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| | Friday, July 14 Cardinals: Plummer has to fix leaks | |||||||||||||||
| By Tom Oates Special to ESPN.com One year after making a surprise visit to the playoffs, the Arizona Cardinals regressed in every way. Quarterback Jake Plummer signed a fat contract and didn't earn a dime of it. The running game, which might have eased the pressure on Plummer, was pitiful. Linebacker Jamir Miller was allowed to walk and the fragile defensive line didn't develop as expected. After a 6-10 record, the franchise is at a crossroads. Will it regain the promise it showed in 1998 or is it destined to wander for 40 years in the desert? With six of the first nine games at home, most of them in the heat of the Arizona day, a fast start is a must.
If Plummer recaptures the magic he had in his first two seasons, he could be the Cardinals' Moses. Last year, he had the NFL's lowest rating among starting quarterbacks and led the league with 24 interceptions. A gutsy scrambler with a playground mentality, Plummer must become more efficient running the offense from the pocket. Either that or coach Vince Tobin, who's on the hot seat himself, won't hesitate to turn to Dave Brown. Key position battle The Cardinals want to move promising Corey Chavous from cornerback to safety, but they can't do it if Chavous keeps beating out perennially disappointing Tom Knight for the starting corner job opposite Aeneas Williams. Knight, the first-round draft pick in 1997, must shake his history of injury and inconsistency or his time in Arizona will be short. Biggest adjustment At the start of last season, the Cardinals had the makings of the best front four in football. They had explosive young ends Simeon Rice and Andre Wadsworth, a disruptive tackle in Mark Smith and a dominating inside presence in Eric Swann. Alas, the line fell apart before it had a chance to develop; the foursome never appeared in the same game in 1999. Swann, who has missed half of the games over the last two seasons with arthritic knees, has been released, Wadsworth has been held back by nagging injuries. Rice and Smith are locked in never-ending contract disputes. Free agent Tony McCoy will ease the loss of Swann, but there are no longer predictions of greatness for the unit. Rookie report Halfback Thomas Jones, the first-round pick from Virginia, is being counted on to resuscitate the running game. Second-round linebacker Raynoch Thompson is a playmaker who will also start from day one. Cornerback David Barrett, taken in the fourth round, could join the Knight-Chavous battle at cornerback.
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