Do the Cardinals a favor this week: Don’t say a nice thing about them.

CardLogic · January 4th, 2009, 09:48 PM

Ok, I never thought I would think this, but the Denny Green line is becoming overused. But other than the title Bordow might be on to something here!

The Cardinals cannot afford to be satisfied with their performance in Saturday's game vs. the Falcons. They have got to step it up yet again if they expect to beat the Panthers in Carolina this week.

Cards not who critics thought they were

Scott Bordow, East Valley Tribune

Do the Cardinals a favor this week: Don’t say a nice thing about them.
Tell them they were lucky to beat the Atlanta Falcons, 30-24, Saturday.
Insist they have no chance to beat the Carolina Panthers or New York Giants this coming weekend.

And if you really want to help, remind them of how they play like dogs east of the Mississippi.

See, we finally know what it takes for the Cardinals to grow up: Abuse.
All the Cardinals heard this past week was that they would be birdseed for the Falcons. They were too fragile, too soft, too one-dimensional.

The criticism stung. But it also woke Arizona up from the nap it had been taking since clinching the NFC West title in early December.
"A lot of people came into this game saying we were the worst playoff team ever," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "We rallied around that."

That theme resounded through the locker room, from one corner to the other. The Cardinals couldn’t wait to punch back at their critics.
Whisenhunt: "It’s hard not to see it and hear it when you’re one of four games being played and everyone is taking a shot at you."

Defensive tackle Darnell Dockett: "We looked at the media and they didn’t give us a chance in any category. They said the only thing we had that was better than the Falcons were our receivers. Are you kidding me?"
Defensive end Antonio Smith: "We ain’t no pushovers."

Should the Cardinals need bulletin board material to get their attention? Probably not. It’s the playoffs. That should be motivation enough.
But Arizona isn’t a mature football team. At least, not yet. Success goes to its head, and it gets fat and happy and, yes, lazy.

Disrespect the Cardinals, however, and you get their attention. You get their energy, their best effort and 62,848 jubilant, towel-waving fans saluting them as they run off the field.

"Nobody gave us a chance," safety Adrian Wilson said. "There was a lot of talk in the paper from them (the Falcons) about how it was a blessing to come out here. They thought they were going to be able to do what they wanted. But it’s not sweet out here."

All the criticism that had dogged the Cardinals the past few weeks was silenced Saturday.

Can’t stop the run?

Arizona held Falcons running back Michael Turner to 42 yards on 18 carries, and the biggest play of the game came early in the third quarter when Dockett blew through the Falcons’ offensive line and Turner, worried about being hit, failed to secure the handoff. Safety Antrel Rolle picked up the fumble and ran 27 yards for a touchdown to give Arizona a 21-17 lead.
"They tried to run, but they didn’t have a lot of success," Whisenhunt said. "… I think today you saw a defense that was focused and disciplined."

Can’t run the ball?

Edgerrin James had 73 yards on 16 carries, and the Cardinals were as balanced offensively they’ve been all year, with 32 passes and 28 runs.

Fold at the first whiff of adversity?

The Falcons controlled the ball for 21 minutes in the first half. Arizona ran just seven offensive plays in the second quarter and five of them didn’t gain more than a yard.
Then Rolle picked up Turner’s fumble, and the game did a 180. Atlanta had just 61 total yards in the second half, and the Cardinals played keep-away, holding the ball for a little less than 21 minutes themselves.
"The development of a good team is being able to really withstand those momentum swings, and I think we did a great job of that," Wilson said.

The challenge now for the Cardinals is to take that hunger with them to the East Coast and not be satisfied with what they’ve accomplished. The good news: There won’t be a soul outside their locker room that will give them a shot against either the Giants or the Panthers.
"I like being the underdog," Whisenhunt said with a smile.

So bag those compliments and grab the ax.
The best thing you can do for the Cardinals the next few days is cut them down to size.

Perfectionist · January 5th, 2009, 12:32 AM

Ok, Cards suck. No way we can win in Carolina, my Grandma could score more than the Cards. Come on Cards read this!!

Now go out and crush the Panthers!!

Perfectionist · January 5th, 2009, 01:21 AM

Here we go for starters: LINK

2. Which Cardinals defense will show up this week: The one that shut down Atlanta Falcons Pro Bowl running back Michael Turner or the one that played horribly in the final six weeks of the regular season?
The Cardinals are about to come back to earth when they visit the Carolina Panthers on Saturday. Yes, Arizona was jacked up for its 30-24 win over Atlanta on Jan. 3 and deserves credit for holding Turner to just 42 yards on 18 carries. But let's not assume this team is ready to shut everybody else down. The Falcons made plenty of mistakes -- from critical dropped passes to missed assignments -- that helped Arizona's defense appear more dominant. The Panthers aren't likely to make those same errors Saturday.

3. Carolina's defense surrendered 65 points combined in its last two regular-season games. Should the Panthers be concerned with Arizona's high-scoring offense coming to town?
No. Sure, the numbers don't look good, but the Panthers' defense also was worn down toward the end of the regular season. Both starting defensive tackles (Damione Lewis and Maake Kemoeatu) sat out the regular-season finale, a win over New Orleans, and the Panthers' bye gave them valuable rest. The Panthers also know the best way to help their defense is to run the football and control the clock. With the dangerous tandem of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart in the backfield, they'll get back to doing just that.

6. Can the Cardinals keep running the football as they did against Atlanta?
Probably not. The Cardinals deserve credit for making a stronger commitment to the run against the Falcons, but this team still had the worst rushing offense in the league. It's just impossible to think Edgerrin James is going to continue playing well (he has 173 combined yards in his past two games) after playing so miserably the rest of the year. The same holds true for fellow Cardinals runner Tim Hightower. When it comes down to it, this is a team that will need to throw to beat Carolina.

9. Which player could be the X factor in the Panthers-Cardinals game?
Muhsin Muhammad. The Panthers were excited to get this 13-year veteran wide receiver back on their roster during the offseason and now we know we know why: The guy can play. Muhammad had 65 receptions for 923 yards and five touchdowns during the regular season and his blocking remains as good as it gets from an NFL receiver. Quarterback Jake Delhomme also loves having a proven playmaker who can be relied on when defenses devote too much focus to Pro Bowl wideout Steve Smith. So look for Muhammad to provide some valuable contributions to the Panthers' offense this weekend.

10. Which teams are going to advance to the NFC Championship Game?
New York and Carolina. The Eagles seem scary, they beat the Giants once and played them tough back in November (a 36-31 loss in Philadelphia), but the Giants coming off the bye makes them too tough to pick against. As for the Panthers, all you have to know is Arizona was 0-5 when it traveled to the East Coast this season, including a 37-23 loss to Carolina on Oct. 26. The Cardinals aren't about to find some magic cure for those problems this time around.
Senior writer Jeffri Chadiha covers the NFL for ESPN.com.

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