Arizona Cardinals: 4 Things That Need To Be Fixed in Second Half of the Season

It's hard to believe, and a little sad to see, that we've already reached the halfway point of the NFL season. For some people, it couldn't come fast enough.

If you are an Arizona Cardinals fan, you are probably one of those people.

I don't want to be THAT guy, but this season is so close to being over that the fat lady is not only tuning up, she's already got the blog post ready for her upcoming performance. In fact, you can follow her on Twitter if need be (@fatladyis).

So much of the team needs fixing that we really could write a novel, but time is limited. Instead, let's look at four things that need to be fixed with the Cardinals in the second half of the season.

Kevin Kolb

I know. I know.

I sound like a broken record. I keep picking on Kevin Kolb as if he's the only problem with the team. He's not, but he's very much a big part of it.

Everybody says that you have to give Kolb more time to develop in this system. OK, fine, but why are Andy Dalton and Cam Newton succeeding in their systems so quickly? Aren't those two supposed to be struggling with a shortened offseason? Shouldn't they be committing horrific errors and leading their teams to horrible seasons?

Dalton has led his Cincinnati Bengals to a 4-2 record near the top of arguably one of the best divisions in the NFL. Newton has thrown for more yards, and he's kept his team in every game even though it is only 2-5.

Christian Ponder looked pretty solid against the Green Bay Packers, unanimously the best team in the NFL, last week in his first start.

Sorry folks, but Kolb has some explaining to do. He's actually been in the league five years. He's been under the tutelage of Andy Reid for four years in a system that consistently provided results. This year as a starter, he has seven touchdowns with seven interceptions and six fumbles. This isn't acceptable. Period.

This week, coach Ken Whisenhunt stated that he would not rule out a change at quarterback after Kolb's struggles and would feel comfortable with either John Skelton or Richard Bartel coming off the bench.

Kevin Kolb has to improve and fast if the Cardinals want to at least try to make a run during the second half of the season.

Patrick Peterson

It's been a tough year for rookie Patrick Peterson. He wasn't supposed to start so soon. Greg Toler was going to be the starter on one side and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie on the other. He would have been eased in the system.

Funny how things happen in this league. Toler is out for the year, and Rodgers-Cromartie is coming off the bench for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Now, the Cardinals had no choice but to start the rookie, and he's been the punching bag for the defense. He's oft the target of the opposing quarterback's fancy, and he's having issues making the transition so far.

We have no doubts about Peterson becoming a great player. In fact, he will improve before the year's out.

However, he has to improve probably much quicker than he and the Cardinals anticipated, as showcased in his terribly uneven matchup against Pittsburgh's Mike Wallace this past weekend. He had some of the worse penalties you may see on a drive that led to three points at the end of the first half.

Rookies will be rookies, and they will make mistakes, but in the second half of the season, Peterson is going to have to mature quickly. With the likes of Anquan Boldin, DeSean Jackson and Miles Austin coming to town soon, it could be a sharp and ugly learning curve.

Adrian Wilson

It's hard to imagine that guy in the picture with the big smile could be one of the most feared safeties in the league.

Sadly, that's mostly in name only these days. Strong safety Adrian Wilson has been more bark than bite, and he seems to rack up more penalties than praise these days. Last year was a forgetful year for Wilson, and although this year has been better, it's still not up to the standards of old Adrian.

His best days look to have passed him by, or so it seems.

Now, I can't question his heart at all. He tore his bicep in the offseason but is actually playing with it, and it doesn't seem to be affecting his performance.

Can he still hit? Absolutely.

Does he still make receivers think twice before stepping into his area? No doubt.

Can he make a midseason change that can help solidify that secondary? That remains to be seen, but the Cardinals really don't have a choice at this point.

Wilson can still wreck terror for an offensive line if he gets a clear shot, but for the second half of the season, he has to make sure that the unnecessary penalties don't accompany a great play.

Their Fortune

Nothing may need to change more than this.

The Redskins game could have been a tell-tale sign that fortune wasn't going to play nicely with the Cardinals this year. Losing that 21-10 lead in the fourth was so painful that I'm not sure Arizona ever completely recovered.

During the Giants game, fortune may have made its biggest statement: "I will not allow the Cardinals to catch any sort of break regardless of how bad the call is."

Look, right now the Cardinals could be 3-3 or 5-1 or 0-6.

They aren't. They are 1-5 and staring 1-6 in the face unless they can learn to win on the road. If you have watched any of their games, how many tipped passes fell through their hands that could have been potential game-changing plays? How many fumbles could have gone the other way? How many penalties could have been avoided?

These questions can't be answered with any certainty, but this much is certain: The Cardinals need some help from somebody. Whether it's better play on both sides of the ball or just a little bit of good fortune, it's the only way the season will be salvageable.