A Simple Way to Decide What's Real

[PACardsFan]

it was a "swan" for awhile. ...And it was FUN! Can it be a "swan" again?? Time will tell. BUT honestly, I just don't get it. I'm supposed to feel miserable because we don't win the Super Bowl?? Were there NOT encouraging signs this year? Are we NOT in a play-off game for the 1st time in a kazillion years? Did we NOT win the West for the 1st time ever?? Were NOT Cardinal fans everywhere getting Loud & Proud?? NO! I'm NOT sticking my head in the sand. Clearly, the team needs some fixing to get better. BUT all this Doom & Gloom?? UGH! Life is too short to be miserable over anything. Things can always change. ...And often-times they do. GO CARDS!

Well said NSDF! Do we have problems that need to be addressed? Absolutely. NO ONE has ever said that this team is a finished product. But, I will give Whiz credit that he took what this team had & made the best of it. In his heart of hearts, he wants to create a team similar to what he helped coach in Pittsburgh to a SB. We just DO NOT have the personnel to run that type of offense, or defense for that matter. I have seen so many coaches try to fit a square peg into a round hole over the years & it just doesn't work. Whiz could have tried to force it & last year we would have been 5-11 again & the team would have already tuned him out. Before he could change the physical makeup of this team, he had to deal with the mental makeup. This team will continue to evolve & that is a good thing. In the meantime, I refuse to call this team a DUCK. Cmon guys, many on this board have played this crazy game of football, regardless of the level they played it at. It is an EMOTIONAL game. Always has been & always will be. I wish our division was stronger, because it would have forced us to stay emotional. As it became clear that our division was a DUCK, we couldn't help but lose our edge. Once that edge is lost, it's harder to get it back.
Do I think that this team will go deep into the playoffs? NO. I think it's important for them to come out on Sunday & play inspired football. I think they will & I also think it will carry over into the playoffs. We will NOT get throttled in the playoffs like everyone on this board thinks we will. We may lose in the 1st round & we may not, but we will give everything we have. It will NOT resemble the last few games. If we do somehow win that 1st game, we will go into NY & be respectable. Kudos to Whiz for taking a perennial 4-12 team & getting us into the playoffs in 2 yrs. If I'm being an apologist, then tough ****.

 

[Harry]

Jeff to say we shouldn't speculate is to deny the value of any of these boards. Can we know everything? Of course we can't. I would say at the moment that the Cards' coaching staff is trying to figure out for themselves what is real. I do know this. One playoff win since 1946 is a extremely consistent story.

PAC, it's okay if you don't want to call them a "duck," but try not to step on any of those eggs.

 

[MrYeahBut]

My dad used to tell me, 'Son if 1 person calls you a duck, don't sweat it. If 2 or more people call you a duck, you better start checking your azz for feathers'

I think the Cards should start checking, cuz there is more than 1 person calling them a duck

 

[cardsloco]

It shouldn't. But we've got some tough decisions to make in the offseason with Warner, JJ, Dansby, Edge, Boldin and only so much money to go around.

Kurt has played great at times this year, but he's feeling the long season and it should be clear to everyone.

Ideally, I'd love to see Warner remain with the team but as a QB coach. I think he would be a damn good coach given the way he's dealt with Leinart and their battles, and the way he has freely given knowledge and helped Matt with defense reading tips.

As I've said before, Warner the man is top notch...just a stellar human being. As a QB, he's been amazing at times, and dreadful at times. He's been both this season at times too. Age isn't something to take lightly, either. I know you love him, and he's earned that love in spades. But I really feel that Whis will want to mold this team into HIS kind of team. This offense right now is not what he wants. He's a Pittsburgh smashmouth kind of guy. He wisely saw we couldn't play that way this year, and gave the reigns to Kurt who has done some wonderful things and is primarily responsible for a home game in the playoffs for this franchise. But we aren't going further with this team as it stands...it will need serious reworking and there is only so much money to be thrown around.

That is a myth. He likes to be creative and open the offense up. He definitely likes to run more then we do, but he is not a three yards and a cloud of dust guy. He only developed the run heavy offense at the request of Bill Cower. I think his true offense would feature a very balanced attack and still run on the creative side. Improving on the run game has nothing to do with Warner and everything to do with our line.

 

[slanidrac16]

One thing that seems to be a constant in all sports coverage is any time a team is going bad whether it is 1 quarter or 4 games you will usually hear something like this.
They didn't show up or they quit.
It irks me because it seems like an easy way out for a reporter/analyst/fan. That same reporter/analyst/fan will tell you how great the team is when going good and 3 weeks later they will be calling them a "duck". Sorry Harry. You are as guilty of this as any of us especially this year. Going into the Giants game when we were 7-3, you and many others had us soaring like eagles. Five weeks later we are ducks.

I play pool and I used to bowl. I have a 300 game and had an averaged over 210. Many of my teamates and adversaries thought I had game. But you know what. There were times when I would bowl a 125. Did I suddenly stink? Did i suddenly quit or not show up that night?
Same thing in my pool game. There are times I look like Minnesota Fats but then there are times I can't sink a ball to save my life.

Why? Because thats the way it is. Sometimes it's not your night. Sometimes you are distracted. Sometimes your not as focused as you should be and sometimes conditions and surroundings play a role.

It football it's even more pronounced because you are competing physically with you opponent. THEY are trying to execute their assignments just like you are. If your technique is wrong on ONE play, your team can lose a game. If you are an OT and you make a wrong decision, lose focus, lose technique, well, your QB gets sacked and suddenly you are a bum. If you are a CB and bite on a double move you look like an idiot. If you are a RB and fumble in the red zone right away people will scream ,"What were you thinking? You GOT to protect the ball!".

Unless of course your team wins. Doesn't matter if you miss a spare in the 10th frame if you already have the game won. Doesn't matter if you missed your last pool shot when your opponent scratches on the 8 ball. It doesn't matter that your qb threw 2 picks because the defense forced a fumble, scooped it up and scored a TD to win the game.

Yes, right now this team is playing like "ducks". But at one time in THIS season we were playing like "eagles". I believe if you did it before you can do it again. What this team did last week has NOTHING to do with what this team will do sunday. Every game is a new game. We could come out soaring next week and into the playoffs because WE DID IT ALREADY THIS YEAR.

Go ahead and write this team off if you like. It's your perogative. But when I bowled that 125 game, I KNEW I didn't suddenly stink. I KNEW I was going to be better that next game and I KNEW I could roll another 300 game at any given time.

This Cardinal team has it in them to compete at a much higher level than they have recently shown. Will they? I don't know. But I do know that if they play up to their potential, not only can they win, but they WILL win.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Who are thee apologists ?

I haven't noticed one poster who isn't disgusted

I haven't been disgusted. I knew they would get smashed last week. It's the first time i remember telling my wife before a game that they had zero chance of winning and that includes over the years when they were horrible. I thought it could happen in Philly as well. Once they clinched, it shouldn't surprise anyone that this is happening.

To say it's a "duck" is wrong. You're basing it on 3 weeks of meaningless play,for the most part, and totally disregarding the first 13 weeks when they were 7-3 and then 8-5.I believe they were ranked in the top 7 in all the power polls and that's when the games still really mattered.

You want a "duck" talk about Denver. All they had to do is win 1 game the last month and now they are going to lose out and let SD sneak into the playoffs. Can you imagine what this board would be like if the Cards were in that position. At least they were smart enough to clinch before shutting it down.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Take that back. I've been disgusted with CP. But the team as a whole,no.

 

[daytripper]

IMO the reality is that weve been figured out. Our passing game is alll about timing and the last several games their defenders are in postion waiting on our recievers to hit their mark. Our pass blocking has been disected and the weaknesses exposed and taken advantage of using stunts and blitzes forcing Warner out of his rhythm.
On D the soft center of the 3 4 scheme has been exposed allowing one on one blocking and freeing their guards up to attack our LBs.
All said weve become stale, very stale. And without a herculean effort this next two weeks we'll go down in the playoffs faster than spiked egg nog on News Years Eve.

 

[NeverSayDieFan]

I agree with Daytripper...

I also read that D's are keeping their safety's deep forcing Kurt to throw under-neath. Something he does not like to do. His strength is attacking down-field. I think one of the MAJOR problems being over-looked is the terrible ST play. When we lost Ali Highsmith it was a HUGE blow. With neither line able to dominate and move the ball the short-fields are killing us. I don't think there are any quick fixes. IF we take care of business in the off-season we should go deep in the play-offs next year. This year?? Possibly a 1st-round surprise as we edge the Falcons in a shoot-out. GO CARDS!

 

[DeAnna]

Here is what I am wrestling with:

How does a defense play the run so well the first 11 weeks of the season, and then get totally blown off the ball the last three of four? Same personnel, no injuries of note.

How does an offensive line that pass protected pretty well for 11 weeks is suddenly making the Mike Wrights of the world look like Reggie White?

Better level of competition / better teams?

 

[PJ1]

Who are thee apologists ?

I haven't noticed one poster who isn't disgusted

Just read this thread. Pointing out the obvious doesn't mean you are giving up as some posts in this thread indicate. I have seen several posts over the past few weeks point to the Giants of last year and other teams who had lopsided losses to justify our poor performances. I have seen weather, scheduling and travel used as excuses.