NFL preview: Arizona Cardinals

Many writers and bloggers are picking the Cardinals to fall back to the pack, but in an otherwise atrocious NFC West, I see them as the class of the field by a long shot.

Projected finish: 11-5 (1st in NFC West)

Now, it's not like I feel entirely comfortable predicting 11 wins for a team as reliant on a 38-year-old QB as the Cardinals are Kurt Warner. Take it from someone that owned Warner in a QB-dominated fantasy league in 2008: Warner had a far bigger late-season slump than anyone remembers, because he got back on track in time for the improbable Super Bowl run the Cardinals made. But the Cardinals remain very dangerous on offense ... and they might be better than anyone thinks on defense.

Warner is a risk for injury, and for not physically being able to throw the ball down the field as well as he once did. As long as he can get it in WR Larry Fitzgerald's zip code, Fitzgerald should be able to make Warner look pretty good. Assuming Anquan Boldin isn't too unhappy to contribute, he's the best No. 2 receiver in football, and Steve Breaston is a fantastic No. 3. Anything the frightening Cardinals passing game gets out of TEs Stephen Spach and Anthony Becht will simply be a bonus.

Running the ball was very much a problem for the Cardinals last fall. That's why they drafted RB Beanie Wells, who should be a nice complement to short-yardage specialist Tim Hightower. Mike Gandy, Reggie Wells, Lyle Sendlein, Deuce Lutui and Levi Brown face a lot of pressure to not only create more running room for Beanie Wells and Hightower, but also to keep Warner upright.

There are a lot of pieces I like in the 3-4 Arizona defense. None of them play up front, though DE Darnell Dockett should command his share of double-teams. Fellow DE Calias Campbell and NT Bryan Robinson will strike fear into the hearts of few opponents. The Cardinals should be better at linebacker, where Gerald Hayes and Karlos Dansby are a solid, if not spectacular, tandem on the inside. Clark Haggans and Chike Okeafor both need to reverse declining sack totals from the outside for the defense to work.