Arizona Cardinals: A Franchise Quarterback

Sep 8, 2013; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams defensive end Robert Quinn (94) knocks the ball away from Arizona Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer (3) during the second half at Edward Jones Dome. The Rams recovered the ball and went on to defeat the Cardinals 27-24. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

After the disappointing loss on the road in St Louis last Sunday, there are many glaring negatives we can point out for the Arizona Cardinals. After a loss it is always extremely easy for the Cardinals faithful to point out the obvious weaknesses. Or should I say, it is always very easy to look at the loss from a glass half empty point of view.

For instance, it does not take a rocket scientist for us to see that the left tackle (Levi Brown) continues to be a major issue (weakness) on the blind side; as Levi continues to struggle with the speed rusher.

On the Defensive side of the ball, the Cardinals could not get any pressure on the quarterback. The tackling was completely awful Sunday. Furthermore, there seemed to be some missed assignments in the defensive backfield. As there was wide open receivers on way to many plays, especially the tight-end. The Cardinals simply could not cover tight-end Jared Cook.

As stated previously, it is always so easy to knit pick on the negatives of last week’s game, especially with a loss. However, these mistakes are easily correctable. The Cardinals could have easily won that game. If they would have won, we all would have had a completely different perspective of the game.

If the Cardinals would have held on to the 11 point lead they had early on in the fourth quarter, our tone would have been very different. The talk would have been positive. We would be talking about their potential and the positives instead of the very correctable issues.

So this is exactly where I would like to take this topic. I would like to look at last Sunday’s loss from a positive point of view or from a glass half full point of view.

The great news (I believe) is it really does look early on the Cardinals very well may have found a quarterback; as Carson Palmer looks like the real deal. To me he does not look like he has lost anything at the ripe old age of 33.

What impressed me was how quickly Palmer was on the same page with his three top receivers Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd and Andre Roberts. It really did look like they have been playing together for several years.

For the first game of the year it was truly exciting and impressive to see the potential greatness that we may all get to look forward to seeing. Palmer is quickly bringing out what we all thought we had in Floyd and Roberts. Floyd is suddenly looking like the first round pick we all were hoping the Cardinals had. Andre Roberts suddenly looks like he could be one of the best slot receivers in the NFL. Could we be seeing the new triplets?

I must admit, I was truly impressed how good Palmer looked so quickly in the first game of his Cardinal career. As far as I am concerned he was not supposed to look that good so quickly. It is just not that easy to join a new club and not seem to miss a beat.

For instance, as I look back at Kurt Warner’s career with the Cardinals. I remember how awful he looked early on. It actually took Warner time, a new coach and a new offensive coordinator to get in sync with his receivers and the offense.

I remember hearing Warner talk about how he had to re-learn how to throw to his receivers. I remember (in an interview) telling us how Josh McCown would tell Warner that Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin are a different type of receiver.  Josh would tell Kurt that you need to trust Larry and Anquan to come down with the ball. He would say to Kurt, “Just throw it to them even if they do not look open, especially if they have single coverage. “

It simply took Warner time for him to adjust to this style of receiver(s). In St. Louis with the “Greatest Show on Turf”, Warner was use to the quick and speedy receiver to create space. He was use to the wide open receiver.  not the big receiver with great (strong) hands that use their size and leverage to body up or shield their defender from the ball to make the play (catch). This is very similar to a great rebounder in the NBA.

So to see Palmer quickly adjust to the new offense and his new receivers is really impressive. To me, this is just the tip of the iceberg.

After the last few years of futility at the quarterback position for the Arizona Cardinals, it really is nice to see some quality quarterbacking. It is exciting to know that the Cardinals seem to have found a quarterback for the next few years. Now they need to find a way to keep him healthy. There needs to be some improved play by the offensive left tackle. If not, there needs to be a change.

Finally, the great news to me is, the Cardinals just may have found their FRANCHISE QUARTERBACK behind center. Now let’s see if our beloved Redbirds can clear up some very correctable mistakes and turn these losses to some W’s.