Cardinals Salary Cap

There will always be tough decisions when it comes to a football team, and the Arizona Cardinals are facing a lot right now. It truly was a great ‘08 season for them, as they have reached the Superbowl for the first time and almost won it as well. Now that it’s all over, they are facing a lot of problems, and it would be difficult to return based on their circumstances right now.

For one, they have lost both their defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator. Pendergast may have not been much of a loss, but Todd Haley was an important component of the team’s success. Anquan Boldin is sure that he wants to leave the team, and Kurt Warner is on the fence whether he’d retire or not.

It’s not all bad news for the Cardinals as they still have a lot of cap space. Since it’s defense they need, they’d have enough to sign Julius Peppers since he is clear that he does not want to return to the Panthers. They could also sign defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth of the Titans, and keep Warner as well.

It will be exciting to see how the team will develop this season.

You’re Fired!

It has been known the Arizona Cardinals are not really a defensive team. It was such an amazing run for them last season, and everyone saw a slight improvement in their defense. The thing is that this improvement simply isn’t enough, and it just didn’t work when it mattered the most. Finally, they were able to reach the Superbowl for the first time in franchise history, but fell short of winning it because of a crucial defensive lapse.

It was during the last few minutes that the defense allowed the Steelers to score a touchdown, which eventually led to their loss. This could be the reason why the Cardinals are letting go of defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast.  Coach Whisenhunt says that Pendergast did a good job, but he is only thinking of the general good of the team, and that he want to give Pendergast an opportunity for the growth of his career.That sounds kinda showbiz but he may have meant it.

The Cardinals now both have the defensive and offensive coordinator positions available, and it is still unknown as to who Whisenhunt has his eyes on for the d-coordinator spot.

The Importance of Talent

It really is a difficult job to be the head coach of an NFL team. You would have to make difficult decisions and you carry a heavy responsibility on your shoulders. The fans might blame some of the players for a bad seasons, but the owners and GM might blame someone else, and that someone else is usually the coach. So how exactly does coaching go in the NFL?

Well, the most important thing would be the players’ talent. If the players can’t do a particular type of thing, then it’s no use training them to make plays that utilize talents that they actually lack. The coach should focus on his player’s strengths instead of trying to imporove their weaknesses. This holds true and they have to customize their strategy depending on the talent and not vice versa. What manifests this case if the mere fact that players are paid a lot more than coaches.

So if a coach want to achieve success in the NFL, then he would have to look at the talent he has, instead of the talent he thinks he can make.

Familiar Faces

It was not too long ago that Arizona Cardinals’ head coach Ken Whisenhunt was the assistant coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had been looking forward to a head coach job, but to his dismay, went to Mike Tomlin instead. It probably was the best decision on both sides since they are now both in Superbowl 43, and have a shot at winning the title. Does Whisenhunt have an edge over quarterback Roethlisberger?

This is a difficult question to answer. Whisenhunt might be a bit familiar with how Big Ben plays, but the Steelers QB has improved a lot more, and has new weapons in his arsenal. This is a different game for them, and Roethlisberger has been playing under Mike Tomlin for the past two seasons which means that his quarterback playing style would be a bit different.

Whisenhunt probabably doesn’t put much stress on his familiarity with the quarterback either as he is aware of the changes Big Ben may have undergone. He will come at the Steelers’ QB the same way that every team does; limit him in his passing, and puch much pressure on him. It would be exciting indeed to see some sort of chess game between the two, trying to figure out what tricks the other would pull.