.. We contacted and had a five-question conversation with Seth Cox of Revenge of the Birds in order to help preview a few things from the Cardinals’ viewpoint.
Chris: “With Arizona having traded Josh Dobbs, early reports are indicating that Clayton Tune will start against the Browns this week, with Kyler Murray returning some time after. Assuming that Tune gets the start, what do you expect to see from him?”
Seth: “Not a whole lot. Not that I don’t think Tune will be a terrible player or anything like that, but the reality is we are talking about one of the five best defenses in football, with one of the most ferocious pass rush in football, and the Cardinals have maybe three players that would get snaps on the Browns offense right now. So, the talent disparity is too great to expect a whole lot.
I am hopeful he is just able to hit some open throws and doesn’t make any errors that lead to easy points for the Browns.
If he is just unable to move the offense, that is actually better than what happened last week when Dobbs threw two interceptions and set the Ravens up for short fields and easy scores.
We will see, but expectations are not sky high right now.”
Chris: “The idea of Myles Garrett facing a rookie quarterback has Browns fans drooling.” However, how has the offensive line of the Cardinals performed? They haven’t lost many sacks statistically, but perhaps Dobbs did an excellent job of evading pressure?
Seth: “You saw the interceptions, sacks, and fumbles happen when the offense was set up to not ask the quarterback to do too much.”
It is likely that this week’s work will be just as conservative as last week’s, with an emphasis on providing Tune with minimal risk, easy throws, and protection.
I’m not sure if it will be effective against the legendary Browns defense, but if Tune does it, it will be the plan.
Chris: “Defensively, Arizona is ranked 26th in the NFL. What do you think the defense’s main vulnerability for the squad is?
Seth: “Skill. The Cardinals lack talent on defense, just as I mentioned earlier, so there’s not really much else to say about it. I’m not sure how much playing time anyone else on this roster would receive in Cleveland, save their safeties and Kyzir White. Not much has happened. Victor Dimukeje has been a pleasant surprise, Dante Stills appears to be a late round gem, and Zaven Collins has been really solid.
After helping to stabilize a few things, Budda Baker and Jalen Thompson have now been added. Garrett Williams, their third-round choice, was placed on the PUP until October after suffering a knee injury in college. Although the secondary is improving marginally and Nick Rallis and Jonathan Gannon are adept at building pressure, there simply isn’t enough skill to compensate for a subpar offense.
With the way the Cardinals defense has performed, running the ball should not provide any difficulties, and it would not be shocking if P.J. Walker had his finest game of the year. Naturally, I’m hoping they can maintain their strong showing against the Ravens.
Chris: “Tell us about a player that Browns fans might not be familiar with, but who might be able to make a difference in the game this Sunday.”
Seth: “Garrett Williams and Victor Dimukeje. Although Dimukeje is not a frequent pass rusher—he has only four sacks this season—he does a good job of applying pressure to the quarterback when he does get in.
As previously said, Garrett Williams has only played in the last two games, but he has already established himself as possibly the team’s top cornerback. That a third-round pick who missed almost half of his rookie season is likely your best corner is unfortunate for the Cardinals but fortunate for Williams.
