Raising Zona
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Arizona Cardinals may have to limit deep throws

By Jim Koch

LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Carson Palmer Arizona Cardinals throws a pass in the fourth quarter over defensive end William Hayes #95 of the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 1, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA - JANUARY 01: Quarterback Carson Palmer Arizona Cardinals throws a pass in the fourth quarter over defensive end William Hayes #95 of the Los Angeles Rams at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on January 1, 2017 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Stephen Dunn/Getty Images) /
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Arizona Cardinals’ fans may be seeing less of what has always been a major component of head coach Bruce Arians’ offense

The head coach of the Arizona Cardinals has always been a risk taker. A motto of Bruce Arians’, “no risk-it, no biscuit”, is a perfect description for the way he runs his offense. Unfortunately, he may need to dial it back a bit this upcoming season.

The Chicago Bears’ defense laid the lumber on quarterback Carson Palmer this past Saturday night during their exhibition contest. The seven-step drop that’s been such a staple of Arians’ game plans might not be used as regularly with the club’s current lineup. More three and five-step dropbacks may need to be implemented, and several factors are the reason for it.

The first reason for the proposed alteration is that Palmer just did not have the time to throw that he needs to execute Arians’ plays. The flip-flop of the offensive tackles, D.J.Humphries and Jared Veldheer, got off to a rocky start versus the Bears. It’s still only the preseason, but neither player looks comfortable at their new position yet.

Left guard Mike Iupati, never a great pass-protector even in his heyday, appears to have gotten even worse at it. If all of that isn’t enough for Palmer to worry about, right guard Evan Boehm has just one NFL start under his belt. General manager Steve Keim has invested first-round draft picks and a ton of free agent cash into the offensive line, but it’s still not producing.

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On the contrary, Arians heaped blame on Palmer after the Chicago matchup. “You can’t say anything other than Carson holding the ball too long and getting himself hit”, the coach theorized.

If Palmer was indeed holding on to the ball too long, it could mean one of two things. Number one, the 15th-year pro may not be seeing the field as well as he used to. Number two, it’s possible this wide receiver group just isn’t getting separation from defenders.

Cards’ fans who have tuned into the games for the “fly” patterns may have to be more accepting of a more efficient approach. The “chunk” plays may be few and far between, unless some problem areas can be fixed quickly. There’s still time for the coaching staff to make some adjustments.

Whether those adjustments are made or not may not even matter. Arians knows only one way to coach his football team. And the word “conservative ” has certainly never been in his vocabulary.

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