Arizona Cardinals Upcoming Pre-season 2016

                                    ARIZONA CARDINALS vs OAKLAND RAIDERS PRESEASON GAME 1 (8-12-16)
                                                                                  Photo: Page2Sports

With the Arizona Cardinals kicking off the 2016 season this Friday in their first preseason game against Oakland, many are wondering what to expect from the team as we try to build off of the momentum from last season. There's no question that last season was the best one yet for the Arizona Cardinals. Fans from all over the world were excited as we made it all the way to the NFC Championship Game. Many of us had high hopes of going to the big game, but that all fell short with a devastating loss against Carolina. Well, now the time has come to put the past behind us and focus on this season and our future. There have been key movements within the organization during the off-season to prepare us for what many feel is our best chance at a Super Bowl winning season. Today I'm going to go over a couple of the big moves and what to look for as we officially enter the preseason.

Photo: Arizona Cardinals azcardinals.com

The Arizona Cardinals were able to resign 3 big name veterans to remain on the team. First was the mega deal for S Tyrann Mathieu who scored a 5-year extension that will keep him on the team until 2021. The contract is reportedly worth $62.5 million with $21.5 million due at signing (Yahoo Sports). Then came two other extensions, one for QB Carson Palmer and one for WR Larry Fitzgerald. Both of these were 1 yr deals. “I didn’t hesitate,” said Palmer, who is now under contract through 2018. “I’ve been playing my whole career to be in a situation like this.” (Kyle Odegard). Also, it’s worth mentioning that RB Chris Johnson turned down a starting job with the Miami Dolphins to remain with the Cardinals, who will more likely utilize him as a back up to RB David Johnson.

Photo: azcentral.com

Now, as far as what and who to look for I like to give my opinion and what/who  I will be looking at. Plus the actual way it goes down in preseason games can change by the minute. This first game it’s looking like I’m an offense kind of lady! I’m certainly looking at the QB’s. Head Coach Bruce Arians said that both Palmer and Stanton will play a lot, along with Matt Barkley. Jake Coker will play in the 4th quarter (Mike Jurecki). I am surprised to see that injured Tyrann Mathieu will get a little field time, but it has been reported that he is ahead of schedule with recovery and expected to be back during Week 3. I am also interested in seeing LT Jared Veldheer come back strong and one more guy I’m watching is RT D.J. Humphries who is listed at starter and who also personally told me at Cards camp that he was ready to get out there and play! Whoever you’re looking to see, I’d love to hear about it. Send me a Tweet @AZLadyBirds or comment on my Facebook page: Arizona LadyBirds

Let’s go get it Cards fans because Football is Back!