The Arizona Cardinals allowed 12 touchdown passes last season on attempts that traveled at least 15 yards past the line of scrimmage.
No team allowed more, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
Three observations with the 2011 NFL draft in mind:
Strong safety Adrian Wilson, at his best around the line of scrimmage even when healthy, played through a torn abductor muscle that required surgery. His coverage suffered. Perhaps it improves with a return to health.
Teams throwing longer passes need time for their receivers to get downfield. The Cardinals' outside pass rush wasn't very good. So, while passing stats might suggest a team has issues in the secondary, Arizona could help itself quite a bit by landing an impact pass-rusher in this draft. The rush must improve.
Arizona's entire team struggled. Pass defense was only part of the problem. There are other areas for the Cardinals to address -- quarterback among them -- that could produce more significant results.
The chart shows quarterbacks' passer ratings against Arizona in 2010 by how far the passes traveled past the line of scrimmage before caught.