ACHIEVERS: Good, Effort Players Who Have Generally Impacted The Games in a Positive Way. Mid-Year Grades in Parentheses.
I agree with most of your grades and it is a fairly subjective thing anyway.
The biggest question marks were:
(1) Could the Cardinals continue their winning ways in the NFC West without QB Kurt Warner?
(2) Could the Cardinal defense rebound from its abysmal finish to the 2009 season?
Thus far, the answers are a resounding no on both counts.
It has been very dissapionting this year thus far. I know some of us expected the team to struggle during the 1st 1/2 of the season but that isn't the same as living through frustrating blow outs and close losses. Knowing it's going to hurt but then actually feeling the pain is not the same.
For a team that was facing the speculation that Warner had as much to do with team winning as anything or anyone else, the results have been mind-boggling, for the following reasons:
(1) The handling of the Matt Leinart situation. The Matt Leinart decision was one that had to me made right from the get-go. For it to happen at the very end of training camp and for the Cardinals to not have more attractive options in place put the team's chances for success in total jeopardy.
I don't think we will ever know how and why this played out the way it did. On the surface it appears Whiz just went stupid and screwed this up to high heaven. I for one don't think that's the case but the only evidence I have is what I believe is an otherwise stellar resume from him.
(2) The speculation was that Warner was so dynamic because he developed a strong chemistry and timing with his receivers and because he had the autonomy to make on-the-field calls, audibles and adjustments.
HOF QB who was coached up to regain his former abilities and improved on others. Haley and or Whiz were the difference. Oh and Warner was as accurate a passer as anyone.
What the first of half of this season has done is it has exposed the consistent flaws of Ken Whisenhunt's coaching and offensive schemes, because the consistencies of it:
* No QB in Arizona other than Warner has been able to perform with even a modicum of success in Whisenhunt's offense.
Well we really haven't had much time with other QB's playing since Whiz has been here. He seemed to run a pretty good O in Pittsburg and then adapted his O to fit with the talents of Warner.
* Lack of a sustained running game. Even without Warner no added emphasis has been placed on the running game.
The running game has improved since Whiz and Grimm have arrived. It's not where most of us want it to be but nothing is done in a vacuum. The run game can and will be affected by how the rest of the offense is doing.
* Lack of adequate pass protection, especially when it matters most. Whisenhunt's refusal to "chip" opposing DEs, especially when the matchups heavily favor the DEs, has cost this offense time and time again. (Note: This week TE Brent Celek of the Eagles said that the key to their win over the Colts was the way they chipped DE Dwight Freeney. Celek said that after a while Freeney stopped even trying, that it took the heart out of him. This is why a team with Mike Vick at QB can beat a team wirh Peyton Manning. Its in the planning.)
Whiz gave Bridges a bunch of help against Jared Allen last year so his refusal to chip could be better stated as not using it consistently enough. The point to that is you give Warner a ton of credit for how this offense performed (rightfully so) and his impact on the game planning. Most of us know Warner wanted every eligible reciever out in their patterns as soon as possible on every play. I get the impression the Cards have had far more max protection plays this year already then all 2 1/2 year Warner started for us.
* Poor time/clock management late in halfs and games.
Examples in the Bucs' loss:
1. Rushing a 4th down and goal from the 2 at the end of the first half, with a timeout still available.
Whiz's thinking there was that if we don't score the Bucs are pinned against their own goal line, the D has stuffed them for most of the day and that time out would give the Cards a chance to get back into field goal position with the great field position they would have had. If you look closely at this thought process it is rather clever.
Agree or disagree but I don't think is blarring evidence of poor clock management.
2. Passing on 1st and 10 from the Bucs' 20 yard line, with a little over 2 minutes left, and the Bucs down to their last timeout.
Not a bad call but poor execution by DA who had been on one of his "hot" streaks.
3. Even after the interception, there was still a chance if the defense can stop the Bucs from running out the clock, and yet on the very first play, the Bucs gain 25 yards versus what should have been a prevent the run defense, because the defense with Alan Branch on the edge (why?) loses contain.
I would argue Branch has been playing better run defense then CC, DD, and Porter. The issue was the Safety that came flying up and Blount leaped over him.
* Playing the best players at times when there is absolutely no need to---in fact at times where it's totally stupid to. Examples:
Anquan Boldin getting hurt in the Packer blowout due to a high Leinart pass. (You would think that after the Boldin disaster in NY, he would have been the first to take out in another meaningless game)
The year the Cards went to the SB right? The year that the Cards experienced several blow out losses. The 2nd year of Whiz's tenure where he was trying to change the "give up SOC" culture.
It's football and sometimes players get hurt. I can't believe that you who believes Whiz is too lax on players now wanted him to throw in the towel.
Beanie Wells getting 15 carries in the second halfs of pre-season games when he is nursing a knee injury.
Beanie needs reps to get better. Beanie wants to play as much as possible.
* Trick Plays. These make the Cardinal offense creative...like the flea flicker versus the Panthers in the 2008 playoffs that Warner and Haley drew up on the plane...or the end around WR pass from Stevie Breaston this past week that helped lead to the Cardinals' only 3 offensive points of the second half.
Warner hated flea flickers so I'm not sure he helped draw that up but I may be mistaken.
While the trick plays are great...you can't build an offense around them.
Throwing stuff against the wall and hoping it sticks? How may trick plays do the Cards run each week? Is it more then any other team in the league?
* Late arriving plays and even on timely called plays, bringing virtually every snap down to the 1 second mark of the playclock. No quick snaps...and thus giving the defense a predictable edge.
I haven't noticed this but it could an issue. All the new faces in new places could also be a factor in making sure everyone is lined up properly.
* Poor passing to the RBs...poor execution on screen and flare passes...and almost no passing to the TEs.
Truly has been horrible this year. Warner wasn't a fan of throwing to TE's, never ever in his career.
* Sloppily designed and executed 2 minute drills that feature three yard passes and a colossal wasting of time between plays.
I'm pretty confident that the plays called weren't for 3 yard passes. The two minute O before halftime against the Vikings was a thing of beauty. Huge brass ones by Whiz to go for a 3rd and 19.
2010 Offensive Rankings (after 8 games):
Yards:
31st; Rushing:
28th; Passing
31st; Sacks:
31st; 1st Downs:
29th; Red Zone %:
13th; Points Per Game:
20th (which, if you took away the return TDs would be 31st).
Yep, horrible QB play will earn you these stats.
The greatest strength of Whisenhunt's offense is his ability to make the right calls and get the right execution in the Red Zone. Even without Warner, this year's team ranks #13 (after being #1 last year). The problem is, the offense isn't getting into the red zone nearly often enough, as it was last year.
Spot on. Doesn't this give some evidence that Whiz is a pretty good Offensive mind and not such a horrible OC? Harders thing to do is score in the redzone without much of a running game. Yet Whiz with a crappy QB is still getting results.
(2) As for the
defense...the excuse during the playoffs---in which they gave up an NFL record 90 points in consecutive games---was that the unit was injured. This year the unit has been healthy...and the results are pretty much the same. The consistent patterns here under Bill Davis (with many carry-overs from Clancy Pendergast) have been:
* Inability to stop the run...showing particularly no interest in stopping power backs...even allowing third stringers like Jason Snelling (ATL), Mike Tolbert (SD) and LaGarrette Blount to have career 100 yard plus days.
I'm not gonna say Davis is or is not a good DC. I will say that the jury is still out on him until the end of this season.
* Inability to pressure the edge...both on the pass rush and in defending the run.
* Poor contain on the edge.
* Shabby, inconsistent tackling. This year the best, surest tacklers are Paris Lenon, Greg Toler and Michael Adams.
Money Mike is fearless isn't he? I am more confident of him making the tackle then anyone else on this team. The poor tackling issue is not confined to just the Cards but it is unacceptable at this point.
* Poor fundamentals in tackling...poor pursuit angles...not breaking down, like the way Adrian Wilson lunged and whiffed on Percy Harvin.
Adub looked pitiful on that play. Harvin has done that to many an NFL player but for him to have those quicks on that ankle was amazing. Adub did break down nicely on a tackle later in that game.
* Very few hard, statement-making tackles.
Yep, Dansby was always good for one or two of those a game. 
* Porous coverage, especially late in halfs.
Has been the issue with the Cards since I have been a fan. Please can someone, anyone fix this.
* Poor game planning. When an All-Pro like TE Antonio Gates is wide open all afternoon, what does that tell you?
That All-Pro Gates has had more then one of these games. It also tells me that Davis was schooled by Turner.
* Weak defense on the perimeter...inability to cover WR hitch screen, RB screens, reverses, waggles, bootlegs.
The Falcons game was awful, they got the edge anytime they wanted. I don't recall major issues in the other games but this season does have a bunch of bad play all on sides of the ball.
* Poor deep help. It is still impossible to believe that Brett Favre was given a clear passing lane right up the middle from 30 yards out and under 30 seconds left without a safety being right there at the goal-line.
Weren't there 3 DB's in that area?
* Lack of in-game adjustments. How can the Vikings keep passing to a wide-open slant? How can they hit the TE seam pass two times in a row?
Yep, very frustrating.
* Poorly conceived matchups. Michael Adams on Donald Driver (no better option?). Adrian Wilson on Visanthe Shiancoe (no better option there?). Paris Lenon on Bernard Berrian? Please.
I doubt that the D scheme is to have Lenon on Berrian. The OC put in a play that pushed the D into unfavorable match ups. It happens in every NFL game every Sunday for every Team. Did the Dolpins draw up a D that had a LB to cover Q. Nope, Whiz and Haley called a play against a D that they hoped to get so they could get that match up.
* Playing and starting veterans who are unproductive.
In many or some fans opinions.
* Slow development of draft picks---Whiz is much better at getting the young players involved early. With Davis, it's been awfully slow.
Who? Toler is starting in his second year as was CC.
D-linemen rarely have a huge impact in their 1st couple of years.
* Players totally gassed at the end of games to the point of standing around.
Well TOP has been awful this year. The D doesn't get enough 3 and outs and the O has far too many of them and TO's. I don't think the players are not condiditioned well enough, wouldn't Lott have made sure of this?
* Players quitting on plays, especially in coverage.
Quitting or getting beat?
* Blown coverages, especially in key sitations and on third downs. The consistent refrain of players like Wilson claiming the players are "not on the same page."
Constant refrain? Most teams when they aren't playing well say they must do better at getting on the same page and eliminating mistakes. 2 new starters for the DB's with 3 more new faces at LB and yeah maybe there will be a learning curve. Time to get it fixed.
* A misunderstanding of how to use Adrian Wilson. There are several other personnel issiues, but the one with Wilson is most disconcerting.
He doesn't cover well unless he is in deep zone, he doesn't have any blitz moves and hasn't been effective there for awhile and he does get caught up in the wash along the line at times. I don't have an answer and apparently neither does Adub or Henderson or Davis.
2010 Defensive Rankings (after 8 games):
Yards
: 30th; Rushing
: 28th; Passing
: 27th; Sacks
: 17th; 1st Downs
: 30th; 3rd Down %
: 21st; Red Zone %
: 5th; Points Per Game
: 28th.
Aww man these are horrible. Some blame goes to how poorly the O has played and the number of TO's but aww man are the rankings pitiful.
Davis' strengths show up in these stats as well. Thanks to some timely blitzes (which he likely should call more of) the Cardinals get to the QB and force turnovers...and the defense stiffens in the red zone...but, it gives up far too many yards and coversions, far too many long sustained drives (The Bucs' game---4 drives covered over 320 yards)---and at times too many quick hitting drives (The Vikings' last 3 drives in the 4th Q & OT: 4 plays 40 yards; 4 plays 62 yards; 4 plays 46 yards).
Like the offense the good news is the Red Zone % stat...only the offense doesn't get there hardly at all, and the defense find itself there far too often.
Kudos to ST Coach Kevin Spencer who has found a way to keep the team in games. This guy is sharp and has kept improving the Cardinals' STs year after year.
Team Leadership:
The Cardinals' best game this year was their beating of New Orleans at home 30-20. There were many uncanny things that happened in that game...but one thing was clear, unlike in many other games...the players were jacked and fought hard for 60 minutes...the term MAX EFFORT was spawned there, and it applied to the entire team.
This game manifested what this team is capable of...even with an undrafted rookie at QB...
Yet...the most telling STAT of all???
Come to find out the players prior to the Saints' game had added incentive of earning a whole week (besides one perfunctory walk-through practice) off for the bye week with a win.
See my separate post on this "stat".
The reality is...this team is severely lacking in veteran leadership...and in players who are thoroughly committed to winning.
Really? I'm upset about the W/L column but I'm not throwing the entire team under the bus for a lack of committment.
The players collectively have succumbed to a level of complacency that
That is...the most important stat.
The coaches are to blame...they always are when a team plays as poorly as the Cardinals have. Coaches DO create culture.
Yep, a culture that has turned around the worst run franchise to a two time division champ and a conference champ.
But, the players have to make the difference...they are the ones who have to embrace the culture...and they are not.
Sure they should be fired up for Seattle...
This team gets fired up for the games THEY WANT to get fired up for.
Patriots players decided they didn't want to get fired up for the Browns last week. This is the only team since the Dolphins in the 70's that has had a perfect regular season.
This is why, we the fans are getting cheated.
In years past I felt like I was getting cheated. Since Michael B and Whiz I feel like a VIP.
This team is a total c-teaser.
