The Cardinals special teams has to be better in 2017
Special teams was a big story for many teams this season. With the longer extra points, there were many fans wringing their hands over the kicking game. In Arizona, special teams was a big hangup, and changes will have to be made before the new season begins.
Chandler Catanzaro made 91 1/2% of his extra points in 2016, which was 21st in the league. He also made just 75% of his field goal attempts, 31st in the NFL. Worse than the misses themselves, was the timing of them. He missed a 24 yard field goal that would have beaten Seattle in week seven. A couple of missed kicks against Miami cost them another win.
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Punting was also a problem for the Cardinals. Drew Butler and Ryan Quigley struggled for most of the season, and the position is unsettled going into 2017. Low snaps, especially early on, didn’t help, and the long snapper position is another that will be examined this off-season.
There are plenty of reasons to be excited for the 2017 season for Cardinals fans. It’s not unreasonable to expect a return trip to the playoffs. However, it won’t be a simple task, and there are obstacles to overcome. If the team’s management can solve these issues, that Super Bowl run that was expected this year might come after all.