Why The Arizona Cardinals Will Finish Below .500

The NFL odds for the NFC West list the Arizona Cardinals as the favorite but you might want to think twice before betting them. 

Like most teams that have represented the NFC in the Super Bowl this decade, the Cardinals should come crashing back to Earth in 2009.

Not that anyone really believed in them last year, you won't find many more that are buying into them this year.

After all, we are talking about a team that won just nine games in total with six of them coming against their feeble division mates. The Cardinals didn't even win a road game outside of their division.

There a number of big issues facing the Cardinals, outside the fact that they are overrated after a nice playoff run.

For starters, when offensive coordinator Todd Haley left to head coach Kansas City, he took defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast along with a number of other coaching members. 

Starting quarterback Kurt Warner is also a question mark. He played in a full 16-game season last year but that was just he first full season for him since 2001. Also, last year was a contract year and we know players have a drop-off in production after they sign the big deal.

On top of all of that, the Cardinals have done little to improve their team in the offseason. They drafted Beanie Wells to improve their running game but nobody is sure if that will truly be the case. Their defense looks about the same, which isn't a good thing unless they catch lighting in a bottle again.

The Cards had a great year last year and you can't take it away from them. But looking ahead to the 2009 season, it's crazy to think they'll be back in the same position they were last year.