There is no question about the offensive talent that the Arizona Cardinals possess, and now one of the game’s best play callers, Ken Whisenhunt, joins this dynamic group. However, a defense which ranked 29th in yards allowed last season will likely be this team’s Achilles Heel again. Find out where Dave Price sees Arizona finishing in the division in his 2007 NFL Preview for Point-Spreads.com.
Cardinals fans are happy to wave goodbye to Dennis Green and his disappointing tenure as Arizona’s head coach. Sportsbook.com has the Arizona Cardinals at 40 to 1 odds to win Super Bowl XLII.  Mastermind Ken Whisenhunt, the Steelers’ offensive coordinator the past three years, is taking over as Arizona’s seventh full-time head coach since the team arrived in the desert nearly 20 seasons ago. Whisenhunt, who intends to continue calling the offensive shots like he did in Pittsburgh, has reason to excited about a star-studded offense featuring gifted young QB Matt Leinart under center, lead back Edgerrin James operating in a run-oriented system he is more suited for, and one of the league’s top wide receiver duos in Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin.
However, for the Cardinals to come close to even having a shot at only their second winning season since departing from St. Louis, defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast needs to get much better play out of a unit that slipped to 29th in yards allowed in 2006 and, perhaps, even a better performance out of himself.
These work exceptionally well for him because they are always such a huge juxtaposition to his conservative run-first approach. It’s worth noting that the Steelers were 39-15 (including playoffs) once Whisenhunt started calling the plays three years ago. He could be the difference maker for an offense which carries high expectations into this season. If he can’t best the five wins this team has had each of the last two seasons, fans will likely let him have it.
If mediocrity or worse come in 2007, it won’t be all Whisenhunt’s fault. When Ken Whisenhunt chose to keep defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast, he more or less stated that the defense would remain a 4-3, but it appears a Steelers-like 3-4 system is in the works as well based on what we saw in early offseason practices. In any event, multiple looks are guaranteed to keep offenses on their toes and they can also be seen as a desperate attempt to catapult the Cardinals defense from the gutter to the top.
Until Arizona can get the same kind of star power that they have on offense on the defensive side of the football, this unit will struggle. This poor defense will be the thing which keeps the Cards in the gutter in the NFC West this season.
New England Patriots 2-1
San Diego Chargers 5-1
Indianapolis Colts 7-1
Chicago Bears 16-1
Baltimore Ravens 25-1
Pittsburgh Steelers 30-1
Cincinnati Bengals 25-1
Denver Broncos 25-1
Philadelphia Eagles 18-1
Dallas Cowboys 25-1
Carolina Panthers 25-1
Seattle Seahawks 18-1
New Orleans Saints 18-1
New York Giants 35-1
Jacksonville Jaguars 30-1
Kansas City Chiefs 60-1
New York Jets 40-1
Miami Dolphins 55-1
Tennessee Titans 60-1
Atlanta Falcons 60-1
Buffalo Bills 100-1
Washington Redskins 40-1
Arizona Cardinals 40-1
Saint Louis Rams 50-1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 45-1
San Francisco 49ers 20-1
Minnesota Vikings 50-1
Green Bay Packers 40-1
Houston Texans 100-1
Oakland Raiders 75-1
Cleveland Browns 100-1
Detroit Lions 100-1
