If they can’t go long in ’17, they won’t go far

DETROIT – Part of Cardinals coach Bruce Arians’ offensive philosophy is to throw six or so deep passes every game. That “no risk-it, no biscuit” style worked well in Arians’ first three seasons, and the phrase is so popular it now adorns T-shirts.

But in 2016, Arians and the Cardinals didn’t enjoy many biscuits due in large part to the inability to complete deep passes. Yards per game and per completion declined, sacks increased, and an offense that once exploded now plodded.

As the 2017 season opens against the Lions, the Cardinals are confident this year’s offense will look more like the 2015 version than the 2016 one.

Quarterback Carson Palmer’s arm is fresher, they say. Receiver John Brown is healthier, it appears. A reorganized offensive line will protect better, they promise.

“I’m extremely confident,” Arians said, “especially with where Carson (Palmer) is. More because I feel good about our protection and the rest of the guys.”

Here’s a look at the three main parts of the passing game and why the Cardinals believe they will be better in 2017.

The quarterback

A year ago at this time, Palmer had lost arm strength. It became apparent in the first month of the season when he under threw a handful of deep passes.

Around midseason, Arians and his staff began insisting that Palmer not practice on Wednesdays and limit his number of throws on Thursday.

Palmer wasn’t keen on the idea at first. He loves practices and believed more repetitions equated to better performances. But he grudgingly accepted being placed on a pitch count, and it’s one reason he played better over the second half of the season.

In his first seven games, Palmer had 11 touchdowns, eight interceptions and was sacked 26 times.

In his last eight (he missed one game due to concussion), Palmer had 15 touchdown passes, six interceptions and was sacked 14 times.

Other factors contributed to the improvement, but there’s no question Palmer’s arm was stronger at the end of the season than it was at the beginning.

He followed a similar regimen in training camp, and as a result, Palmer’s arm is considerably fresher than this time a year ago, he said.

The receivers

Three of the top five receivers had disappointing seasons in 2015.

Michael Floyd dropped an inordinate amount of passes then was cut in December after he was arrested for driving under the influence.

Jaron Brown suffered a torn ACL just when he was replacing Floyd in the rotation.

John Brown was never healthy all season, even after the Cardinals medical team discovered Brown had sickle cell trait, which can cause fatigue and muscle soreness.

Brown’s poor health severely diminished the Cardinals’ deep passing game. In 2015, Brown had eight receptions of at least 25 yards. In 2016, he had just two, despite played in 15 games.

“As far as the route tree, he runs it as good as anybody we have,” Palmer said. “He catches the ball extremely well. He makes difficult catches. He keeps his feet inbounds when he’s kind of contorting his body on the sidelines. He’s one of our better receivers and any time you lose that guy, things change. He means a ton to us.”

Brown missed significant time in training camp this year with a quadriceps strain. Brown’s not quite 100 percent, but he did catch touchdown passes of 28 and 21 yards against the Falcons in the fourth preseason game.

“John can catch a short pass, take it long,” receiver Larry Fitzgerald said. “He can take the top off the defense. He really has no weaknesses in his game. When he’s able to stretch the field, it opens up everything. It creates so many more opportunities for his teammates. We all need Smoke to be Smoke.”

The protection

Palmer was sacked 40 times last season, an increase of 15 from 2015. Injuries on the offensive line had much to do with that. Two starters, tackle Jared Veldheer and guard Evan Mathis, were placed on injured reserve. So were two backups, and tackle D.J. Humphries missed the last three games due to a concussion.

Changes were made in the starting lineup this offseason. Humphries and Veldheer swapped sides. Evan Boehm is now the starting right guard.

This week, Arians was asked why he is confident this group will give Palmer better protection than a year ago.

“I just watched these guys practice for 35 days,” he said. “They all look better.”

It’s not only the offensive line’s job to protect Palmer. Arians altered his play-calling midway through last season, going with shorter drops and less play action. And coaches have emphasized to the running backs and tight ends that protecting Palmer is their top priority.

Palmer bears some responsibility, too.

“He has to protect himself just as much as the guys protecting him,” Arians said. “It’s not just the offensive line; it’s the running backs, it’s all 11 of them seeing their hots and sights. We missed too many of those last year where we took hits, or missed a sight adjustment.”

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Numbers crunch

2016 STATS COMPARISON

Cardinals: Passing TDs allowed: 21, ranked 8th in NFL

Lions: Passing TDs allowed: 33, ranked 31st.

Cardinals: Fumbles/lost: 27/11, ranked 24th (tied)

Lions: Fumbles/lost: 9/5, ranked 3rd (tied)

Cardinals, field goals: 21/28 (Chandler Catanzaro, he’s gone)

Lions, field goals: 31/36 (Matt Prater, he’s still here)

DECLINE OF CARDS PASSING GAME

2015

Passing yards per game: 288.5 (second in the NFL)

Yards per completion: 7.84 (first in the NFL)

Sacks per attempt: 4.8 percent (sixth in the NFL)

2016

Passing yards per game – 258.5 (ninth)

Yards per completion – (6.02) (23rd)

Sacks per attempt – 6.35 percent (20th)