Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
As they say, it's never easy to win on the road in the NFL...just ask the highly touted 49ers who took it on the chin yesterday in Pete-attle. It's especially difficult to win on the road in the first game as well, as every team is reloaded and revamped with new hopes and aspirations. That certainly includes the Rams who have upgraded themselves significantly at the QB position...who still have arguably the best RB in the NFC...and who have an aggressive, tackle the ball style defense.
All this said, for the Cardinals to have made as many mistakes as they did...and to overcome a 4th quarter deficit versus a riled-up crowd...and to have held on to win...were excellent accomplishments under the circumstances. There's no question some of the same old mistakes are hindering the Cardinals as they attempt to move the franchise's hopes of a 3rd consecutive NFC West title forward...yet, there were some laudable breakthroughs in yesterday's game, particularly on defense that---if built upon and further improved---could give the Cardinals strong reasons to believe in their chances this season.
I have come to believe that I should not necessarily believe verbatum in whatever Coach Ken Whisenhunt says to the media...for this week he said that having learned his lesson the hard way in previous years, he simplified the offense this week to ensure the most favorable results. When you look at the plays that were called yesterday and the sometimes brilliant adjustments Whiz made throughout the game, this game plan was not what anyone would call simple. In fact, there were wrinkles that we haven't seen before...such as completely turning around a listless running game in the second quarter by running 5 plays for 65 yards, the 5th of which was a one yard TD plunge by THT. And when you go back and look at the four rushes for 64 yards, what pops out at you is the master trickery of the plays. Virtually all four of the plays, run and executed to near perfection by LSH and THT were sell-out fake (misdirection) runs to one side and backside counter dashes by the RBs. Witness Alan Faneca (who played a very good game, btw) pulling right on several of those occasions only to watch the RB take a jab step in Faneca's direction to sway the defense, then pivot 90 degrees and make a beeline dash for the opposite flat.
These plays happened so quickly and surprisingly even a defensive guru like Steve Spagnuolo didn't have time to adjust and counter.
Offensive Notes:
* Say what you will about Derek Anderson---the man stood in there, took his lickings and kept on ticking. It's obvious at this point he's about as streaky as they come---yet the good news is he got hot at the right times---his 9/14 early and his 6/7 for over 100 yards on the final drive...were impressive and no one can or should deny Anderson that. Sure, his third quarter was about as awful and out-of-sync as having Lyle Sendlein snap the ball into a motioning Larry Fitzgerald and then getting called for an intentional grounding.
* Honestly, I sat there myself pondering whether Whiz would turn to his rally rookie, Max Hall...and I thought that if Whiz was going to do it then, he might never get Anderson back mentally. For some reason, I felt Whiz was very mindful of this and felt assured he would stick with Anderson through thin and thin. But, Whiz has done this before with Anderson---if you recall---in the first pre-season game, where Anderson was having difficulty getting anything positive going---but Whiz stuck with him long enough to watch him march the team down for a nice TD---and, like yesterday there were sighs of relief and smiles on the sideline.
To expect Anderson or any new QB to be in full command and in full rhythm within this offense at this point is totally unrealistic.
What I loved to hear yesterday was that Anderson went back and watched every one of Kurt Warner's games last season---how smart and enterprising is that?
* The bottom line is...despite the turnovers...the Cardinals under Anderson still mustered 5 very good drives (which could have amounted to at least 23 points if not 27) and gained 357 yards...which gives us an inkling that this year's offense may not be that far off in production as last year's, both in terms of total yards and points per game.
* Forcing the ball to a sub-par Larry Fitzgerald was not wise in this game. It was clear---as Fitz lamented himself to the media leading up to the game---that he and Anderson have not had the time to develop their timing and chemistry. The truth is---chemistry and timing are developed in practice, not in games. It's like trying to change your golf swing while in the middle of a round on the course: it never works. You have to make the changes on the range.
* What concerns me about Fitz---certainly not as much as making sure he gets healthy---are these looks of exasperation from him, especially in light of the splash he made in the media this week, first by declaring that he had nothing to do with the Leinart situation and then bemoaning the fact that he and Anderson had not yet developed a chemistry. I have issues with both of those sound bites: (1) OK-Fitz-you had nothing to do with Leinart's situation, but when your friend Cris Carter was calling out ML in the national media you did not diffuse the talk---all you needed to say at the time was that Carter did not speak for you---you did not do that, thus allowing for the speculation that you were worried about getting hurt with ML as QB to gain more credibility; (2) OK-you and Anderson haven't built chemistry because you have been hurt---it's not his fault. He tried to appease you by throwing 15 times in your direction, where on most of those occasions you were very well covered by Ron Bartell. It was not what was best for the team in this game. Anderson also threw a good fade pass to you in the end zone that if you were healthy you would have caught. My point is---you need to take some pressure off your new QB---and focus your energies and rhetoric on helping the team win, even if it means being a decoy on some plays for now.
* I thought the o-line persevered well in this game---let's not forget that this line has been reshuffled---they too don't have their feet wet yet or their chemistry settled down. I still have the picture of Chis Long screaming over to Brandon Keith over and over, "I am going to f you up, man. I am going to f you up, you got that?" And then I have this vision of the play where Keith got a great first jolt in and wound up knocking Long's helmet off. This was the best one-on-one battle of the day and I am proud of Brandon Keith in his very first start---sure, he had his troubles at times---but he gave it his all and he battled like crazy all game. And hey, thanks to Keith steering Long wide of Anderson on the TD pass to Fitz, Anderson was able to step up and make the game-winning throw.
* But---I learned something yesterday that I always wanted to know while Warner was running the offense and that was whether it was Warner's insistance that the Cardinals not chip the stud DEs...because Warner would want all his receivers quicker into their routes and felt he could exploit a mismatch quicker than a stud DE could sack him. Yet, when Whiz left Keith on an island yesterday and never chipped Chris Long---there was the answer---it's Whiz's call---and, by the way, I still worry about this. There are some players you HAVE to chip. The only one I've seen Whiz chip was Jared Allen last year and IMO it was one of the real keys to beating the Vikings. Key too that Jeremy Bridges was at LT that game...and Bridges did a great job, but he had the comfort of knowing he had help.
* They say the little things matter the most at times---how about on THT's first fumble---which, if he carries the ball like he's coached to every day---away from the defense (in this case it should have been tucked away in his left arm)---there's no telling what the Cardinals might have done had they marched right down and made it 7-0. As for THT's second fumble, it makes no sense to start out carrying the ball in both hands and then switch to one on contact.
As for the replay---and these replays take forever---and ruin the momentum of the game--(how about the 5 minute delay on the Amendola catch which was easy to see on the first replay that he caught it---unreal)---refs are human and they like many fans want to give the underdog a chance---if you fumble late in the 4th quarter and there's ANY doubt at all---forget getting the call reversed.
On Komar's fumble---I thought Komar, because he was trying to sprint for the first down, tried to extend himself too much and I give the Ram DBs a ton of credit because when they converged on Komar in swift fashion they both tackled the ball on that play.
* What I love about THT is his toughness...he will run over people next Sunday and hopefully he will hang onto the ball---and Komar---I give him a first game mulligan---he didn't bobble anything in the pre-season. I think that kid is very tough minded---and the way he came back with that 18 yard catch---a key play on the winning drive---says a lot about his character.
* As for Stevie Breaston---Game Co-MVP with Adrian Wilson---Mr. Hustle deserves more than a game ball, he deserves a new 4 year contract, asap.
Defensive Notes:
* The Rams did a very good job of double teaming Darnell Dockett for most of the game. What needs to happen, though is this takes the double team away from the inside which is why we need Dan Williams in there. B-Rob just doesn't have the physical skill to be a factor at NT. It wasn't a fluke that in pre-season Williams led the NTs with 6 tackles---Watson had one and a sack---and Robinson none. To Dockett's credit he returned from getting his bell rung and was a real factor in stopping the Rams down the stretch.
* After giving up the Rams' TD drive on the last series of the half, it conjured up images of the consistent late half meltdowns the Cardinal defense have exhibited the last few years---BUT---the great news is they closed the deal this time in the second half, thanks to some very good pressure---some crafty switches (notice Davis/Henderson switched DRC over to LCB---Bradford's right side---with the game on the line---which forced Bradford to have to suddenly get used to looking to his left instead of to his right---a subtle change, but an important one---where did he throw the interception to Kerry Rhodes? To his left!)...and some textbook safety play by Rhodes, Wilson and Ware. Plus, it was great to see a legitmate edge threat from the OLB position in Joey Porter...on the other side, Clark Haggans was a little too jacked up...but he should return to form this week...he's a trooper and a true leader.
* Another nice adjustment Davis made was on 2nd and longs---he was subbing in his nickel packages and the Rams were countering by running Steven Jackson for some good gains---so Davis still sent in the nickel and then started to run blitz and how about that one play where Jackson was stuffed in the backfield for a 4 yard loss by two Cardinal defenders crashing through the gaps???!!!
* I thought the ILB play from Washington and Lenon was very good. They were smelling plays out very well both versus the run and the pass and delivering good strong hits when they arrived at the ball.
* The tackling in general looks improved...as evidenced by the physical play of Greg Toler...who is relishing his role as a rolled up LCB with safety help behind. And the inside play from Calais Campbell (who had a great sack and should have never gotten a flag for roughing) and from subs Kenny Iwebema and Alan Branch remained impressive.
Special Teams:
* LSH---good KO returns.
* Feely was strong---save the one pooch KO---which Kevin Spencer seems to always call after the Cardinals score a momentum changing TD and this irks me to no end. Sure you want to kick it away from Danny Amendola---I get that---but he hadn't even hurt you on a line drive KO and the way Feely was getting his leg into the ball he could have kicked it for a touchback. Instead the Rams get the ball near ther own 40 yard line---and at that point you might as well have kicked the ball out of bounds.
* Ben Graham was not his sharp self in the 2nd half. First time in ages, really. On the other side Donnie Jones showed why in terms of drive and distance he is the best punter in the NFL.
* For those of you who still want to see Michael Adams cut---again---take a look at the stop he made on Amendola on one of Graham's longest and most returnable punts. Michael Adams is a ST's gem and deserves a great deal of credit than what he gets. This was a critical play in this ballgame.
* Trumaine McBride made a huge tackle on the 4th quarter KO which for whatever reason looked wide open up the middle.
*But---most of all---can any of you remember seeing a Cardinal DB block a punt, get a monster sack and intercept two passes in one game? Kudos to Adrian Wilson who backed up his bold statement that the Road to the NFC West Championship still runs through Arizona."
Well, if he and the defense continue to play like they did yesterday...that road is looking brighter and brighter.
All this said, for the Cardinals to have made as many mistakes as they did...and to overcome a 4th quarter deficit versus a riled-up crowd...and to have held on to win...were excellent accomplishments under the circumstances. There's no question some of the same old mistakes are hindering the Cardinals as they attempt to move the franchise's hopes of a 3rd consecutive NFC West title forward...yet, there were some laudable breakthroughs in yesterday's game, particularly on defense that---if built upon and further improved---could give the Cardinals strong reasons to believe in their chances this season.
I have come to believe that I should not necessarily believe verbatum in whatever Coach Ken Whisenhunt says to the media...for this week he said that having learned his lesson the hard way in previous years, he simplified the offense this week to ensure the most favorable results. When you look at the plays that were called yesterday and the sometimes brilliant adjustments Whiz made throughout the game, this game plan was not what anyone would call simple. In fact, there were wrinkles that we haven't seen before...such as completely turning around a listless running game in the second quarter by running 5 plays for 65 yards, the 5th of which was a one yard TD plunge by THT. And when you go back and look at the four rushes for 64 yards, what pops out at you is the master trickery of the plays. Virtually all four of the plays, run and executed to near perfection by LSH and THT were sell-out fake (misdirection) runs to one side and backside counter dashes by the RBs. Witness Alan Faneca (who played a very good game, btw) pulling right on several of those occasions only to watch the RB take a jab step in Faneca's direction to sway the defense, then pivot 90 degrees and make a beeline dash for the opposite flat.
These plays happened so quickly and surprisingly even a defensive guru like Steve Spagnuolo didn't have time to adjust and counter.
Offensive Notes:
* Say what you will about Derek Anderson---the man stood in there, took his lickings and kept on ticking. It's obvious at this point he's about as streaky as they come---yet the good news is he got hot at the right times---his 9/14 early and his 6/7 for over 100 yards on the final drive...were impressive and no one can or should deny Anderson that. Sure, his third quarter was about as awful and out-of-sync as having Lyle Sendlein snap the ball into a motioning Larry Fitzgerald and then getting called for an intentional grounding.
* Honestly, I sat there myself pondering whether Whiz would turn to his rally rookie, Max Hall...and I thought that if Whiz was going to do it then, he might never get Anderson back mentally. For some reason, I felt Whiz was very mindful of this and felt assured he would stick with Anderson through thin and thin. But, Whiz has done this before with Anderson---if you recall---in the first pre-season game, where Anderson was having difficulty getting anything positive going---but Whiz stuck with him long enough to watch him march the team down for a nice TD---and, like yesterday there were sighs of relief and smiles on the sideline.
To expect Anderson or any new QB to be in full command and in full rhythm within this offense at this point is totally unrealistic.
What I loved to hear yesterday was that Anderson went back and watched every one of Kurt Warner's games last season---how smart and enterprising is that?
* The bottom line is...despite the turnovers...the Cardinals under Anderson still mustered 5 very good drives (which could have amounted to at least 23 points if not 27) and gained 357 yards...which gives us an inkling that this year's offense may not be that far off in production as last year's, both in terms of total yards and points per game.
* Forcing the ball to a sub-par Larry Fitzgerald was not wise in this game. It was clear---as Fitz lamented himself to the media leading up to the game---that he and Anderson have not had the time to develop their timing and chemistry. The truth is---chemistry and timing are developed in practice, not in games. It's like trying to change your golf swing while in the middle of a round on the course: it never works. You have to make the changes on the range.
* What concerns me about Fitz---certainly not as much as making sure he gets healthy---are these looks of exasperation from him, especially in light of the splash he made in the media this week, first by declaring that he had nothing to do with the Leinart situation and then bemoaning the fact that he and Anderson had not yet developed a chemistry. I have issues with both of those sound bites: (1) OK-Fitz-you had nothing to do with Leinart's situation, but when your friend Cris Carter was calling out ML in the national media you did not diffuse the talk---all you needed to say at the time was that Carter did not speak for you---you did not do that, thus allowing for the speculation that you were worried about getting hurt with ML as QB to gain more credibility; (2) OK-you and Anderson haven't built chemistry because you have been hurt---it's not his fault. He tried to appease you by throwing 15 times in your direction, where on most of those occasions you were very well covered by Ron Bartell. It was not what was best for the team in this game. Anderson also threw a good fade pass to you in the end zone that if you were healthy you would have caught. My point is---you need to take some pressure off your new QB---and focus your energies and rhetoric on helping the team win, even if it means being a decoy on some plays for now.
* I thought the o-line persevered well in this game---let's not forget that this line has been reshuffled---they too don't have their feet wet yet or their chemistry settled down. I still have the picture of Chis Long screaming over to Brandon Keith over and over, "I am going to f you up, man. I am going to f you up, you got that?" And then I have this vision of the play where Keith got a great first jolt in and wound up knocking Long's helmet off. This was the best one-on-one battle of the day and I am proud of Brandon Keith in his very first start---sure, he had his troubles at times---but he gave it his all and he battled like crazy all game. And hey, thanks to Keith steering Long wide of Anderson on the TD pass to Fitz, Anderson was able to step up and make the game-winning throw.
* But---I learned something yesterday that I always wanted to know while Warner was running the offense and that was whether it was Warner's insistance that the Cardinals not chip the stud DEs...because Warner would want all his receivers quicker into their routes and felt he could exploit a mismatch quicker than a stud DE could sack him. Yet, when Whiz left Keith on an island yesterday and never chipped Chris Long---there was the answer---it's Whiz's call---and, by the way, I still worry about this. There are some players you HAVE to chip. The only one I've seen Whiz chip was Jared Allen last year and IMO it was one of the real keys to beating the Vikings. Key too that Jeremy Bridges was at LT that game...and Bridges did a great job, but he had the comfort of knowing he had help.
* They say the little things matter the most at times---how about on THT's first fumble---which, if he carries the ball like he's coached to every day---away from the defense (in this case it should have been tucked away in his left arm)---there's no telling what the Cardinals might have done had they marched right down and made it 7-0. As for THT's second fumble, it makes no sense to start out carrying the ball in both hands and then switch to one on contact.
As for the replay---and these replays take forever---and ruin the momentum of the game--(how about the 5 minute delay on the Amendola catch which was easy to see on the first replay that he caught it---unreal)---refs are human and they like many fans want to give the underdog a chance---if you fumble late in the 4th quarter and there's ANY doubt at all---forget getting the call reversed.
On Komar's fumble---I thought Komar, because he was trying to sprint for the first down, tried to extend himself too much and I give the Ram DBs a ton of credit because when they converged on Komar in swift fashion they both tackled the ball on that play.
* What I love about THT is his toughness...he will run over people next Sunday and hopefully he will hang onto the ball---and Komar---I give him a first game mulligan---he didn't bobble anything in the pre-season. I think that kid is very tough minded---and the way he came back with that 18 yard catch---a key play on the winning drive---says a lot about his character.
* As for Stevie Breaston---Game Co-MVP with Adrian Wilson---Mr. Hustle deserves more than a game ball, he deserves a new 4 year contract, asap.
Defensive Notes:
* The Rams did a very good job of double teaming Darnell Dockett for most of the game. What needs to happen, though is this takes the double team away from the inside which is why we need Dan Williams in there. B-Rob just doesn't have the physical skill to be a factor at NT. It wasn't a fluke that in pre-season Williams led the NTs with 6 tackles---Watson had one and a sack---and Robinson none. To Dockett's credit he returned from getting his bell rung and was a real factor in stopping the Rams down the stretch.
* After giving up the Rams' TD drive on the last series of the half, it conjured up images of the consistent late half meltdowns the Cardinal defense have exhibited the last few years---BUT---the great news is they closed the deal this time in the second half, thanks to some very good pressure---some crafty switches (notice Davis/Henderson switched DRC over to LCB---Bradford's right side---with the game on the line---which forced Bradford to have to suddenly get used to looking to his left instead of to his right---a subtle change, but an important one---where did he throw the interception to Kerry Rhodes? To his left!)...and some textbook safety play by Rhodes, Wilson and Ware. Plus, it was great to see a legitmate edge threat from the OLB position in Joey Porter...on the other side, Clark Haggans was a little too jacked up...but he should return to form this week...he's a trooper and a true leader.
* Another nice adjustment Davis made was on 2nd and longs---he was subbing in his nickel packages and the Rams were countering by running Steven Jackson for some good gains---so Davis still sent in the nickel and then started to run blitz and how about that one play where Jackson was stuffed in the backfield for a 4 yard loss by two Cardinal defenders crashing through the gaps???!!!
* I thought the ILB play from Washington and Lenon was very good. They were smelling plays out very well both versus the run and the pass and delivering good strong hits when they arrived at the ball.
* The tackling in general looks improved...as evidenced by the physical play of Greg Toler...who is relishing his role as a rolled up LCB with safety help behind. And the inside play from Calais Campbell (who had a great sack and should have never gotten a flag for roughing) and from subs Kenny Iwebema and Alan Branch remained impressive.
Special Teams:
* LSH---good KO returns.
* Feely was strong---save the one pooch KO---which Kevin Spencer seems to always call after the Cardinals score a momentum changing TD and this irks me to no end. Sure you want to kick it away from Danny Amendola---I get that---but he hadn't even hurt you on a line drive KO and the way Feely was getting his leg into the ball he could have kicked it for a touchback. Instead the Rams get the ball near ther own 40 yard line---and at that point you might as well have kicked the ball out of bounds.
* Ben Graham was not his sharp self in the 2nd half. First time in ages, really. On the other side Donnie Jones showed why in terms of drive and distance he is the best punter in the NFL.
* For those of you who still want to see Michael Adams cut---again---take a look at the stop he made on Amendola on one of Graham's longest and most returnable punts. Michael Adams is a ST's gem and deserves a great deal of credit than what he gets. This was a critical play in this ballgame.
* Trumaine McBride made a huge tackle on the 4th quarter KO which for whatever reason looked wide open up the middle.
*But---most of all---can any of you remember seeing a Cardinal DB block a punt, get a monster sack and intercept two passes in one game? Kudos to Adrian Wilson who backed up his bold statement that the Road to the NFC West Championship still runs through Arizona."
Well, if he and the defense continue to play like they did yesterday...that road is looking brighter and brighter.
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very clever
