Week 2 - Cardinals vs. Dolphins Analysis (From A Fan Not Spam)
Mac
What a game out of the Arizona Cardinals, I couldn't have envisioned
a better game from our squad and they did exactly what we had hoped
they would - got off to a big lead and they didn't let up. In previous
seasons we saw the Cardinals let us down in games like this where they
were the clear winner on paper prior to the game only not to show up
and lose to a team they were better then. The Dolphins are far from a
good team but they did play the Jets very tight and as aforementioned
this is the type of game we have blown in previous seasons.
The Good:
What wasn't good? Warner was spectacular posting a perfect QB ratings
and throwing for well over 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. A quarterback
performance doesn't get any better than what Warner showed us in week
two. Boldin and Fitzgerald were also as good as it comes, catching 12
passes for close to 300 yards and 3 touchdowns. The performance out of
these three guys was outstanding and it's hard to think any team is
going to be able to contain the combination of Fitzgerald and Boldin.
The defense. Once again Bertrand Berry deserves mention for another
big sack and a few nice tackles, it appears he might be returning to
form and if he does; as I mentioned prior to week one - he's going to
make us forget about Calvin Pace real quickly. Karlos Dansby once
again led the team in tackles. The defense didn't create turnovers the
way they did in week one and the way they did all of last season, but
they held the combination of Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams to under
2.5 yards per carry which is a very encouraging statistic in my mind
following what Frank Gore did to us in the previous week. Also a tip
of the cap to Rodgers-Cromartie who is making his presence felt on the
field with a few tackles and a nice pass deflection.
Ben Patrick. As you all know I am huge on Ben Patrick and I think he
showed why this weekend. He snagged four passes one of which was a big
15 yard reception. This kid has skills, and if Warner gains confidence
in him then adding him to the killer combination of Fitzgerald and
Boldin is going to send tremors throughout the NFL.
The Bad:
I didn't see a lot of bad. We didn't collectively rush for 100 yards
which is usually a red flag for me but at the same time we threw for
close to 400 yards so I really can't put the our rushing game in this
category. We allowed a couple of sacks and some pressure on Warner but
once again I don't think that justifies putting the offensive line in
this category.
All in all the team played spectacularly. We kept the Dolphins to
well under 100 yards rushing, well under 200 yards passing, and if it
wasn't for a cheap touchdown the Dolphins would have been held to just
a field goal. This coming weekend is the toughest test of our young
season and is going to show what this team is made of. The Washington
Redskins are far from a great team but I think they are better than
the 49ers and I know they are better than the Dolphins. Clinton Portis
is a great RB, Jason Campbell looked great last weekend, and Santana
Moss is a stud. I am very high on the Saints and was surprised the
Redskins knocked them off, the question is; is this another game the
Cardinals should win? Hard to say. I think the Cardinals are a playoff
team but I see them as a team similar to the Saints in terms of talent
and ability. I think the Cardinals should win this game but playing on
the road makes me want to say this game is a toss up. We are going to
find out a lot about our squad this weekend.
NFN Smith
> What a game out of the Arizona Cardinals, I couldn't have envisioned
> a better game from our squad and they did exactly what we had hoped
> they would -
A blow-out of a crummy team, where the game was pretty much over by
halftime.
It doesn't yet mean that they're a good team, but unlike other years, at
least the Cardinals decisively beat somebody bad. That's a start.
A refreshing difference from too many Cardinal games where they don't
score in the first quarter, the third quarter is dominated by
three-and-out series by the offense and bend-but-don't-break stands by
the defense (where the defense finally is exhausted early in the 4th
quarter, and collapses).
Something that's really helpful is that there's enough depth in the
defensive front seven, where the Cardinals can continually rotate
players to keep them fresh, so that they're still productive in the 4th
quarter.
> The Bad:
It's small, but the first two plays of game for the offense were a delay
of game penalty and then an illegal formation penalty. To me, that says
that the offense wasn't ready to play, and that's inexcusable at the
beginning of the game, when everybody should *know* what the first play
is going to be, before they step onto the field.
Although the team settled down, there were still too many penalties,
especially in the first quarter.
>
> The Washington
> Redskins are far from a great team but I think they are better than
> the 49ers and I know they are better than the Dolphins.
Hard to say where the Redskins are. Yes, they have more talent than
either the Niners or the Dolphins. However, they looked pretty bad
against the Giants, like they weren't well prepared to play. It could
be that they're still learning Jim Zorn's system.
Smith
become...@hotmail.com
Warner hasn't had much success playing in Washington in terms of
coming out with a win. I don't know his record in Washington
exactly...
I think it's good the 'skins won against the Saints because they may
have been in one of those "too destined to win to avoid an 0-3 start
and losing and losing at home." You may laugh, but we see this often
in the NFL.
The 'skins are one of those teams that can be dead centre average,
they are in that Seatle Seahawk category, not too crappy to be
compared to the Lions, but never good enough to be compared to the
Cowboys Colts League. They are just an average team. I think the cards
actually have much more talent then the 'Skins do on their roster,
it's unfortunate the 'skins made the playoffs in 07 instead of the
Cards.
If the Cards win, people will around the league may start (very
slowly) talking (just a wee bit) about the Cardinals place in the NFL
in 2008.
At 3-0 , it's way too early to talk playoffs, but statistically teams
that start 3-0 make the playoffs more often than not.
At 3-0 , I think it will become more clear that Warner was the right
decision at the time. However, it's again, just 3-0 and that can go up
in smoke, so Warner must stay focussed and determined. It was unheard
of that at the begining of the 1999 season, the Rams would go on to
win the Superbowl with a backup QB named Kurt Warner.
However, if the Cards lose, they risk fading in the background until
they can go on a substanstial winning streak just like the Giants did
in 07.
The Cards must take advantage of their weaker divison, if there is a
year that the Catds can claim the #1 spot in their division, it is
THIS year! The 49ers may just be the 2nd best team in that division.
Mac
Smith, I had forgotten about the early penalties of which you speak
of probably due to the fact we went on a tear following that. You are
dead on though that it is inexcusable for this team to make two early
mistakes like that when the team should be well aware of what the
first play of the game is going to be. Against a weak team like the
Dolphins it didn't hurt however as we start to play better teams
making mistakes like that could sway the game before we even take our
first snap. You also make a good point on the defensive front and how
we have some depth there this season - after Bertrand Berry lost his
starting job I could have never expected for him to come out and play
the way he has through the first two games. It was certainly
encouraging to see Alan Branch on the field and making a couple nice
tackles. Once Gabe Watson comes back that is going to give us even
further depth that should keep our defense fresh.
You both touch on the fact that 3-0 doesn't make us a "for real" team
and I agree with that. At this point of the season after two victories
it's way too quick to break out the NFC West Champions hats. But I
will stick to what I said earlier, this is a talented team and in the
NFC West it is hard for me to imagine this team finishing anywhere
close to under .500. When I look at the way Berry has played, the
returns of Branch and Watson, and the potential of Ben Patrick - I not
only see a playoff team I see a real contender, but as of right now
who knows if those guys can give us what we hope they can.
Even after the 49ers beat the Seahawks I still think the Seahawks
are the second best team in this division, they still have a lot of
talent but I credit their poor performance to the fact that Hasselback
isn't 100% and he only played 1-2 series in the preseason. I still
expect this division to be Cardinals-Seahawks-49ers-Rams.
Any chance we are going to see Rodgers-Cromartie get a chance to
return some punts of kickoffs? I think he could be used as a true
weapon in that situation.
NFN Smith
> You also make a good point on the defensive front and how
> we have some depth there this season
Believe it or not, this is actually a part of the premise of Bill
Walsh's offensive system (before it commonly became known as "west
coast"). In that system, besides focus on the short pass as the primary
weapon, it's predicated on taxing the defense, especially the defensive
line -- make the defenders work on every play, and come the fourth
quarter, when they're needed the most, they're likely to be worn out.
Thus, Walsh's own teams almost always used a DL rotation of at least 7
players, and 5 LBs (whether playing 4-3 or 3-4 formations), with
substitutions on nearly every play.
In this system, it's less important to have one or two stud superstars
(although it doesn't hurt either), as it is to have a lot of "pretty
good" players that can be rotated continually. For all of Walsh's
reputation as an offensive genius, he did have experience as a defensive
coach (if I remember correctly, among other things he was the DB coach
for the Raiders in 1966 or 67). Thus, unlike a lot of head coaches who
were previously offensive or defensive coordinators (and before that,
position coaches) that really don't know the other side of the ball when
they become head coaches (in Cardinals history, Vince Tobin, Buddy Ryan
and Don Coryell are all good examples of that), Walsh did have a good
understanding of both sides, and because he had adequate understanding
of defenses, it actually made his offenses even better.
Thus, for the Cardinals, they have enough depth in both DL and LB that
they have the flexibility of running those kinds of rotations. I think
it showed in the Cardinals being able to shut down both Miami and San
Francisco in the second half of those games, and barring injury, it's
going to keep the Cardinals in a lot more games later in the year -- I
think we're going to see a lot less of the traditional Cardinal "fourth
quarter flop".
And speaking of injuries, considering the kinds of muscular injuries
that Berry has had in the last several years, I'm wondering if him not
starting, and seeing less overall time on the field may not help him
avoid those kinds of injuries, and where he's more effective and less
injury-prone.
Going on on the injuries, it could also be significant that the team has
a new trainer this year (after getting a new strength and conditioning
coach last year). Over the last several years, it's been typical that
coming out of training camp, the Cardinals have always had several
starters nursing injuries, and often one or two starters that are
already on the IR for the year.
This year, we've really seen only one significant injury -- Al Johnson.
His is a knee injury, and he already has a history of problems with
knee injuries. Beyond that, Branch and Watson have missed playing time,
but there's enough depth in the line, that it's not a serious as it
would have been in other years.
>
> You both touch on the fact that 3-0 doesn't make us a "for real" team
That's 3-0, assuming a win. The team has to play the game first.
Getting too caught up what could happen makes it really easy to have one
of those stinko games where you get you butts handed to you on a
platter. I'll bet that the Redskins (and certainly Redskins fans)
consider this game as a "should win".
Smith