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Arizona Cardinals

Defensive losses do not bode well in the desert

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2001 schedule Head coach: Dave McGinnis (first full season, 1-8 career) Stadium: Sun Devil Stadium Cardinals all-time record: 428-598-39 2000 rankings: Offense, 24th ; Defense, 30th 2000 team statistics 2000 season results Cardinals alerts from CNNSI.com! City Page: Phoenix, Ariz.

Arizona opens its training camp at Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Ariz., on July 27.

By Jon A. Dolezar, CNNSI.com

The Cardinals are much like the desert flora that populates the region in which they play. While fully functional, the Cards are not especially aesthetically pleasing. Rookie tackle Leonard Davis joins the league's beefiest front five, though Arizona's size didn't translate into a successful ground game last season.

The Cardinals can make the playoffs if … the rest of the NFC East joins them in mediocrity. It would help if quarterback Jake Plummer magically finds a cure for his pickitis and the offense improves on what was the 27th ranked rushing unit last season.

Pivotal games: Sept. 30 vs. Atlanta; Dec. 23 vs. Dallas. Arizona has an early season stretch of four road games in seven weeks, so the Falcons' visit to Tempe represents one of the more winnable games for the Cards in the early going. The Cowboys are the Cardinals' only guaranteed home drawing card each season; Dallas' Week 16 trip to Arizona will be its last game as division rivals.

On the hot seat: Cornerback Corey Chavous no longer has Pro Bowler Aeneas Williams on the other side of the field to tie up the opponent's top wide receiver. Asked to step up and lock horns with the league's elite wideouts, Chavous' play will be a key to whether the Cards' D can improve from the league's second-worst defensive unit.

Up-and-coming: Second-year linebacker Raynoch Thompson likely will see a large spike in his tackle total from the 32 he made during his rookie season. The athletic linebacker will see more ballcarriers without Simeon Rice's presence on the defensive line.