Scouting Report
4 - Arizona Cardinals
The foundation has been laid, but there's still
major work to be done before the
construction
project is complete. Call the Plummer?
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Swann has had his moments in seven seasons, but he needs to
fulfill
his promise for the Cardinals to do
likewise.
(V.J. Lovero)
| This is the
quarterback situation in the NFC East: One established
star, the Cowboys' Troy Aikman, is sitting on top of the
heap watching four young guns scrambling to replace him.
The Giants have Danny Kanell, in Philadelphia the man is
Bobby Hoying, Washington's
guy is Gus Frerotte, and, finally, in Arizona sits the
youngest and arguably the best of the quartet, Jake Plummer.
Certainly none of the young quarterbacks has had a greater
immediate effect on the fortunes of his team than Plummer.
When he showed during a solid rookie season in '97 that he
was indeed the man to lead the Cardinals attack, here's
what the front
office was able to
reap:
As a result of their 4-12 finish last season, the Cardinals
wound up with the second selection in the draft. To most
everyone Peyton Manning and Ryan Leaf were the most prized
prospects, but Arizona
wasn't in the market for a quarterback. The Chargers,
who had the
No. 3 pick, were, and by trading down one spot, the Cardinals
were still able
to draft Florida State
defensive end Andre Wadsworth, the guy they wanted all
along. The cost of moving up one spot
didn't come cheaply for San
Diego.
With the second-round pick that the Chargers also gave up
as part of the deal, Arizona took Vanderbilt's Corey
Chavous, who's in a battle for the starting strong safety
position. San Diego also threw in Eric Metcalf, who will
return punts and kicks and
line up as a third receiver; linebacker Patrick Sapp; and
its
No. 1 pick in '99, which could very well be a top five
selection.
So while utility lineman Joe Wolf, the longest-tenured
Cardinal, says Plummer is "the best I've seen in my 10
years here," vice president of player personnel Bob
Ferguson has plenty of other reasons to smile at the mere
mention of his quarterback's
name.
The magic that Jake the Snake has exhibited on the field,
coupled with projections of what Wadsworth will mean to the
defense, already has some people assigning Arizona a
playoff spot, but let's wait a minute. Wadsworth, a holdout
at press
time, will line up next to Eric Swann on the left side, but the
rookie
hasn't helped himself with all the camp time he has missed.
Nevertheless, Wadsworth is a big-time sack artist, and when
he gets his legs under him, the left side should be able to
bring
serious heat. The key is Swann, who has been flirting with
All-Pro status for the last four years. But he has been
nagged by injuries, and despite Pro Bowl appearances in '95
and '96,
hasn't been the dominant force he was expected to
be.
Maybe the trio of youngsters who will start up front will
give Swann a lift. Right end Simeon Rice, who in his first
two seasons had
17 1/2 sacks, is already a proven pass rusher. Right tackle Mark
Smith, a seventh-round draft choice from Auburn last year,
came out of nowhere to register six sacks, second on the
team behind Swann's
7 1/2.
So much for the pass rush. The problem is the run defense,
which was 27th in the league last year. The NFC East has
always been a rushing division, and if you can't stop the
run, you're in trouble. Behind the Arizona front four is an
adequate but hardly
spectacular supporting cast, keyed by one star, left
cornerback Aeneas Williams, a Pro Bowl selection in each of
the last four seasons. Keep an eye on outside linebacker
Tony McCombs, a '97 sixth-round draft choice out of Eastern
Kentucky who has been
impressive in
camp.
| Schedule |
| Sept. | 6 | at Dallas |
| 13 | at Seattle |
| 20 | PHILADELPHIA |
| 27 | at St. Louis |
| Oct. | 4 | OAKLAND |
| 11 | CHICAGO |
| 18 | at N.Y. Giants |
| 25 | OPEN DATE |
| Nov. | 1 | at Detroit |
| 8 | WASHINGTON |
| 15 | DALLAS |
| 22 | at Washington |
| 29 | at Kansas City |
| Dec. | 6 | N.Y. GIANTS |
| 13 | at Philadelphia |
| 20 | NEW ORLEANS |
| 27 | SAN DIEGO |
|
|
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Plummer aside, there are even more problems on offense.
Last season the Cardinals gave up 78 sacks, the second most
in league history. Plummer, who went down 52 times, was
partly at fault. Sometimes he scrambled into trouble,
sometimes out of it. But
the line was not without blame. After all, this is a team that
averaged an NFL-low 78 yards on the ground. Players have
been shuffled, but the only new face among the starters is
right guard Lester Holmes, who started 15 games for the
Raiders last
year.
Adrian Murrell, acquired in a trade with the Jets, will be
the featured runner, but he sagged during the latter part
of '97, and there's no indication that he'll get any better
blocking in Arizona than he did in New York. To underscore
that point, did
you see Leeland McElroy, Arizona's leading ballcarrier a year
ago, against the Steelers in the Hall of Fame game on
Aug. 1? The Cardinals released McElroy in June, the Bucs picked
him up, and all he did was rock Pittsburgh for 72 yards on
nine carries, including a 25-yard touchdown run. There has
to be a serious offensive-line fix before we award the
Cardinals a playoff
spot.
But ticket sales are up, the excitement level is high, and
what the heck, Jake the Snake will figure out something. If
only it were that
easy.
—Paul Zimmerman
By the Numbers | Inside Slant | Lineup
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