Article and JJ Question

[CardinalLaw]

Cardinals squander an opportunity for first win

By Gerard Gallagher, NFL Analyst

(Sports Network) - Last week we said that Arizona's resurrection would need some special teams help and a running game.

A sense of urgency wouldn't hurt, either.

With seven seconds left in their 17-12 loss to the Rams on Sunday, the Cardinals were called for a false start penalty deep inside St. Louis territory, running out the remaining time in the game.

Quarterback Kurt Warner had completed six straight passes against his former team to lead his current team 81 yards to the Rams' five-yard line. But a sack and the false start dashed his hopes of a victorious home debut.

End result: the Cardinals finished without a touchdown and fell to 0-2 for the third straight year.

"It is always tough not be able to decide it yourself one way or the other, having a penalty finish out the game," acknowledged Warner, who won a Super Bowl and two league MVPs with the Rams.

"On the other hand it was kind of fitting with how the rest of the game went. We couldn't create any breaks for ourselves and it went down to the last snap."

Added head coach Dennis Green, "We had a chance to make something and we didn't make it."

So what does it mean? What's the big deal? It's one game, one meltdown, right?

Well, okay, it is just one bad ending. But in a wide-open division like the NFC West, it could turn out to be a disastrous ending. The Cardinals had a chance to drop St. Louis to 0-2 while moving to 1-1 and into a three-way tie atop the division (yeah, it's early, but first place is first place).

Instead, Arizona is one of just two NFC teams without a win after two weeks.

"Obviously we're disappointed for the second week in a row," said Cardinals head coach Dennis Green, whose team was outscored 35-6 in the second half of a 42-19 loss to the Giants in Week 1.

"All we had to do was outscore the opponent in the second half and we could win the ball game. We didn't do that last week and we didn't do it this week."



CATCH IT I CAN

The Arizona receiving corps has been a bright spot in the offense during the first two weeks of the season. Warner definitely has weapons.

After a sparkling season opener, Larry Fitzgerald caught four more passes for 70 yards against the Rams on Sunday. He ranks fifth in the league with 225 receiving yards and was fourth before Washington's Santana Moss caught two long touchdown passes in the fourth quarter on Monday night.

Anquan Boldin, who missed six games last year because of injury, added eight catches for 119 yards in the loss. Boldin is two years removed from a rookie season in which he caught 101 passes for 1,377 yards and eight touchdowns.

"The great thing about him is that he is such a tough competitor," Warner said of Boldin. "You get him the ball, he fights and battles and it takes about four guys to bring him down every time. What can you say, he is a pro."



SHIPP AHOY!

Marcel Shipp rushed for 54 yards on 12 carries to lead the Cardinals running game. He was starting in place of rookie J.J. Arrington, who missed the game with a stomach flu.

"Marcel played well. He played hard as he always does," said Green. "He's a good, rugged NFL player."

Green added that Arrington had been sick since last Thursday. The rookie felt better Saturday, but took a turn for the worse Sunday morning and was held out of the game.



UP NEXT

Next week the Cardinals head north to Seattle for a meeting with another division foe. They split a pair of meetings with the Seahawks last season, winning by eight points at home and losing a squeaker on the road.

Arizona lost both meetings between the teams in the 2003 season by a combined 56 points. Seattle is one of three NFC West teams with a 1-1 record.

 

[CardinalLaw]

Does anyone think Denny held out JJ to save him from being booed at home? I'm starting to wonder about it.

 

[Cardsmasochist]

Does anyone think Denny held out JJ to save him from being booed at home? I'm starting to wonder about it.

Doesn't Denny have a policy that if you can't practice on Friday, then you can't play on Sunday?

At least I thought he did.

 

[D-Dogg]

Does anyone think Denny held out JJ to save him from being booed at home? I'm starting to wonder about it.

That's redamndiculous. 1. Stupid for anyone to boo him. 2. Stupid for anyone to hold him out for that kind of a fear. 3. STUPID for anyone to boo him. But then again, we had fans on this very board calling for Josh to start over Warner after the game, so I'm not suprised at anything ridiculous any longer.

 

[Totally_Red]

Instead, Arizona is one of just two NFC teams without a win after two weeks.


Not true. Both Minn and GB are winless.

 

[Arizona's Finest]

Arizona lost both meetings between the teams in the 2003 season by a combined 56 points. Seattle is one of three NFC West teams with a 1-1 record.

Wow, talk about picking and choosing your stats. How about you look at last year (2004), a more apt comparison with Denny and much of the same players playing again this week,and let the reading public know we were 1-1 against them last year and OUTSCORED them 46-41.....

Its almost like their is a national conspiracy to point out our ineptitude, even when its not valid.....

 

[Russ Smith]

Does anyone think Denny held out JJ to save him from being booed at home? I'm starting to wonder about it.

So fans were going to boo the guy after one game?

Reportedly JJ was in the hospital at one point during the week on IV's because of the flu. It sounds like he got worse Sunday and was held out.

 

[CaptTurbo]

So fans were going to boo the guy after one game?

.

about as stupid as booing king after 1 pass.

 

[Russ Smith]

about as stupid as booing king after 1 pass.

Agreed, I thought that was stupid too and he had played in just one game, Carolina, before that pass.

 

[duckfallas]

King was horrid that day. I boo'd his ass and he deserved every bit of it.

 

[john h]

about as stupid as booing king after 1 pass.

About as stupid as cheering when Kent Graham got injured and Jake coming in.

 

[D-Dogg]

King was horrid that day. I boo'd his ass and he deserved every bit of it.

King was no more horrid than Josh that day. He was booed because of his previous week performance, and because the crowd had a viagra-induced reaction for Josh for whatever reason, and King was booed IMMEDIATELY, upon an incompletion, as if Josh never threw any. With the entire crowd booing the guy, no wonder he couldn't get his game off track. It has to be a terrible confidence hit to be booed in your own stadium after one incomplete pass.

I'm supremely happy that when many in the crowd chanted for the ineptitude of McCown "We want Josh" that I got quite a few smiles and nods from silent fans when I responded in my own chanting "Josh Sucks Too."

"Fans" that boo their own players because they like another player better and not on the one being booed's merits are not fans I want to know. If people would have booed JJ at home because they pop Viagra for Tugboat, especially after they both looked TERRIBLE in New York, I would have lost my freakin mind.

 

[Russ Smith]

King was horrid that day. I boo'd his ass and he deserved every bit of it.

King was booed after his first pass though, that was a bit much IMHO.

 

[CaptTurbo]

King was horrid that day. I boo'd his ass and he deserved every bit of it.

Yeah 0 for 1 is a horrible day. Really makes sense.

 

[CaptTurbo]

I'm supremely happy that when many in the crowd chanted for the ineptitude of McCown "We want Josh" that I got quite a few smiles and nods from silent fans when I responded in my own chanting "Josh Sucks Too."

If you gathered all the people together that chanted "We want Josh" that day Im not sure youd have found 2 brain cells to rub together. just my opinion.

 

[D-Dogg]

If you gathered all the people together that chanted "We want Josh" that day Im not sure youd have found 2 brain cells to rub together. just my opinion.

I don't think your far from the truth, but you might be exaggerating. 2 is kind of high.

 

[jstadvl]

I don't know

about "stupid".
I think fans reach a point, with any player, of frustration and disappointment and that's their way of showing it. Does Arrington deserve that, no, I don't think so.
If your going to hold one QB to a standard one year, then the next year, you hold a different QB to the same standards. I don't hear the Warner supporters, McCown bashers, calling for Warners head for; his fumbling, or his mismanagement of the clock.
Last, if your going to call people stupid for booing a player, isn't it just as stupid to say one of your players "sucks too"?
I don't think we should be booing anybody at this point in the season. This team could have caved and didn't. The D coud have given up, the O could have just folded, neither did. Warner needs time, Arrington needs time, the O line needs time.

 

[clif]

about "stupid".
I think fans reach a point, with any player, of frustration and disappointment and that's their way of showing it. Does Arrington deserve that, no, I don't think so.
If your going to hold one QB to a standard one year, then the next year, you hold a different QB to the same standards. I don't hear the Warner supporters, McCown bashers, calling for Warners head for; his fumbling, or his mismanagement of the clock.
Last, if your going to call people stupid for booing a player, isn't it just as stupid to say one of your players "sucks too"?
I don't think we should be booing anybody at this point in the season. This team could have caved and didn't. The D coud have given up, the O could have just folded, neither did. Warner needs time, Arrington needs time, the O line needs time.

 

[D-Dogg]

about "stupid".
Last, if your going to call people stupid for booing a player, isn't it just as stupid to say one of your players "sucks too"?

No, because my telling a fan that they have mental problems has no bearing on the game, however booing the starting QB after one pass *can* have an effect on his play and his confidence. Apples and oranges, based on where the comment/boo is directed.

Warner has mismanaged the clock, sure. The Oline has allowed him to get hit and his forte isn't avoiding the sack, so I can't get bent at him about that..that's on the oline. He's stepped up from the rush many times, he's fine there.

However, I had one MONSTER issue with Josh...he can't lead a receiver or read a defense. The only reason he didn't throw a lot of INTs last year is because he was tentative and threw the ball where NOBODY could catch it. Warner isn't tentative, can read defenses and can lead receivers. If he couldn't do those things, he'd be getting the same type of wrath that Josh gets from me. Those are the things that separate NFL QBs, and Warner thus far has made some mistakes, but is lightyears above Joshua.

 

[CaptTurbo]

and can lead receivers..

unfortunately we havent seen this yet. No one has done this since Blake with Q.

Its awesome when it does happen tho. Right now Fitz and Q catch and drop to the ground.

 

[clif]

No, because my telling a fan that they have mental problems has no bearing on the game, however booing the starting QB after one pass *can* have an effect on his play and his confidence. Apples and oranges, based on where the comment/boo is directed.

Warner has mismanaged the clock, sure. The Oline has allowed him to get hit and his forte isn't avoiding the sack, so I can't get bent at him about that..that's on the oline. He's stepped up from the rush many times, he's fine there.

However, I had one MONSTER issue with Josh...he can't lead a receiver or read a defense. The only reason he didn't throw a lot of INTs last year is because he was tentative and threw the ball where NOBODY could catch it. Warner isn't tentative, can read defenses and can lead receivers. If he couldn't do those things, he'd be getting the same type of wrath that Josh gets from me. Those are the things that separate NFL QBs, and Warner thus far has made some mistakes, but is lightyears above Joshua.

I certainly would hope that a 33 yr old 2 time MVP is lightyears ahead of a 25 yr old first time starter.

I don't see how you can defend JJ so vehemently (and rightfully so) for being young and inexperienced, but at the same time rip Josh?

 

[Russ Smith]

I certainly would hope that a 33 yr old 2 time MVP is lightyears ahead of a 25 yr old first time starter.

I don't see how you can defend JJ so vehemently (and rightfully so) for being young and inexperienced, but at the same time rip Josh?

Because Josh didn't play at Cal?

For me the difference is Josh had actually played a fair amount and JJ hasn't but I do see now in defending JJ why people who defended Josh got so frustrated.

Much of my problem with Josh is, I know what I look for in a QB and I didn't see it in him. So now SWD and LV are saying I know what I look for in a RB, and I don't see it in JJ, and I'm telling them they're being unfair. Which of course also means I'm being a hypocrite.

 

[D-Dogg]

I certainly would hope that a 33 yr old 2 time MVP is lightyears ahead of a 25 yr old first time starter.

I don't see how you can defend JJ so vehemently (and rightfully so) for being young and inexperienced, but at the same time rip Josh?

Because I've seen Josh play in the NFL for quite a few games now. Nothing he has done has impressed me. I've seen JJ for 8 carries (preseason, schmeseason...Josh had a tremendous preseason but I doubt that would translate to real games).

If JJ looks terrible this season, I'm probably not going to defend him. He may turn around and TJ or Hearst us, but unless he shows it here, oh well. However, Josh has had the opportunities and has looked like a very talented athelete with very limited QB skills in areas that are not easy to fix. Pattern recognition, defense recognition, leading passes, etc. I still say that Josh is a great person, and wish he were good, but from what I've seen, in regular season NFL games, he couldn't lead this team to wins; the wins they got were on the defense, in spite of 3-n-outs galore the offense put up last year.

 

[D-Dogg]

Much of my problem with Josh is, I know what I look for in a QB and I didn't see it in him. So now SWD and LV are saying I know what I look for in a RB, and I don't see it in JJ, and I'm telling them they're being unfair. Which of course also means I'm being a hypocrite.

It's because you are right and they are wrong!

I'm a bit hypocritical on this one too, but again, I've seen far more of Josh than I have of JJ.

 

[conraddobler]

Because Josh didn't play at Cal?

For me the difference is Josh had actually played a fair amount and JJ hasn't but I do see now in defending JJ why people who defended Josh got so frustrated.

Much of my problem with Josh is, I know what I look for in a QB and I didn't see it in him. So now SWD and LV are saying I know what I look for in a RB, and I don't see it in JJ, and I'm telling them they're being unfair. Which of course also means I'm being a hypocrite.

Josh got enough time I can live with the people saying he sucks, I don't disagree with that totally, although I think he's still got potential that's all it is until he proves otherwise.

JJ, well we have one game to go on, although I do acknowledge that RB is different than a QB in that it's so instictual that you can tell much faster, I really don't think one game behind a really awful O line tells you much of anything.