The Arizona Cardinals are entering a new era in recent franchise history after trading for quarterback Carson Palmer and hiring coach Bruce Arians and with the 2013 season coming, there are high expectations for the offense.
The team has the best wideout in the league in Larry Fitzgerald and also signed Rashard Mendenhall as a free agent. According to NFL.com, Mendenhall has the inside track and the starting position over Ryan Williams, as Arians said on the radio that he would be the starter. He mentioned how Mendenhall is just 25 and despite coming off an injury, he is hungry and ready to start this season.
Mendenhall had knee surgery last year and despite coming back from an injury, Arians feels that he can handle the load, saying that he wants him to be a solid blocker and receiver, meaning Williams may not get on the field as much. The former first round pick looked a bit lost last season and now he will join Williams as well as draft picks Andre Ellington and Stepfan Taylor that should be able to contribute to the offense as well.
Mendenhall had already said earlier in the season that he felt he could win the starting job and after hearing Arians talk about his size and how he never needs to come out of games, chances are he will get the majority of the playing time. The Cardinals feel good about Palmer after ranking 28th in the league last season with John Skelton, Ryan Lindley and Kevin Kolb and now they feel that Larry Fitzgerald can get back into a groove and lead the team to the playoffs.
