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It wasn't the best win in the world, but we'll take it. After defeating the St. Louis Rams 23-20 last Sunday, the Arizona Cardinals have left their fans with many questions in mind, questions about the team, questions about the players, and questions about future games.
The ROTB Wrting Staff attempts to answer three of those questions. Hit the jump to read their answers, and don't forget to answer the question yourself in the comments below.
Jess Root: The Rams stated on Monday that they were not stuffing the box, so he had openings. He was running aggressively and ran through players. The offensive line did a good job of allowing him to get an initial push through the line. If you look how he got the record, it was the two big runs. Take the two carries for 124 yards and you have 24 carries for 104 -- solid. Those two big runs were the difference.
JoeCB1991: It that was what he could do what he could do with a gimpy knee, it will be incredible to see what he could do when he is healthy. I don't know how he did it but unlike in past years where it looked like he would get a big run then he was tripped up he was able to stay on his feet for the two huge runs. The Cardinals also made an effort to get him the ball a lot, and as we have seen during his rookie year and this season, he can make good things happen when he gets a lot of carries. The Rams having one of the worst run defenses in the NFL could be part of it too.
Khodder: He exploded because for the first time in the past month the offensive line, specifically the interior offensive line played a very good game opening holes for him to run through. The return of Anthony Sherman also cannot be understated, he has been huge as a lead blocker for this team and one more linebacker blocked effectively allows the runner to get to the second level easier. Those things also coincided with the team coming up against the worst rush defense in the NFL this season in terms of both yards allowed per game and yards allowed per carry.
Jesse Reynolds: A combination of the worst run defense in the league, inspired line play, the Sherman Tank, and Beanie running like a man. No more sad runs where he gets tackled by a DB and loses his balance.
Jess Root: I think he will go for about 250 and a couple of TDs, maybe a pick. What will be interesting to see is how he reacts to the Cowboys pass rush.
JoeB1991: One thing I learned after this trade is that we should stop getting our expectations so high for immediate results from new players, so I'm not expecting him to light it up. Statistically, I would not be surprised to see numbers similar to what Skelton had in his first game this season. I do think that having time to sit and watch how Skelton ran the offense along with having more time to just study the playbook and get all of that info crammed into his head will wind up helping him as well.
Khodder: Kolb coming off a major injury is not the big issue here, it is whether he has fixed his fundamental flaws at all, his total inability to deal with pressure and complete lack of pocket presence. If Kolb has, over the past month in the sidelines, developed some pocket presence we might be able to expect more from him. But alas pocket presence is not something that is developed it is innate in a Quarterback, you have it or you don't and Kolb does not. Over his last five starts (Teams with some Kolb in Arizona tape), Kolb has thrown 4 TD's to 7 INT's while also fumbling 5 times and losing two of them.
He completed 50% of his passes for 0 TD's and 2 INT's against the leagues second worst pass defense.
What do I expect from Kolb, I expect a lot of running from minimal pressure, I expect a lot of thrown away balls, I expect more turnovers than touchdowns, I expect at least one strip sack leading to Dallas Points. I expect a poor game from Kolb in a loss.
Jesse Reynolds: Hard to tell. He has missed 4 weeks which could make the game look faster and many mistakes could come from it. Or the down time has helped him learn the offense better which could lead to some efficiency from the QB position. I'm not expecting much.
3) Patrick Peterson returned his 4th Punt Return for a touchdown, tying an NFL record. Do you think he has done enough this year to be considered a ROTY candidate, or has it all been Special Teams play?
Tyler Nickel: If I am not mistaken, special teams play does factor into the voting for defensive rookie of the year voting. So yes, I would say that his phenomenal special teams play and above average defense could get him a few votes for ROTY.
Jess Root: Since pretty much all of his great play has been on special teams, I don't think so. On defense, Von Miller and Aldon Smith have been pretty fantastic and Peterson just hasn't had a lot of great play on the defensive side of the ball.
JoeCB1991: He should be a candidate for Defensive ROTY, but he won't get it. Von Miller is pretty much running away with that one right now with how well he has played in Denver. I would even say that right now Miller should be the overall Rookie of the Year out of all the offensive and defensive players. Right now he is playing at an All Pro/Pro Bowl level, and he is a part of the reason the Broncos are on their winning streak along with how good their ground game has been and Tebow's clutch play late in games. Peterson has been developing well as the season goes on, but his overall defensive play has just not been as good as Miller yet.
Khodder: Peterson should have no shot, the awards are for offensive and defensive rookie of the year, what Peterson has done is amazing, but it has all been on Special Teams. He is still struggling in his primary role, and has not taken advantage of his shots on offense. But the biggest reason is that we have a Linebacker out in Denver playing like a top 5 player at his position right now. No other player should win this award other than Von Miller, who has been tremendous this season. What will happen is another story, Cam Newton is almost a lock becasue he is a QB and because he was the #1 overall pick.
Jesse Reynolds: No way, Von Miller just took the lead with Denvers latest win. Cam is next in line but voters always snub players from losing teams despite their play. Peterson is a lock for some special team accolades.
Don't forget to answer the questions below in the comments!