Arizona Cardinals: 2011 Report Card

Now that the 2011 NFL season has concluded, it is time to take a look back at how the year went for the Arizona Cardinals.

Although the team fell short of its ultimate goal, the players improved both individually and as a team over the course of the year.

The report cards are in, and over the next few slides, you will be able to see how the Cardinals graded out in 2011.

Quarterbacks: D

Judging by the numbers, Arizona’s quarterback play could have easily received an F grade this past year, as Kevin Kolb did not live up to the hype, and John Skelton certainly was not much better.

Both Kolb and Skelton combined for 3,868 yards passing while throwing for 20 touchdowns and 22 interceptions between the two of them.

Their D grade was due largely in part to the play of John Skelton in the fourth quarter.

Running Backs: C+

Beanie Wells, for the most part, was a beast this year. With that being said, the loss of Ryan Williams in the preseason hurt Arizona’s running game a ton, as Chester Taylor was an awful backup, and Alfonso Smith was not much better.

While playing on a bum knee, Wells rushed for 1,047 yards, had 10 touchdowns and a yards per carry average of 4.3. He did this while playing in just 14 games.

With Ryan Williams back next year and a full offseason for Beanie Wells to get healthy, you can bet on the Cardinals running backs' grade being a lot higher this time in 2013.

Wide Receivers/Tight Ends: C-

There are two words that explain why Arizona's receiving corps did not fail. Any guesses?

Well, if you said Larry Fitzgerald, you are correct.

Fitzgerald proved once again in 2011 that he is the best wide receiver in the game. How he still managed to put up the numbers that he did in double and triple coverage with poor quarterback play is beyond me.

Now that we had our “Larry Fitzgerald” moment, let’s take a look at the rest of the team. Todd Heap was a disappointment, as he missed time due to injury. Chansi Stuckey cost the Cardinals a game early on against the Redskins, and Early Doucet cost them the Bengals game.

Robert Meachem or Mario Manningham, anyone?

Offensive Line: F

Despite playing a lot better in the second half of the year, the Cardinals offensive line made a lot of people (myself included) miserable.

Then again, did we expect anything less? Arizona has had a bad offensive line for a while, but it was masked by the quick release of Kurt Warner.

That said, the team was able to snatch Daryn Colledge from the Green Bay Packers last offseason and is a piece or two away from having a credible offensive line for the first time in a couple million years.

Overall Offense: D

If we compare the 2011 team to the Super Bowl squad and even the playoff team from 2009, we won't find much in common.

In 2008 and 2009, Arizona had a high-powered offense and one of the worst defenses in the league. This season, it had a pretty good defense and a laughable offense.

The Cards finished 24th in the league in rushing and 17th in the league in passing, which is just good enough to give them a passing grade.

Defensive Line: B-

Led by Pro Bowl alternate Darnell Dockett and Pro Bowl snub Calais Campbell, the Cardinals defensive line was solid, as they were tied for seventh in the league in sacks.

Dockett recently stated on his Twitter account that he would like to retire a Cardinal, however Campbell could become a free agent this offseason. 

Re-signing Campbell should be Arizona’s top priority in 2012, as it should and likely will look to him to become one of the leaders of what will be a great defense for years to come.

Linebackers: A-

From Paris Lenon to Daryl Washington to Sam Acho, the Arizona Cardinals linebacker core has to be one of the best in the league.

Not only did it finish seventh in sacks, but it also finished eighth in tackles and had some pretty attractive individual numbers.

Washington led all inside linebackers with five sacks and also had 107 tackles. Lenon had 93 tackles and three sacks, and the rookie Sam Acho recorded seven sacks and forced four fumbles.

Secondary: C+

Arizona’s secondary was less than spectacular in the first half of the 2011 season, however both Patrick Peterson and A.J. Jefferson played better each week.

With the play of safety Adrian Wilson, this secondary could have received a B or an A grade had it not been torched early on in the year by the likes of Cam Newton and Eli Manning.

With Greg Toler and Kerry Rhodes returning from injury next year...watch out.

Overall Defense: B-

The team MVP for 2011 in my opinion is defensive coordinator Ray Horton.

Horton took an Arizona defense that had previously been at the bottom of the league for several years and turned it into a force to be reckoned with.

The team, statistically, is not where the fans would like it to be, however that is due in large part to the first few weeks of the season, when it was getting used to a new system and still learning the playbook.

Special Teams: B

Rookie cornerback Patrick Peterson was unbelievable returning punts for Arizona this year, as he tied Devin Hester’s record for most punt returns for touchdowns in a single season.

Amazingly, all four touchdowns went for over 80 yards, and two of them were game-winning scores.

The reason special teams is not given an A is mainly due to Jay Feely's lack of success. After a great year in 2010, Feely missed five out of his 24 field goals, which made for a field-goal percentage that was 10 percent lower than in 2010.