The Cardinals’ rookie who should be getting more attention
The Arizona Cardinals had a very good draft this year. By taking RB Jeremiyah Love with the third overall pick, all the tools that incoming head coach Mike LaFleur needs for his new offensive scheme are in place. LaFleur is an offensive coach and had particular requirements going into free agency and April’s draft. RELATED: ESPN RANKS CARDINALS #6 IN OFFENSIVE WEAPONS If you haven’t noticed, the Cardinals are stacked with offensive personnel. ESPN only brought that to everyone’s attention. Now, how will the changes alter the course of this year’s schedule and ultimately the win-loss column? WRs Kendrick Bourne and Devin Duvernay were signed in free agency, while another receiver, Reggie Virgil, was drafted out of Texas Tech. These will be melded with Michael Wilson , Marv Harrison, and Simi Fehoko . Of course, Arizona employs one of the best tight ends in the league with Trey McBride . But LaFleur’s offense needed some vagaries. Alterations. Modifications. Changes. Editor’s note: We had to look up “vagaries.” We just look smart. It all began with the offensive line. It had several issues. Right tackle was a particular problem. So were both offensive guard spots. Later, when LT Paris Johnson became injured, Kelvin Beachum was inserted. Ick. It’s no big secret why he is still unemployed. Both left and right guards were “no good.” Will Hernandez was supposed to start at right guard after returning to the roster, but he began the season on the PUP list as he got back to playing shape. Which seemed to be okay, because Isaiah Adams was the darling of the preseason and training camp and appeared to sew up the starting position. The plan was for Adams to be the starter at right guard and Evan Brown to be at the left guard spot until Hernandez was healthy, and then get him on the practice field and see where he was at physically. Adams started in Week 1. But it soon became clear that Adams played really well against other teams’ second and third string guys, but struggled when the big boys suited up. He was bull rushed easily and had an issue remaining engaged with his defender. It was just a few short seasons ago that Brown was an asset to the O-Line. But this past season, early on, he looked overwhelmed, and his on-field performance declined quite a bit. Brown was ranked the 61st-best guard out of 81 eligible players. He had family issues that needed his complete focus, but his play was just sub-par. When Hernandez returned and was ready to play, he supplanted Adams in Week 5, and it was deemed better late than never with the hope that the offensive line could recover. However, his comeback was cut short. He was placed on IR with hip and knee injuries on November 29. Adams was thrown back into the starting right guard position with an opportunity to show what he had learned since the beginning of the year and finish the season in the same role. With both guards playing poorly, Johnson and Williams were out at the tackle spots listed on IR. The offensive line was a combination of second-stringers and practice squad guys. At season’s end, this group was ranked #26. That’s out of 32 for anyone scoring at home. After losing 14 games, it was evident that the head coach and the majority of his coaching staff were headed for the unemployment line. LaFleur and his new OC, Nathaniel Hackett, took a looksy at the offensive line situation and highlighted several changes to be made. Center? Good. Left tackle? Check. Ummm…. Yeah, it was that bad. The offense will only go as far as the offensive line will take them. That is a known fact. It’s more than just being big. It’s greater than being a stud in college football. The NFL is a completely different level, and offensive linemen take a while to grow into their positions. Defensive tackles are bigger and, over time, develop girth. Defensive ends are quicker with a great first step. In college, some of these guys saw maybe three defenders that they struggled with. In the NFL, t [... truncated ...]