Cardinals Mailbag: Santa, Play-Calling and Rookie Debuts

ARIZONA -- The Arizona Cardinals welcome the Seattle Seahawks at home for a crucial Week 14 matchup, one that both teams certainly need to win.

The Cardinals and Seahawks, respectively, find themselves looking for the right to call themselves NFC West leaders coming down the final stretch of the season.

Our mailbag from Twitter ahead of this week - thanks for all your questions!

Q: Do you think Jonathan Gannon feels he made a poor decision not going for a TD on 4th and goal, late in the game? - Eric

A: I do.

I think with hindsight very much being 20/20, Gannon would like to have that back. He admitted in a post-game press conference there was some thought to going for it there against Minnesota, but opted to kick the field goal instead.

You live and learn. Ultimately that's not why Arizona lost, but I do think that could be a massive turning point for Gannon in late-game decision making.

Q: Individually or as a team, what should the Cardinals request from Santa this holiday season? And will it be a short or long list? - Ed

A: The Cardinals already have a ton to work with moving forward, so I'd like to think they'll keep themselves on Santa's good side by not asking for too much.

Arizona should request a premier defensive player - not a "good" player, per se, but a legitimate game changer.

That could be on the defensive interior, edge rusher or at cornerback - but the Cardinals' defense could go from good to great with a high profile name leading the way.

With that being at the top of the list, I'd say improved facilities should be second. The Cardinals are rebuilding themselves as a team/culture, though some of the amenities (according to the NFLPA survey) need to follow suit in order for Arizona to rise to the top in terms of organizations.

Personally, I think the locker room could use a nice makeover at State Farm Stadium. I can't say much else from my perspective.

Q: In any given week, it appears that other teams can scheme their receivers 'open' better than the Cardinals have done all season. Some teams make it look effortless (I know that's not the case). Where do you feel our lack of separation falls? Coaching, players? Thanks Donnie! - Jason

A: I think it has to do with a bit of both.

Drew Petzing's offense was never meant to be a barn-burner. Arizona's offensive identity is clear - establish the run, wear you down, and pick up big plays once you're close to the line of scrimmage and tired of James Conner getting six yards per pop.

Michael Wilson isn't known for his separation but is a tremendous big body guy who comes down with tough catches. Marvin Harrison Jr. can get open, but he's still on a learning curve and hasn't mastered the veteran savvy moves that distinguish good from great.

We also have to remember Kyler Murray hasn't had a ton of time on task with this group of receivers. When it comes to timing, you absolutely need to be on the same page, especially in the NFL where quarterbacks have to throw receivers open more times than not.

All of that being said, it ultimately falls on offensive coordinator Drew Petzing to find ways to get guys open, whether that's through route concepts or overall play-calling. I also think defenses have done a good job of taking the top off Arizona's offense and limiting plays down the field.

Q: Drew Petzing's play calling has been bad this year. Any chances the Cardinals look for a new offensive coordinator this offseason? - Paul

A: I'd be surprised, barring a dramatic late season collapse.

The Cardinals simply have not looked connected offensively coming out of the bye week, though we need to remember Arizona tallied over 400 yards of offense against Minnesota - something was clearly being done right, they just ran out of gas in the red zone.

That does fall on the shoulders of Petzing, but I also don't think he's been bad enough to warrant the organization looking at other options.

Yes, Petzing needs to improve. We'd all like to see Marvin Harrison Jr. become more of a factor and see red zone opportunities go from three points to seven.

But for as much bad as there's been, there's also been encouraging signs we've seen from Arizona's offense, which Petzing deserves credit for.

Q: What did you think about Darius Robinson's debut? - Mando

A: I thought he played fine!

It's a tall task to ask a rookie to be Superman in his first taste of NFL action - let alone in Week 13, on the road, against the Vikings.

Robinson didn't flash anything overly impressive or gaudy, but he did find himself getting push on the interior and I'm intrigued to see his development across multiple spots on the DL.

Unfortunately we didn't have much to work with in terms of evaluation, but I do think it wasn't a bad first step for Robinson. I'm excited to see what his second game looks like on Sunday.