WaldSkins
09-15-2008, 07:20 PM
It’s Monday afternoon and I’m still feeling great about yesterday’s win and the prospect of JC taking the mythical “next step” that we’ve all been anxiously awaiting. That said, euphoria is beginning to give way to reason. Thoughts of 4th string Rookie DB’s being burned by a veteran pro bowl caliber receiver aren’t psyching me up as much as they did on Sunday.
As fantastic as it was to see aggressive, successful play calling, the fact that it didn’t come against the ’85 Bears or the ’00 Ravens bares mentioning. After only two weeks, the Saints rank 26th against the run and 28th against the pass. I’d be positively less than enthusiastic if the game hadn’t been nearly so close as the final score would indicate and if we hadn’t absolutely dominated this team between the 20’s.
That brings us to week 3. As some of you know, the Cardinals are my “2nd team.” Don’t get me wrong, the difference between my loyalty to the Skins and the Card’s is something akin to the difference in love you feel for your first son, who looks exactly like you and has many of your same attributes, compared to the mere “affection” you have for your 2nd child, whose hair color is a shade never before seen in your family, and who happened to come along 9 months after your wife spent a drunken weekend at a friend’s bachelorette party in Las Vegas. Having said that, I still feel that I have a little more respect for the battered Arizona franchise than most and would like to point out some interesting facts as we head into our 3rd matchup of the season.
The Cardinals’ defense is GOOD. Through Week 2 (among teams that have played both games) the Cards are ranked 4th in the NFL in points allowed, 9th against the run and 14th against the pass. The secondary is a standout group with potential to be special. Rod Hood is a legit number 1 NFL CB (5 ints in ’07), Eric Green is a solid, if unspectacular #2 and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie playing at nickelback is a wild card. Safeties Adrian Wilson and Antrel Rolle (5 ints last year in limited time) combine to form one of the top duos in the league. I believe going up against a secondary of this caliber will give us a pretty good read on just how much progress JC and the rest of the offense have made. I will be surprised if we score more than 24 points and get out of this game without any turnovers by JC. If that happens, then I will have to seriously upgrade my expectations for this year.
This is no surprise to anyone paying attention, but the Cardinals’ offense can put up points with anyone in the league. The Cardinals are ranked 5th in the NFL through week 2 in total offense among teams that have played both of their games. They are 3rd in the NFL in passing yardage (no big surprise) and 17th in rushing. I think they made the obvious (correct) choice in naming Kurt Warner the starting QB. He has not thrown a pick yet through 2 games and if he is given time can light up a defense. The plus side is that the Oline has given up 5 sacks through 2 games and Warner’s M.O. is to get careless with the ball once you rough him up. The Cards have averaged less than 100 yds per game rushing as a team and I believe we have an opportunity to make them one dimensional early. Edgerrin James is still serviceable, but he’s no longer the player that he was in Indianapolis (nor does he have the same quality Oline…). While EJ had a respectable 3.8 yd per carry average last year, I think our D line should be able to shut him down.
Key Matchups:
DEFENSE
Andre Carter vs Mike Gandy
Gandy is a below average left tackle. He struggles versus speed rushers due to poor footwork and lack of quickness. This is a guy that Andre Carter should abuse. With Jason Taylor gimpy and matched up with a promising Levi Brown, AC needs to have a big game for us here. If he can generate a consistent pass rush on Warner, we may be able to get ahead early in the turnover battle.
OFFENSE
Chris Cooley vs Karlos Dansby
Dansby is a beast at LB. Athletically, he’s one of the few linebackers that I feel can cover Cooley man to man. If he’s able to limit CC’s effectiveness, that’s obviously going to disrupt our gameplan. If CC can win this matchup though, that could be decisive in our favor.
Prediction: Skins win 24-21 in a close game that could preview a possible post-season matchup.
The Cardinals have given up 43 points in two games and that was to the Seahawks and 49ers. We have only given up 40 and that was to the Super Bowl champs and the Saints. Where are you getting your numbers??
As fantastic as it was to see aggressive, successful play calling, the fact that it didn’t come against the ’85 Bears or the ’00 Ravens bares mentioning. After only two weeks, the Saints rank 26th against the run and 28th against the pass. I’d be positively less than enthusiastic if the game hadn’t been nearly so close as the final score would indicate and if we hadn’t absolutely dominated this team between the 20’s.
That brings us to week 3. As some of you know, the Cardinals are my “2nd team.” Don’t get me wrong, the difference between my loyalty to the Skins and the Card’s is something akin to the difference in love you feel for your first son, who looks exactly like you and has many of your same attributes, compared to the mere “affection” you have for your 2nd child, whose hair color is a shade never before seen in your family, and who happened to come along 9 months after your wife spent a drunken weekend at a friend’s bachelorette party in Las Vegas. Having said that, I still feel that I have a little more respect for the battered Arizona franchise than most and would like to point out some interesting facts as we head into our 3rd matchup of the season.
The Cardinals’ defense is GOOD. Through Week 2 (among teams that have played both games) the Cards are ranked 4th in the NFL in points allowed, 9th against the run and 14th against the pass. The secondary is a standout group with potential to be special. Rod Hood is a legit number 1 NFL CB (5 ints in ’07), Eric Green is a solid, if unspectacular #2 and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie playing at nickelback is a wild card. Safeties Adrian Wilson and Antrel Rolle (5 ints last year in limited time) combine to form one of the top duos in the league. I believe going up against a secondary of this caliber will give us a pretty good read on just how much progress JC and the rest of the offense have made. I will be surprised if we score more than 24 points and get out of this game without any turnovers by JC. If that happens, then I will have to seriously upgrade my expectations for this year.
This is no surprise to anyone paying attention, but the Cardinals’ offense can put up points with anyone in the league. The Cardinals are ranked 5th in the NFL through week 2 in total offense among teams that have played both of their games. They are 3rd in the NFL in passing yardage (no big surprise) and 17th in rushing. I think they made the obvious (correct) choice in naming Kurt Warner the starting QB. He has not thrown a pick yet through 2 games and if he is given time can light up a defense. The plus side is that the Oline has given up 5 sacks through 2 games and Warner’s M.O. is to get careless with the ball once you rough him up. The Cards have averaged less than 100 yds per game rushing as a team and I believe we have an opportunity to make them one dimensional early. Edgerrin James is still serviceable, but he’s no longer the player that he was in Indianapolis (nor does he have the same quality Oline…). While EJ had a respectable 3.8 yd per carry average last year, I think our D line should be able to shut him down.
Key Matchups:
DEFENSE
Andre Carter vs Mike Gandy
Gandy is a below average left tackle. He struggles versus speed rushers due to poor footwork and lack of quickness. This is a guy that Andre Carter should abuse. With Jason Taylor gimpy and matched up with a promising Levi Brown, AC needs to have a big game for us here. If he can generate a consistent pass rush on Warner, we may be able to get ahead early in the turnover battle.
OFFENSE
Chris Cooley vs Karlos Dansby
Dansby is a beast at LB. Athletically, he’s one of the few linebackers that I feel can cover Cooley man to man. If he’s able to limit CC’s effectiveness, that’s obviously going to disrupt our gameplan. If CC can win this matchup though, that could be decisive in our favor.
Prediction: Skins win 24-21 in a close game that could preview a possible post-season matchup.
The Cardinals have given up 43 points in two games and that was to the Seahawks and 49ers. We have only given up 40 and that was to the Super Bowl champs and the Saints. Where are you getting your numbers??