2006 Cardinals: Game 15 (ARI 26 SF 20) Analysis

[Mitch]

First a quick recap of the game...and then let's go on a Christmas shopping spree...

This game was an excellent, albeit rare, road win that essentially burst the 49ers' playoff bubble and propelled the Cardinals to the best record within their division, at 4-2.

Matt Leinart set the stage for 20 big first half points by hitting Larry Fitzgerald for a nifty 56 yard gain on the first offensive snap. Leinart's accuracy and poise were on full display in this first half, highlighted by a mini scramble passing strike to Bryant Johnson, a beautiful delayed slant to Anquan Boldin in the red zone on third and seven, followed by another patient setup in the pocket that resulted in a TD strike to Larry Fitzgerald right up the middle.

Meanwhile, Edgerrin James was gaining chunks of yards with regularity running behind an offensive line that has finally grasped the notion of getting off the ball to generate a forward surge. Messers Davis, Brown, Leckey, Lutui and Wells all played well throughout the game, save Davis' whiff on a cut block that resulted in the sack that sent Leinart out of the contest with a sprained shoulder, another false start by Davis and an untimely roughing penalty on Deuce Lutui which stalled out a good drive to begin the second half.

Kurt Warner was solid and effective subbing in for Leinart...and made clutch plays down the stretch (more on this later). Kudos to Warner for being ready to step in and play with aplomb.

Larry Fitzgerald may have the best hands in all of football...Anquan Boldin may be the best RAC WR in all of football...and Matt Leinart may be the smartest and most polished rookie QB in the league...which prompted FOX analyst Howie Long to aver that Leinart, "plays like a 28 year old."

On defense the Cardinals hit hard and made enough plays to win the ball game. Chike Okeafor and Calvin Pace pressured Alex Smith well, Darnell Dockett was very quick to the ball on a handful of brilliant chases, Karlos Dansby was all over the field making plays, MLB Monte Beisel played textbook football in the middle subbing for Gerald Hayes, CB Antrel Rolle was a Johnny-On-The-Spot in this game intercepting a tipped pass that was a momentum breaker for the 49ers and helping to force a 49er fumble that also turned the momentum back into the Cardinals' favor, Adrian Wilson shined in his Pro Bowl glory making plays all over the field, both in run support and in coverage, Eric Green broke up a couple of passes in the red zone and Robert Griffith continued his inspired play as a rugged hitter in the open field.

After the first series, the Cardinals contained Frank Gore quite well. It certainly helped that a two TD lead forced the Niners to pass more than usual...and the Cardinals were able to stifle the Niners' passing game by pressuring Smith effectively and getting to many of Smith's passes. Smith seemed two seconds late on many of his passes, which gave the Cardinal defenders time to adjust to the ball in the air.

The Cardinal special teams were inconsistent once again...Neil Rackers made four field goals (one that he got a lucky call on..which appeared to sail wide of the top of the left upright), so he did his part. But the Cardinal cover teams once again gave up long returns just when the Cardinals were gaining momentum in the game. Fortunately, those returns were not for TDs thanks mostly to Matt Ware and Darryl Hunter who chased the plays well enough from behind.

As for the coaching...give Dennis Green some love for going for it on 4th down early in the second half on 4th and inches...give Clancy Pendergast credit for generating enough speed and pressure on defense to thwart the Niners' offense...but give a game ball to Mike Kruczek for once again calling plays with effective alacrity and forethought...Krucz's play calling allowed both QBs, Leinart and Warner to get into a good rhythm and it allowed Edge to take advantage of the off-balance Niners' defense...but, most of all, Krucz did what no other Cardinal OC has done in a long time...his craft play calling enabled the Cardinals to run out the majority of the last 5 minutes on the clock...when he brilliantly mixed in passing plays to Boldin and Fred Wakefield at times when another perfunctory plunge to Edge was anticipated.

While the recent winning on the Cards' part makes it tempting for some to want to believe that Dennis Green should remain the head coach for next season...what should not be overlooked here is that the Cardinals are winning meaningless games...games in which there is absolutely no pressure on them whatsoever. The fact remains that in all of the games that were pressure games for the Cardinals this season (games where wins would get them into a playoff chase) the Cardinals were a miserable 1-8. Last year the Cardinals were 2-7 in the first nine games. Those numbers in themselves mean that the Cardinal coaches and players under Dennis Green cannot handle pressure games...3-15 says it all.

Stay tuned for the shopping list...do we keep Leonard Davis? How about Warner? What about Calvin Pace?

 

[Totally_Red]

Nice report. I thought the pass to Fred Wakefield was a brilliant call, and kudos to Kruczek, or whoever else came up with it. Wakefield has been largely ignored all season, and we finally took advantage of it.

 

[Goldfield]

I hope everyone see's what Wakefield has done for this team as a blocking TE. He regularly pancakes the guy he is on. He is an OT/TE hybrid. I hope we keep him on this roster he is one of thos "role" players that many team wish they had.

 

[Mitch]

OK...here's my shopping list and plan...consider the choices yourself and make your own list and plan...

Offense, first, then I'll come back with the defense.

QB: Leinart is the QBOP&F. The question is, who is Leinart's backup? At $4M+ a year, Kurt Warner is too pricey. Besides, Warner doesn't appear to be the type who would accept a backup role. Although the money is good and may tempt him to stay if he is offered to remain at his salary, expect Warner to either vie for a starting job with another team next year or head straight to the broadcast booth. John Navarre needs a NFLE stint to give him sorely needed snaps in game situations and an opportunity to improve his technique (that sidearm delivery, IMO, negates his size and strength as a QB and minimizes his effectiveness). IMO, teams can't afford to send their #2 QBs to NFLEurope. Thus Navarre would remain the #3, at the vey best. Enter Shane Boyd. The Cardinals may have signed a diamond in the rough here. Boyd has a strong arm and he's an excellent running threat. He really caught my eye when he played as a Steeler in the first pre-season game versus the Cardinals. Many of his passes were zipped in there with accuracy in that game, yet several of them were dropped. When the pocket closed on him he ran for clutch third down conversions. If it were up to me I would give Boyd a long look in minicamp and if he looks good, I would throw him in the mix with a low priced veteran free agent.

RB: Edge is set. Gotta like his durability...but there are times when he doesn't finish off his runs or hit the holes quick enough and that concerns me. I think he should be spelled more. J.J. Arrington may start to come into his own in his thrid season. And while I have always liked Marcel Shipp because of his toughness and character, I think the Cardinals need to add a more physical and explosive RB for short yardage situations...like RB Tony Hunt of Penn. St., whom I believe the Cardinals could snag early in round 4.

WR: Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald are set. Bryant Johnson has another year left on his contract and unless the Cardinals can use him in a key trade, I am happy to keep him. In my mind, this kid has made strides...he still drops some key passes, but he's made enough good plays this year to allow me to believe that he can be excellent next year. LeRon McCoy will be back...and hopefully the year off has not stunted his development. As for the 5th WR, ideally the Cardinals would love to see last year's 7th round pick, Todd Watkins, earn the job because Watkins has the deep speed the unit needs. However, a speedy slot WR with the ability to make defenders miss in the open field may make even more sense, in which case, don't count out Michael Spurlock. Troy Walters was an upgrade at PR...but not enough of one.

Note: IMO, I said last week, Anquan Boldin should be used as an H-Back next year...sending him in motion and lining him up in the backfield from time to time would help the Cardinals overcome their weakness at attacking full court press man coverages...and help in the running game. If the Cardinals commit themselves to playing Boldin at H-Back, WR Calvin Johnson could become an exciting option with the first pick (more on this later).

FB: The Cardinals need a blocking FB. Look for FB Brandon Hancock of USC or Corey Anderson of Tennesse to be tabbed in the 5th round. While I like Obafemi Ayanbadejo's versatility, the Cardinals have better options than Femi as a third down back, and Femi really didn't make enough big plays on STs to make me want to think he should stick. The Cards would be better off keeping one blocking FB and 6 WRs, IMO. Note: I still believe that Jon Bronson can be groomed into a powerful and intimidating lead blocker, so the Cardinals may already have the answer in the fold.

OL: LG-Brown, C-Leckey, RG-Lutui and RT-Wells are set. The question is, what about LT Leonard Davis? I have never been comfortable with Davis at LT to begin with and now that the Cardinals have two good starting guards in Milford Brown and Deuce Lutui, I think it's time to let the enigmatic Davis go. There is no way in my thinking that he is worth $11-12M a year. For that kind of money, Davis would need to be a leader...and he simply is not. He makes too many stupid mistakes, like the whiffed cut block attempt that led to Leinart's shoulder injury...not to mention the false starts which tend to stall out drives. Plus, Davis looks like he wants out of Arizona. Let him go. I would also release UFA bust Oliver Ross.

What I would do is re-sign Brandon Gorin for insurance and use my third round pick to draft one of the real sleepers in the draft, 6-8 318 lb. James Marten of Boston College. The tackle I like the best in the draft is Penn. St.'s Levi Brown...but he's not a top five pick. Another T I like is Notre Dame's Ryan Harris, who will likely be a late 2nd to early 3rd pick. But, James Marten is, IMO, just as promising as Wisconsin's Joe Thomas...and they are the exact same size.

I am hoping that G Elton Brown and C Alex Stepanovich will provide good, solid depth next year...but, for insurance purposes I will draft a C/G combo in the 6th round...my choice: C/G Tyson Swaggert of Minnesota.

I will also pick up the best free agent bargain T I can find.

TE: Leonard Pope will be a year wiser and stronger. I look for promising improvements from him. Adam Bergen and Fred Wakefield bring depth and versatility...although Jon Bronson may beat one of them out by virtue of his run blocking ability.

 

[Mitch]

For the Defense:

DE: Berry and Okeafor are set for now, assuming Berry can avoid injury this time around. Okeafor has played well down the stretch. Antonio Smith provides good depth at LDE, but is not quick enough to play RDE. And I would like to see the Cardinals re-sign Calvin Pace and keep him at RDE. The Cards should be able to sign Pace at a reasonable salary...and when they add to their LBing depth they will no longer need to play Pace there. I also think that A.J. Shable will turn some heads at DE next year. This kid has a great motor and a nose for the ball. He's a tad undersized, but his motor and competitiveness compensate for it.

DT: The roation of Clancy, Dockett, Watson, Lewis and Cooper is set. IMO, the sleeper here is Lewis, who will be a real penetrator and finisher in the rotation next year.

MLB: Hayes is set. The team should re-sign Monte Beisel as Hayes' backup. His performance versus the Niners was impressive. Plus, Beisel is a good STer.

SLB: Dansby is set. Hopefully he'll come into camp helathy and in shape this time around. The depth behind him is thin, however. Beisel could double there in a pinch.

WLB: Orlando Huff was too inconsistent...and is not a pass rush threat. This is where the Cardinals really need to step up and sign Adalius Thomas or Lance Briggs. Hopefully Daryl Blackstock and/or Brandon Johnson will show potential at WLB next year as backups.

LCB: Antrel Rolle needs to be switched to safety. He doesn't have CB feet...it's that simple. He can thrive as a roll-up to the flat CB in a Cover 2 with a good fast safety behind him. But, as for locking up man-for-man with the league's good WRs...Rolle is not quick or fast enough. If the Cardinals can somehow woo CB Nate Clements or Assante Samuel to sign here...that would be ideal. Clements and Samuel have the feet and instincts to excel at the job. In addition, the guy I have my eye on is Josh Wilson of Maryland...he reminds me a lot of a poor man's Ty Law...has a similar build and knack for finding the ball...so I will tab him with my second round pick.

SS: Adrian Wilson is set. Hanik Milligan backs him up and becomes the ST captain.

FS: I would let Aaron Francisco and Antrel Rolle slug it out for this job. They are both good athletes...good hitters...the question is, can they defend the deep halves on the field with consistent success?

RCB: Eric Green all the way. Needs better coaching. Has the feet. Look for Darryl Hunter to challenge him.

K: Neil Rackers is set.

P: Scott Player improved as the season went along. However, I would like to see Fred Capshaw take another run at him.

LS: Nathan Hodel is set. I think he's one of the very best.

My Draft:

1. WR Calvin Johnson, Georgia Tech. To me he's the best player in the draft because of his unique ability to separate from coverage. Move Anquan to H-back and line up Fitz and Johnson wide...and beating man press coverages will be immediately solved.

2. CB Josh Wilson, Maryland. LCB with good feet and ballhawking abilities.

3. T James Marten, Boston College. Tall, strong and agile. Real sleeper.

4. RB Tony Hunt, Penn. St. Powerful inside runner.

5. FB Brandon Hancock, USC. Tough and dependable. Ask Leinart.

6. C/G Tyson Swaggert, Minnesota. Well coached, versatile inside blocker.

Free Agents:

WLB Adalius Thomas or Lance Briggs

LCB Nate Clements or Assante Samuel

for starters...

Your turn!

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday...and many more fun and joyful days ahead.

 

[joeshmo]

A couple of the bigger items that jumped out at me right away. I will do a plan later on at home.

1. Why so concerned about money, concerning Warner and Big. We have plenty of it and not much to use it on.

2. Warner will not go anywhere else. He has promised his big family no more moving. He either stays here and earns an easy 4 Mill a year or he retires. Those are his only 2 options IMO.

3. Schable - you stated something about him being undersized. He is 6-3 280 lbs.

4. No need to re-sign Pace, he still has one more year.

5. Huff is a UFA so we dont even have to worry about him.

6. Agree on Rolle but I would I have no faith in Green either. Both get beat bad. But I will say that both could be much better in the correct scheme and real coaching.

7. Without looking at my list, Milligan will have to be re-signed. Will have to check my list when I get back home.

8. John Navarre is a RFA and will have to be tendered. I would rather send Boyd to NFLE instead.

9. I like your RB choice as a backup.

10. This whole Boldin @ H-Back, Draft Calvin Johnson, talk is crazy talk. I will leave it at that.

11. Gorin is already signed for next year.

12. Not a fan of Levi Brown at all. He gets pub because he has been a 3 year starter at a big university. But other then that I just dont see what is so great about him, meaning 1st round talent. If Baker and Long came out Brown would not be thought of as a 1st rounder after offseason poking and proding IMO. Huddlereport even has him as a 4th round talent.

 

[football karma]

on the draft:

Calvin Johnson will be longgggggg gone by the time the Cards pick

 

[dreamcastrocks]

on the draft:

Calvin Johnson will be longgggggg gone by the time the Cards pick

I don't think that he will be long gone by 5. I don't see him as the top choice, and he could go anywhere between 3-7 if I were to say so right now.

 

[ajcardfan]

If we drafted Calvin Johnson and moved Boldin to H-back, this would be me seconds after the pick....

You must be registered for see images

 

[Totally_Red]

If we draft Calvin Johnson in the first round, it means the Lions fired Matt Millen, the Bidwells hired him and he's well on his way to COMPLETELY destroying a second NFL franchise.

 

[Divide Et Impera]

The only way I draft Calvin Johnson is if we are able to trade Bryant Johnson for a late 1st (ie, NE has 2 mid 20s picks). Unfortunately, Bryant Johnson doesn't rate a 1st. Even if we did make that trade, that leaves the cupboards bare for a top flight CB or OL prospect....

 

[Twist18]

A couple of the bigger items that jumped out at me right away. I will do a plan later on at home.

1. Why so concerned about money, concerning Warner and Big. We have plenty of it and not much to use it on.

2. Warner will not go anywhere else. He has promised his big family no more moving. He either stays here and earns an easy 4 Mill a year or he retires. Those are his only 2 options IMO.

3. Schable - you stated something about him being undersized. He is 6-3 280 lbs.

4. No need to re-sign Pace, he still has one more year.

5. Huff is a UFA so we dont even have to worry about him.

6. Agree on Rolle but I would I have no faith in Green either. Both get beat bad. But I will say that both could be much better in the correct scheme and real coaching.

7. Without looking at my list, Milligan will have to be re-signed. Will have to check my list when I get back home.

8. John Navarre is a RFA and will have to be tendered. I would rather send Boyd to NFLE instead.

9. I like your RB choice as a backup.

10. This whole Boldin @ H-Back, Draft Calvin Johnson, talk is crazy talk. I will leave it at that.

11. Gorin is already signed for next year.

12. Not a fan of Levi Brown at all. He gets pub because he has been a 3 year starter at a big university. But other then that I just dont see what is so great about him, meaning 1st round talent. If Baker and Long came out Brown would not be thought of as a 1st rounder after offseason poking and proding IMO. Huddlereport even has him as a 4th round talent.

Hey Joe, what is our cap space looking like this offseason with the resigning of DD and Hayes?

Being a Big 10 fan, I have to agree about Brown. Never have liked him and is very overrated. He has some very slow feet.

 

[ajcardfan]

Hey Joe, what is our cap space looking like this offseason with the resigning of DD and Hayes?

Being a Big 10 fan, I have to agree about Brown. Never have liked him and is very overrated. He has some very slow feet.

We absorbed the large majority of the bonuses for Dockett and Hayes onto this year's cap. So, their impact will be minimal. Really, we are set up better than just about anybody in regards to cap space because we have only significant free agent.

 

[jmt]

The Cardinals are not going to draft a WR in the first round.

 

[joeshmo]

Hey Joe, what is our cap space looking like this offseason with the resigning of DD and Hayes?

Being a Big 10 fan, I have to agree about Brown. Never have liked him and is very overrated. He has some very slow feet.

A lot of reports are saying 35 Mill.

But to use up the 10.7 Mill. we still had left this season we gave Rolle the bonus he was due a year early that he was due next year. The 35 Mill report doesnt take that into account.

That 35 Mill report also includes a bonus for Fitz that he would have got in 2007 if he made the pro bowl this year. In Fitz contract he was to get a bonus if he made the pro bowl 2 out of his first 3 years.

So even though the reports say 35 Mill. we are closer to a little over 40 Mill. when you take into account what I stated above. I could go lower though depending on some other smaller bonuses that could be paid out and if the Cards decide to pay out bonuses earlier then they are to be paid.

 

[Captain Matt]

Rounding-out the FA wish list.... Aren't Cato June and Eric Steinbach (Bengals) also FAs? I know June is small, but he's still an upgrade on Darling (if we let him go) and is young, talented, etc. And I know Steinbach was just busted for the B(boating)UI incident, but still has been graded in the top 4-5 FA Guards. Since Lutui played RT in college (protecting Matt's blind side) is it possible to move him outside? I know we're mashing people now-a-days, but if Big has to go I'm not all that comfortable drafting a replacement and expecting that draft pick to come in and start.

 

[D-Dogg]

but, most of all, Krucz did what no other Cardinal OC has done in a long time...his craft play calling enabled the Cardinals to run out the majority of the last 5 minutes on the clock...when he brilliantly mixed in passing plays to Boldin and Fred Wakefield at times when another perfunctory plunge to Edge was anticipated.

Most important observation by far. This has been the difference in our season, truly. For once, we worked the last five minutes correctly with a lead, and at the right time. Previously this year we operated in the closing minutes completely wrong, and started operating that way in the third quarter.

KC and Chicago games, had we worked in this fashion and at the right time in the game, I feel we would have won both of them. We made coaching mistakes and let them take advantage.

 

[Chopper0080]

some points

1-I think that it is rediculous that we are set with Wells at RT. Here is a guy who is just as inconsistent as Davis and not nearly as physical. If you don't want to franchise Davis, put the transistion tag on him so we can at least get some compensation if someone signs him away. Why let him go and lose the ability to have some quality depth on the o-line. Draft an offensive tackle in the 2nd or third round who can replace him in acouple years. We need to make this a strength.

2-Draft the best DE in round 1. We have our defensive tackle rotation set, now lets lock up our end rotation. Add a guy like Gaines Adams to a group with Okeafer, Berry, and Smith and this will be a dominant d line.

3-I like signing a top CB and hope we can get one. Personally, I would like to see Rolle at CB for one more year but If we can sign Clement and possibly another guy for the third CB spot, why not get Rolle on he field at FS.

4-Biesel sould be retained.

5-WLB-might be a position that we have to draft. I don't see Briggs or Thomas being available.

 

[joeshmo]

If you don't want to franchise Davis, put the transistion tag on him so we can at least get some compensation if someone signs him away.

Transition Tag does not get you compensation. The only thing the Transition tag does is give you the right to match any offers that other teams give to said player. If you dont match you dont get anything.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

Transition Tag does not get you compensation. The only thing the Transition tag does is give you the right to match any offers that other teams give to said player. If you dont match you dont get anything.

I know that you have answered this for me in the past, but I am curious how many times you have typed that sentence out.

 

[joeshmo]

I know that you have answered this for me in the past, but I am curious how many times you have typed that sentence out.

Copy and Paste. Its a time saver.

 

[joeshmo]

Rounding-out the FA wish list.... Aren't Cato June and Eric Steinbach (Bengals) also FAs?

Call me not a fan of Cato June. He is apart of the worst run D ever since the merger. And yes June is apart of that problem, not the whole problem there are 10 other guys, but he is part of it. He sucks in run D.

 

[Russ Smith]

Hancock is very unlikely to get drafted he had major knee surgery and was looking at a late round pick BEFORE he hurt his knee.

 

[Russ Smith]

Most important observation by far. This has been the difference in our season, truly. For once, we worked the last five minutes correctly with a lead, and at the right time. Previously this year we operated in the closing minutes completely wrong, and started operating that way in the third quarter.

KC and Chicago games, had we worked in this fashion and at the right time in the game, I feel we would have won both of them. We made coaching mistakes and let them take advantage.

While clearly true take into account 2 things, Matt was starting his first 2 games in KC and Chicago, we were limited in what we trusted him to do, especially after he threw the pick against KC that helped them. In both games Matt led us downfield when he had to, and Rackers missed.

Secondly, the playcalling is always good when we play SF, that's because they have a TERRIBLE defense to matchup with us, they just can't cover our WR's. It's much easier to be creative when you know you have a huge mismatch in the first place. that last drive was excellent, the run by Shipp on 3rd and 4 was a great call, but that stuff worked because SF was already back on their heels because they can't cover.

 

[jmr667]

Call me not a fan of Cato June. He is apart of the worst run D ever since the merger. And yes June is apart of that problem, not the whole problem there are 10 other guys, but he is part of it. He sucks in run D.

I agree with you. I watched most of a Colts game a week or two ago. Cato looked plenty fast and got himself into position to make plays but his tackling was horrible. He was too high on the RBs on just about every tackle. They ended up running through his tackles or over him most of the time. The complete opposite of the good technique shown by Monty subbing for Hayes last week.