Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
1. Offensive line. What happens to the morale of the football team if it becomes apparent that the Cardinals still cannot run the ball?
A. The personnel suggests that the Cardinals may still struggle to run the ball. The middle of the line, particulary with Wells at LG and Leckey or Stepanovich at C appears to be too soft...and will likely be exploited by the opponents.
B. The 2nd year OC, Keith Rowen, seems very predictable in his run calls...which makes running for positive yards all the more difficult.
C. The running schemes lack imagination and the linemen do not look well repped in their assignments...it appears that the running game has not been stressed enough.
D. Edgerrin James has become the leader of the clubhouse. What happens when he starts taking an Emmitt Smith-type pounding? What will this do to James' morale and the morale of the whole offense and team?
2. The QB situation. Not only might one question Kurt Warner's physical stamina to endure the 16 game schedule, one might have to question his ability to make key decisions, particularly in the red zone. Warner seems free and wheeling between the twenties, but, thus far as a Cardinal he becomes noticeably more tentative in the red zone, and when that happens, he holds on to the ball longer...which leads to sacks and untimely setbacks...the weakness in Warner's game since his heydays in St. Louis.
Dennis Green and Warner have said that the red zone woes can be attributed to the lack of a running game...which has merit, certainly...but, what if the Cardinals still can't run the ball? They could take advantage of size mismatches galore in passing to Fitz, Q, BJ and now Leonard Pope...or one-on-one coverage mismatches with Edgerrin James out of the backfield.
Will Warner be more decisive this year? In game one against Pittsburgh he was...for example, his quick slant TD to Bryant Johnson, which wasn't pretty, but was effective.
The main problem is...Warner has a hard time buying time with his feet...and often this is what makes or breaks a red zone offense...if the QB can buy that little extra time, the receivers can shake free...Tom Brady is the master at buying time...and scramblers like Matt Hasselbeck and Donovan McNabb put a great deal of the pressure on the defense to be able to cover well enough, long enough, and be in a position to defend a QB on the loose.
Matt Leinart (it would initially appear, based on his college tendencies and his performance versus New England) gives the Cardinals an attractive package of skills in the red zone because he makes swift decisions with aplomb...and he has the feet, as we all saw in his debut, to buy time and/or to take off from the pocket. He's no Vince Young in that regard, obviously...but, like Tom Brady, his awareness under pressure is acute.
How quickly will Matt Leinart take over the reins at QB? An injury to Kurt Warner might expedite the change...but...Dennis Green needs results this year and will give Warner as much rope as possible...but if the Cardinals jump out to yet another slow start, Green might turn to Leinart quicker than anyone expects.
If this scenario unfolds, one must hope that Leinart is mentally prepared to take over the reins...he did miss two weeks of training camp and he's been of the mindset that this will be a year to sit and learn behind Warner.
If Green is smart, he should pull Leinart aside and hint that his day could come sooner than later.
3. Offensive touches. Whenever a team has a number of good offensive players...and those players are hungry for good stats...sometimes that will hurt the success and morale of the team (see Terrell Owens)...
While it would appear that Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin would gladly settle for less touches in lieu of more wins...that remains to be seen. When they get doubled, other WRs and the TEs may be the open receivers to throw to.
How will Edge feel about his stats? Particularly if the rushing totals are not Edge-like?
4. The run defense looks much improved thus far. Will it be when the lights come on? The personnel is definitely stronger with Clancy, Moore and Watson as classic run stuffers...and Gerald Hayes looks like a more physical presence at MLB...but, until they can stuff the likes of Shaun Alexander with regularity, there will be questions.
5. The pass defense. There were games last year where the Cardinals were so far off the receivers that one had to wonder what in the world they were doing. This past week versus the Patriots...the pass coverage was conspicuously poor...and the schemes were not aggressive. Will this be the case again this year?
In game one versus Pittsburgh, it was refreshing to see the likes of Ernest Shazor shadowing the TE man-to-man up the seam...and he even intercepted the ball on the play...but, what was going on versus the Patriots? The secondary made Matt Cassell look like an All-Pro. He was passing to wide open no-name receivers at will. Tom Brady...well, he looked like an All-Pro because he is one...but his night's work was made all the easier by the Cardinals' slow-to-pick up and react to the ball coverages.
6. The special teams. Like the run defense, the special teams look much improved thus far. They certainly look better coached. Will this be the case when the games count?
7. In-Game Adjustments from the Coaching Staff. Last year the adjustments were either late or non-recognizable...especially after the halfs when adjustments are so critical. Will this change?
8. Clock Management. Matt Leinart ran a textbook two-minute drill, making all the right decisions on passes and timeouts. Will this be a matter of course for the Cardinals this year?
I like the talent on the team...and would feel much better if the Cardinals picked up a solid LG, a blocking TE and one more good, aggressive CB...and I like that Dennis Green seems to be operating with a greater sense of urgency this year...there are many positives...and, as with most teams, many questions.
What are your thoughts?
A. The personnel suggests that the Cardinals may still struggle to run the ball. The middle of the line, particulary with Wells at LG and Leckey or Stepanovich at C appears to be too soft...and will likely be exploited by the opponents.
B. The 2nd year OC, Keith Rowen, seems very predictable in his run calls...which makes running for positive yards all the more difficult.
C. The running schemes lack imagination and the linemen do not look well repped in their assignments...it appears that the running game has not been stressed enough.
D. Edgerrin James has become the leader of the clubhouse. What happens when he starts taking an Emmitt Smith-type pounding? What will this do to James' morale and the morale of the whole offense and team?
2. The QB situation. Not only might one question Kurt Warner's physical stamina to endure the 16 game schedule, one might have to question his ability to make key decisions, particularly in the red zone. Warner seems free and wheeling between the twenties, but, thus far as a Cardinal he becomes noticeably more tentative in the red zone, and when that happens, he holds on to the ball longer...which leads to sacks and untimely setbacks...the weakness in Warner's game since his heydays in St. Louis.
Dennis Green and Warner have said that the red zone woes can be attributed to the lack of a running game...which has merit, certainly...but, what if the Cardinals still can't run the ball? They could take advantage of size mismatches galore in passing to Fitz, Q, BJ and now Leonard Pope...or one-on-one coverage mismatches with Edgerrin James out of the backfield.
Will Warner be more decisive this year? In game one against Pittsburgh he was...for example, his quick slant TD to Bryant Johnson, which wasn't pretty, but was effective.
The main problem is...Warner has a hard time buying time with his feet...and often this is what makes or breaks a red zone offense...if the QB can buy that little extra time, the receivers can shake free...Tom Brady is the master at buying time...and scramblers like Matt Hasselbeck and Donovan McNabb put a great deal of the pressure on the defense to be able to cover well enough, long enough, and be in a position to defend a QB on the loose.
Matt Leinart (it would initially appear, based on his college tendencies and his performance versus New England) gives the Cardinals an attractive package of skills in the red zone because he makes swift decisions with aplomb...and he has the feet, as we all saw in his debut, to buy time and/or to take off from the pocket. He's no Vince Young in that regard, obviously...but, like Tom Brady, his awareness under pressure is acute.
How quickly will Matt Leinart take over the reins at QB? An injury to Kurt Warner might expedite the change...but...Dennis Green needs results this year and will give Warner as much rope as possible...but if the Cardinals jump out to yet another slow start, Green might turn to Leinart quicker than anyone expects.
If this scenario unfolds, one must hope that Leinart is mentally prepared to take over the reins...he did miss two weeks of training camp and he's been of the mindset that this will be a year to sit and learn behind Warner.
If Green is smart, he should pull Leinart aside and hint that his day could come sooner than later.
3. Offensive touches. Whenever a team has a number of good offensive players...and those players are hungry for good stats...sometimes that will hurt the success and morale of the team (see Terrell Owens)...
While it would appear that Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin would gladly settle for less touches in lieu of more wins...that remains to be seen. When they get doubled, other WRs and the TEs may be the open receivers to throw to.
How will Edge feel about his stats? Particularly if the rushing totals are not Edge-like?
4. The run defense looks much improved thus far. Will it be when the lights come on? The personnel is definitely stronger with Clancy, Moore and Watson as classic run stuffers...and Gerald Hayes looks like a more physical presence at MLB...but, until they can stuff the likes of Shaun Alexander with regularity, there will be questions.
5. The pass defense. There were games last year where the Cardinals were so far off the receivers that one had to wonder what in the world they were doing. This past week versus the Patriots...the pass coverage was conspicuously poor...and the schemes were not aggressive. Will this be the case again this year?
In game one versus Pittsburgh, it was refreshing to see the likes of Ernest Shazor shadowing the TE man-to-man up the seam...and he even intercepted the ball on the play...but, what was going on versus the Patriots? The secondary made Matt Cassell look like an All-Pro. He was passing to wide open no-name receivers at will. Tom Brady...well, he looked like an All-Pro because he is one...but his night's work was made all the easier by the Cardinals' slow-to-pick up and react to the ball coverages.
6. The special teams. Like the run defense, the special teams look much improved thus far. They certainly look better coached. Will this be the case when the games count?
7. In-Game Adjustments from the Coaching Staff. Last year the adjustments were either late or non-recognizable...especially after the halfs when adjustments are so critical. Will this change?
8. Clock Management. Matt Leinart ran a textbook two-minute drill, making all the right decisions on passes and timeouts. Will this be a matter of course for the Cardinals this year?
I like the talent on the team...and would feel much better if the Cardinals picked up a solid LG, a blocking TE and one more good, aggressive CB...and I like that Dennis Green seems to be operating with a greater sense of urgency this year...there are many positives...and, as with most teams, many questions.
What are your thoughts?
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