NFL's Arizona Cardinals' Season Over Before it Began

The reports have been confirmed and the Arizona Cardinals' NFL season, appearing so full promise less than a month ago, took a decided hit when it was confirmed that Chike Okeafor and Oliver Ross, both starters, will spend this NFL season recovering from devastating injuries.

Injuries are a part of the game, and, for the Arizona Cardinals, they signal the beginning and end of the 2007 - 2008 NFL Season.

The Cardinals sustained hits on both sides of the ball.

On the defensive side, they lost starting linebacker Chike Okeafor. Okeafor, a defensive end, had 8.5 sacks in 2006. There was talk of Okeafor making the Pro-Bowl this year. Why not? Ken Wisenhunt, from the Pittsburgh Steelers, is the new coach of the Arizona Cardinals, and, coming from the Steel Curtain city, Wisenhunt knows that good defense means wins in the NFL.

Okeafor is one of the strongest players on the defensive side for the Cardinals and there just is no way to explain how difficult it is going to be for the Cardinals to get past his loss. Now, the Cardinals must replace him with Darryl Blackstock. How many sacks does Blackstock have in his career? One compared to Okeafor's forty-four.

In a division loaded with offensive talent (San Francisco has the power-runner Frank Gore at running back, Seattle has Matt Hasselback throwing the pig-skin to Deion Branch, and the St. Louis Rams have Marc Bulger, Torry Holt, and Steven Jackson), the Cardinals defense could be lit up all season. The Cardinals are going to a 3-4 defense this year, a Pittsburgh specialty, and without all of the key components in the "3" of that 3-4, the Cardinals could be toast.

What happens when a defense suddenly becomes susceptible to both the pass and the run? They turn to a bruising offense that can keep the defense off the field by controlling the clock and running someone like Edgerrin "The Edge" James up the middle about forty times a game.

In this respect, the Cardinals have an issue as well because the second devastating injury occurred on their offensive line. For a team that had a bad to okay offensive line to begin with, the injury to Oliver Ross, a nine-year veteran, could be another nail in the proverbial red coffin that is the Arizona Cardinals. Although it appears that Levi Brown, the Cardinal's first-round draft pick out of Penn State, will take Ross's place, the loss of Ross could be as devastating to the Cardinals as the loss of Okeafor.

It's true that Levi Brown is a monster of an offensive tackle and could very well fill in admirably for Ross. But, Brown is a rookie and rookie offensive tackles tend to get schooled in their first season in the league.

Also, offensive lines depend on depth, each position is so difficult day in and day out to play, and there is no way to guarantee that no single player will get hurt during the entire length of a true NFL season. To Ken Wisenhunt, Levi Brown was a terrific second-stringer the beginning of the year, filling in where needed. Perhaps, he could have started towards the end of the year.

In any case, Wisenhunt had options with Ross and Brown in the mix. Now, Wisenhunt has no options. Brown has to start. How is the loss of Ross going to affect the Cardinals run and pass game?

During the early season it may be good for the Cardinals or it may be bad. During the later part of the season, unless the Cards find more depth on the O-Line, it's going to be very, very bad. It is doubtful that a rookie like Levi Brown, carrying so much weight, and having to pass-block so often during the Cardinals' games could last an entire season without getting tired. Towards the end of the season expect Brown to get weary which means more sacks against the Cardinals' quarterback, Matt Leinart, and a less than stellar yard per carry average for Edgerrin James.

That spells doom for the Cardinals. If the Cards cannot control the clock, then they cannot keep their defense off the field. If they cannot keep their defense off the field, then the loss of Chike Okeafor becomes even more devastating.

For Cardinals' fans this is terrible news. Their beautiful stadium is barely a year old. Their quarterback, Matt Leinart, has a tremendous upside. They all ready have two of the best wide receivers in the league in Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald. None of it may matter. Once again, the Cardinals' season appears destined for doom.