Sneaking Off With The Cheese

October 7, 2007 by Walter Mitchell

The mousetraps that Head Coach Ken Whisenhunt warned his Cardinals of this week were set and fully loaded with cheese. In what was a turbulent see-saw affair, chock-full of bigtime plays, highlight reel hits and controversial calls, the Cardinals made out of St. Louis with a good 34-31 road win…and enough tasty cheddar to find themselves 2-1 in the NFC West and tied for first place at 3-2. Position Notes:

QB: Matt Leinart turned in a stronger first half performance this week, save one ill-advised throw into double coverage that halted what appeared to be a very good first drive. Kurt Warner, amidst a standing ovation from the nostalgic St. Louis fans, entered the game with the team trailing, and proceded once again to march the offense down the field for a score. After a rejuvenated defense earned a quick three and out of the Rams’ offense, and with just a little over three minutes left in the half and momentum clearly on the Cardinals’ side, Ken Whisenhunt curiously elected to go back to Leinart. Not only did the offense sputter, Leinart suffered a broken clavicle which will likely sideline him until Thanksgiving. Warner returned and struggled at times running the base offense, but finished the game strongly with a TD stike on a perfectly executed red zone out-and-up by Larry Fitzgerald.

RB: Edgerrin James rushed for 88 tough yards on 28 carries…the most impressive yards coming on a third and three quick toss left during the game winning drive. Marcel Shipp’s fine run on a draw play helped set up Neil Rackers’ 50 yard field goal to get the Cardinals on the board. And J.J. Arrington had a terrific long scamper on a screen pass.

OL: An injury to RT Elton Brown forced the Cardinals to switch Reggie Wells to RT and insert Lyle Sendlein at LG. The unit was not quite as effective as it has been, particularly in the running game…but they persevered and got the job done. Wells made the play of the day…ripping the ball away from a Ram defender in the endzone following a mysterious fumble call from the team of officials, when the replay showed conclusively that Edgerrin James was down at the one yard line before the ball squirted out.

WR/TE: Larry Fitzgerald put up big numbers again (9 catches for 136 yards and 1 TD) without Anquan Boldin on the field. Bryant Johnson and Jerheme Urban made some nice catches, but neither was a consistent factor. It appeared that Warner felt he could get a TD from Steve Breaston, misfiring twice in his direction in the red zone. The TEs, once again, were basically invisible.

DL: Calvin Pace was the team’s best pass rusher and is really coming on in that role. Darnell Dockett and Antonio Smith, last week’s starts, did not make many plays this week. Gabe Watson was very active. And Bertrand Berry registered a nice sack late, which was encouraging following Berry’s fatigue late in last week’s game.

LB: Karlos Dansby played tough all afternoon, despite nursing a slightly separated shoulder. Dansby was very physical. Gerald Hayes had some nice hits, but both Hayes and Dansby at times were a step slow to the ball, which in part is the reason why the Rams’ Brian Leonard rushed for 103 yards.

DB: Roderick Hood stole the biggest wad of gorgonzola…as his second half dogging of Torry Holt and others was a huge momentum swing in this game, punctuated by a stunning TD interception return of an underthrown Gus Frerrotte pass, which broke a 20-20 tie and stymied what appeared to be a Ram scoring drive. Eric Green wasn’t nearly as tested as Hood. Adrian Wilson turned around what had been a very quiet day, which included a bonehead personal foul penalty, with a beautiful interception that he first tipped into the air and then gathered. Terrence Holt gave the over the top support at times that the Cardinals needed.

ST: Kudos to Rackers for making the 50 yarder to tie the game at 3-3…much needed points at that tenuous juncture of the game. Kudos also to Steve Breaston for nearly breaking away with another return…this time on a kickoff return. And save one big return from Dante Hall, the Cardinal cover teams were solid…two of the more impressive tackles were made by Darryl Blackstock and Ralph Brown.

Coaching: Rave reviews to Whisenhunt for setting the tone for this game early in the week in the Cards’ lockerroom and then making some great calls, particularly on the last drive with the quick toss to James and the decision to go for Fitz in the end zone up 4 with 3 minutes left (This suggests that Whiz learned from the past losses where he left the fate of the game up to the defense, when he had chances to take scoring shots). Raves too to Clancy Pendergast for double teaming Torry Holt. That’s the best the Cardinals have ever dogged him. He only caught 5 passes…which was a key stat that may have been a tad overlooked in this game. In addition, ST coach Kevin Spencer deserves high priase for the way he had his “All-Hands” team attack the Rams, thus allowing Larry Fitzgerald a clear shot at the ball.

What will Whiz be draping in the Cards’ clubhouse this week? Peter Sellers’ photos? (The Pink Panther, of course!) Or maybe he’ll be pumping “Carolina On My Mind” over the loudspeakers. Regardless, keep the messages coming Whiz…and, of course, keep keeping us all guessing with the playcalling…it’s a joy to watch a master at work!

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