Arizona Cardinals

Franchise Mode Strategy Overall Team Rating: 85 Offense: 91 Defense: 83 Offensive Scheme: Vertical Offense Defensive Scheme: Attacking 3-4 Strengths: QB, WR, FS Weaknesses: FB, C, LOLB 2015 Team Rankings 1st NFC West (13-3-0) Passing Offense: 2nd Rushing Offense: 8th Passing Defense: 8th Rushing Defense: 6th 2015 Team Leaders Passing: Carson Palmer: 4,671 Rushing: Chris Johnson: 814 Receiving: Larry Fitzgerald: 1,215 Tackles: Deone Bucannon: 112 Sacks: Dwight Freeny: 8 INTS: Tryann Mathieu: 5 Key Additions ROLB Chandler Jones RG Evan Mathis HB Chris Johnson Key Rookies LE Robert Nkemdiche P Garrett Swanson C Evan Boehm Coach Bruce Arians Level: 18 Offensive Scheme: Vertical Offense Defensive Scheme: Attacking 4-3

Offensive Scouting Report

• As the Cardinals continue to build their offensive line, Carson Palmer will only get more time to throw the ball. Because of the size and speed of the WRs on the team, expect the passing game to be the best the Cardinals have seen in a long time.
• The addition of HB David Johnson has really added to the rushing game for the Cardinals; as they continue to build the bench up again you should see plenty of rushing yards from everyone. HB Chris Johnson led the team in rushing last season and there is no sign of him losing his stride, but you may want to play David instead.
• WR Larry Fitzgerald really stepped up last season and led the team in receiving yards. Expect him to be even better this season, but remember he is not your only option. Between everyone running verticals, you will have at least one open receiver almost every time.

Defensive Scouting Report

• ROLB Chandler Jones adds both speed and strength to the outside. Still building the defensive line, Jones will keep the outside edge tight and not let too many rushing yards come through on his side. Calais Campbell is still going to stand out as your defense’s star, but he will have some more help this season.
• The Cardinals still have a bit of a young team, which is great for upgrading the way you need them to, but they are becoming quite a bit more experienced and running the 3-4 scheme will feel a lot more natural as they settle in to their positions on the team.
• Invest in some Corner Backs this season, especially to give CB Patrick Peterson some support. He still has the size and speed to cover most WRs out there, but support on the other side may become an issue quickly.

SCHEDULE

Key Players

• Fitzgerald led the team in receiving last season and is ready to do it again. With Palmer maintaining a strong line to protect him, expect Fitzgerald’s experience and speed to get him open with time to throw to him.
• He is experienced and still extremely fast. Still in his prime, he will be able to use his speed and elusiveness to outrun any CBs attempting to guard him.

  

• Quickly becoming the defensive leader for the Cardinals, Mathieu can run the defensive backs by both example and from the field. His Speed and Agility ratings allow you to test the offense and possibly read their play. Use Mathieu as a utility for reading the offense whenever you’re unsure.
• Mathieu did not lead the team in tackles last year, but the ratio of solo tackles to assisted ones heavily swayed in favor of the former. Allowing him to work on his own makes him an incredible threat to any offense out there.

  

• What sets Nkemdiche apart from most players is his agility and finesse move ability, which will get him anywhere he needs to be in a pinch. Putting him in the right position is key because if he can break through, he will be unstoppable.
• With such a high Strength rating, stopping him will be a challenge, but in conjunction with his agility his threat level to any offense is extremely high.

  

• Barkley is a great candidate to be groomed as Palmer’s replacement QB. Begin preparing him as a very mobile QB using his Acceleration and Throw On Run ratings as his major strengths.
• Since his mobility is so high, it might be a good idea to focus on his other major stats to round him out.

Offensive Depth Chart

Defensive Depth Chart

Special Teams

Best Offensive Plays

Best Run : Strongback Ace – HB Stretch

Running Plays

Best Pass : Gun Empty Bunch Wide – Post Corner Read

Passing Plays

Best Defensive Plays

Best RUN D : 4-4 Split – Cover 2 Invert

Run Defense

Best PASS D: Big Dime 1-4-6 – Cover 4

Pass Defense