It was well publicized that the Arizona Cardinals were facing a potentially crucial game at this point in the season. Instead of rising to the occasion, they went to Charlotte and mirrored a team that hadn’t played together. Sunday’s loss to the Carolina Panthers, 35-10, was a total team collapse.
There were whispers Saturday evening that Head Coach Dennis Green was going to bench
quarterback Josh McCown and start veteran back-up quarterback Shaun King. It was already known that the two were sharing reps last week which was based on a coaching decision and not because McCown was banged up. When it comes to this current regime, nothing should surprise us. I believe that because of the importance of the game, Green felt like he had to make a change because the offense had been sputtering. He admits to the fact that he’s not a patient person. This probably didn’t help Josh McCown. Looking at his decision, one has to question why King didn’t get all the reps with the first team offense last week in practice. It was obvious that the timing was off between the quarterback and the receivers during the game. Green mentioned on Monday during his morning presser that he didn’t make a decision until Saturday morning. This team needs to identify who their starting quarterback is going into the week. Players were informed on Saturday night of the head coach’s decision. What puzzles me is that McCown was 4-2 in his last six games which included a two-game winning streak. He’s managed the game and for the most part has protected the football especially as of late. Factor in that the offensive line has not played up to par, the play calling is questionable, and the bottom line is that there has not been any continuity. The chemistry has taken a lot longer to accomplish than anyone anticipated.
It is totally unfair to place all the blame on King as it does take a while for the quarterback and receivers to get on the same page. It’s more of a communication factor. It appears though that the former Tulane star will get plenty of opportunity to showcase some of his talents. He will get a chance to lead this team and spin the ball down the field, something that the head coach feels has been lacking in this offense.
“Who is Shaun King?”
Second round pick in the 1999 draft, 50th overall pick, 6th quarterback chosen. Led Tulane University to an 11-0 record and a Liberty Bowl appearance. 5-year veteran – signed a two year contract back in March.
Defensively, the Cardinals had a difficult time stopping the run and putting pressure on the quarterback which was one of the reasons why the Panthers jumped out to a quick lead. Arizona game planned that Carolina was going to run inside the tackles, but instead they ran a lot of toss sweeps to the outside. They also caught Arizona blitzing a couple of times and were able to get big chunks of yards. It got better for Arizona in the third quarter but at that point, they couldn’t overcome some of the turnovers they committed on offense. Not helping, was the fact that second round pick
linebacker Karlos Dansby didn’t suit up because of a neck injury, and Bertrand Berry missed the entire second half with a deep thigh bruise. Not that I need to remind you but the Panthers sixth string tail back, Nick Goings ran all over them 22 times for 121 yards. This included three rushing touchdowns. If there is a consolation prize, it is that four of the six remaining games are at Sun Devil Stadium. A place where they have had success. Seven of their last eight wins over the past two years have taken place at home.
Birdseed
Update Time…. After eleven weeks……. (overall record)
When a team’s quarterback throws 300+ yards in a single game… 21-28 When a team’s wide receiver has 100+ yards in a single game… 45-59
When a team has a 100+ yard rusher in a single game… 84-21
When a team rushes 30+ times in a football game… 102-26
4-6 Teams
Arizona
Buffalo
Chicago
Cincinnati
Detroit
Houston
New Orleans
Tampa Bay
Tennessee
PLAYOFF SEEDS IF THE SEASON ENDED AFTER WEEK 11
AFC
Seed- Team- Record
1-Pittsburgh (North Champions)-9-1
2-New England (East Champions)-9-1
3-Denver (West Champions)-7-3
4-Indianapolis (South Champions)-7-3
5-Baltimore (Wild Card)-7-3
6-N.Y. Jets (Wild Card)-7-3
San Diego-7-3
Jacksonville-6-4
Houston-4-6
Tennessee-4-6
Buffalo-4-6
Cincinnati-4-6
Cleveland-3-7
Oakland-3-7
Kansas City- 3-7
Miami-1-9
NFC
Seed- Team- Record
1-Philadelphia (East Champions) 9-1
2-Atlanta (South Champions) 8-2
3-Green Bay (North Champions) 6-4
4-Seattle (West Champions) 6-4
5-Minnesota (Wild Card) 6-4
6-St. Louis (Wild Card) 5-5
N.Y. Giants-5-5
Arizona-4-6
Tampa Bay-4-6
Detroit-4-6
Chicago-4-6
New Orleans-4-6
Dallas-3-7
Washington-3-7
Carolina-3-7
San Francisco-1-9
•Denver is AFC West Champion based on head-to-head with San Diego (1-0).
•Pittsburgh is first AFC seed based on head-to-head with New England (1-0).
•Denver is third AFC seed based on conference record with Indianapolis (4-2 to Colts' 4-3).
•Baltimore is first AFC Wild Card based on strength of victory with San Diego (.471 to Chargers' .386).
•N.Y. Jets is second AFC Wild Card based on head-to-head with San Diego (1-0).
•Green Bay is NFC North Champion based on head-to-head with Minnesota (1-0).
•Green Bay is third NFC seed based on conference record with Seattle (5-2 to Seahawks' 5-3).
•St. Louis is second NFC Wild Card based on conference record with N.Y. Giants (5-2 to Giants' 4-5).
Courtesy- CBS Sports
NFC West remaining schedule heading into week 12
Seattle… 6-4
Week 12- Buffalo 4-6
Week 13- Dallas 3-7
Week 14- at Minnesota 6-4
Week 15- at N.Y. Jets 7-3
Week 16- Arizona 4-6
Week 17- Atlanta 8-2
(Opponents combined record- 32-28… 4 home / 2 away)
St. Louis… 5-5
Week 12- at Green Bay 6-4
Week 13- San Francisco 1-9
Week 14- at Carolina 3-7
Week 15- at Arizona 4-6
Week 16- Philadelphia 9-1
Week 17-N.Y. Jets 7-3
(Opponents combined record- 30-30… 3 home / 3 away)
Arizona… 4-6
Week 12- N.Y. Jets 7-3
Week 13- at Detroit 4-6
Week 14- San Francisco 1-9
Week 15- St. Louis 5-5
Week 16- at Seattle 6-4
Week 17- Tampa Bay 4-6
(Opponents combined record- 27-33… 4 home / 2 away)
San Francisco… 1-9
Week 12- Miami 1-9
Week 13- at St. Louis 5-5
Week 14- at Arizona 4-6
Week 15- Washington 3-7
Week 16- Buffalo 4-6
Week 17- at New England 9-1
(Opponents combined record- 26-34… 3 home / 3 away)
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