Where Does Your Team Stand in the NFC West?

: Dan Krieder, Bryant Mcfadden, Keith Lewis, Anthony Becht, Jason Wright,

Draft Picks: (1) Chris Wells, (2) Cody Brown, (3) Rashad Johnson, (4) Gregory Toler, (5) Herman Johnson, (6) Will Davis, (7) LaRod Stephens Howling, (7) Trevor Canfield

Team Philosophy

Last year, the Cardinals were contenders with their dynamic passing attack. With the departure of offensive coordinator Todd Haley, Wisenhunt has expressed a desire for the offense to be based upon a dominating running game and for the pass to be set by the play action. The offense this year will be determined on how effective Chris Wells will be as a runner and if the offensive line can be more effective in run blocking.

On defense, the Cardinals continue to make the transition from the 3-4. Last year with Clancy Pendergast, the defense never really adapted to one formation and continually changed the defensive formation to match the situation they were in.

With Billy Davis, the Cardinals will make a concerted effort to rely on the 3-4 as their base formation regardless of what down the offense is on.

Draft Analysis

Beanie Wells was considered the second best running back prospect in the draft, so it was really surprising when the Cardinals managed to steal him with the 31st pick. Wells is a bruising running back who will run over tacklers and establish a physicalty to this team.

Cody Brown is a raw pass rushing outside linebacker prospect. While his athleticism is unquestioned, Brown needs to refine his technique when rushing the passer than relying on his physical advantages. Brown should also develop more pass rushing moves since he showed little diversity when going after the quarterback.

If developed properly, he can become an elite pass rusher for this team.

Rashad Johnson was expected to be a second rounder,so the Cardinals got another steal when he fell to them in the third round. Johnson, who is a projected free safety, had a nice collegiate career. While Johnson showcases veteran instincts and nice technique, he lacks the ideal size for a free safety.

Johnson also has some character concerns that needs to be addressed before he takes the field. While Johnson will not become an elite free safety due to some physical limitations, he can become a reliable starter who can make the occasional play.

Gregory Toler played in Division 2 which means he never played against elite competition. Unlike Rashad Johnson, Toler has a lot of upside with his athleticism;however, he has no technique or fundamentals when playing. He looks to be a two year project that the team will develop.

Herman Johnson can be a nice steal for the Cardinals. With his extraordinary size and power, Johnson can become a nice guard for this new running game.

However, Johnson lacks the necessary tools to be quick enough to handle a pass rusher. Johnson probably looks to be a backup who can be serviceable in the run game when a starter gets injured.

Will Davis was considered a great prospect last year, but the junior opted to stay in college. His senior year was extremely disappointing and struggled in the senior bowl. He has limited pass rushing moves and lacked power in his senior year.He will probably have a tough time beating out competition in training camp.

Trevor Canfield has a limited upside and has character concerns Canfield has a good size and provides a veteran knowledge of the angles and ways to block defensive linemen. However, Canfield does not have the power to be a bull rusher and often gets pushed back too quickly. He projects to be a backup at best.

Schedule Analysis

The Cardinal have a very easy start to the season. In the first five games, four of the teams were below .500 and they play the Colts at home. However, they face a rough stretch in the weeks after with consecutive games against the Giants, Panthers, and Chicago.

After this stretch, the Cardinals have two important division games that should be wins against the Seahawks and the Rams, and then two tough games against the Titans the Vikings. Their performance in those four games could set up an important Monday night game against the 49ers in the later weeks of the season.

The team ends the season with two home games that should be winnable. If the cardinals can secure three of those four games before the 49ers, they should win the division.

Overview

The Cardinals return with the best quarterback to wide receiver combination in Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald. Boldin is unlikely to be traded by now and the Cardinals have all the pieces needed to repeat last year's passing attack.

However with the departure of Todd Haley, the playcalling will not be as effective as it was last year and the Cardinals are planning to focus on the running attack which will take away from this offense's greatest strength: the passing game.

On defense, the Cardinals should slightly improve since the defense now has a base defense and will firmly commit to it. Pendergast was not a very effective defensive coordinator during the regular season and was the main reason why the Cardinals lost the Superbowl.

Billy Davis won't become a great defensive mind, but he should be able to improve the defense and be slightly less aggressive than Pendergast. 

The addition of Byrant Mcfadden should help the defensive backfield a lot and let the cardinals be more aggressive in rushing the passer. In addition, Chike Okeafor is now fully healed and should be effective as a pass rusher. The loss of Antonio Smith will hurt

Overall, I see the offense suffering a small setback, but the defense to improve quite a bit. The team should be favored to win the division again and projects to have a 11-13 wins season.

You're currently logged into Facebook

Do you want to share your Bleacher Report activity on Facebook?