Arizona Cardinals: Three Who Will Miss Expectations
October 4, 2012; St. Louis, MO, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back Ryan Williams (34) carries the ball for a four yard gain during the first half against the St. Louis Rams at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports
Who are three Cardinals who will not live up to expectations? I have high expectations for this team in 2013. Three who will not live up to them are Rashad Johnson, Ryan Williams and Daryl Washington.
The expectation is that Johnson will fill the void safety left by Adrian Wilson and Kerry Rhodes. I cannot put my finger on it or point to any statistic, but nothing from Johnson’s play flashes to make me believe that. He is not that big, does not tackle that well in the open field and does not possess elite pass coverage skills or speed. Inking Johnson to a three-year deal was not expected by me. I would have rather seen another one year deal, if possible. I hope I am wrong on this one.
Williams will get his final chance this year to make it in the NFL. Not by his own doing, but he has just not been able to stay healthy finishing his first two years in the league on IR. With a pretty young and experienced Mendenhall who can handle the load and two rookie running backs this coaching staff thinks very highly of, Williams will be fighting an uphill battle on the field as opposed to off the field this year. I hope Williams can finally stay healthy and get back to what he showed us in flashes two years ago.
Washington will miss the first four games at a minimum. Missing practice time and being away from the team for an extended period of time while a new defense is installed will hinder Washington’s progression this year. He will not live up to expectations that we have become accustomed to. It will be interesting to see how much playing time Washington gets in preseason too. Should he get his time in the new defense or should other guys who can contribute right away get the time?
If only these three Cardinals miss the expectations we have for them, we could be in very good shape.