Cornerback a huge part of Arizona Cardinals’ collapse
By Jim Koch
The Arizona Cardinals’ stubborn refusal to upgrade at the cornerback position will most likely haunt them all season
One has to wonder what the Arizona Cardinals were seeing. With a chance to significantly upgrade at the number-two cornerback spot this offseason, they insisted that they really didn’t need to. That decision may cost them dearly for the rest of 2017.
Justin Bethel has proven time and time again that he’s not a good cornerback. He’s a very good special teams performer, that cannot be argued. Blanketing the NFL’s wide receivers, however, is not his forte.
Don’t be fooled by the exciting pick-six he executed during the Cards’ ugly 35-23 loss to the Detroit Lions on Sunday. An interception and score that was actually made possible by linebacker Josh Bynes, who knocked Golden Tate off of his route on the play.
Instead, fast-forward to the fourth quarter, when Bethel was beaten for two touchdowns. Two miscues that played a huge part in the defensive collapse of the Cardinals. Mistakes by the 27-year old that Arizona fans have become accustomed to witnessing.
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It would’ve been one thing for Bethel to get toasted by the now-retired Calvin Johnson. Or even current starting Lions’ wideouts, Tate or Marvin Jones Jr. for that matter. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case.
No, Bethel was burned by a rookie playing in his first professional contest. A third-round draft pick named Kenny Golladay made the Cardinals’ starter look silly. If Bethel can’t stick with an inexperienced first-year pass-catcher, who can he cover?
Head coach Bruce Arians told everyone until he was blue in the face these past few months that Bethel was the best man for the job. He kept insisting that an injured foot, not a lack of a skill-set, was the main culprit for the veteran’s past failures. If Arians really believed that, then the Cards’ problems run alot deeper than just the sorry effort that they showed on the field Sunday against the Lions.