The Cardinals Quarterback Mess Is Killing Them This Season

After watching the struggles the Cardinals have had this year, I am certain that most of it has come from the complete ineptitude that the Quarterback Situation was handled with after the retirement of Kurt Warner (Who is looking like a surefire bet to make the Hall of Fame after every game where neither Quarterback can get anything going in Arizona).

I also believe that mediocre play by the Quarterbacks would be enough to at least keep the Cardinals in the NFC Playoff hunt. I'm talking Trent Dilfer style QB play, not the turnover prone mess we have right now. Right now, it is either time to just transition  the offense to one where you run the ball 60 percent of the time, or it is time to start using a taser on the Quarterbacks whenever they turn the ball over and hope that it teaches them not to throw the ball to the guys in the other jerseys.

You just have to wonder; what if Kurt Warner was still here? What if Matt Leinart wasn't released after his spat with Coach Whisenhunt? Looking at the current situation, you have Derek Anderson who is a guy who is capable of making you cheer, then scream in rage within a minute. Then there is Max Hall, who is a local kid that has the potential to be good, but he is undersized, he doesn't have a rocket laser arm, and he has been prone to making some rookie brain fart mistakes. Behind them, you have another rookie named John Skelton who came out of the football powerhouse known as Fordham, and he probably won't even be ready to take a snap in the NFL for a season or two because he is a project, yet people are so disgusted by what is going on now that they want to force him in there because "he can't be that much worse". But trust me, he could be a hell of a lot worse.

Looking at the two guys who are gone now. Kurt Warner is the best Quarterback that has ever played for the Cardinals since they came to Arizona, and he retired while he was still capable of playing at a high level. Now, looking at the mess with Brett Favre in Minnesota you don't know if Kurt would have played well if he stayed here for the last year of his contract, but you can help get around that by going to more of a running game and trying to make sure that Kurt doesn't have to win the game for you by slinging the ball around the field like he enjoyed doing so much. Just try to keep him around 30 throws a game, try to run the ball, and having someone as accurate as Kurt Warner will help open everything up. I actually think that the Cardinals would be 5-2 right now if Warner was still the QB (losses to Atlanta and San Diego). And with Leinart, yes he is gone now and he isn't coming back, but he is also the exact opposite of DA. Leinart is too cautious at times, but that also means that he won't throw as many horrible Interceptions as Anderson has thrown this year. With how things are right now, a game manager who will limit the mistakes could be an improvement. Like I said, Trent Dilfer esqe QB play would be an improvement over what is going on now. And looking at the playmakers on this team, especially with having three good receivers (Larry Fitzgerald is still a top 3 receiver even when the Quarterbacks are having a hard time getting the ball to him, Steve Breaston and Early Doucet are also capable receivers) it is inexplicable why any Quarterback with decent accuracy cannot succeed.

So, what is going to happen now? Will DA go back to being the starter after playing well until the final 3 or 4 minutes of the game last week and actually making a few nice deep passes, will Hall get another chance to see if he can develop and limit all of the mistakes? Will the offense change into something that gives our three headed monster of Beanie Wells (the power back), Tim Hightower (the more balanced guy who can block, catch, and run) and LaRod Stephens-Howling (the shifty little speed guy) carry the ball 35-40 times a game?

Something has to be done, and if there is any chance for the Cardinals to win the NFC West, they need a vast improvement at the Quarterback position.