Arizona Cardinals have fouled up their quarterback situation
By Jim Koch
The Arizona Cardinals stable of signal-callers may be one of the National Football League’s worst heading into the 2018 campaign
Dark days lie ahead for the Arizona Cardinals. It’s almost impossible to win consistently in the NFL without a capable quarterback. The club’s current situation at the position will tell you that our squad is in for a long season.
The retirement of Carson Palmer has put the Cardinals in dire straits. Although their front office knew that this day was coming, they did practically nothing to prepare for it. General manager Steve Keim and his cohorts have been sent into a tizzy, and made a couple of mediocre attempts at rectifying their dilemna on Tuesday.
It appears that Sam Bradford will be Arizona’s opening-day starter in September. But only if the journeyman is healthy enough to do so when that day arrives. Bradford has a long history of injuries, and has made it through just two full seasons since entering the league in 2010.
The former first pick of the draft was handed a one-year deal worth $20 million. That’s a big chunk of change for a proposition as risky as Bradford. The critics are firing shots at Keim for adding to the bank account that the St. Louis Rams, Philadelphia Eagles and Minnesota Vikings have already contributed heavily to.
Bradford, despite having all physical traits required to be a successful professional passer, has never won a thing. In fact, the 30-year old has never even appeared in a playoff contest. The 6’4″, 228 pounder has good career numbers (as evidenced by his 85.1 quarterback rating), but statistics are for you know whats.
Keim didn’t call it a day after landing “Sammy sleeves”. The two-time “NFL Executive of the Year” somehow convinced himself that Mike Glennon was worth bringing to the desert. What may have been considered a good pickup a year ago, is now being viewed as a waste of salary-cap space.
It sort of feels like 2010 all over again. Eight years ago, it was Kurt Warner who had hung up his cleats, leaving the Cards in the same dreadful shape that they’re in right now. Back then it was Derek Anderson, John Skelton and Max Hall (ugh!) attempting to provide some offense for the organization.
The one way for Keim and his henchmen to save face is by somehow finagling a signal-caller out of this April’s draft. A trade-up from the 15th-overall spot in the first round may be the only way of accomplishing that all-important task. Achieving such a feat will require some creative wheeling and dealing by the Cardinals’ management team.
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That’s much easier said than done. This toxic conundrum at a football team’s most-important position could’ve (and should’ve) been avoided. Arizona has dug themselves a gigantic hole at quarterback that may take a whole lot of time to climb out of.