32 Teams in 32 Days: Arizona Cardinals

Lets get things started!!...The first team we are going to review in my 32 teams in 32 days is the Arizona Cardinals. Last year the Cardinals were a very solid 10-6 but finished third in the tough NFC West behind the Seahawks and the 49ers. This was a huge bounce back season after 2012 which saw them start 4-0 but win only one of their final 12 games. I think a big part of this turnaround had to do with new head coach Bruce Arians, who won the 2012 coach of the year after he posted a 9-3 record as an interim with the Colts due to Chuck Pagano taking a leave of absence after he was battling cancer. It will be tough again this year to keep up in that division but they are looking to get over the hump and fight into a playoff spot. Now let's see why they can repeat last years success as they have many of their key players returning this season that are looking to knockoff one of the 2 NFC powers in that division.

First let's take a look at some of the position battles, there are not any high profile battles but some smaller ones that are still significant and will be worth keeping an eye on:

Tight End: Rob Housler vs Jake Ballard vs John Carlson

• This is probably the most significant battle as you have last years starter Rob Housler battling it out against Jake Ballard and newcomer John Carlson. The Cardinals really did not incorporate the TE much into their offensive attack as Housler had 39 catches for 454 yards and one touchdown. That is not to significant for a TE in today's game as they are being more and more incorporated into a teams game plan. Then we have Jake Ballard who really has not been healthy in his brief career and probably will just be used more as a third tight end. Finally, there is newcomer John Carlson who comes over from the Vikings. He didn't do much last year but, had some pretty solid seasons earlier in his career when he was with Seattle that included a couple 50+ catch, 5+ TD seasons. He is Housler's main threat and probably will see some passes fly his way this year.

Pick: Housler

Right Guard: Paul Fanaika vs Anthony Steen vs Earl Watford

• The Cardinals finally have the left side of their line set unless second year man Jonathan Cooper hasn't fully recovered from a broken leg that caused him to miss his whole rookie campaign. But, the right side of their line is a toss up right now, none of these guys are going to do anything spectacular and perhaps will probably be below average. The job can change hands every day at camp so I have no true idea but ill go with...

Pick: Watford

Outside Linebacker: John Abraham vs Matt Shaughnessy vs Sam Acho vs Alex Okafor vs Marcus Benard

• There is a slew of players who will be battling for the 2 OLB positions. You have Abraham and Shaughnessy who are the returning starters but Abraham has been out of camp after it was revealed he had been arrested for a DUI in the off season. Then you have Acho and Okafor who were both out injured last year but, are very high talented young guys who will give the two staring vets a run for their money. As long as Abraham gets in shape and into camp he will have one the jobs after he paced the team with 11.5 sacks last season. 

Picks: Abraham and Shaughnessy

Now that we have looked over some of the position battles in camp lets look at some key players for the Cardinals this year:

• Patrick Peterson- This is an obvious one as Peterson is their best player and a top 3 CB in the league. Fresh off his new contract which made him the highest paid CB in the NFL I believe Peterson is ready to get back on the field and cement his position as one of the top CB's in the league. He is also planned not to be involved in the return game this year so he can focus solely at CB which will make him that much better.

• Carson Palmer- The free slinging QB is back for his second season at the helm of the Cardinals after a 2013 season that saw him complete 63% of his passes for 4274 yards, 24 TD and 22 Int. He will always throw for a lot of yards based on the sheer fact that they throw the ball a lot, so it might help to try to get more balance this year as it may help the passing game. He has to improve on the TD:INT ratio if they want to beat some of the defenses they will be up against. You just cant turn the ball over against the quality of teams they will be facing week in and week out.

• Michael Floyd- We all know what Larry Fitzgerald can do as he is year in and year out one of the best receivers in the league so we don't even have to talk about him. But, I believe Floyd will be a huge part of their offense this year after coming off of a very solid season where he caught 65 passes for 1041 yards and 5 TD. He is a strong receiver at 6-4 220 lbs and looks to out muscle smaller defenders. I wouldn't be surprised if he goes for over 1500 yards this year and 8-10 TD.

X-Factors: Tyrann Mathieu and Andre Ellington

• Tyrann Mathieu- An exceptional play maker/game changer and always seems to be where the ball is defines Mathieu the best. He saw his rookie season cut short last year as missed the final 3 games with a torn ACL, but before the injury he put up some really good stats that included 65 tackles, 2 INT, 1 sack, 1 FF, and 9 passes defended. If he is able to say healthy the whole year, he will be a great player in the secondary as he moves to free safety.

• Andre Ellington- A season after their leading rusher was Rashard Mendenhall who rushed for 687 yards, look for Ellington to be one of the leagues breakout players. The second year man out of Clemson has exceptional speed and good hands out of the backfield and really begs the question why he didnt see more playing time last year as he simply is just a spark in that offense. Even with limited playing time he was able to rush for 652 yards and 3 TD while picking up 5.5 YPC and catch 39 passes for 371 yards and another TD. This year expect more games like the one he had against the Falcons in wee 8 where he ran for 154 yards on only 15 carries. 

Season Outlook:

• The 2014 schedule is as follows... In my opinion they have a pretty tough schedule that obviously includes their division opponents and other teams like the Broncos, Lions, and Eagles. The last three games of the season will be huge as they can make a serious statement and a push into the playoffs if they can handle their division rivals... I see them splitting with each team in their division and overall going 9-7 and missing out on the playoffs. And remember check back tomorrow I will be diving into day 2 with a look at the Atlanta Falcons.