Benson turns 29 in December, averaged 3.3 yards per carry last season, gets arrested yearly, and is coming off of back-to-back 300 yard seasons. However, what choice did they really have? There really weren’t that many backs capable of carrying the load on the market so bringing Benson back on a one year deal, worth up to 5 million in incentives wasn’t the worst thing in the world.

Grade: B

 

 

Cornerback/Safety

Vanderbilt

5-11 192

Draft board overall prospect rank: #35

Draft board cornerback rank: #4

Overall rating: 80 (borderline 1st/2nd round)

40 time: 4.53

Games watched: South Carolina/Vanderbilt, Alabama/Vanderbilt, Florida/Vanderbilt, Kentucky/Vanderbilt

Positives

·         Ball hawk (13 interceptions and 21 pass deflections in last 2 seasons)

·         Good awareness and trusts eyes

·         Smart player with high football IQ

·         Makes quick breaks on the ball

·         Scrappy, gritty, tough player

·         High motor

·         Fearless against the run

·         Aggressive player

·         Great tackler who had 2 solo TFLs against Trent Richardson (7.5 TFL total)

·         3 year starter

·         Very good in zone coverage

·         Physical in coverage

·         Uses his hands well

·         Shut down Alshon Jeffery in their matchup

·         Solid 40 (4.53)

Negatives

·         Not overly athletic

·         Not as fast as his 40 time (4.53) might suggest

·         Can be a bit overly aggressive

·         Prone to pass interference penalties

·         Stiff hips

·         Can be burned by speed receivers

·         Not as comfortable in man coverage

·         A system specific player?

·         Doesn’t have the size to make up for his lack of speed

·         A bit of a cornerback/safety tweener?

NFL Comparison: Devin McCourty

As a prospect, I compare Hayward to McCourty. McCourty went in the first round in 2010. Hayward won’t go nearly that high, but they’re similar prospects. Both are average to below average sized cornerbacks (Hayward is 5-11 192, McCourty was 5-11 193), who play a lot bigger. McCourty is a scrappy, physical cornerback who had 7.5 TFLs in his senior season. Hayward had that same amount, including 2 on Trent Richardson, which really impressed me.

Both are strong, fundamental, and high motor players against the run, in spite of their size and in coverage, they’re physical and instinctive with great ball skills, but definitely better in a zone scheme than in man to man coverage. Their lack of athleticism shows in one on one coverage. McCourty had an impressive 40 time with a 4.34 at The Combine, but he doesn’t play quite as fast. He can be a little flat footed and stiff and struggle against more athletic wide receivers. Hayward is the same way.

McCourty burst onto the scheme with 7 interceptions as a rookie and made the Pro Bowl, but he struggled some in his 2^nd season in the league. There’s room for a bounce back season, but the Patriots could be moving him to safety for his 3^rd season. Free safety might be Hayward’s best position going forward. His lack of athleticism and stiff hips won’t be a big problem there, but his ball skills and physicality against the run will be huge assets. He will have more positional value as a cornerback so whichever teams drafts him should use him there, but he’d definitely be better off in a zone heavy scheme than any other scheme.

I have a borderline first round grade on Hayward, who I think is one of the most underrated players in college football. I think his weaknesses are ones that can be masked in the right scheme or with a position change. Worst case scenario, I think he can be a solid nickel back at the next level, but I like his ability to be a starting cornerback or free safety in the NFL.

I love his attitude and I have since the Alabama game. In that game, he allowed just one completion on a perfect throw in a game where Alabama threw the ball well overall and he looked like a safety against the run. He impressed me more than Dre Kirkpatrick in that one. Against South Carolina, he had 2 interceptions and held Alshon Jeffery to 2 catches, though he did commit 1 pass interference penalty and another borderline one.

Against Arkansas, he displayed his ball skills, breaking up 6 passes against a good pass attack in Tyler Wilson and Arkansas. Against Florida he shut down Andre DeBose, a one trick speed receiver, who burned both Dre Kirkpatrick and Morris Claiborne for long touchdowns this season. He was good against Kentucky too, but relatively untested. 

 

 

Debate the Carolina Panthers offseason needs in The Football Fan Forum

2010 Preview:

I’m projecting a bounce back year for the Panthers this year. Matt Moore had 5 starts last year and they went 4-1. The schedule wasn’t the hardest for them in those 5 games, Tampa Bay (win), New England (loss), Minnesota (win), New York Giants (win), New Orleans Saints without Drew Brees (win), but it’s still something that gives them hope going into this year.

Moore is not guaranteed to win the starting job, but I’m a fan of Jimmy Clausen (who reportedly already knows their playbook as well as Moore, because he ran a similar one at Notre Dame) and if Clausen wins the job, it’ll be because he is the better quarterback. Rookie quarterbacks struggle, unless they have three things, a good supporting cast (running game, offensive line, receivers, D), experience in a Pro Style offense, taking snaps from under center, and 30 or more collegiate starts. In the last 2 years, Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan, who had all three of those things, succeeded as rookies, while Mark Sanchez, Josh Freeman, and Matt Stafford, who lacked one or more of those things, struggled as rookies. Clausen has all three of those things so he would be fine as a rookie.

I compare Clausen’s supporting cast to Matt Ryan’s in his first year in Atlanta. Good running game, one talented receiver, strong defense, good offensive line. Carolina has the better running game and Atlanta had the better defense, but they’re similar supporting casts. If Clausen were given the ropes to this team, he should do fine.

Likewise, if Moore were the starter, he’d do fine as well. They added some more depth to their receiving corps across from Steve Smith, so his receivers are better this year than last. As long as they have that two headed attack at running back, Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams, Moore, or Clausen, won’t have to do a ton at quarterback, except not throw picks.

Their defense could be a bit of an issue, especially in terms of pass rushers. Julius Peppers and his 10.5 sacks in 2009 are gone. As a team they only had 31 last year, even with Peppers. 2^nd year player Everette Brown should step up this year, but I doubt he’ll be to their line what Peppers was so I’m expecting a low sacks total from them this year. Also, Brown isn’t even half the player Peppers was against the run. That hurts as well. They have good corners so this should still be a solid defensive unit, but if you want to pick out a flaw on this team, point to it and say, that’s why this is not an elite team, it’s their defensive line first, and their inexperience at quarterback second.

All in all, they have the talent to make the playoffs and win 10+ games. Look for either Moore or Clausen to do what this team did late last year and that’s keep the turnovers down, run out the clock, keep the defense fresh, and, most importantly, win football games.

Projection: 10-6 2nd in NFC South

Power Ranking: 10

Last season: 8-8

Draft:

#48 QB Jimmy Clausen (Notre Dame)

Clausen was my 2^nd rated player and top rated quarterback so obviously I love this pick at 48. He is an immediate upgrade over Matt Moore and he could not have had a better situation given their strong supporting cast. If Matt Ryan he take the Falcons to the playoffs as a rookie with that supporting cast, Clausen can certainly do the same time this year with the Panthers.

Grade: A

#78 WR Brandon LaFell (LSU)

Jake Delhomme struggled last year because he had to keep forcing things to Steve Smith. With a solid big receiver like LaFell, Clausen won’t have to do that and LaFell was a 2^nd round prospect.

Grade: A

#89 WR Armanti Edwards (Applachain State)

Edwards will probably move to receiver for this team, but he can play some wildcat quarterback. However, he was not a 3^rd round pick and doesn’t add a lot to the team, especially when you consider they gave up a 2011 2^nd rounder for him.

Grade: F

#124 OLB Eric Norwood (South Carolina)

Norwood was a major steal in the 4^th and fills two needs. He gives them a solid nickel rusher, but he can also play strong side linebacker on running downs and be used like Brian Orakpo was this year as a rookie.

Grade: A

#175 DE Greg Hardy (Mississippi)

They needed to get two pass rushers out of this draft with Julius Peppers leaving as a free agent. Hardy should not have slipped this far as has some upside as a starter.

Grade: A

#198 WR David Gettis (Baylor)

Gettis fits the range, but, including Edwards, he’s the 3^rd receiver they’ve drafted in this one draft. Their receiver weren’t that bad, but then again, it’s not a bad idea to get a bunch of pass catchers for Clausen.

Grade: B-

#202 CB Jordan Pugh (Texas A&M)

The Panthers didn’t need an upgrade at corner that badly, but Pugh is a good value and it’s doesn’t hurt to have depth when they have to face Matt Ryan and Drew Brees a total of 4 times a year.

Grade: A-

#204 QB Tony Pike (Cincinnati)

Pike fits the value, but they already drafted a quarterback in this draft class as well as a wildcat quarterback, and they still have Matt Moore on the roster, so I don’t see the need. They needed to bring in a defensive tackle or some offensive line help.

Grade: D

#223 CB RJ Stanford (Utah)

Another corner? Not a bad value, but did they really need him at all.

Grade: C-

#249 CB Robert McClain (Connecticut)

A 3^rd corner? Huh?

Grade: D

Overall:

I really think they made themselves a ton better through this draft. They got an upgrade at quarterback and upgrades at receiver and good value for their first 2 picks. They also got two steals with Eric Norwood and Greg Hardy, who help them rush the passer, a huge need for this team, considering that, if you take away Julius Peppers’ 10.5 sacks, they only had 20.5 last year. However, they once again traded a future pick, a 2^nd round pick, for a wildcat quarterback they didn’t need and they seemed to have trouble changing up positions. 3 wide receiver is alright, because they needed some help, but 3 cornerbacks? That wasn’t a need. They could still have some trouble against the run without upgrades or at least more depth inside. However, you cannot ignore how much better they got through this draft, even without a 1st rounder.

Grade: A

Positions of needs:

Wide Receiver:

Part of the reason why Jake Delhomme struggled last year was that he was forcing things to Steve Smith too often. Smith is a good receiver and an amazing deep threat, but they really need a solid possession guy to compliment him and gave new quarterback Matt Moore the best opportunity to succeed. I think they’ll take one in the first two rounds of the draft.

Drafted Brandon LaFell (#78), Drafted David Gettis (#198)

Defensive Tackle:

The Panthers struggled against the run last year in a huge way until the last 3 or 4 weeks of the season. They also did not get any pass rush from the interior of their defensive line. They need one, if not two, upgrades at the defensive tackle position because things are only going to get worse with Julius Peppers no longer taking up double teams at the defensive end position.

Signed Ed Johnson 

Defensive End:

Julius Peppers isn’t coming back. Even when he was there, they didn’t have anyone on the opposite side of the line with more than 5 sacks. Even if Everette Brown, a 2009 2^nd round pick who is a bit undersized, pans out next year, they would still need an upgrade at left end. They might actually need to add 2 more ends to the mix.

Drafted Greg Hardy (#175) 

Tight End:

Matt Moore needs more than one upgrade in his receiving corps. I can’t think of the last time the Panthers had a good pass catching tight end. The tight end class has a few good players who could start right away in the first 3 rounds so they could look for Dennis Pitta or Rob Gronkowski in the 3^rd round.

Outside Linebacker:

Na’il Diggs is decent, but could be upgraded if a player they like at the outside linebacker position falls to them. More likely, this will not happen because they lack a high number of picks to fix their other needs.

Drafted Eric Norwood (#124), Traded for Jamar Williams

Quarterback:

Matt Moore appears to be the longterm guy going forward, but he really is only proven over a few games. I don’t think they really want to have to go back to Jake Delhomme, so they could use a late round pick on a 3^rd guy or sign a veteran backup in free agency.

Drafted Jimmy Clausen (#48), Drafted Tony Pike (#204), Drafted Armanti Edwards (#89) 

 

Free agents:

QB Jake Delhomme- signed with Browns 2 years

QB Matt Moore (exclusive rights)- 1 year 3 million

QB AJ Feeley- signed with Rams 2 years

QB Josh McCown

FB Brad Hoover 

WR Mushin Muhammed

WR Kenneth Moore (exclusive rights)- resigned 1 year .47 million

TE Jeff King (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.7 million

OT Rob Petitti (restricted)- resigned

G Keydrick Vincent- signed with Buccaneers

DE Julius Peppers- signed with Bears 6 years 91.5 million

DT Damione Lewis- signed with Patriots 

DT Hollis Thomas (restricted)

DT Louis Leonard (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.2 million

DT Tyler Brayton (restricted)- resigned 3 years

DT Tank Tyler (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.1 million

DT Nick Hayden (restricted)- tendered

DT Ma’ake Kemoeatu- signed with Redskins 2 years 7 million

OLB Thomas Davis (restricted)- resigned 1 year 3.2 million

OLB James Anderson (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.1 million

OLB Na’il Diggs- signed with Rams

CB Richard Marshall (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.7 million

S CJ Wilson (restricted)- resigned 1 year 1.1 million

S Quinton Teal (restricted)- not tendered, signed with Seahawks

Offseason moves:

Panthers re-sign CB Richard Marshall

Panthers re-sign OLB Thomas Davis

Panthers announce retirement of WR Muhsin Muhammad

Panthers trade S Chris Harris to Bears for OLB Jamar Williams

Panthers re-sign S C.J. Wilson 

Panthers re-sign OLB James Anderson

Panthers re-sign DT Louis Leonard

Panthers claim CB Brian Witherspoon

Panthers re-sign TE Jeff King

Panthers re-sign DT Tank Tyler

Panthers sign S Aaron Francisco

Panthers re-sign WR Kenneth Moore

Panthers cut DT Damione Lewis

Panthers re-sign DE Tyler Brayton

Panthers sign CB Marcus Hudson

Panthers re-sign OT Rob Petitti

Panthers re-sign QB Matt Moore

Panthers cut FB Brad Hoover

Panthers sign WR Wallace Wright

Panthers cut OLB Na’il Diggs

Panthers cut DT Ma’ake Kemoeatu

Panthers cut QB Jake Delhomme

Panthers tender WR Kenneth Moore

Panthers tender DT Nick Hayden

Panthers tender OLB James Anderson

Panthers tender DT Tank Tyler

Panthers tender DT Louis Leonard

Panthers tender TE Jeff King

Panthers tender OLB Thomas Davis

Panthers tender CB Richard Marshall

Panthers tender S C.J. Wilson

Panthers sign DT Ed Johnson 

 

 

1. QB Cam Newton B-

I would have taken AJ Green. I’ve made it clear that I don’t like this quarterback class very much. If Andrew Luck was here, he’d obviously be the no brainer. But I wasn’t sold on any of these quarterbacks and thought Clausen deserved another shot with a better supporting cast. I’m not knocking them too much because they are going for the homerun, which is what you’re supposed to do with the first pick.

65. DT Terrell McClain B-

Defensive tackle and wide receiver were their biggest needs, but I think McClain was a reach at this point. I had a 4^th round grade on him.

97. DT Sione Fua A

I like this value a lot more than McClain at 65 and they needed two defensive tackles. That’s how thin they were at the position. Fua’s abilities also compliment McClain’s well. Nice pick.

98. CB Brandon Hogan C-

Not my favorite pick. I had Hogan rated with a late round grade because he’s injured and cornerback was not a major need. They needed a wide receiver and Edmond Gates would have fit this spot like a glove.

132. WR Kealoha Pilares D

They finally got their receiver, but Pilares is a reach here. His stats may look nice, but they were bloated by a pass heavy offense. I didn’t have Pilares getting drafted.

166. OLB Lawrence Wilson B-

Wilson is a good value here, but he doesn’t fill a need at all. Linebacker is a position where they have the most depth. That’s how they were able to survive all their injuries at the position last year. However, Wilson is a good value and he can definitely play special teams so I don’t hate this pick in the early 6^th round.

203. G Zachary Williams B

They gave up 50 sacks last year, about one per every 9.5 pass attempts, so Williams fills a need and you can definitely find guard talent late, but I think Williams was a minor reach. However, this is the late rounds so minor reaches aren’t huge deals.

244. G Lee Ziemba A

I like this pick a lot more than their other guard selection. They needed more than one offensive lineman and I thought Ziemba could have gone in the 5^th. He can also play right tackle if Jeff Otah gets hurt again.

Overall: 

This wasn’t the best draft. I’m not a huge fan of their first pick and I think there’s a very good chance they end up regretting that one. Jimmy Clausen was not fairly ruled out as a franchise quarterback. Plenty of quarterbacks suck as a rookie and go on to have fine careers and Clausen didn’t have a lot of help last year. Give him AJ Green and worst case scenario, he still sucks and in that case, you know he’s not the answer and probably have a high pick in a much better quarterback class and your rookie quarterback has an elite weapon to throw to. I also thought they could have gotten Cam Newton a better weapon. They should have addressed that position earlier and Pilares doesn’t make sense in the 5^th. A tight end also would have been nice because I don’t think Jeremy Shockey has much left in the tank. There was some picks I did like, but overall I think this was a mediocre draft and I didn’t like how they handled the first pick.

Grade: C+

 

 

The 49ers let Carlos Rogers hit the open market because they didn’t want to meet his demands of a 4-5 year deal, presumably in the neighborhood of 6-7 million per year. The market dried up for him today with St. Louis agreeing to terms with Cortland Finnegan and Dallas close to an agreement with Brandon Carr. Those were his two most likely destinations. So it makes sense that he’d return to San Francisco at a discount.

The only problem, the 49ers signed him for more than the original amount he reportedly asked for. Now it’s possible those reports were wrong, but the 49ers still overpaid giving him a 4 year, 29.3 million dollar contract (upwards of 7 million per year). Rogers is a soon to be 31 year old former first round bust who finally had one good season last year in San Francisco in a contract year surrounded by immense talent.

Who’s to say the career disappointment doesn’t go back to being a disappointment now that he has his money? Who’s to say his abilities don’t take a turn south as he gets into his 30s? Who’s to say that Rogers’ strong season last year wasn’t just a product of the talent around him? One hand it’s nice to keep all 11 starters from one of the league’s best defenses, but on the other hand, I think they overpaid.

Grade: C

 

 

Defensive End 

Florida

6-6 279

40 time: 4.61

Draft board overall prospect rank: #39

Draft board defensive end rank: #5

Overall rating: 80*

1/21/10: A freakish athlete at 6-7 290 with 4.7 timed speed, we’ll see if he lives up to that at the combine, but he doesn’t seem to try on the field on every play. He makes a lot of big plays, but not nearly enough of the little things. Its like he only wants to fill his stat sheet and not win. He was also suspended late in the season after a DUI. He came back for the Sugar Bowl and had a nice game with 2 sacks, to give him 9 on the season, but 5 of those game in 2 games. He has huge upside, but major character red flags. If he’s this lazy now, imagine how lazy he’ll get if he signs a major NFL contract. Slipping to the 2^nd round could be good for him as he’d have to work to get a major NFL contract, but unfortunately, his upside is so huge that I doubt he actually does slip to the 2^nd round. He could even go as high as 8 to the Raiders.

Suspension Update (12/1/09): Dunlap has been arrested and suspended indefinitely for DUI. I literally sat at the computer screen banging my hand against my head when I heard. Dunlap has all the talent in the world, but is extremely lazy, only 7 sacks this season, and has really been worse than that low sacks total says because he doesn’t hustle on most plays and really only just shows up for the big play that will show on his stat sheet. And now this. This is just one of those kids that doesn’t get it. I highly doubt he goes in the first round now which is disappointing because he has #1 pick talent. Maybe the Raiders will bail him out.

NFL Update (11/2/09):  Not playing up to his potential this year, but has 4 sacks in his last 2 games, showing flashes of brilliance. If you can motivate this kid, you’ve got a perennial 10+ sacks guy with good size against the run.

            6/18/09: Defensive ends are normally the most athletic players on the football field. Carlos Dunlap is one of the most athletic defensive end we’ve seen come out of college in a long while. He’s tall, 6-7, long, 88 inch wingspan, big 290 pounds and pretty much all muscle, and, while he does not have blinding speed, he still is still fast. He should run a 40 in the high 4.6s, maybe low 4.7s, but when you consider the rest of his athleticism, that won’t matter much. He has a tremendous motor and loves the game of football. He doesn’t take plays off which is rare for a defensive end coming out of college. He truly believes that every time the other team snaps the ball, he can bring down the opposing quarterback, or at least create major pressure on him. He can be caught out of position on running plays, because he loves to rush the quarterback so much, so his 290 pounds is not fully maximized as a run blocker. However, has a pass rusher his size definitely helps. There aren’t too many ends that are the size of size tackles and still have the quickness and speed to blow by them and go around them too. His pass rushing form needs some work, but that can be said of any defensive end coming out of college. He won’t be a huge impact during his first year in the league, but by his 3^rd year, I would be surprised if he was not a double digit sacks guy. He might not go as high as he should in the draft because he can’t play the 3-4. He doesn’t defend the pass well enough to play 3-4 OLB, but his ability to get to the quarterback, as well as his athleticism, would not be maximized as a 3-4 defensive end, as that position specializes in stopping the run. However, if I were a 4-3 team who didn’t have a huge pressing issue to fill, like the Lions and their lack of a left tackle or the Rams and their lack of a quarterback, I wouldn’t hesitate to take Dunlap. His measurables, potential, and all around football skill should mirror that of Mario Williams, the 2006 #1 pick of the Texans. He actually has one athletic advantage over the supremely athletic Williams, his longer arms. He is able to use his 7’6” wingspan to get around offensive lineman, as Julius Peppers does. His arms can also help in run stopping, as they can be used to easily bear hug a ball carrier, so he can’t break the tackle. He needs some work with the fundamentals, but he’s going to the NFL, and I highly doubt that there are any NFL defensive coordinators and defensive line coaches that don’t know how to teach the fundamentals. He has shown he’s a good learner throughout his football career. Unless he gets hurt or has an awful year, he’s going to be a top 10 pick.

NFL Comparison: Jamaal Anderson

*=For a breakdown of what this means, click here 

 

When the Buccaneers cut Jeff Faine and moved the recently resigned Jeremy Zuttah to center, it opened up a hole at left guard for them and with so much cap space, they became an obvious destination for Carl Nicks, the top free agent guard and arguably the top guard in the league. Nicks got 5 years, 47.5 million with 31 million guaranteed.

If you compare that to other megadeals that guards have gotten, Logan Mankins, 6 years, 51 million, with 30 million guaranteed, Jahri Evans, 7 years, 56.7 million, and Tampa Bay’s Davin Joseph, 7 years, 53 million, with 19 million guaranteed, Nicks didn’t get as long of deals as them, but he has the highest per season salary and biggest amount of guaranteed money.

However, Nicks deserves to be the league’s highest paid guard. He’s the only guard who has ranked in the top 4 among guards by ProFootballFocus in each of the last 3 seasons, including 1^st and 2^nd in the last 2 seasons. Did they overpay a little, maybe, after all, he is just a guard, but at the same time, it doesn’t seem like Evans was going to Tampa Bay just to chase the money. I don’t even think New Orleans made him an offer, which is why he didn’t resign in New Orleans. New Orleans’ cap situation is such that they couldn’t have given Nicks a reasonable offer without extending Drew Brees and removing the franchise tag from him. Those negotiations aren’t close so Nicks was free to sign anywhere. He didn’t leave New Orleans just for money.

Grade: A

 

 

By Kevin Bonneville 

With training camp set to start, the Cardinals only have one rookie yet to sign as linebacker Daryl Washington signed a four-year contract on Friday.  The terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed.

Washington was drafted in the second round, 47th overall pick, by Arizona back in April.  In his senior season at TCU, he was a first-team All-American and earned All-Mountain West Conference honors after having 109 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, three sacks and two interceptions.

The rookie will be backing up Gerald Hayes, who has battled a back injury throughout most of the off-season.  He could also battle Paris Lenon for a starting job at right inside linebacker.

Dan Williams is now the only pick unsigned and the organization will continue to hash out a deal with him.  Don’t expect it to be long before he signs on the dotted line because they want to get him in camp on time so he can learn all he can at the nose tackle spot.

http://desertflock.com/

The Cardinals felt going into the season that the combination of former first round pick Matt Leinart, 2007 Pro Bowler Derek Anderson, and two promising rookies John Skelton and Max Hall would be enough to fill the void of retired future Hall of Famer Kurt Warner at quarterback and that this team would still be able to finish atop the NFC West. Well, they were wrong.

Matt Leinart struggled in the preseason and threw a hissy fit when benched for Derek Anderson. The development of rookies Max Hall and John Skelton in the preseason allowed Arizona to cut Matt Leinart. Leinart was such a hot commodity on the open market that he signed with Houston to be the 3^rd string quarterback behind Matt Schaub and the guy who ran out the back of his own end zone for the 0-16 Lions in 2008.

Anderson started the year at quarterback, but struggled and was benched for Max Hall. Hall led the team to one impressive victory over the Saints, but struggled in the rest of his games and was benched for Derek Anderson. Anderson was fairly mediocre for a few games, before an awful two game stretch from weeks 12-13 where he went 23 for 55 for 189 yards and 2 picks, blew up in a post-game tirade when asked why he was laughing on the sideline in a blowout, and lost consecutive home games to division rivals 27-6 and 19-6. This season just proved that Anderson is a one year wonder and nothing more.

Anderson was then benched for Skelton. Skelton had 3 decent games against crappy defenses and led the team to 2 wins before struggling in the finale and being benched for Richard Bartel (fresh off the practice squad) to deliver a fitting end to the Cardinals’ 2010 season, a 38-7 loss in San Francisco. The Cardinals ended the season 5-11.

Unfortunately, the solution might not be as easy as finding a simply new quarterback. The defense gave up close to a touchdown more in 2010 than they did in 2009 (6.8 more points per game). They ranked 29^th in fewest total yards allowed, 25^th against the pass in terms of YPA, and 20^th against the run in terms of YPC. Their 33 sacks were down 10 sacks from 2009.

Fortunately for the Cardinals, they seem to have the right man at head coach. Ken Whisenhunt, fresh off of back-to-back division titles and a Super Bowl appearance, did a great job of coaching this team. How they won 5 games with the lack of talent they had at the quarterback position and on defense is beyond me. Hopefully this team doesn’t do something stupid and blame the man at the helm because they have a keeper in Whisenhunt as coach.