Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
If there is one thing that Carson Palmer, the person, is not---he is not disingenuous. When asked this week if the game versus the Bengals had any special significance to him personally---he said he was not going to lie---that the game was very important to him.
Palmer handled his rhetoric during the week with impressive integrity---he spoke about how he and Mike Brown had fundamental differences about how the organization should be run---how he and Brown had some "colorful' discussions---and that at the end of the day their rift was a clashing of stubborn men.
Palmer went on to praise the Bengals team and even though he never said anything like this, one can imagine that Palmer might feel a little satisfaction that perhaps Mike Brown started to heed Palmer's viewpoints after Palmer was traded---because the Bengals are one of the most talented, skillfully built teams in the NFL. In fact, when they get Pacman Jones back and get their secondary healthy again, one could argue that the Bengals have very few holes, particularly up front where they are big, physical and athletic.
By his own admission, Palmer obviously was off his game in the first quarter, throwing two interceptions, one during the first possession on third down to Larry Fitzgerald, who was successfully bracketed on the play, and the second what Palmer envisioned as a take the off top of the defense bomb to J.J. Nelson. Nelson, however, either misunderstood his pattern on the play or was successfully impeded and re-directed on his route---in either case the play made Palmer look awfully foolish, especially since it was on first down following the previous interception.
Perhaps somewhat lost in perceived embarrassment here is a nuance that Palmer has been working very diligently on---which is trying to throw his deep passes quicker so as to lead his WRs, rather than force them to have to slow down.
It is therefore, interesting to note how Palmer atoned for his earlier mistakes by going Fitz's way when he wasn't bracketed---highlighted by the passes to Fitz that set up the game winning FG---and by hitting Nelson on the money deep right on stride for a stunning TD bomb and on a couple of other passes in the intermediate range. Add to that---the perfectly thrown corner TD pass to TE Darren Fells, the precise look-the-safety-off, turn and fire a skinny post TD strike to Smokey Brown and the textbook wheel route TD pass to RB David Johnson.
Mostly all of these successes came in the second half---after what was a very frustrating waits for Palmer during portions of the game when every time it appeared the Cardinals' defense had the Bengals' offense in a hole, the Cardinals incurred an untimely holding penalty or big play, such as the screen pass to RB Giovanni Bernard.
Something very good is going on in the Cardinals' locker room at half-time these days. Earlier in the year, the Cardinals were not dominating the third quarter like they were when they were on a roll last year---and yet---the past two weeks in particular, the Cardinals have looked like a different team (poised, tenacious and well-adjusted) after half-time.
At one point in the 3rd quarter the Cardinals had over 200 yards on offense to the Bengals' 0. And when one looks at how talented the Bengals are, especially up front on both sides of the ball---this third quarter dominance was nothing short of brilliant.
On defense, James Bettcher was dialing up the pressure and suddenly Dwight Freeney, Kevin Minter, Frosty Rucker, Markus Golden and Rodney Gunter were getting heat on Andy Dalton. Golden's hustle plays were huge in the game---especially the strip fumble of Dalton he caused in the 4th quarter.
The problems are that opposing QBs are tending to escape pressure too easily at times and that at other times when the opponents counter the pressure with RB screen, flares and circle passes.
Without question, Kevin Minter is no coverage match for Giovanni Bernard---but then again, neither are 98% of the ILBers in the NFL, just as Vontaze Burfict was no match for David Johnson.
To Minter's credit, he was close enough on two coverages in the 4th quarter to help stave off a Bengals' potentially game-winning TD.
So was Justin Bethel, who filled in admirably for Patrick Peterson who for three and a half quarters had been dogging A.J. Green about as well as an CB in the NFL can. Bethel did not panic on the deep pass to Green with the game on the line as he was in good position and turned back to see the ball only to find in a split second that the ball was playable---by then very fortunately Green could not turn Bethel's bobble into a TD because Bethel has squeezed him out of room at the pylon.
Been reading that many of the fans are down on the Cardinals' defense for giving up 17 points in the 4th quarter---but mind you that Rucker and Peterson were on the sideline and, moreover, if you watched the Bengals roar back from a 17 point deficit to win in the 4th quarter earlier in the season versus the mighty Seahawks' defense, then you know that this Bengals' offense is often at its very best when they play with a sense of urgency. That Bengals' offense is very very difficult to defend---because they basically have it all---a prolific thunder and lightning RB tandem, a TE who is leading the NFL in scoring, a cadre of big fast WRs headed by a perennial All-Pro, and a big, physical offensive line that can protect and blow open holes with best of them.
Some are lamenting Calais Campbell's quiet game---but---if there is one guard in the NFL who matches up best versus Campbell it is 6-7, 330 LG Andrew Whitworth.
Plus---how many times were Bengals' drives extended by penalties or chunk yard plays when they were backed up? How about the penalty where Marvin Jones went out of bounds and came back in to make a catch? The NFL should deem that an incomplete pass---why should the offense be given another crack at it? If the pass was completed illegally it should be a loss of down, shouldn't it? Regardless, giving offense like the Bengals' numerous second and third chances was very frustrating.
Rookie Xavier Williams got his feet wet versus two very good rugged interior blocker in Bodine and Boling. And Williams was a factor. Alas, Ed Stinson and Josh Mauro were not, particularly Stinson who was blown away on the off-guard TD run at the goal line---at worst Stinson should have collapsed the block, but he was on roller skates and got moved like a blocking sled all the way over to the opposite A gap, thus opening a gaping hole. This is where not having Rucker in that situation really hurt.
One of the biggest frustrations on the offensive side was twice seeing Chris Johnson get the team 9 and 1/2 yards to set up 3rd and shorts, and twice watching the Bengals stuff and collapse all blocks and the RB well short of the first down. It was surprising that BA didn't play action on at least one of those plays. As for Chris Johnson, he ran very hard and tough all game.
BA said he wanted to try to go for the win in regulation because "I trust my guys in that situation." For all of America to see on consecutive Monday nights how gutsy BA, Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, the offensive line and skill players are must have won a number of new Cardinals' fans.
These Cardinals are bold---almost, per se, in defiance of their own flaws. Their head coach and their quarterback are of one mindset---no matter what the situation, put the pedal to the medal and don't let up.
After that frustrating first half---how many of you would have thought the Cardinals' offense would light up the scoreboard the way did in the second half, versus that quality defense? Because of how unblockable their front 4 of Michael Johnson, Geno Atkins, Domata Peko and Carlos Dunlap were in the first half, it looked like the Cardinals were going to have to be on top of their game just to score in the low to mid 20s.
To see Palmer hit the very WRs he missed early in the game on that game winning drive with under a minute on the clock and no timeouts was a thing of utter beauty. But moreover---to see the quintet of Veldheer, Iupati, Sendlein, Larsen and Massie blocking their ever-living arses off, that was like watching a team of exhausted huskies sprint home to win the Iditarod. The skill guys got the love and the game balls---but---the Cardinals won the game because of the men up front.
Hopefully next time on such a game winning drive---BA, without any time outs left, elects to kick the ball with 20 seconds left---and doesn't risk the 10 second run-off in the event of a penalty. Man, it's a wonderful thing the ref heard the Bengals simulating Palmer's snap count. It was a wonderful thing to watch Chandler Catanzaro split those uprights amidst all the cheers from the Red Sea and the with the stars twinkling merrily above!
Palmer handled his rhetoric during the week with impressive integrity---he spoke about how he and Mike Brown had fundamental differences about how the organization should be run---how he and Brown had some "colorful' discussions---and that at the end of the day their rift was a clashing of stubborn men.
Palmer went on to praise the Bengals team and even though he never said anything like this, one can imagine that Palmer might feel a little satisfaction that perhaps Mike Brown started to heed Palmer's viewpoints after Palmer was traded---because the Bengals are one of the most talented, skillfully built teams in the NFL. In fact, when they get Pacman Jones back and get their secondary healthy again, one could argue that the Bengals have very few holes, particularly up front where they are big, physical and athletic.
By his own admission, Palmer obviously was off his game in the first quarter, throwing two interceptions, one during the first possession on third down to Larry Fitzgerald, who was successfully bracketed on the play, and the second what Palmer envisioned as a take the off top of the defense bomb to J.J. Nelson. Nelson, however, either misunderstood his pattern on the play or was successfully impeded and re-directed on his route---in either case the play made Palmer look awfully foolish, especially since it was on first down following the previous interception.
Perhaps somewhat lost in perceived embarrassment here is a nuance that Palmer has been working very diligently on---which is trying to throw his deep passes quicker so as to lead his WRs, rather than force them to have to slow down.
It is therefore, interesting to note how Palmer atoned for his earlier mistakes by going Fitz's way when he wasn't bracketed---highlighted by the passes to Fitz that set up the game winning FG---and by hitting Nelson on the money deep right on stride for a stunning TD bomb and on a couple of other passes in the intermediate range. Add to that---the perfectly thrown corner TD pass to TE Darren Fells, the precise look-the-safety-off, turn and fire a skinny post TD strike to Smokey Brown and the textbook wheel route TD pass to RB David Johnson.
Mostly all of these successes came in the second half---after what was a very frustrating waits for Palmer during portions of the game when every time it appeared the Cardinals' defense had the Bengals' offense in a hole, the Cardinals incurred an untimely holding penalty or big play, such as the screen pass to RB Giovanni Bernard.
Something very good is going on in the Cardinals' locker room at half-time these days. Earlier in the year, the Cardinals were not dominating the third quarter like they were when they were on a roll last year---and yet---the past two weeks in particular, the Cardinals have looked like a different team (poised, tenacious and well-adjusted) after half-time.
At one point in the 3rd quarter the Cardinals had over 200 yards on offense to the Bengals' 0. And when one looks at how talented the Bengals are, especially up front on both sides of the ball---this third quarter dominance was nothing short of brilliant.
On defense, James Bettcher was dialing up the pressure and suddenly Dwight Freeney, Kevin Minter, Frosty Rucker, Markus Golden and Rodney Gunter were getting heat on Andy Dalton. Golden's hustle plays were huge in the game---especially the strip fumble of Dalton he caused in the 4th quarter.
The problems are that opposing QBs are tending to escape pressure too easily at times and that at other times when the opponents counter the pressure with RB screen, flares and circle passes.
Without question, Kevin Minter is no coverage match for Giovanni Bernard---but then again, neither are 98% of the ILBers in the NFL, just as Vontaze Burfict was no match for David Johnson.
To Minter's credit, he was close enough on two coverages in the 4th quarter to help stave off a Bengals' potentially game-winning TD.
So was Justin Bethel, who filled in admirably for Patrick Peterson who for three and a half quarters had been dogging A.J. Green about as well as an CB in the NFL can. Bethel did not panic on the deep pass to Green with the game on the line as he was in good position and turned back to see the ball only to find in a split second that the ball was playable---by then very fortunately Green could not turn Bethel's bobble into a TD because Bethel has squeezed him out of room at the pylon.
Been reading that many of the fans are down on the Cardinals' defense for giving up 17 points in the 4th quarter---but mind you that Rucker and Peterson were on the sideline and, moreover, if you watched the Bengals roar back from a 17 point deficit to win in the 4th quarter earlier in the season versus the mighty Seahawks' defense, then you know that this Bengals' offense is often at its very best when they play with a sense of urgency. That Bengals' offense is very very difficult to defend---because they basically have it all---a prolific thunder and lightning RB tandem, a TE who is leading the NFL in scoring, a cadre of big fast WRs headed by a perennial All-Pro, and a big, physical offensive line that can protect and blow open holes with best of them.
Some are lamenting Calais Campbell's quiet game---but---if there is one guard in the NFL who matches up best versus Campbell it is 6-7, 330 LG Andrew Whitworth.
Plus---how many times were Bengals' drives extended by penalties or chunk yard plays when they were backed up? How about the penalty where Marvin Jones went out of bounds and came back in to make a catch? The NFL should deem that an incomplete pass---why should the offense be given another crack at it? If the pass was completed illegally it should be a loss of down, shouldn't it? Regardless, giving offense like the Bengals' numerous second and third chances was very frustrating.
Rookie Xavier Williams got his feet wet versus two very good rugged interior blocker in Bodine and Boling. And Williams was a factor. Alas, Ed Stinson and Josh Mauro were not, particularly Stinson who was blown away on the off-guard TD run at the goal line---at worst Stinson should have collapsed the block, but he was on roller skates and got moved like a blocking sled all the way over to the opposite A gap, thus opening a gaping hole. This is where not having Rucker in that situation really hurt.
One of the biggest frustrations on the offensive side was twice seeing Chris Johnson get the team 9 and 1/2 yards to set up 3rd and shorts, and twice watching the Bengals stuff and collapse all blocks and the RB well short of the first down. It was surprising that BA didn't play action on at least one of those plays. As for Chris Johnson, he ran very hard and tough all game.
BA said he wanted to try to go for the win in regulation because "I trust my guys in that situation." For all of America to see on consecutive Monday nights how gutsy BA, Carson Palmer, Larry Fitzgerald, the offensive line and skill players are must have won a number of new Cardinals' fans.
These Cardinals are bold---almost, per se, in defiance of their own flaws. Their head coach and their quarterback are of one mindset---no matter what the situation, put the pedal to the medal and don't let up.
After that frustrating first half---how many of you would have thought the Cardinals' offense would light up the scoreboard the way did in the second half, versus that quality defense? Because of how unblockable their front 4 of Michael Johnson, Geno Atkins, Domata Peko and Carlos Dunlap were in the first half, it looked like the Cardinals were going to have to be on top of their game just to score in the low to mid 20s.
To see Palmer hit the very WRs he missed early in the game on that game winning drive with under a minute on the clock and no timeouts was a thing of utter beauty. But moreover---to see the quintet of Veldheer, Iupati, Sendlein, Larsen and Massie blocking their ever-living arses off, that was like watching a team of exhausted huskies sprint home to win the Iditarod. The skill guys got the love and the game balls---but---the Cardinals won the game because of the men up front.
Hopefully next time on such a game winning drive---BA, without any time outs left, elects to kick the ball with 20 seconds left---and doesn't risk the 10 second run-off in the event of a penalty. Man, it's a wonderful thing the ref heard the Bengals simulating Palmer's snap count. It was a wonderful thing to watch Chandler Catanzaro split those uprights amidst all the cheers from the Red Sea and the with the stars twinkling merrily above!
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