Cardinals face Father Time, NFL power rankings, Adrian Peterson and more

The Arizona Cardinals were in the NFC Championship Game just 18 months ago, boasting a roster that brimmed with talent. Now? The Cardinals are fighting a losing battle with Father Time.

The Arizona Cardinals are at a crossroads. In 2015, they were one win shy of reaching the Super Bowl for the second time in franchise history. Last year, they were a shockingly under-performing team, going 7-8-1 in the middling NFC West.

General manager Steve Keim has endured a rough offseason. After slowing building a championship-caliber roster since his promotion in 2013, he watched as Calais Campbell, Keith Minter, Tony Jefferson and Alex Okafor left via free agency. All this while the Seattle Seahawks continue to look strong in the West.

The current roster features both talent and question marks for the Cardinals. Carson Palmer is 37 years old. Larry Fitzgerald turns 34 in August. Both are likely playing their final seasons, with both remaining productive if not the same players as before.

In the NFL, the key to every contender is being able to draft with consistency. Under Keim, the Cardinals have selected 29 players. There have been the hits in Tyrann Mathieu, David Johnson, Markus Golden and Deone Bucannon. However, the misses are abundant.

The 2013 class sees only Mathieu and reserve running back Andre Ellington remaining on the roster. There is also the pick of D.J. Humphries in the first round, who while still young has yet to live up to expectations. Wide receivers John brown and J.J. Nelson has shown flashes, but neither has become a consistent factor. In 2014, Keim whiffed badly in the middle rounds, taking Troy Niklas and Kareem Martin. Neither has made any mark.

In April, many believed the Cardinals would use the 13th-overall selection to draft Palmer’s eventual replacement. While Arizona waited, the rest of the league became a frenzy of activity. Three choices ahead of the Cardinals, the Kansas City Chiefs traded up 17 slots to get Patrick Mahomes, a player long rumored to be the target of Arizona head coach Bruce Arians. Then, only one spot away from the Cardinals, the Houston Texans moved up 13 spots to select Deshaun Watson.

Arizona is left to face the future without a plan behind Palmer. The Cardinals could make a strong push in next year’s draft, with Josh Rosen, Sam Darnold and Josh Allen all likely first-round choices. Still the price could be steep should Arizona bounce back, much more so than if it had gone up a couple spots this spring.

The Cardinals find themselves in the unenviable spot of having to both win now and rebuild for the future. Arizona has ample questions on defense, undeniable age on offense and a fanbase waiting for its first title since 1947, when the team played in Chicago.

At some point, Keim needs to answer the question of quarterback in the long-term. In the meantime, the Cardinals face an uneven future with both expectations and uneasiness burdening them going into training camp.

Power rankings

Top 10 skill position duos in 2017

1. Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh Steelers
2. Ezekiel Elliott and Dez Bryant, Dallas Cowboys
3. Rob Gronkowski and Brandin Cooks, New England Patriots
4. Julio Jones and Devonta Freeman, Atlanta Falcons
5. Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, Kansas City Chiefs
6. Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree, Oakland Raiders
7. Brandon Marshall and Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants
8. Mike Evans and DeSean Jackson, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
9. Emmanuel Sanders and Demaryius Thomas, Denver Broncos
10. Jarvis Landry and Jay Ajayi, Miami Dolphins

Quotable

"“It’s just a conversation they have every year,” Sherman said. “I guess this year, more people knew about it. It’s a conversation they have every year — everybody’s open, everybody’s available. They just made sure I knew, and you guys found out. Pretty open about it. It was never a situation where anybody asked for it. It was just a conversation.”"

– Seahawks corner Richard Sherman on the swirling trade rumors this offseason

In one of the odder stories of the winter, there was constant chatter that Seattle was willing to move on from All-Pro corner Richard Sherman. Seattle hasn’t been afraid to take big swings before, acquiring Jimmy Graham for Max Unger and a first-round pick back in 2015. However, the 29-year-old stayed in Seattle, and figures to be a key cog in another championship chase with the Seahawks.

Random stat

The first dome team to ever reach the Super Bowl was the 1998 Atlanta Falcons, who lost to the Denver Broncos. The following season, the St. Louis Rams broke through for dome squads, toppling the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV. Oddly enough, the victory came in the Georgia Dome.

Info learned this week

1. Flurry of activity has old faces in new places

Typically, mid-June is a time for reporters to strain for stories, hoping to get even the tiniest morsel of information. As it turns out, this week provided plenty of news with the signing of Jeremy Maclin, the release of Eric Decker and the trade of Greg Robinson.

The Ravens did well to add Maclin, who struggled with a groin injury last year but cracked 1,000 receiving yards with the Chiefs in 2015. He will pair with Mike Wallace and Breshad Perriman, giving Baltimore a formidable trio. Meanwhile, Decker had a visit with the Titans and had been rumored to go to the Ravens as well. The veteran was cut by the Jets for cap reasons, and would be wise to sign in Tennessee, where he could be a top target and mentor to first-round pick Corey Davis.

As for Robinson, the Rams finally gave up on the second-overall pick in 2014, dealing him to the Lions for a sixth-round choice. Robinson will provide a warm body to Detroit, who might be without stud left tackle Taylor Decker well into the regular season, due to a shoulder injury. This isn’t optimal for the Lions, but it’s a risk they needed to take.

2. DeShone Kizer looks good early

The Browns have not had a franchise quarterback since Bernie Kosar. The time since has been filled with journeymen and busts, but DeShone Kizer is aiming to change all that. The second-round pick out of Notre Dame has been impressive in OTAs and minicamp, vaulting him into the conversation as Week 1 starter.

Kizer is a rookie, so the mistakes will happen. Still, head coach Hue Jackson should roll the dice on his prized pupil if he’s even comparable to Brock Osweiler and Cody Kessler. For starters, he has a quality offensive line and a veteran target in Kenny Britt. Additionally, Kessler and Osweiler are wasted snaps. The Browns aren’t winning this season, and those two aren’t the future.

Give Kizer the keys to the car, and let him roll.

3. Philip Rivers has no retirement plans

Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers will turn 36 years old in December, but he’s not ready to ride into the proverbial sunset. With a new head coach in Anthony Lynn and a relocation in January, the Chargers are going through ample changes. The man under center won’t be one of them, perhaps for a few more seasons.

Rivers is still playing high-end football. While he did lead the NFL with 21 interceptions last year, he has thrown for at least 26 touchdowns in each of the past nine seasons and dipped below 4,000 yards only once in that span. The AFC West is brutally tough, but Rivers gives the Chargers a chance.

4. Adrian Peterson insists he can still play

History would suggest that Adrian Peterson’s stop with the Saints with end up being a trivia question, much in the way Joe Namath’s tour with the Rams is. Peterson, 32, is trying to bounce back from a torn meniscus that limited him to three games last year. Typically, a running back north of 30 is cooked, but Peterson isn’t typical, telling The MMQB’s Albert Breer that he has plenty to give.

If Peterson can be even 75 percent of his 2015 self (1,485 rushing yards that year), New Orleans would be thrilled. The Saints already have Mark Ingram to share snaps, giving the veteran a much-needed partner in the backfield.

Time will tell if the Vikings made a big mistake in letting Peterson go, only to sign an injured Latavius Murray before drafting the controversial Dalvin Cook.

5. Kyle Shanahan drawing rave reviews

It’s only OTAs and minicamp, but Kyle Shanahan is winning over the 49ers. On Thursday, left tackle Joe Staley commented that he’s enjoying football again, giving San Franciscans something to believe in. After enduring two coaches who lasted only one year, the former Atlanta Falcons offensive coordinator is in good graces.

All that said, nobody should expect a miracle. The 49ers have one of the worst rosters in football, especially at the quarterback position. Brian Hoyer is a very good backup but a poor starter, and his weapons are, shall we say, limited. San Francicso has a rebuild ahead of it, but might have the right man in charge.

History lesson

Only two players in NFL history have amassed more than 160 sacks; Bruce Smith and Reggie White. Smith racked up 13 seasons of double-digit sacks in his career, playing for the Bills and Redskins. In the playoffs, Smith was dominant as well with 14.5 sacks in 20 playoff games.

White was every bit as consistent with 12 double-digit seasons between the Eagles, Packers and Panthers. In the postseason, White totaled 12 sacks in 19 contests.

Incredibly, both did so playing in a run-dominant era of the 1990s.

Parting shot

The AFC South is tougher than previous years. For much of the post-Peyton Manning era, the South has been a wasteland for talent, with the Andrew Luck-led Colts being the best of the bunch. The past two campaigns has seen the immortal combination of Brian Hoyer and Brock Osweiler winning the division for the Texans, going 9-7 each time.

Don’t expect anything less than 10 wins to get the job done this year.

The Titans won nine games last season and should be better. Marcus Mariota is entering the all-important third year while his young offensive line continues to mature. If the defense can gel, Tennessee is a threat to not only reach the playoffs, but win a game in them.

Houston is very much the same team, perhaps an indictment of general manager Rick Smith. The pick of Deshaun Watson will hopefully set up the future, but the 2017 version of the Texans looks similar. It’s all about the defense, because the offense can’t score. Still, a front featuring J.J. Watt, Jadeveon Clowney and Whitney Mercilus is going to win some games. That said, the loss of A.J. Bouye from the secondary will be felt.

Indianapolis has a roster full of holes, but there was real improvement under first-time general manager Chris Ballard. The defense added real pieces in Johnathan Hankins, Sean Spence, Malik Hooker and Margus Hunt, while Luck still looms on offense. The schedule is also very favorable to the Colts, who play only one 2016 playoff team through their first eight games.

Outside of the Jaguars — who are also improved but saddled with Blake Bortles — the South can be won by anybody. This time, it won’t be a pathetic race to watch.