Injecting Josh Rosen into the mess that is the Arizona Cardinals offense could cause the rookie passer irreparable damage
The Arizona Cardinals offense has been brutal to watch over the last couple of weeks. Anemic quarterback play, non-productive pass-catchers and vanilla play-calling have all contributed to the sorry scoring attack. The Cards have scored just six points in eight quarters, a garbage-time touchdown towards the end of an opening-day loss to the Washington Redskins.
Cardinals message boards have been lit up over the last week and a half, offering varying opinions on how to right the ship. One suggestion that has been repeated over and over is an obvious one. Many fans of the club have seen enough of quarterback Sam Bradford, and are calling for rookie Josh Rosen to take the reigns.
Not surprisingly, Bradford has taken a lot of heat. But the free agent addition has been just a part of the problem. New offensive coordinator Mike McCoy‘s game plans have been unimaginative, and the team’s youth movement at the wide receiver position is not working out in the least.
For these reasons and more, it’s probably best that Rosen remains on the sidelines. Arizona does not want to kill the confidence of the 21-year old. Expecting a youngster to perform with the current configuration of the offense would certainly be asking a lot.
The thought of Rosen being under the tutelage of McCoy is scary in itself. The former head coach of the San Diego Chargers has had success mostly with veteran signal-callers such as Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers. McCoy did manage to guide Tim Tebow through a Denver Broncos playoff win, but that was probably more luck than anything.
For now, Rosen should do no more than hold the clipboard. If the offensive situation somehow improves over the next few weeks, than perhaps the Cards first-round draft pick should see some game-action. Playing Rosen at the current time, however, could be a mistake that the organization would regret for a very long time.