Cardinals 23 Seahawks 20 Analysis
September 16, 2007 by Walter Mitchell
The key play of the game: With less than two minutes left in a 20-20 game, Seattle was driving for what appeared to be a game winning field goal. The Cardinal fans were making it difficult for the Seattle offense to hear QB Matt Hasselbeck. RB Shaun Alexender thought Hasselbeck called an audible…Hasselbeck hadn’t and tried to hand the ball off to Alexander…while both players looked confused, Cardinal MLB Gerald Hayes bolted through the line and arrived in the middle of the attempted handoff…the ball was fumbled, DE Bertrand Berry tried to scoop it up but the ball bounced loose, where Johnny-On-The-Spot DT Darnell Dockett pounced on the ball. First year head coach Ken Whisenhunt runs RB Edgerrin James right up the middle of the Seattle defense well into field goal range. K Neil Rackers split the uprights with 1 second left and the Arizona Cardinals won their first game of the Ken Whisenhunt era…for yes, a stunning and emotional victory over an NFC West arch-rival…and a game that featured several firsts…
A Game of Firsts:
1. First home game of the Ken Whisenhunt era.
2. Ken Whisenhunt’s first win of his head coaching career.
3. First time the Cardinals’ special teams factored heavily in winning the game in what seems like eons…Sean Morey’s blocked punt…Steve Breaston’s two good punt returns…P Mike Barr’s excellent punts…K Neil Rackers’ clutch kicking, not only on the game winner, but an even more clutch kick was the 52 yarder that tied the game at 20-20.
4. First time the Cardinals have had a 100 yard rushing performance this early in the season in what seems to be ages. Edgerrin James: 24 carries for 128 yards and 1 TD with a long of 17.
5. First home opener start and win for QB Matt Leinart. Leinart was quite good in this game ,as his numbers attest: 23/37, 299 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT.
6. First start for undrafted rookie free agent C Lyle Sendlein, who played a super game for a rookie, which included a couple of near pancakes on Seattle DT Chuck Darby, which paved the way for Edgerrin James’ game winning rushes.
7. My favorite first? The first time a Cardinal punter has made a tackle in over ten years! Kudos Mike Barr…and he even flashed some bravado on the Seattle sideline after the tackle!
8. First time a Cardinal TE has scored a TD from the long end of the redzone in quite some time. Great call by Whiz, perfect execution by Leonard Pope, Matt Leinart and messers Gandy, Wells, Sendlein, Lutui, Brown.
Game Balls:
1. Coach Whiz. Called a very good game…managed the clock beautifully and made good, sound decisions. This one’s for you, Coach!
2. Asst. Head Coach/ O-Line Coach Russ Grimm. The job he’s been doing with an o-line that before this game featured three starters with a combined 11 starts (10 by 2nd year RG Deuce Lutui, 1 for rookie RT Levi Brown and 0 for C Lyle Sendlein), has been nothing short of phenomenal. No sacks on Leinart today against a defense that includes the likes of DE Patrick Kerney, DT Rocky Bernard and OLB Julian Peterson was a tremendous accomplishment! And then…132 rushing yards, with James rushing for 124, wow!
3. The entire offensive line for the second week in a row: LT Mike Gandy, LG Reggie Wells, C Lyle Sendlein, RG Deuce Lutui, and RT Levi Brown.
4. QB Matt Leinart…bounced back very well from a disappointing performance on MNF.
5. WRs Anquan Boldin (4/83/0/35) and Larry Fitzgerald (7/87/0/40) for good bounceback games as well.
6. DT Darnell Dockett, who was clutch early in the game and late in the game.
7. CB Eric Green…save the unfortunate face mask penalty on a play that would have forced the Seahawks to punt (which instead led to a Seahawk TD)…Green was dynamic in this game, flying all over the place.
8. P Mike Barr…was a major factor in this win.
9. K Neil Rackers…was the difference in the game.
10. ST Sean Morey…great block that swayed the momentum heavily in the Cardinals’ favor…plus he had two good third down conversions at WR…and an untimely drop, but Rackers had his back by making the 52 yarder.
11. The 12th Man…the Cardinal fans…whose noise caused the game altering fumble! Special props to the fans who painted the “The Win Streak Starts Today” banner, with the R.I.P. tribute to our King of Cards, Tim Minnick. And…our prayers were answered this week when PACardsfan underwent successful heart surgery and Bobcat’s daughter Terese, came through her operation perfectly well…and the prognoses in Cardinal Nation look rosy today!
12. MLB Gerald Hayes. Made the play of the game and was solid all day in thwarting Shaun Alexander.
13. RB Edgerrin James. Looks like the Edge of old, doesn’t he?
Honorable Mention: LB/DE Calvin Pace…who was around the ball a great deal and was a real stalwart in the run defense. DE Antonio Smith…very active at some key times. CB Roderick Hood…has been a huge upgrade at LCB…made some mistakes on Deion Branch, but for the most past played very very well. ST Coach Kevin Spencer, who rolled sevens and elevens today! And last but not least, DC Clancy Pendergast, who has done a much better job of tightening up the Cardinals’ pass coverage…AND…he had assigned contain on Hasselbeck today!…some blown coverages here and there, like the easy TD pass to Nate Burleson, and some real lapses in attempts to pressure Hasselbeck, but overall a very good job of stuffing Shaun Alexander and the Seattle running game (held to 92 yards…70 for Alexander, mostly all in the 2nd half).
The major thing to improve, beside the pass rush? The penalties. Awful off-sides on Bienemann to start the fourth quarter…on a play that featued Anquan Boldin in a shotgun, and at a time when the Cardinal offense had been marching. Boldin’s hold…Lutui’s hold, Watson’s off-side, Berry’s off-side, Green’s face mask, etc. But, the BEST SCENARIO is…learning from mistakes after a WIN!
The most impressive reality? The Arizona Cardinals are winning the battles up front on both sides of the ball, and have done so two games in a row. The Cardinals HAVE a running game, yes indeed they do! And they HAVE the ability to stuff the run, and they do! Ken Whisenhunt’s focus this off-season was making this team more physical, especially in the middle and making this team more disciplined. As he said, “they weren’t disciplined and they weren’t finshing games strong.” Today the Cardinals finshed the game strong…after all, when was the last time we saw the Cardinals RUN four or five straight plays to get into field goal range and win the game? It may just be yet another…first!
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No game ball for James? Not even an honorable mention?
Oh well, still love ya Mitch.
When I just edited the article I saw that I hadn’t given James a game ball and changed it. As I said, he looks like the Edge of old, doesn’t he?
Really, this was a “team” win. Every bit as much as the Niners games was a team loss. I don’t have a complaint about anything, which is unusual.
Great team win… Everyone was contributing!! It’s going to be a good year!
Quote:
The most impressive reality? The Arizona Cardinals are winning the battles up front on both sides of the ball, and have done so two games in a row. The Cardinals HAVE a running game, yes indeed they do! And they HAVE the ability to stuff the run, and they do! Ken Whisenhunt’s focus this off-season was making this team more physical, especially in the middle and making this team more disciplined. As he said, “they weren’t disciplined and they weren’t finshing games strong.” Today the Cardinals finshed the game strong…after all, when was the last time we saw the Cardinals RUN four or five straight plays to get into field goal range and win the game? It may just be yet another…first!
Don’t want to say I told you guys so when many were panicking even before and after the first game. But the off season program is working, we see it allready. The demands of this staff are real and paying dividends, early. Hope it gives us the winning mindset throughout, that were doing battle every game - 60 mnts. Game ball to Edge.
Team win. I’m giddy. And hoarse. And tired.
No love for Hayes? He was a beast shutting down the inside running game and cause the crucial fumble to win the game.
Whoever says that Hayes isn’t very good needs to rethink that assessment. I’d take 11 Gerald Hayes if I were building a defense. The guy is a very good inside linebacker; more stout than Ronnie Mac and quicker than Eric Hill.
Skkorp comment is all that is needed in response.
And
I have an edit for this article:
“MLB Gerald Hayes bolted through the line and arrived in the middle of the attempted handoff”
should read:
MLB Gerald Hayes bolted through the line and destroyed everything in sight. Matt Hasselbeck when one way, Shaun Alexander went the other way, and the ball went flying backwards onto the ground.
It was like someone threw a hand grenade in the Seahawks backfield.
It was a good win, and everyone’s correct in saying that it was a team win, and the 12th man was present in the form of the Arizona Cardinals fans. The stadium was absolutely deafening at times.
I’m surprised that no one’s mentioned Bryant Johnson yet. He may have only had 2 catches for 23 yards, but both catches were in 3rd-and-long situations and both passes were incredibly difficult catches. #80 did a fantastic job playing through injury.
Also, while the offensive line is getting justified praise in clearing running lanes for Edgerrin James, they leave something to be desired in pass pro. The Seahawks didn’t get to Leinart on Sunday, but he was consistently harassed and was unable to set his feet often in the pocket. If the OL can get their pass pro schemes working as well as their run block sets, this offense is going to be impressive.
A Seahawk fan directly behind me at the game applauded when Larry Fitzgerald walked off the field after that nasty hit. I don’t know if there’s an opposite of a game ball (”balls kick”?), but that fan definitely deserved one.
K9…
Totally agree on BJ….that first catch was amazing.
With Edge breaking off some runs, where is the play action? We needed alot more of it in the 2nd half.
Great win…can’t wait for an easy one, so that my heart can take a vacation.
Only thing I have to disagree with is the game ball to Eric Green. Dudes continued tackling of the football rather then the player accounted for most of the long plays and the TD reception. To many missed tackles to get a game ball.
In answer to the question about running the ball to kick a FG for the win, I remember an overtime victory in Busch Stadium in which Jim Otis ran the ball six times, followed by the winning field goal. Sheer poetry.
“Looks like the Edge of old”? Is that you’re passive aggressive way of saying “I was wrong”? You know, it is okay to actually just say those words once in a while. I’ve been COMPLETELY wrong about what this O-line can do, as well as our rushing defense. Nothing makes me happier than to say I’m wrong about negative opinions I have about our boys - I just don’t understand why others can’t do the same.
CP was brilliant once again! Huge win for this franchise. Two real tough games coming up!
Go Cards!
K9!! Good to see you posting at least here. We miss you, man.
Anyway, you nailed something there…BJ was great in limited action coming off a hammy injury. The catch he made in the first was ridiculous! He was tackled BEFORE the ball got there (no flag, I don’t know how) and he still caught the ball. It was a tone-setting catch. Just great.
I couldn’t be prouder of our guys.
And I have to say as well, that Bad Bad (Levi Brown, baddest man in the whole damn town) is a great run blocker. He will learn to pass protect and will definitely earn some pro bowls. He is devastating at attack. He pancaked his man on the Edge TD run, where Edge ran right off his butt for an untouched 17 yard score. Watch him late in the game. He handles his man, then releases and gets another at least two times. One play he blocks his man and sticks out an arm and shoves another defender out of the way and edge gains about 7 to the right.
I am soooo happy with this pick. Grimm saw something in him, and wanted him over Joe Thomas. I am sure we would have taken Bad Bad if JT were still on the board. Grimm was right, and he has this oline playing on fire. I love it!!