azdad1978
Championship!!!!
You must be registered for see images
REGULAR SEASON GAME #7
ARIZONA CARDINALS (2-4) at BUFFALO BILLS (1-5)
Sunday, October 31, 2004
11:00 AM (MST) – Ralph Wilson Stadium
THIS WEEK’S GAME
The Cardinals play the first of two road games vs. AFC East teams when they travel to Buffalo to take on the Bills. It will be the team’s first appearance in Orchard Park since November of 1990. Arizona is coming off a 25-17 home win over Seattle and has won two of its last three contests with a 31-28 OT loss at San Francisco in between. Buffalo lost 20-6 at Baltimore last week to fall to 1-5 on the season. The Bills win came at home against Miami (20-13) on 10/17, which was Arizona’s bye week. The only common opponent between Arizona and Buffalo thus far has been New England, whom both teams hosted in consecutive
weeks. The Cards fell to the Pats in week two (23-12) and the Bills did the same seven days later (L, 31-17).
THE SERIES
The Cardinals and Bills have met seven times since 1971 with the Bills holding a 4-3 advantage over Arizona. The Bills have won the last three meetings of the two teams. That includes a 31-21 win in the most recent match-up, a 12/19/99 Sunday night game at Sun Devil Stadium. The Bills also won the last match-up
in Orchard Park with a 45-14 victory on a cold and blustery afternoon 11/11/90. The last time the Cardinals defeated the Bills was in 1984, 37-7 in St. Louis. According to the NFL schedule rotation the two teams will not face each other again until 2008 when the Cardinals play host to the Bills.
Date Site Result
Dec. 19, 1999 @ Arizona L, 31-21
Nov. 11, 1990 @ Buffalo L, 45-14
Sept. 21, 1986 @ Buffalo L, 17-10
Sept 9, 1984 @ St. Louis W, 37-7
Nov. 15, 1981 @ St. Louis W, 24-0
Nov. 27, 1975 @ St. Louis L, 32-14
Oct. 31, 1971 @ Buffalo W, 28-23
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TELEVISION
Network: FOX
Play-by-Play: Ron Pitts
Color Analyst: Tim Ryan
CARDINALS RADIO NETWORK
Flagship: 1060 KDUS (AM)
KSLX 100.7 (FM)
Play-by-Play: Dave Pasch
Color Analyst: John Mistler
Sideline: Mike Jurecki
CARDINALS SPANISH RADIO
Flagship: KMIA (710 AM)
Play-by-Play: Gabriel Trujillo
Color Analyst: Luis Zendejas
Halftime/Analyst: Felipe Coral
IMPROVEMENT BY THE NUMBERS
Though the Cardinals have just one more win this year than they did a year ago at this point, the statistics show definite evidence that tremendous strides have been made. A year ago through six contests, Arizona surrendered 98 more points that they scored en route to finishing the season with an overall point differential of -227. This year the Cards have scored eight more points than they’ve allowed. An NFL-best 18 takeaways have also contributed to a plus-minus ratio of +8, a marked improvement from the -14 ratio the Cards had through 6 games a year ago.
Overall, the ’04 Cardinals are allowing just 17.3 points/game compared to 30 per contest thru six games in ’03. The offense is also up averaging 18.6 points per contest, up from 13.6.
CARDS “D” MAKING ITS MARK
A year ago the Arizona defense ranked 32nd in the league in points allowed, surrendering a total of 452 or 28.25 points per contest. Through six games in 2004, the Cardinals have been much more respectable with a per game average of 17.3 and is on pace to finish with 277 points allowed (175 fewer than ’03). At one point between games 2-5, the D went two full contests and 13 quarters without allowing a defensive TD. The last time a Cardinals defense went two straight games without allowing a touchdown was in November of 1970, a span of 512 games.
In game 4 vs. N.O., the Cardinals gave up just 41 rushing yards on 14 attempts and the longest run was an 8-yarder by QB Aaron Brooks on the game’s opening drive. It was the fewest rushing yards Arizona allowed in a game since 11/26/95 at Atlanta when the Cards limited the Falcons to 15 carries for 34 yards.
Last week against Seattle, they held all-pro RB Shaun Alexander to just 57 yards on 12 carries and also harassed
Matt Hasselbeck, a Pro Bowl QB in ’03, into the worst day of his career. Hasselbeck finished 14-41 passing for 195 yards and had a career low QB rating (18.9), career high in INT's (4) and a career-low completion percentage (34.1%) since he became a starter in 2001. The Cardinals defense has an NFL-best 18 takeaways, 15.0
sacks, and is the only NFL team not to allow a rushing touchdown.
The defense continues to rank #1 in the NFL in red zone efficiency after allowing just five touchdowns in 21 trips inside the 20 (23.8%). The defense has only allowed five passing touchdowns in those 20 trips with the other possessions resulting in 11 field goals, four fumbles and one clock stoppage.
THE LAST TIME
Bills 31, CARDINALS 21
December 19, 1999 – Sun Devil Stadium – (59,509)
Buffalo’s ball-control offense dictated a two-to-one (39:30-20:30) time-of-possession advantage by accumulating 159 rushing yards on 41 time consuming runs, completing 21 of 32 passes for 217 yards and two touchdowns, and converting 12 of 17 third downs (71 percent) en route to the Bills’ 31-21 victory in Arizona’s final 1999 home game. Buffalo’s first appearance in Arizona completed the Cardinals’ 12th home schedule in the desert. Buffalo jumped to a 14-0 lead on long (67, 80 yards) drives on two of its three first-quarter possessions. The Cardinals answered with two second-quarter touchdown drives (80, 46 yards) to knot the score at halftime. Following intermission, Buffalo monopolized the ball for 23:02 of 30 minutes, rushed 28 times (105 yards), and threw only nine passes en route to 10 offensive points. The Bills’ defense did the rest, stopping the Cards on five of their six second-half possessions (three punts, downs, interception). Arizona closed to within 24-21 with a 26-yard Jake Plummer-to-Rob Moore touchdown pass with 1:49 to play, but Bills safety Henry Jones grabbed the bounding onsides kick that ensued and raced 37 yards untouched for the game-clinching touchdown. Arizona’s offense failed to crack 200 total yards for the second consecutive week, posting 178 total yards (108 passing, 70 rushing). Plummer completed just 11 of 29 passes for 119 yards, 1 touchdown, and 1 interception. Cardinal defensive backs Tommy Bennett (second quarter) and Tom Knight (fourth quarter) thwarted Buffalo drives that had reached Arizona’s 38 and 27-yard lines, respectively, but the Cards offense went three-and-out following both pickoffs. Running back Mario Bates scored two of Arizona’s three touchdowns with his fifth and sixth touchdowns of the season on one- and two-yard plunges to take the team touchdown lead. The Cards’ final 1999 home attendance of 421,173 (52,647) ranked fourth in team single-season annals.
SUNSHINE STATE STARS
Sunday’s game will feature two of the best backs ever to play high school football in the state of Florida – Arizona’s Emmitt Smith and Buffalo’s Travis Henry. The two played exactly a decade apart and their scholastic careers were legendary. Smith played 52 games at Pensacola Escambia High from 1983-86 and holds the state record with 8,804 career rushing yards on 1,127 carries with 106 touchdowns. Henry ranks fifth all-time based on the 7,221 career rushing yards he amassed for Frostproof High from 1993-96. Those stats were largely compiled over three seasons because he played noseguard/tackle as a ninth-grader. His senior season ranks as the state’s best ever. That year he played in 14 games and gained 4,087 yards on 363 carries and 34 TDs (200+ rushing yards in all 14 contests). Emmitt Smith’s senior year ranks #5 all-time (353-2,918-32 TDs in 14 GP).
Another Florida high school star was Arizona WR Anquan Boldin, who was named the state’s “Mr. Football” as a senior at Pahokee High. That year he threw for 2,482 yards and 36 TDs as a senior and rushed for another 1,497 yards and 20 TDs (also recorded four INTs on defense). He set a state record with 11,433 total yards in his high school career.
BOLDIN’S RETURN?
Second-year WR Anquan Boldin, the most prolific rookie receiver in NFL history, has been sidelined for every Cardinals game this season. However, after being listed as “out” on every injury report in ‘04, he will begin the week listed as “questionable” for this week’s game against the Bills. Boldin missed the regular season’s first six games as well as the entire preseason due to a knee injury suffered during training camp.
The league’s Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2003, he underwent surgery to repair a slightly torn meniscus in his right knee on August 11 and has been sidelined since. In 2003, he was the only first-year player selected to the Pro Bowler after he recorded 101 receptions for 1,377 yards and 8 touchdowns in one of the best seasons ever by a rookie receiver. Boldin set the NFL record for pass receptions by a rookie (101), and most receiving yards by a rookie in his first NFL game (217) while tying the Cardinals single-season reception record. A second-round draft pick in 2003 out of Florida State, Boldin became only the 13th
rookie in NFL history to record 1,000 receiving yards.
#1 ALL-TIME… AND COUNTING
With his performance in the season’s first six games, Emmitt Smith has proven that reports of his demise have been greatly exaggerated. The 15-year veteran has started every contest, is averaging 4.2 yards per carry, and has scored a rushing touchdown in five of six games. He has topped 100 rushing yards twice (two of the last three games). Last week vs. Seattle when he went over 100, it was the 78th time in his career and gave him sole possession of the NFL lead in that category (Walter Payton, 77). Through six games in 2004, Smith leads the Cardinals in rushing with 459 yards on 110 carries and five touchdowns. His rushing totals through six games are his best since the 1999 season when he had 515 yards and five TDs after six contests. With five rushing touchdowns so far in ’04 he has more than doubled his ‘02 total (2). Projecting his six game statistics over the entire season and Emmitt is on pace to finish with 1,224 yards and over 13 touchdowns. His best game came vs. New Orleans (10/3) when he rushed 21 times for 127 yards and a 29-yard TD that put the Cards up 27- 10 with five minutes to play in the fourth. On that same TD drive he also had an 18-yard reception and a key first down that moved the ball to the New Orleans 36. The 29-yard TD run was his longest run as a Cardinal. The NFL’s all-time leader in rushing yardage and rushing TDs also pulled off a career first when he completed his first career passing attempt for a 21-yard TD to fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo. The 127-yard rushing game vs. the Saints was his first 100-yard game as a Cardinal and his first since Thanksgiving of 2002 (11/28/02 Dallas vs. Washington when he was 23-144). The last player to top 100 rushing yards after his 35th birthday was Marcus Allen for Kansas City at Oakland on 12/3/95 (21-124). Emmitt topped 100 rushing yards for the second time in ‘04 with a 26-106-1 TD performance last week vs. Seattle. He added another 30 yards on four catches. The TD was fifth of the year and a pivotal play in the game. With Cardinals clinging to a 1- point lead with two minutes to play, he raced 23 yards on a 3rd-n-nine play, putting the Arizona up by 8. In week one at St. Louis, the future Hall of Famer opened the 15th season of his NFL career/second with the Cardinals and did so in impressive fashion. In that game, he ran 16 times for 87 yards (5.4 average) against the Rams with an 11-yard TD run in the third quarter. In week 2 vs. NE, he ran for just 31 yards on 13 carries but scored again on 1-yard TD jaunt marking the first time since December of 2001 that he had rushing TDs on consecutive weeks.
SMITH ON THE NFL’S ALL-TIME LISTS
Most Rushing Yards, Career
1. Emmitt Smith 17,877
2. Walter Payton 16,726
3. Barry Sanders 15,269
Most Rushing TDs, Career
1. Emmitt Smith 160
2. Marcus Allen 123
3. Walter Payton 110
Most 100-Yard Games, Career
1. Emmitt Smith 78
2. Walter Payton 77
3. Barry Sanders 76
4. Eric Dickerson 64
RACK ‘EM UP
Cardinals kicker Neil Rackers is coming off the type of game that kickers dream of. Against Seattle, he claimed a share of the NFL’s all-time single-game record for most 50-yard field goals in a game when he connected on three attempts from beyond that distance (55, 55, and 50). The record was set by Atlanta’s Morten Andersen vs. New Orleans on 12/10/95 (55, 55, and 51). Rackers’ three field goals were accompanied by two PATs, giving him 11 points in the 25-17 victory. He also had a special teams tackle. The pair of 55-yarders by Rackers came with the same two-minute span in the second quarter. The 55-yarders were the longest in the NFL this season, represented the longest field goals of Rackers’ career, and also tied for the longest FG in Cardinals franchise history, accomplished twice by Greg Davis. Both of Davis’ 55-yarders were indoors –12/19/93 at Seattle and 9/17/95 at Detroit. In the 2004 preseason finale, Rackers nailed a 57-yarder at Denver for the NFL’s longest preseason field goal. His only miss in 2004 was a 58-yarder vs. NE in week 2 that was blocked.
Cardinals Record Book - Longest Field Goal
55 Neil Rackers 10/24/04 vs. Seattle
55 Neil Rackers 10/24/04 vs. Seattle
55 Greg Davis 9/17/95 at Detroit
55 Greg Davis 12/19/93 at Seattle
54 Greg Davis 9/25/93 at Detroit
53 Tim Duncan 10/26/03 vs. San Fran
53 Joe Nedney 11/1/98 at Detroit
53 Greg Davis 9/12/93 at Washington
Rackers’ three 50+ field goals vs. Seattle gave him five for the season, three short of the NFL single-season record of eight also set by Andersen in 1995. Rackers entered the season with only three field goals from beyond 50 yards in his career. Rackers leads the NFC with eight touchbacks on kickoffs and trails only Denver’s Micha Knorr (11) who has the NFL lead.
MEN IN THE MIDDLE
Arizona middle linebacker Ronald McKinnon came to the Cardinals in 1996 as an undrafted rookie free agent out of North Alabama. Buffalo middle linebacker London Fletcher entered the league as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Rams in 1998 out of John Carroll in 1998. Over the last five seasons, no player in the NFL has accumulated more tackles than McKinnon & Fletcher.
Player '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 Total
R. McKinnon, AZ 223 208 190 140 136 897
L. Fletcher, Buf. 138 193 189 209 158 887
Z. Thomas, Mia. 167 100 180 195 184 854
R. Lewis, Balt. 198 187 196 85 180 846
D. Brooks, TB 180 179 165 170 151 845
J. Trotter, Phi. 202 171 164 104 129 770
D. Edwards, SD 143 151 147 129 162 732
J. Sharper, Hou. 122 102 135 178 195 732
T. Spikes, Buf. 105 128 173 171 143 720
K. Brooking, Atl. 95 37 167 212 207 718
McKinnon has appeared in all 16 games in seven of those eight seasons (he missed three games in ’98 with a knee injury) and has started 114 of the 131 career games in which he’s appeared for Arizona. He hasn’t missed a game for the Cardinals since that 3-game stretch in 1998 and has a stretch of seven straight 100-tackle seasons entering 2004. Only Miami’s Zach Thomas and Tampa Bay’s Derrick Brooks have more consecutive 100-tackle seasons with eight each.
TAKING IT AWAY
A year ago, the Cardinals finished with a plus-minus of -13 and recorded just 23 total takeways. Among NFC teams, only the Bears (20) and Giants (22) had fewer takeaways and only the Giants had a lower plus-minus (-16). Through six games, the Cardinals are +8 and lead the NFL with 18 total takeaways. A year ago they did not record takeaway #18 until the 15th game of the year (December 21 at Seattle). Among all NFL teams, only the Lions (+10), Giants (+9) and Jets (+9) have a better plus-minus than Arizona and the Cards lead the league with 10 fumble recoveries. Against St. Louis in week 1, the Cards took it away three times (two fumble recoveries and an INT), had no turnovers themselves, and finished +3. Against New England in week 2, the Cards took it away three times (two interceptions and one fumble recovery). At Atlanta, the Cards took it away a then-season-best four times with three fumble recoveries and an INT. Two of them killed drives that had reached the Arizona red zone while the other two gave the Cards offense possession inside the Falcons 20. In week 4 vs. N.O., they had two big takeaways that resulted in a 14-point swing. The first killed a Saints drive at the one with a fumble recovery in the end zone and the second put 7 on the board with a 35- yard fumble recovery for a TD by SS Adrian Wilson. At San Fran in game 5, the D recorded two fumble recoveries – a Tim Rattay fumble on a Bertrand Berry sack that led to a TD and an Adrian Wilson recovery of a Jamal Robertson fumble that killed a 49er drive at the Arizona 14. Last week against Seattle, Arizona failed to record a fumble recovery on defense for the first time in ’04 but INT’d four passes off Matt Hasselbeck.
CARDS-BILLS CONNECTIONS
Buffalo wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert was the wide receivers coach for Arizona in 2003. While in Arizona, he helped tutor Anquan Boldin, the offensive rookie of the year. Arizona safety Quentin Harris was a standout at Syracuse from 1998- 2001 starting 39 of 42 games and finishing his career with 327 tackles (183 solos), 4 forced fumbles, and 4 fumble recoveries. Buffalo special teams coordinator Bobby April was the defensive line/secondary coach at the University of Arizona during the 1980-1986 seasons. Arizona offensive tackle L.J. Shelton and Buffalo fullback Daimon Shelton are first cousins. (Their fathers are brothers) Buffalo quarterbacks coach Sam Wyche was a quarterback for the St. Louis Cardinals for part of the 1976 season. Wyche and Dennis Green were also on the same 49ers staff under Bill Walsh. Arizona play-by-play radio announcer Dave Pasch was the play-by-play commentator for football and basketball for Syracuse University from 1999-2001. He also was the play-by-play announcer for the Bills preseason television broadcasts during 2001. Buffalo rookie quarterback J.P. Losman and Arizona quarterback Shaun King both attended Tulane University. Along with Washington quarterback Patrick Ramsey, those are the three Tulane quarterbacks currently in the NFL. King, Ramsey and Losman rank 1-2-3 on the school’s all-time passing lists. Arizona Director of Media Relations Mark Dalton spent the last six years working in the Bills media relations department before joining the Cardinals last April.
Buffalo guard Chris Villarrial played for Arizona offensive line coach Bob Wylie in Chicago during the 1999-2003 seasons. Arizona linebackers coach Frank Bush (linebackers) and Buffalo defensive coordinator Jerry Gray (defensive backs) worked together for the Houston Oilers during the 1992 season. Arizona offensive tackle Leonard Davis and Buffalo offensive tackle Mike Williams both played their college football at Texas and were both selected in the first round of the NFL Draft (Davis, 2nd overall, 2001; Williams, 4th overall, 2002). Arizona rookie center Alex Stepanovich and Buffalo rookie defensive tackle Tim Anderson were teammates at Ohio State and were both selected in the 2004 NFL Draft (Stepanovich, 100th overall) (Anderson, 74th overall). Buffalo running backs coach Eric Studesville was a graduate assistant at the University of Arizona in 1991. He also was an offensive quality control coach with Chicago during the 1997-2000 seasons where he coached with Arizona offensive line coach Bob Wylie.
ROOKIE IMPACT
While it often takes years to judge the merits of a particular draft class, it’s clear Arizona had a winning one in 2004. All four of the team’s top picks are all in the starting lineup and making significant contributions to the team.
Wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (1st round, Pittsburgh) leads the team with 26 receptions for 371 yards and is second in the NFL among rookies in receiving. Fitzgerald put the Cards on the board first last week with a 25-yard touchdown reception and finished the game with a team-high 73 yards. Linebacker Karlos Dansby (2nd round, Auburn) broke into the starting lineup in game three and has started every game since. He had one of his best games to-date last week vs. Seattle when he recorded an interception and two pass deflections in crucial periods of the game. Dansby’s pick in the second quarter of Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck set up Neil Rackers second 55-yard field goal of the day. Another rookie who has started every game and is making an immediate impact is defensive tackle Darnell Dockett (3rd round, Florida State). A dominant run stopper, his presence has also allowed teammates Bertrand Berry and Calvin Pace to each record four sacks this season. Dockett bagged his first career sack two weeks ago at San Francisco and has 23 total tackles (12 solos) and five for losses. Center Alex Stepanovich (4th round, Ohio State) has started every game and anchors an offensive line that continues to jell each week. The line has paved the way for RB Emmitt Smith to rush for 459 yards on 110 carries. Smith
has recorded five rushing TDs and two 100-yard games.
GREEN ONE SHY OF CENTURY MARK
Cardinals head coach Dennis Green enters Sunday’s game with 99 career regular season wins. A victory at Buffalo would make him the 29th coach ever to record 100 wins and the eight active. Green was named the 33rd head coach in franchise history on January 7, 2004. A proven winner, Green has succeeded as a head coach at the college level with Northwestern (1981-85) and Stanford (1989-91) before achieving even greater success at the NFL level as head coach of the Minnesota Vikings from 1999-2004. In his 10 seasons as head coach of the Vikings, Green led the team to the postseason eight times (with seven different QBs), captured four division titles and advanced to the conference championship game twice. He is one of just eight head coaches to advance to the playoffs in each of his first three seasons and one of just three to lead his team to a 15-win regular season. After posting his first victory with the Cardinals in week 4, he now needs two wins for 100 career regular season victories. He’d become the 7th active coach with 100. Green’s winning percentage of .601 ranks ninth among active NFL head coaches.
TOP ACTIVE NFL HEAD COACHES BY WIN PERCENTAGE
1. Joe Gibbs Washington Redskins 155-63 .711
2. Andy Reid Philadelphia Eagles 56-30 .700
3. Mike Martz St. Louis Rams 46-24 .657
Mike Sherman Green Bay Packers 46-24 .657
5. Mike Shanahan Denver Broncos 104-67 .608
6. Bill Cowher Pittsburgh Steelers 120-77-1 .606
7. Mike Holmgren Seattle Seahawks 119-79 .601
8. Dennis Green Arizona Cardinals 99-66 .600
9. Tony Dungy Indianapolis Colts 80-54 .597
10. Jon Gruden Tampa Bay Bucs 59-44 .572
ODDS & ENDS
• Last week vs. Seattle, the Cardinals held the ball for 39:51 of the game’s 60 minutes. It was the team’s
greatest time of possession advantage since holding it for 39:55 on 12/4/94 at Houston. The span covered 136
non-OT games.
• Second-year WR Bryant Johnson matched a career-high last week with 7 catches for 54 yards.
• RB Emmitt Smith has played the Bills in the regular season just once before in his career – 9/22/96 at
Buffalo when he was 15-25-1 TD rushing. He did face them twice in the Super Bowl, though. In Super Bowl
XXVII on 1/31/93 he was 22-108-1 TD and a year later in Super Bowl XXVIII he earned game MVP honors for
a 30-132-2 TD effort.
• With last week’s win over Seattle, Dennis Green improved his career record after the bye to 10-2 and
upped his personal record against Mike Holmgren to 10-5.
• The Cardinals are the only NFL team that hasn’t allowed a rushing touchdown in 2004.
• Sunday’s game features two of the four WRs taken in the first round of the 2004 Draft: Arizona’s Larry
Fitzgerald (3rd) and Buffalo’s Lee Evans (13th). The other two: Detroit’s Roy Williams (7th) and
Jacksonville’s Reggie Williams (9th).
• A win at Buffalo would end a 16-game road losing streak (longest in the NFL) dating back to 10/6/02 at
Carolina when the team won 16-13.The Cardinals are 0-3 on the road in 2004 but there is no doubt that the
team has made progress. A year ago, Arizona lost its eight road games by an average of nearly 25 points
and surrendered over 35 points per road contest. This year they fell by a touchdown at St. Louis and a field
goal at Atlanta and San Francisco.
• Steelers rookie QB Ben Roethlisberger is 4-0 in his first four starts. The only other rookie in NFL history to start
his career with more wins was current Cardinals QB coach Mike Kruczek, who was 6-0 for the Steelers in
1976.
http://www.azcardinals.com/news/news_details.html?iid=2327
