Welcome Back

As is obvious by the very sudden break in postings to this blog, we took that loss to the Saints pretty bad.  The news over the summer continued to get worse with the loss of a bunch of great players.  Obviously Kurt is a huge loss but also Boldin, Dansby, and Rolle, and Bryant McFadden are all gone.  Lil' Matty Leinart is on deck.  As you can imagine, this situation didn't leave me very "stoked" to write a bunch of blog posts, especially with the Suns making a decent try at the NBA playoffs.



However, now that the "Copa Mundial" is over, and the only other thing on besides baseball is "Le Tour de France" I find myself thinking about the Boys in Red.  Then just yesterday I get a text message from my buddy:

So, in short: it's on.  The site is back.  I'm going to round up the other writers.  If you are feeling creative and want to write a guest post, leave a comment and I'll get it touch.  The schedule's up on the sidebar, and we've got a mere three weeks till the preseason. 

It's time to get amped up again.

It's time for Lil Matty Leinart to throw it to larry.

It's time for the red sea to RISE UP!

And to that end, I feel like it's time to relive the best wildcard game - dare I say playoff game - ever.  If this doesn't get you ready for Cardinals Football you aren't a fan:

On Intangibles

NFL.com just posted an article breaking down the Saints-Cards saturday matchup.  Their professional analysis boils down to the fact that the Cards d-line is tired, Kurt Warner is tired, and our O-line is tired, and even though the saints have lost 3 in a row and Drew Brees hasn't played a real game in a month, they're going to beat us, and they don't need to be concerned.  While I obviously disagree with this, I think the Cardinals play better as the underdog, and the national media won't believe in them until they win a Super Bowl.

The funny part of this article is not the video, however.  It's the breakdown that occurs later.  They do a position-by-position matchup that I'll summarize here, marking in bold the side that NFL.com think has "the edge."

• QB: Warner vs. Brees
• RB: Beanie vs. Pierre Thomas
• WR: Fitz vs. Meachem
• OL: Jeremy Bridges vs. Jahari Evans 
• DL: Dockett vs. Will Smith
• LB: Dansby vs. Vilma
• Secondary: Wilson vs. Sharper
• K: Rackers vs. Morstead
• Coach: Whisenhunt vs. Payton
• Overall: Cardinals vs. Saints

I guess this is the math they do:  5 - 4 + Intangible + Better Seed + NFL Hype Machine = Saints win.  The way I see it over here in the real world is 5 is more than 4.

Not to mention that I disagree with them giving Sean Payton "the edge" over coach Whiz, but I just think it's funny that they go out of their way to try and give a detailed, reasoned breakdown, only to pick the Saints, presumably because they're seeded higher.  Also notice that they grant the Cardinals have a better defense across the board, and a better offense in the air.

And maybe even on the ground.  I mean, I wouldn't want to have to try to tackle Pierre Thomas, but his stat line on the season (793 yards, 6 TDs) isn't that much better than Beanies (793 Yards, 7 TDs).  *raises an eyebrow*  Sure, Christopher carried the ball 30 more times and lost the ball one more time, but I'd say they match up pretty well.  And Beanie would win in a fist fight, so how's that for an intangible?

Anyway, whatever the NFL and the media want to do talk up the Saints, I say do it.  All I know is that on Saturday night it'll be a lot louder in Phoenix than it will in New Orleans.

Bring on the Saints

Cardinals Win!  What a game.  That was probably the best game I've ever witnessed in my life, including the NFC Championship game last year.  The ending was reminiscant of the Dalls win on a blocked punt in OT last year, except this one buys a ticket to New Orleans.  There has been a little bit of controversy about the uncalled facemask on the last play, but I think Peter King sums it up pretty well:

For a facemask penalty to be called, there has to be evidence not just of a hand on the mask, but of twisting and pulling of the facemask. And there is a slight pulling of it, but not in a flagrant way. To me, it's a close call. But what complicates matters is this: The referee,Scott Green, is the official on the crew with the responsibility of watching plays involving the quarterback. Once the ball has been dislodged, Green has to watch the ball, not the contact on the quarterback. He has to see if the ball hits the ground and judge if it's a forward pass or a fumble, then he has to follow the live ball until the end of the play. So Green could not -- at least, he should not -- have seen the contact on the mask of Rodgers.


Of course, the reason this is a big concern is if a facemask had been called, Green Bay would have had a first down at its 32 in a game where defense was optional. I don't see how the call could have been made any differently with the current rules and officiating assignments the way they are.

I pretty much agree.  And considering that the pack should've probably won on the prior play, I understand their need to externalize the loss, but you know what?  It's nice to be on the winning side of a controversy for once.

I'm going to keep this short but I wanted to mention that Kurt Warner pretty much sealed up his Hall of Fame membership: 32, 344 total yards, 208 TDs to 128 Picks with a 65.5% completion percentage and a 93.7 career QB rating.  Noone in the NFL is as good as Kurt Warner on a good day.

Finally, I need to vent a little.  NEIL RACKERS YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING NO-CLUCH SHANK MASTER PIECE OF GARBAGE LEARN HOW TO KICK OR DARNELL DOCKETT WILL RIP YOUR LEGS OFF.  One of the best kickers in the league misses a 36 yarder that could've won the game. It was really unbelievable, and I thought after the Packers won the toss in OT we didn't have a chance.  Hopefully that's the biggest mistake we make this postseason.

Can we beat the Saints?  If the team that played on Sunday shows up in New Orleans, absolutely.  I think the Saints aren't helped by their bye week, and after watching our offense they've gotta be scared.  Regardless, this post-season was totally worth it solely for this record-breaking game.  One of the best games in the history of the NFL and a total instant classic.  Great win, red birds!

Coach Whiz: "Ready to play this week"

Via Mike Sando over at ESPN, Coach Whiz interviewed on ESPN radio earlier today. Some highlights:

Whisenhunt admits that the team "didn't need to win," and we "didn't want to show anything" in week 17, so he didn't try.  We all knew this already.  He's not worried about the loss too much though because he thinks the starters will "be ready to play this week."

On Q: "Anquan has had a history of recovering quickly."  But worst case, the other guys "have playoff experience" so should be able to fill in.

He also has respect for Aaron Rodgers and says we have to be careful because he "has all the throws, short, down the field," and he's a "student of the game" who puts in a lot of time.  Our defensive backs need to "pay attention to the details of the coverage" because Rodgers is "one of the best" in the game.

On being "lousy on the road" last year, he says the success the Cardinals had on the road this year was a direct result of the playoff win at Carolina next year, and the team took that mindset to heart.  But he's looking to get the home field advantage back next year and win more home games.

Interesting interview and only 7 minutes long so go take a listen.

Packers-Cardinals Prediction - ESPN Video

This says it all...

Four Cardinals Named to Pro Bowl Roster--But Hopefully Won't Play

The 2010 Pro-Bowl roster came out this week revealing four selections from the Cardinals on the NFC team: Larry Fitzgerald, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Darnell Dockett, and Adrian Wilson. This is a great accomplishment, because rarely does any one in the NFL acknowledge that the Cardinals have as much talent as the supposed "elite" teams. But hopefully none of them will be able to play in the Pro-Bowl.

That is because this year, the Pro-Bowl game will be nestled into that one week between the AFC/NFC championship games and the Super Bowl. In an attempt to get more viewers than the after-Super Bowl slot, the NFL has placed the game during an off week to showcase its best talent and to give hungry football fans some pigskin to feast upon as they anticipate the Super Bowl.

This leaves many players, like our own Larry Fitzgerald, excited that they made the Pro-Bowl, but hoping that they don't play. There is another game in South Florida that Larry would much rather play in. Since the game is before the Super Bowl, any player from a Super Bowl roster, obviously won't be taking the field in South Florida.

But regardless, it is an honor that hopefully our four selected players and six alternates (Kurt Warner, Ben Graham, Antrelle Role, Sean Morey, Neil Rackers, and Levi Brown) would like to respectfully refuse as they should be preparing for the Super Bowl instead. Congratulations!

Bears win! Bears win!

The Bears won in overtime on Monday night. Because of this, the Cardinals are one step closer to the #2 seed in the NFC playoffs. Next week, the Giants have to beat the Vikings and Dallas needs to beat Philadelphia. If we win against Green Bay, coupled with those two losses by Minnesota and Philly, we will have a round one bye. Sure, a lot has to happen, but it certainly makes a win against Green Bay a little more important than it would have been if Minnesota would have won on Monday night.

All we can do now is wait and see.

Either way, I believe the Cardinals will be ready for success in the playoffs. Here's why. It's simple. The NFC playoffs are going to be high powered offensively. Who has more offensive weapons than the Cardinals? We have two solid running backs, a veteran quaterback, and four receivers that can all make the big play. All of the teams in the top six right now boast high powered offenses, but none have more than an average defense, except maybe the Cardinals. Over the last few games, the Cardinals' defense has been supreme. It is perhaps the best defense in the NFC playoffs picture.

Defenses aside, look for high scoring games no matter what. All of the teams in contention have given up a lot of points this season. But, this definitely favors the Cardinals, since we have more weapons than any team in the NFC (yes, even more than New Orleans). We have a much better chance of outscoring the opponent than any other team (even the Minnesota Favres!) The NFC championship game is going to be an offensive showcase no matter who gets there. Barring an early out by the Saints, the road to the Super Bowl most certainly will go through the Big Easy. Of course we would like to see a Cardinals/Saints match-up in the championship game. That has to be our goal for now. I have great confidence that our high-powered offense combined with our above average defense gives us a great shot, even in New Orleans.

So for the mean time, I suppose we have to root for the Cowboys for one week and even hope that Eli Manning can pull out a miracle in Minnesota. Go Cardinals!