Scouting the Cardinals 1 The secondary needs some work » Arizona is starting two young corners in rookie Patrick Peterson and A.J. Jefferson. It showed vs. Carolina, whose rookie quarterback Cam Newton threw for 422 yards. Peterson is a playmaker, but he was beaten soundly by the Panthers’ Steve Smith, who caught eight passes for 178 yards. Safety Adrian Wilson is playing with a torn biceps tendon and his play, by all accounts, was rugged in the opener. It showed in his coverage vs. tight ends in particular.
2 They will blitz a lot » The Cardinals under new defensive coordinator Ray Horton want to blitz — and do it often. But that could lead to a lot of early-season breakdowns as players get used to his system. The Panthers hit Arizona with a number of big plays, averaging 17.6 yards per catch. The Cardinals did manage four sacks and nine tackles for a loss. They also shut down Carolina’s ground game, though it didn’t seem there was much reason for the Panthers to run.
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Their return game is dangerous » Peterson and LaRod Stephens-Howling can hurt teams in punt and kickoff returns, respectively. Peterson returned a punt 89 yards for a touchdown in the opener and was a dynamic returner at LSU. Meanwhile, Stephens-Howling averaged 30 yards on two kickoff returns after averaging 27.2 yards with two touchdowns a year ago. He injured his right hand and biceps in the opener.
4 The offense has taken strides »
Whether or not Kevin Kolb is an outstanding quarterback remains to be seen. But at worst he’s an upgrade over what Arizona had to use in 2010. Kolb had a good debut, completing 66.7 percent of his passes for two touchdowns. He loves throwing underneath and with tight ends Todd Heap and Jeff King, he has decent targets. And they still have one of the best receivers in the game in Larry Fitzgerald, who scored only six touchdowns last season. Early Doucet makes big plays (three catches for 105 yards Sunday). Running back Beanie Wells ran well in the opener but has a penchant for fumbles and injuries.
– John Keim
