Arizona Cardinals' Adjustment No.1: Cultivate Intensity

People have asked me, what adjustments do the Cardinals need to make for the second half of the season to win the NFC West? There is only one. They need to cultivate intensity. That's it.

You've seen it. We've all seen it. When this team plays with ferocity, they can flat out dominate.

This team needs a challenge in order to rise up to meet it, it is as simple as that. When no one gives them a chance of winning, it is as if they feel their manhood is being called into question and they come out playing inspired ball. It is when they are expected to win that they fall flat.

In fact it is so easy to analyze that it's laughable.

Look how well the Cardinals played in New York two weeks ago and compare that with how poorly they played vs. the Panthers the very next game. The difference is intensity. When they have it, they win. When they don't, they lose—and sometimes get blown out. It is as simple as that.

Where does it go I wonder? I am not sure, and the Cardinals themselves seem confused by it.

One thing is clear; great teams do not have to go looking for it. Great teams don't have to go searching for want-to. That passion, that fire, that fierce competitiveness is always there.

If I am coach Ken Whisenhunt, I am searching for ways to create a sense of urgency on every play in every game. That mental sharpness and physical ferociousness coupled with determination. You know, a Ray Lewis state of mind.

With Arizona's proven track record of failing to sustain a high level of focus from game to game, at this point I would like to see them getting creative in their search for solutions.

Maybe they should recruit an old school rump-kicker like a Dick Butkus or Larry Csonka to give them a pep talk and teach them how the game is supposed to be played on every snap.

Heck even their very own legend Larry Wilson could talk some sense into these guys. No one played with more toughness or fury than Wilson.

Or, have every member of the team visualize their worst memory of someone having done them wrong in the past right before kickoff, and remind them that the other team is somehow responsible.

These are just ideas off of the top of my head, I am literally brainstorming. I recommend the Cardinals' coaching staff do the same, because the only way they are going to get where they want to go is if they can manage to cultivate a level of intensity that does not take games off.

Without it, this team is average. With it, this Arizona Cardinals team can be one of the best.