Arizona Cardinals head coach perservering despite injuries
By Jim Koch
Head coach Bruce Arians deserves kudos for the respectable job he has done with his injury-riddled group of Arizona Cardinals
Bruce Arians of the Arizona Cardinals can still coach. Even at 65 years of age, the team’s head coach can still design plays with the best of them. Lately, however, it’s the execution of those plays that has been the Cardinals’ problem.
Arizona’s 20-15 loss on Sunday to the Washington Redskins was a showcase of their offensive ineptitude. Time after time, the unit bogged down in the red zone. The Cards have now gone 10 straight quarters without scoring a touchdown, the last one having been registered by wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
Injuries have certainly been a factor. It has become blatantly clear that the club needs quarterback Carson Palmer in the lineup in order to put any sort of fear into defensive coordinators. The torn wrist ligaments suffered by star running back David Johnson in week one was devastating, but losing Palmer to a broken arm six weeks after that was the real killer.
When he was first inserted as the starting signal-caller a few weeks back, Blaine Gabbert showed some promise. But his recent play is an indicator of why both the Jacksonville Jaguars and San Francisco 49ers gave up on the former first-round draft pick. Going forward, Gabbert should be considered nothing more than a backup in the National Football League.
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The quarterback position isn’t solely to blame for the Cardinals’ touchdown drought. The offensive line that Gabbert played behind versus the Redskins was as makeshift as they come. The absence of injured pieces such as Jared Veldheer, Mike Iupati and D.J Humphries has most definitely contributed to the offense’s woes.
It’s not as if there haven’t been opportunities for Arizona to reach the end zone. All Arians can do is call plays that he thinks will work. Missed throws, drops by the pass-catchers and poor blocking is out of his control.
The head coach is doing his best with the hand he’s been dealt this season. The “next man up ” concept that the Cards have had success with in the past, is failing them now. But give Arians the pieces he needs and perhaps he’ll put the puzzle back together.