Problems for the Cardinals

[PaulW]

1. The blocking schemes that Grimm has for the running game is terrible.
2. The offensive line cannot block for the passing game, Brown & Keith have no idea how to pass block against good pass rushers.
3. Docket (got his contract) & Campbell can not stop the run, just get pushed around.
4. Need to get an OL coach!
5. The 2012 Draft is full of excellent OLB. which should be an excellent way to continue the improvement. The Cards are only 2 years away to become an annual contender.

 

[john h]

1. The blocking schemes that Grimm has for the running game is terrible.
2. The offensive line cannot block for the passing game, Brown & Keith have no idea how to pass block against good pass rushers.
3. Docket (got his contract) & Campbell can not stop the run, just get pushed around.
4. Need to get an OL coach!
5. The 2012 Draft is full of excellent OLB. which should be an excellent way to continue the improvement. The Cards are only 2 years away to become an annual contender.

I think Campbell earns his pay almost every game. I do not know of many better pass blockers around and we would not be a better team without him.

 

[Shzm13]

two years away? Unfortunately, I think its more than that. An oline isnt fixed overnight.

 

[crisper57]

Two words:

Horton and Grimm.

 

[Jasper]

I think our run blocking is ok. We have the strength and might to push and open holes. We haven't rushed as much as we could. We average more than 5 yards per pop.

The problem is with our tackles during pass protection. We should run more so our oline can dish out some punishment instead of taking a beating every pass play. Running gives the line morale while wearing down the dline.

Three choices.
1. Run more, atleast more than 3 times in a half. Try to run 2 plays consecutively.
2. Get a new tackle or two.
3. Teach Kolb to read and throw in under 2 secs, also teach the receivers to get open in under 2 secs. Pretty much shotgun formation all the time for pass plays.

 

[football karma]

when you lead off an analysis with #1 for a team that is averaging 4.8 yards a rush, and whose #1 RB is averaging nearly 6 yards a carry makes me stop reading everything else

 

[thephoenixson28]

With a new oline, and a new defensive coordinator. We will have mistakes. Its only 2 games in the season and people are calling quits. Cmon now.

 

[BigRedRage]

1. The blocking schemes that Grimm has for the running game is terrible.
2. The offensive line cannot block for the passing game, Brown & Keith have no idea how to pass block against good pass rushers.
3. Docket (got his contract) & Campbell can not stop the run, just get pushed around.
4. Need to get an OL coach!
5. The 2012 Draft is full of excellent OLB. which should be an excellent way to continue the improvement. The Cards are only 2 years away to become an annual contender.

I see you listened to wolf this morning.

Docketts job is to swallow up lineman so LBS are free, he is all hustle and is doing what his job is. If we were running 4-3 he should have better stats but a 3-4 lineman is not a statistic job.

 

[Jasper]

With a new oline, and a new defensive coordinator. We will have mistakes. Its only 2 games in the season and people are calling quits. Cmon now.

We are losing hope is because the flaws were obvious before the season started. Everyone knows it, the entire forum knows it. 2 weeks into the season the coaches and management aren't doing anything about it except for some half hearted effort.

1. Our starting CB is out for the season. What do we do? Nothing.
2. Our tackles were terrible since last season, what do we do? Nothing except sign a guard and hope they play better.
3. We lost our #2 in free agency, what do we do? Nothing, except sign some camp bodies.
4. Our #2 RB is out for the season, what do we do? Sign a 2 yard per carry back.
5. Our OLBs were ineffective last season, what do we do? Keep them, sign a ILB and draft a 4th rounder.

We improved at LG, QB and TE resigned our franchise WR but other than that we just moved sideways instead of forward.

 

[Duckjake]

Docket (got his contract) & Campbell can not stop the run, just get pushed around.

Docketts job is to swallow up lineman so LBS are free, he is all hustle and is doing what his job is

Dockett is playing well. The scheme is really taking him out of the game. By running the alignment I keep talking about: Haggans, Dockett, Campbell, Porter. The Cardinals allow the opposing offense to simply double team Darnell and take him out of the play.

I just don't understand the rationale for that alignment. It doesn't put any better pressure on the QB. Doesn't improve pass coverage. And leaves huge gaps for opposing offenses to run through. I don't know how the coaches can't see that.

So there must be something behind it that I haven't heard.

 

[TRW]

Problems for the Cardinals

1) New Defensive Coordinator (again)
2) 2 rookie CB's starting and learning on the fly
3) Weak tackles on the OLine, one probably liveable, the other not so much.
4) Boneheaded coaching that abandons the run EVEN WHEN IT'S WORKING!
5) Very old and weak OLB giving no pass rush at all

There are a few more things that could be on the list, I'm sure, like the front office, ownership, etc., etc.

Suffice it to say, the Cardinals are 1-1 and I think are who we thought they are. Good enough, absent any major injuries to Beanie, Kolb or Fitz, to win this pitiful mess called the NFC West.

BUT, if the Head Coach continues to try to stick out his jaw (a la Cowher) that he doesn't HAVE and keep abandoning the run, winning the division even without those major injuries might be pissed away. He has got to give up playcalling, if he is calling the plays, or tell Miller to get HIS head out of his posterior and RUN THE DAMN BALL!

I still think the Cards will win the division at 9-7 or maybe even 10-6 if they don't suffer the previous mentioned injuries. With their schedule that is not drinking the koolaid IMO.

 

[AsUpRoDiGy]

We are losing hope is because the flaws were obvious before the season started. Everyone knows it, the entire forum knows it. 2 weeks into the season the coaches and management aren't doing anything about it except for some half hearted effort.

1. Our starting CB is out for the season. What do we do? Nothing.
2. Our tackles were terrible since last season, what do we do? Nothing except sign a guard and hope they play better.
3. We lost our #2 in free agency, what do we do? Nothing, except sign some camp bodies.
4. Our #2 RB is out for the season, what do we do? Sign a 2 yard per carry back.
5. Our OLBs were ineffective last season, what do we do? Keep them, sign a ILB and draft a 4th rounder.

We improved at LG, QB and TE resigned our franchise WR but other than that we just moved sideways instead of forward.

I've been saying this since the start of the off-season. The Cards created a false mirage that they were 'trying to improve', for some reason thinking that they were only a 'QB away from being a contender'. Yet they completely neglected a horrible defense, the worst OT duo in the league, and were more than satisfied having 1 avg RB. There's a reason why this FO is consistently ranked at the bottom of the league.

 

[Duckjake]

I've been saying this since the start of the off-season. The Cards created a false mirage that they were 'trying to improve', for some reason thinking that they were only a 'QB away from being a contender'. Yet they completely neglected a horrible defense, the worst OT duo in the league, and were more than satisfied having 1 avg RB. There's a reason why this FO is consistently ranked at the bottom of the league.

A ton of people bought into that. Just read the posts from last year, or this preseason. Everything that was wrong last year was simply a result of poor QB play.

Those few of us that were seriously concerned about the Defense pinned our slim hopes for 2011 on the development of Schofield and Dan Williams and DWash. But Schofield and Big Dan sit mostly on the bench and DWash is hurt.

 

[crisper57]

Here are my solutions:

Dumb down the defense until the secondary gets its act together. Too many blown assignments and mental lapses right now. They clearly don't get Horton's system yet.

No more 7+ step drops, roll Kolb out away from Levi, and have the TE's chip as they release for their routes. Not ideal, as it significantly shortens our playbook, but the alternative is Kolb getting a concussion by Week 5.

 

[thephoenixson28]

We are losing hope is because the flaws were obvious before the season started. Everyone knows it, the entire forum knows it. 2 weeks into the season the coaches and management aren't doing anything about it except for some half hearted effort.

1. Our starting CB is out for the season. What do we do? Nothing.
2. Our tackles were terrible since last season, what do we do? Nothing except sign a guard and hope they play better.
3. We lost our #2 in free agency, what do we do? Nothing, except sign some camp bodies.
4. Our #2 RB is out for the season, what do we do? Sign a 2 yard per carry back.
5. Our OLBs were ineffective last season, what do we do? Keep them, sign a ILB and draft a 4th rounder.

We improved at LG, QB and TE resigned our franchise WR but other than that we just moved sideways instead of forward.

Then judge this team in week 8. We are 1-1 and was close to being 2-0. Every team has flaws, you can't expect to be perfect. We are ranked #11 in total offense. Which isn't bad considering having a new Qb and all, so I wont consider the Oline to be that bad. Not to mention we don't have a legit #2 Wr. I noticed on this site, people push the panic button way to early.

 

[DoTheDew]

I've been saying this since the start of the off-season. The Cards created a false mirage that they were 'trying to improve', for some reason thinking that they were only a 'QB away from being a contender'. Yet they completely neglected a horrible defense, the worst OT duo in the league, and were more than satisfied having 1 avg RB. There's a reason why this FO is consistently ranked at the bottom of the league.

Every team is a QB away from being a contender. Just compare the Colts with and without Peyton while the rest of the roster is almost identical. The idea that a QB would make the difference was not misplaced. The question is whether Kolb is going to get there or not. So far, he's closer to an above average QB than he is to an elite QB.

 

[Duckjake]

Every team is a QB away from being a contender. Just compare the Colts with and without Peyton while the rest of the roster is almost identical. The idea that a QB would make the difference was not misplaced. The question is whether Kolb is going to get there or not. So far, he's closer to an above average QB than he is to an elite QB.

Except for the Patriots. Or the Steelers. Patriots go 11-5 without Brady. Steelers start 3-1 without Big Ben.

Those two franchises are just different.

 

[JeffGollin]

To Frame Things a Bit Differently...

Both our offense and defense has to get to a point where we can control events more often (as in: when we need to pick up 2 yards to sustain a drive, getting them is considered money in the bank. Or: If we absolutely have to shut down the other team on a "must stop 'em" situation, we can feel confident the "D" will get it done.

We really are not that bad, but we're not there yet.

 

[Jetstream Green]

There is a problem with simplifying Horton's defense, there is nothing simple about it even in its base form and the only way to learn is to run it for what it is in game situations. I will not fault anyone till midway into the season, there is just too much that needs to come together still which we simply had not the time to install properly yet and adjust to. There is also no way in hell you can fix all the problems in one off season along the OL and the defense. The only thing which I feel could have been done is not relying on players like Porter and Haggans who have little left in the tank. They have enough to provide decent run support but not enough to provide a pass rush and that is hurting us.

All I know is that there were people who thought the Kolb trade was bad, and to me it seems to have been a very good move so far to fix a problem that was major. Fitzgerald re-signed for the long haul when there was more than a share of people saying that would never happen. Some even went nuts over changing freaking punters? And making a numbered list to show the problems to me is hilarious, as that makes the points more official? I agree this team has problems, and I complain about it like crazy when watching the game but I'm not going to state Whis does not know what he is doing and does not see them too. And if some want to jump on Whis for claiming he said that just the QB fix would fix everything (and he never really said that), then some need to look at themselves, because there are those who said Warner at QB was the reason we won all those games in the past to begin with.

 

[Duckjake]

Does anyone even know what Horton's Defense is?

 

[Cheesebeef]

the idea that we're going to "simplify things and play vanilla" i fear is going to kill this d just as much as the blitzburg version of it. even with mutliple looks/mutliple blitzes, we can't get pressure and we're getting lit up. i fear if we STOP doing that, that whatever little pressure we are getting goes completely up in smoke and then even more good luck to our rookie corners/below average coverage Safeties in trying to guard people for 8 seconds.

still unbelievable to me that we went into the season with zero pass rushers AND completely inexperienced corners. just makes no sense to me. also worries me that as horrific as our OLBs are, that they're still manning the field the overwhelming majority of the game. that either speaks to the coaching staff's stubborness or Schohawk's inability to figure out how to play. neither of which make me feel very good.

 

[Duckjake]

the idea that we're going to "simplify things and play vanilla" i fear is going to kill this d just as much as the blitzburg version of it. even with mutliple looks/mutliple blitzes, we can't get pressure and we're getting lit up. i fear if we STOP doing that, that whatever little pressure we are getting goes completely up in smoke and then even more good luck to our rookie corners/below average coverage Safeties in trying to guard people for 8 seconds.

still unbelievable to me that we went into the season with zero pass rushers AND completely inexperienced corners. just makes no sense to me. also worries me that as horrific as our OLBs are, that they're still manning the field the overwhelming majority of the game. that either speaks to the coaching staff's stubborness or Schohawk's inability to figure out how to play. neither of which make me feel very good.

I feel the same way about Dan Williams being on the bench. Can he also not figure out how to play or get in shape enough to be in the lineup for extended periods?

Dang that's two critical elements of our youth movement.

 

[Cheesebeef]

I feel the same way about Dan Williams being on the bench. Can he also not figure out how to play or get in shape enough to be in the lineup for extended periods?

Dang that's two critical elements of our youth movement.

agreed. especially after week 1 where Williams made a pretty solid impact. where the hell was he last week?

 

[DoTheDew]

Except for the Patriots. Or the Steelers. Patriots go 11-5 without Brady. Steelers start 3-1 without Big Ben.

Those two franchises are just different.

How many SBs did they win with Brady and Big Ben out? I said contender.

The only teams to ever win a SB without an elite QB were top of the line at every other position. Meanwhile, most SB winners had an elite QB and holes at other positions.

 

[Duckjake]

agreed. especially after week 1 where Williams made a pretty solid impact. where the hell was he last week?

One possibility could be that the Coaches feel they have to go nickel far more than normal to cover for the inexperience at CB and other problems in the secondary. This of course leaves no spot on the field for Big Dan. And it also leaves huge gaps susceptible to the Run.