn’t have to be Warner for the Cardinals to continue to rule the NFC West. Just play capably, give the ball to second-year back Beanie Wells (who could find his way to the Pro Bowl) and hope the defense rebounds after allowing 90 points in two playoff games last season. But the Cardinals as Super Bowl contenders? It’s hard to imagine without Warner.
2010 Arizona Cardinals Quarterbacks
Arizona acquired Derek Anderson in the offseason, but there’s no real quarterback competition – it’s Leinart’s job. Now, what he does with it remains to be seen. Frankly, the Cardinals don’t know what they’ll get from their former first-round pick. At times, Leinart has looked like a star in the making. Other times, he looked like he doesn’t have the arm strength or accuracy to be an NFL starter. Leinart’s maturity is no longer a question. He has worked hard the last couple of years, and even his harshest critics in the organization will admit he has grown up. But does he have the physical skills? He has a tendency to throw balls high, leaving his receivers vulnerable, and he often floats his passes rather than throwing them on a line. Leinart says he learned a lot watching Warner. The Cardinals better hope so; their future depends on him. One last thing: When Warner was asked about Leinares readiness, he was noncommittal. That, above anything, should worry Cardinal fans.
2010 Arizona Cardinals Running Backs
Wells is on the verge of becoming a star. The 6′ 1″, 228-pounder had a terrific rookie season, rushing for 793 yards and seven touchdowns, and he got better as the year went on. Wells is a rare package: He’s big enough to run defenders over but quick enough to run by them or beat them with his quick feet. He also caught 12 passes in 2009, casting doubt on the notion that he has bad hands. Wells is still learning – pass-blocking and blitz recognition weren’t things he did much of at Ohio State – but as a pure rusher he could quickly become one of the NELS elite backs. Wells split time with Tin1 Hightower last season, and they’ll likely share the load again this year. But Whisenhunt knows what he has in Wells and doesn’t know what he has in Leinart, so don’t be surprised if Wells becomes the focal point ofArizona’s offense.
2010 Arizona Cardinals Receivers
Normally, losing an Anquan Boldin would decimate a receiving corps. But the Cardinals could afford to trade Boldin and his contract demands to Baltimore because they already have one of the NFLs best receivers in Larry Fitzgerald and a capable replacement in Steve Breaston. Is Breaston as tough as Boldin over the middle? No, but he’s quicker and a better deep threat. Plus, Arizona has a Boldin clone in third-year pro Early Doucet, who caught 14 passes in Arizona’s two playoff games last season. Of course, the question about all the Cardinals’ receivers, including Fitzgerald, is whether they’ll continue to put up big numbers with Leinart rather than Warner at quarterback. Fitzgerald’s numbers, in particular, could take a hit. He and Warner were best friends and almost soulmates on the field. Arizona’s tight ends are used more j for blocking rhan receiving.
2010 Arizona Cardinals Offensive Line
The Cardinals scored a major coup when they signed nine-time Pro Bowl guard Alan Faneca just three days after the draft. Faneca is a huge upgrade at the position and provides veteran leadership in the locker room. The Cardinals are solid at center with Lyle Sendlein, and with Faneca and former Browns guard Rex Hadnot on either side, Arizona will be much stronger up the middle, giving Wells more room to run. Tackle is still a potential problem area, though. The Cardinals will move Levi Brown to left tackle to replace Mike Gandy, but that means the left-handed Leinart’s blind side will be protected by either 2008 seventh-round pick Brandon Keith, 2009 fifth-round pick Herman Johnson – neither of whom has started an NFL game – or veteran journeyman Jeremy Bridges. Still, a unit that appeared to be relatively weak heading into the draft looks a lot better with Faneca.
| 2010 Arizona Cardinals Schedule | 2010 NFC West Preview | 2010 NFC Conference Preview Arizona Cardinals Sportsbooks |
2010 Arizona Cardinals Defense
The Cardinals struck gold in the draft when Tennessee’s Dan Williams fell to them at No. 26. Willianls fills their most glaring need defensively, a physical nosetackle who can take on two bloc.kers and stuff the inside running game. The Cardinals were undersized at the position, thus limiting the effectiveness of their 3-4 scheme; that’s not the case any longer. One of two veterans, Gabe Watson or Bryan Robinson, will start, but Williams will play most of the snaps. Ends Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell should benefit from Williams’ ability to gum up the middle. When Dockett plays with energy, he is one of the most disruptive forces in the game. He’s strong enough to bull-rush tackles, yet incredibly quick off the snap. The issue is that he doesn’t play his best every Sunday. In the Cardinals’ two playoff contests last year, he had a combined two taddes and one sack. Campbell is a blossoming talent who had seven sacks last year; he could work his way into the Pro Bowl before long.
Arizona has no chance to improve defensively unless it gets better play from its linebackers, and it’s hard to see that happening. The Cardinals lost their best linebacker, leading tackler Karios Dansby, and struck out in free agency trying to replace him. Arizona believes it found Dansby’s successor in second-round draft pick Daryl Washington from TCD, but it’s unlikely the speedy Washington can step right in and start. That leaves the job to veteran journeyman Paris Lenon, who lacks Dansby’s coverage skills and sideline-to-sideline range. Another concern is how the Cardinals will muster an effective pass rush. They signed 33-year-old Joey Porter, but he’s on the downside ofhis career. Second-year pro Cody Brown is supposed to be a passrush specialist, but he missed all of his rookie year with a wrist injury, halting his learning curve as he goes from college defensive end to NFL 3-4 outside linebacker. Clark Haggans again will start opposite Porter on the outside, and Gerald Hayes mans an inside spot.
The Cardinals traded starting cornerback Bryant McFadden during the draft so they could move up and select Fordham quarterback John Skelton. The Cardinals are high on his replacement, second-year pro Greg Toler, but they now have little depth at the position. The No. 3 cornerback is 5′ 8″ Michael Adams, who was burned in the postseason last year. Also, while top corner Donlinique Rodgers-Cromartie has the physical skills to be one of the league’s top shutdown corners, he’s a poor tadder and is sometimes undisciplined in coverage. It’s a good thing the Cardinals have one of the better safety tandems in the league. Veteran Kerry Rhodes, acquired from the Jets, will fill in nicely for Antrel Rolle, and he and Pro Bowl strong safety Adrian Wilson can both get after quarterbacks, which will give Davis some scheme games he can play up front. One concern: Neither Rhodes nor Wilson shines in coverage, which places more pressure on the corners.
Arizona Cardinals 2010 Season Prediction
If the Cardinals were in any division other than the sorry NFC West, the loss of Warner nlight cripple their chances of making the playoffs. There are still serious questions about this team, particularly whether Leinart is ready to step into the spotlight. But remember: Whisenhunt nurtured Ben Roethlisberger’s development as offensive coordinator in Pittsburgh; don’t be surprised if he does the same with Leinart and the Cardinals win a third straight NFC West crown.
We predict that the Arizona Cardinals will finish 3rd in the NFC West, with a record of 7-9.
Arizona Cardinals Betting
NFC West Odds: +250 NFC Conference Odds: 22-1 Super Bowl Odds: 40-1
Arizona Cardinals Five-Year Win Betting Trends
2005: 5 2006: 5 2007: 8 2008: 9 2009: 10
Bet on the Arizona Cardinals
Will the Arizona Cardinals will go all the way to the Super Bowl? Or, will their season be lackluster? Either way, you can still enjoy Arizona Cardinals betting at our feature sportsbooks. Arizona Cardinals Betting is serious business; where you can make a ton of loot placing informed, smart Arizona Cardinals bets. Check out these highly reliable, trustworthy, online sportsbooks.
If you are looking for the best Online Sportsbook to bet on the Arizona Cardinals this season, then BookMaker.com “Where the Line Originates” is the place for you. BookMaker has NFL Football Betting Lines and Odds, along with a tons of futures on the 2010 Season, so get your NFL bets in early while the lines are hot!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.