No team started the 2014 season faster than the Arizona Cardinals, finished the first two-and-a-half months of the in-depthseason at 9-1. But a spate of injuries, particularly at the QB position, conspired to make the rest of the season a challenge.

But this once beleaguered franchise has won 21 games now in two seasons, has put together a solid defense and may be putting together the parts to make another run. Can Carson Palmer team with the defense to give the team the boost it needs to take it to the next level? Or is there another bottoming out on the way? Scott Allen, editor of Raising Zona, shares his insights.

Zoneblitz: The Cardinals were great at the start, then started losing QBs and fell apart late, losing in round one of the playoffs. What’s your assessment of the season?

Allen: Injuries. Injuries will kill you but if you have great coaching and lots of depth, you can win in the regular season. Lack of depth at skill positions will kill you in the playoffs and the Cardinals saw that with the quarterback situation. Starter Carson Palmer only played six games and went 6-0. Drew Stanton went 5-3, so he might have won a playoff game or two. Ryan Lindley went 0-2 in the regular season and was awful in the playoff loss to Carolina. I think in the end the easiest words to describe the 2014 season for the Cardinals is: What could have been

Zoneblitz: Despite the way the 2014 season came apart, the team has thus far not added much to its QB group. Can they get away with that again in 2015? Does this team have a plan for QB of the future?

Allen: The quarterback position is fine as long as Palmer and Stanton stay healthy. How many teams have to go to their third and fourth strings. Rookie Logan Thomas was the third stringer but looked so bad in practice, they elevated Lindley to third-string on the depth chart. Again – Palmer and Stanton were 11-3 in 2014. That’s damn good in my book. Sure, the defense and special teams helped but those guys did enough to not play bad enough to lose games either. If healthy, Palmer will be the starter here for two more years.

Zoneblitz: Andre Ellington looked great as a rookie, then struggled last season as the feature back through injuries. David Johnson was added. How does that position shake out in 2015?

Allen: Ellington injured himself at the end of training camp and he never really recovered. He was never able to fully practice during the week. A hernia finally did him in. I think they relied too much on him and it appears he is healthy for 2015 and the plan is the same, for him to be the number one back – for now.

Zoneblitz: Arizona signed Mike Iupati as a free agent and drafted D.J. Humphries in the first round. What are your thoughts on how the offensive line looks heading into the season?

Allen: No doubt – huge improvement on the offensive line. They got the 4th best overall free agent this year in Iupati and Humphries is so good he is switching from left to right since the Cardinals already have Jared Veldheer.

Zoneblitz: Larry Fitzgerald is aging and Michael Floyd hasn’t quite made the jump that was expected yet – how do you feel about the skill support for Carson Palmer at this point?

Allen: Again, I feel just fine. Floyd needs to step up now or ship out though. He has the speed, the skills, and the ability to put up huge numbers. Fitz is still adjusting to being mainly a slot receiver but he’ll still make his grabs and is still exciting to watch. I would watch Floyd though. I just got done doing a piece predicting he would make the squad but that could change if the Cardinals decide to move him, which is currently being rumored

Zoneblitz: The defense was fifth in points allowed in 2014 but 24th in yards allowed – what’s with the discrepancy there and what does or did the team need to address to take it to the next level?

Allen: The Cardinals are a bend but don’t break defense. Opposing offenses moved the ball well between the 20’s but once an opponent reached the red zone, the Cardinals clamped up, thus opponents had to settle for more field goals. Honestly, I don’t see much change in that.

Zoneblitz: What Cardinals players have a chance to break out in 2015?

Allen: John Brown, WR; Rodney Gunter, DL; Deone Bucannon, S.

Zoneblitz: How far are the Cardinals from making a deep run in the postseason?

Allen: Two games. They made the playoffs in 2014. People seem to forget the fact this team went 11-5, mostly without Palmer. Two of those losses were to NFC Champion Seattle. They went 11-3 against the rest of the NFL. Damn good. They lost a couple of guys but what they lost they gained more. It is basically the same core group they had in 2014.

Zoneblitz: Collectively, what are your thoughts on the draft and free agency at this point and what would you like to see the team do through the rest of free agency and in the draft?

Allen: Unless another team releases someone intriguing, like a Darryl Sharpton the Cardinals just signed, they are pretty much done with free agency. They may keep looking at WR, CB, and RB. They had a decent draft. I thought they could have done better in first round but after that they seemed to fill the roster with guys who add depth. I think it is a group of players that will surprise many. They definitely got a couple of steals in DL Rodney Gunter and LB Markus Golden.

Zoneblitz: Is there anything else you’d like to add?

Allen: Don’t believe the 6-10 predictions out there like ESPN has. You can certainly have your own opinions but this team is not much different than last season except they actually got better at a couple areas. The biggest difference is everyone will be healthy. They could be dangerous. The schedule is slightly more difficult but anyone can win on any given Sunday. There just happens to still be many Cardinals doubters. That’s fine. They will prove them wrong.

Follow Scott Allen on Twitter at: @azsportsguy
Follow Raising Zona on Twitter at: @RaisingZona
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