Catfish
Registered
- Joined
- Aug 14, 2006
- Posts
- 4,551
- Reaction score
- 64
As this off-season wore on, even though it was apparent that BA&SK had a plan, many people were concerned with whether or not the Cardinals would be serious contenders in the NFC West, or merely pretenders acting the part. Last night, on the floor of their home stadium, it became apparent that, despite having BA&SK's initial plan blown to pieces by injury, attrition, and yes (even stupidity), the emphatic answer is that this team will have to be taken seriously.
Much as the front office and coaching staff have had to fall back and reorganize as they dealt with roster losses, the initial performance of the team seemed to be still fitting the pieces together, especially with the offense early on in the game against San Diego. Initial progress was slow coming, and was hesitant at best.
Thankfully the defense was able to keep Phillip Rivers' offense from running away with the game while the Cardinals offense probed to find what could work for them, and what wouldn't, throughout the first half of a tightly contested game. The run defense was stellar, led by Linebacker, Larry Foote. Once again, the front office's penchant for seeking out leadership qualities when replacing roster losses paid huge dividends. As the game wore on, Foote even made himself felt in the passing defense, as he partially deflected a critical third down pass from Rivers, causing it to be dropped by the intended receiver. Foote appeared to be everywhere he was needed on the field, and was instrumental play after play in containing the high powered offense operated by Rivers. Meanwhile, the secondary disrupted deftly thrown passes to receiver after receiver, frustrating Rivers and his weaponry.
Midway through the third quarter, Palmer seemed to get the offense going, and by the fourth quarter, he had it working almost flawlessly. Coming from an eleven point deficit, to take the lead late in the game, was a thing of beauty, as Palmer spread the ball to so many different weapons that San Diego's defense almost seemed at a loss to stop the vaunted Cardinals offense. Even when they managed to flush Palmer from the pocket, he either bought time with his legs to find an open receiver, or he simply ran to convert yet another first down.
The resulting 'late' one point lead for the Big Red was preserved by a defense that refused to allow Rivers to move his team into field goal range as the clock ticked away. The defense stood, and handed the ball back to Palmer and the offense, which quickly and forcibly ran for one final first down, allowing the offense to go into victory formation for the final snap of the game.
Just as the Front Office was nimble enough to have continued to provide adequate replacements right up to game time, the coaching staff was nimble enough to put the pieces into places where they could take advantage of their strengths and minimize their weaknesses as they sealed this win late in the game. The major questions had been answered with a resounding 'yes' as the final play was kneeled down, and time expired.
While it may not yet be pretty, this team, its coaching staff, and its front office have emphatically proclaimed that they are willing and 'active' participants in the search for a divisional title. There is a healthy beating
heart to this team that refuses to quit when things get tough. They seem to have taken a que from the 'Honey Badger' as they just don't seem to care about adversity. They simply work around it, and find a way to accomplish what they came here to do.
This was a critical first game, against a formidable foe, on a stage that previously has, more often than not, meant dismal results for this team. They managed to overcome it all, and come away with a huge 'W'. This is a far cry from the 'Old Cardinals'. One almost gets the feeling that things are beginning to sort out into something much more comfortable and familiar for the new and first time roster players for the Cards. Next man up has again answered the call, and the single 'heartbeat' is even stronger now than it was at game time. This team WILL compete!!!!!
Much as the front office and coaching staff have had to fall back and reorganize as they dealt with roster losses, the initial performance of the team seemed to be still fitting the pieces together, especially with the offense early on in the game against San Diego. Initial progress was slow coming, and was hesitant at best.
Thankfully the defense was able to keep Phillip Rivers' offense from running away with the game while the Cardinals offense probed to find what could work for them, and what wouldn't, throughout the first half of a tightly contested game. The run defense was stellar, led by Linebacker, Larry Foote. Once again, the front office's penchant for seeking out leadership qualities when replacing roster losses paid huge dividends. As the game wore on, Foote even made himself felt in the passing defense, as he partially deflected a critical third down pass from Rivers, causing it to be dropped by the intended receiver. Foote appeared to be everywhere he was needed on the field, and was instrumental play after play in containing the high powered offense operated by Rivers. Meanwhile, the secondary disrupted deftly thrown passes to receiver after receiver, frustrating Rivers and his weaponry.
Midway through the third quarter, Palmer seemed to get the offense going, and by the fourth quarter, he had it working almost flawlessly. Coming from an eleven point deficit, to take the lead late in the game, was a thing of beauty, as Palmer spread the ball to so many different weapons that San Diego's defense almost seemed at a loss to stop the vaunted Cardinals offense. Even when they managed to flush Palmer from the pocket, he either bought time with his legs to find an open receiver, or he simply ran to convert yet another first down.
The resulting 'late' one point lead for the Big Red was preserved by a defense that refused to allow Rivers to move his team into field goal range as the clock ticked away. The defense stood, and handed the ball back to Palmer and the offense, which quickly and forcibly ran for one final first down, allowing the offense to go into victory formation for the final snap of the game.
Just as the Front Office was nimble enough to have continued to provide adequate replacements right up to game time, the coaching staff was nimble enough to put the pieces into places where they could take advantage of their strengths and minimize their weaknesses as they sealed this win late in the game. The major questions had been answered with a resounding 'yes' as the final play was kneeled down, and time expired.
While it may not yet be pretty, this team, its coaching staff, and its front office have emphatically proclaimed that they are willing and 'active' participants in the search for a divisional title. There is a healthy beating
heart to this team that refuses to quit when things get tough. They seem to have taken a que from the 'Honey Badger' as they just don't seem to care about adversity. They simply work around it, and find a way to accomplish what they came here to do.
This was a critical first game, against a formidable foe, on a stage that previously has, more often than not, meant dismal results for this team. They managed to overcome it all, and come away with a huge 'W'. This is a far cry from the 'Old Cardinals'. One almost gets the feeling that things are beginning to sort out into something much more comfortable and familiar for the new and first time roster players for the Cards. Next man up has again answered the call, and the single 'heartbeat' is even stronger now than it was at game time. This team WILL compete!!!!!
