azdad1978
Championship!!!!
REGULAR SEASON GAME #5
ARIZONA CARDINALS (1-3) at SAN FRANCISCO 49ers (0-4)
Sunday, October 10, 2004
1:15 PM (MST) – Monster Park
THIS WEEK’S GAME
The Cardinals posted their first win of the season - and their first under head coach Dennis Green - with a 34-10 win over the New Orleans Saints last Sunday at Sun Devil Stadium. This week they’ll hope to make it two in a row when they head to San Francisco to take on the Niners. The 49ers will be playing their second straight home game at the newly renamed Monster Park. San Fran fell to the Rams last Sunday night 24-14. The Cards and Niners have played three of the same teams in their first four games – Atlanta, St. Louis and New Orleans. Arizona’s other opponent was New England while San Fran’s was Seattle.
THE SERIES
The 49ers and Cardinals have met 25 times with the 49ers holding a 15-10 advantage over the Cards in the series. The Cards joined the NFC West from the NFC East prior to the 2002 season and have met twice a year since. They split their ’03 meetings: on 12/7 San Francisco earned a 50-14 victory over the Cards. Earlier in the year, Arizona defeated the 49ers 16-13 in overtime. San Francisco will travel to Arizona to finish the 2004 series on December 12.
Date Site Result
Dec. 7, 2003 @ San Francisco L, 50-14
Oct. 26, 2003 @ Arizona W, 16-13 (OT)
Dec. 21, 2003 @ Arizona L, 17-14
Oct. 27, 2003 @ San Francisco L, 38-28
Oct. 1, 2000 @ San Francisco L, 27-20
Sept. 27, 1999 @ Arizona L, 24-10
Oct. 24, 1993 @ San Francisco L, 28-14
Nov. 1, 1992 @ Arizona W, 24-14
Nov. 17, 1991 @ San Francisco L, 14-10
Nov. 6, 1988 @ Arizona W, 24-23
Oct. 18, 1987 @ San Francisco L, 34-28
Nov. 9, 1986 @ San Francisco L, 43-17
Sept. 18, 1983 @ St. Louis L, 42-27
Nov. 21, 1982 @ St. Louis L, 31-20
Sept. 14, 1980 @ San Francisco L, 24-21 (OT)
Dec. 2, 1979 @ St. Louis W, 13-10
Nov. 12, 1978 @ San Francisco W, 16-10
Oct. 31, 1976 @ St. Louis W, 23-20 (OT)
Oct. 6, 1974 @ San Francisco W, 34-9
Oct. 24, 1971 @ St. Louis L, 26-14
Sept. 22, 1968 @ San Francisco L, 35-17
Sept. 27, 1964 @ San Francisco W, 23-13
Nov. 25, 1962 @ St. Louis L, 24-17
Sept. 29, 1957 @ San Francisco W, 20-10
Nov. 18, 1951 @ San Francisco W, 27-21
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TELEVISION
Network: FOX
Play-by-Play: Ron Pitts
Color Analyst: Tim Ryan
CARDINALS RADIO NETWORK
Flagship: 1060 KDUS (AM)
KSLX 100.7 (FM)
Play-by-Play: Dave Pasch
Color Analyst: John Mistler
Sideline: Mike Jurecki
CARDINALS SPANISH RADIO
Flagship: KMIA (710 AM)
Play-by-Play: Gabriel Trujillo
Color Analyst: Luis Zendejas
Halftime/Analyst: Felipe Coral
CARDINALS & NINERS – TALE OF THE TAPE “BIG” WIN
The Cardinals 24-point win over the Saints last week marked the team’s largest margin of victory in more than a decade. The last time the Cardinals won by more than 24 points was on 12/5/93 when they defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 38-10 (167 games ago). In between the 28-point win over the Rams in ’93 and the 24- point victory over New Orleans last week, Arizona won 60 regular season games but the majority of those victories were very close. Of those 60 wins, only 16 were by more than a touchdown while more than half (32) were by a field goal or less.
Prior to last week’s win over the Saints, the Cardinals seven most recent wins were all by six points or fewer and six of the seven were by a field goal or less. The last time Arizona won by more than six points was more than two years ago when the team defeated the Giants at Sun Devil Stadium on 9/29/03 by a score of 21-7. “It’s different,” said fourth-year linebacker LeVar Woods after the game. “I haven’t played a game like that in a long time. The 34 points scored against New Orleans were the most by a Cardinals team since a 34-32 OT win vs. the Raiders on 12/2/01.
Another aspect of note from last week’s win over the Saints: the Cardinals never trailed in the game. The last time that happened was in Arizona’s 12/30/01 win over the Panthers.
CARDS “D” MAKING ITS MARK
A year ago the Arizona defense ranked at the bottom of the league in points allowed, surrendering 28.25 points per contest. Through four games in 2004, the Cardinals rank at the top with a per game average of 14 points. The last team to score a touchdown against the Cardinals defense was New England in the second quarter of game two.
Since then, the Arizona defense has gone 10 quarters without allowing a TD. The last time a Cardinals defense went two straight games without allowing a touchdown was in November of 1970, a span of 512 games.
Last week vs. N.O., the Cardinals gave up just 41 rushing yards on 14 attempts and the longest run was an 8-yarder by QB Aaron Brooks on the game’s opening drive. It was the fewest rushing yards Arizona allowed in a game since 11/26/95 at Atlanta when the Cards limited the Falcons to 15 carries for 34 yards. The Cardinals defense has 12 takeaways, nine sacks, and has yet to allow a rushing touchdown. The defense ranks #1 in the
NFL in red zone efficiency after allowing just three touchdowns in 15 trips inside the 20 (just 20%). The defense has only allowed three passing touchdowns in those 15 trips with the other possessions resulting in eight field goals, three fumbles and one clock stoppage. Last week, the Saints reached the red zone twice but came away with just three points. Last week, the first New Orleans drive reached the Arizona 1- yard line before the Cards took it away with a Gerald Hayes fumble recovery in the end zone. It marked the team’s fifth red zone takeaway (the fourth inside the 10) and they’ve had at least one in every contest. They’ve had another two takeways inside their own 30. “Every time someone gets in the red zone, we expect to stop them,” said cornerback Duane Starks after Sunday’s game.
CARDINALS & NINERS – A YEAR AGO
49ers 50, CARDINALS 14
December 7, 2003 – 3Com Park – (66,975)
Arizona suffered its 12th consecutive road loss, a one-sided 50-14 setback at San Francisco. The game was decided quickly when the 49ers scored five first-half touchdowns to lead 34-0 at intermission. San Francisco quarterback Jeff Garcia accounted for six of the seven 49er touchdowns – four passing, two rushing. Running back Kevan Barlow, in his first career start (for injured regular Garrison Hearst), posted his first 100-yard rushing effort with 154 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries. The Niners amassed 496 total yards in a balanced fashion (264 yards passing, 232 rushing), accumulating 302 total yards by halftime. The 49ers recorded first downs on seven of their first 10 plays and gained 41 or more yards on eight possessions, scoring touchdowns on even of those drives. Eight 49ers caught passes led by Terrell Owens’ seven catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns. While the Cardinal defense has its hands full, Arizona’s offense did little to stem the tide, gaining two or fewer yards on seven possessions and failing to score until late in the third quarter. By then, reserve quarterback Josh McCown had replaced starter Jeff Blake. McCown, playing the entire second half, drove the Cards to their two touchdowns, the first a six-play, 66-yard march capped by a three-yard pass to fullback James Hodgins, the second a 15-play, 94-yard final-possession drive that rookie Anquan Boldin punctuated with a 16-yard touchdown reception. The scores were McCown’s first two career touchdown passes. Boldin posted his fourth 100-yard receiving day by catching nine passes for 123 yards and his late touchdown.
CARDINALS 16, 49ers 13 (OT)
October 26, 2003 – Sun Devil Stadium – (40,824)
Running back Marcel Shipp spearheaded an Arizona rushing attack with 35 carries for 165 yards (both career highs) in the Cardinals’ 16-13 overtime victory, their first triumph over San Francisco since 1992. Shipp’s effort was the top performance by a Card runner since Ronald Moore’s 36-carry (franchise record), 160-yard outing 11/7/93 vs. Philadelphia. Arizona’s 44- rush, 221-yard running game led to a tide-turning 37:56-27:03 time-of-possession advantage.
The kicking game also played a pivotal role in the contest. San Francisco missed PAT try, two field-goal tries, and booted the overtime kickoff out of bounds; Arizona kicker Tim Duncan made three of six FG attempts. The Cards took their first lead at 7-6 with 3:52 to play in the first quarter when quarterback Jeff Blake completed a 12-play, 70-yard march with a one-yard leap. The Cards extended their lead which they held until 7:12 remained in the fourth quarter, to 13-6 on two Duncan field goals, the first a career-long 53-yarder, the longest by a Cardinals kicker since 1998 (Joe Nedney). However a 73-yard Niners touchdown drive tied the contest at 13-13. A missed field goal by both teams on their final fourth-quarter possessions sent the contest into overtime. When San Francisco’s kickoff went out of bounds, Arizona enjoyed field position at their own 40-yard line. Nine plays and 38 yards later, Duncan booted his first career game-winning field goal from 39 yards away. An inspired Cardinals defense limited the 49ers vaunted rushing attack to only 106 yards on 27 carries. Safety Adrian Wilson’s third-quarter blocked punt, the Cardinals first since 1997 (Tony McCombs), led to Arizona’s second field goal.
#1 ALL-TIME… AND COUNTING
In last week’s 34-10 win over Saints, Emmitt Smith continued to prove that reports of his demise have been greatly exaggerated. Against New Orleans, he rushed 21 times for 127 yards and a 29-yard TD that put the Cards up 27-10 with five minutes to play in the fourth. On that same TD drive he also had an 18-yard reception and a key first down that moved the ball to the New Orleans 36. The 29-yard TD run was his longest run as a Cardinal. The NFL’s all-time leader in rushing yardage and rushing TDs also pulled off a career first when he completed his first career passing attempt for a 21-yard TD to fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo.
The 127-yard rushing output gave him his 77th career regular season 100-yard rushing game, tying Walter Payton for the most in NFL history. It was his first 100-yard game as a Cardinal and his first since Thanksgiving of 2002 (11/28/02 Dallas vs. Washington when he was 23-144). The last player to top 100 rushing yards after his 35th birthday was Marcus Allen for Kansas City at Cleveland on 12/3/94 (21-124).
In week one at St. Louis, Smith opened the 15th season of his NFL career/second with the Cardinals and did so in impressive fashion. In that game, he ran 16 times for 87 yards (5.4 average) against the Rams with an 11-yard TD run in the third quarter. The TD run was his third as a Cardinal and the 156th of his career, extending his all-time NFL lead in that category. In week 2 vs. NE, he ran for just 31 yards on 13 carries but scored again on 1-yard TD jaunt marking the first time since December of 2001 that he had rushing TDs on consecutive weeks.
Through four games in 2004, Smith leads the Cardinals in rushing with 290 yards on 68 carries (4.3 average) and three touchdowns. With three rushing touchdowns he has already surpassed his 2002 total of two. Projecting his four game statistics over the entire season and Emmitt is on pace to finish with 1,160 yards and 12 touchdowns.
SMITH ON THE NFL’S ALL-TIME LISTS
Most Rushing Yards, Career
1. Emmitt Smith 17,708
2. Walter Payton 16,726
3. Barry Sanders 15,269
Most Rushing TDs, Career
1. Emmitt Smith 158
2. Marcus Allen 123
3. Walter Payton 110
Most 100-Yard Games, Career
1. Walter Payton 77
Emmitt Smith 77
3. Barry Sanders 76
4. Eric Dickerson 64
CARDINALS 34, Saints 10
October 3, 2004 – Sun Devil Stadium – (28,109)
The Cardinals gave Dennis Green his first win as head coach, moved to 1-3, and scored their most decisive victory in over a decade with a 24-point decision over the visiting Saints. Leading the way was Hall of Fame bound RB Emmitt Smith, who ran for one TD and threw for another on his first career passing attempt. He topped 100 rushing yards for the first time as a Cardinal and for the 77th time in his career, tying Walter Payton for first place in NFL history in that category. The Arizona defense was again outstanding and held the opposing offense out of the end zone for the second straight week. On the game’s opening drive, the Saints moved deep into Arizona territory and QB Aaron Brooks nearly scored on a 3rd-n-goal scramble from the 9 but was popped at the 1-yard line on a TD-saving stop by LB James Darling. The Saints went for it on 4th-n-goal from the 1 but Brooks lost the handle and LB Gerald Hayes recovered in the end zone. Later in the first, a mishandled exchange on a reverse led to a fumble that Adrian Wilson scooped up and returned 35 yards for a TD. The next Saints drive again reached the Cards 1 before they stopped them twice and a holding penalty backed them into settling for a 20-yard John Carney FG. The FG came on the first play of the second quarter and the Saints offense would not cross midfield again. Later in the second, Smith attempted his first career pass and completed it for a 21-yard TD pass to fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo that made it 14-3 at the half. The Cardinals opening drive of the second half ended when Steve Gleason blocked a Scott Player punt and Mel Mitchell recovered it in the end zone for a TD that made it a 4-point game. Arizona extended the lead to 20-10 thanks to Neil Rackers FGs on their next two drives while the D continued to put the clamps on the Saints. With 5:10 to go, Smith topped the century mark in grand style with a 29-yard TD scamper on 3rd-n-3. An 11-yard Troy Hambrick TD run just after the 2:00 warning provided the game’s final points.
TAKING IT AWAY
A year ago, the Cardinals finished with a plus-minus of -13 and recorded just 23 total takeways. Among NFC teams, only the Bears (20) and Giants (22) had fewer takeaways and only the Giants had a lower plus-minus (-16). Through four games, the Cardinals are +5 and have 12 total takeaways. A year ago they did not record takeaway #12 until the 11th game of the year (November 23 vs. St. Louis). Among all NFL teams, only the Giants (13) have more takeaways in ’04 than Arizona’s 12 and the Cards lead the league with eight recoveries of opponent’s fumbles.
Against St. Louis in week 1, the Cards took it away three times (two fumble recoveries and an INT), had no turnovers themselves, and finished +3. Against New England in week 2, the Cards took it away three times (two interceptions and one fumble recovery). Two of the takeaways led to field goals while the third came on the final play of the first half. At Atlanta, the Cards took it away a season-best four times with three fumble recoveries and an INT. Two of them killed drives that had reached the Arizona red zone while the other two gave the Cards offense possession inside the Falcons 20. Last week vs. N.O., they had two big takeaways that resulted in a 14-point swing. The first killed a Saints
drive at the one with a fumble recovery in the end zone and the second put 7 on the board with a 35-yard fumble recovery for a TD by SS Adrian Wilson.
CARDS-NINERS CONNECTIONS
Cardinals Head Coach Dennis Green was the wide receivers/special teams coach for the Niners in 1979 and returned to coach the wide receivers during the 1986-88 seasons. Green was also the running backs coach for Stanford during the 1977-78 seasons and was the head coach for the Cardinal during the 1989-91 seasons. Arizona tight ends coach Mike Wilson played wide receiver for the Niners for 10 seasons (1981-90) where Green was his position coach. He was a member of four Super Bowl championship teams (following the 1981, ’84,’88, ’89 seasons) and caught 182 passes for 2,470 yards and 17 touchdowns. Wilson then went on to coach wide receivers/tight ends at Stanford during the 1992-94 seasons. He followed that job by coaching wide receivers for the Oakland Raiders during the 1995-96 seasons. Arizona defensive tackle Ross Kolodziej was on the 49ers roster for five games in 2002 (four games inactive, one DNP) and four games in 2003 (all four inactive). San Francisco quarterback Tim Rattay attended high school at Phoenix
Christian High School where he set state season records for passing yards, completions, and touchdowns. His father, Jim Rattay, is currently the coach at Phoenix Christian High School. San Francisco linebacker Derek Smith is a former ASU Devil (1995-1996) where he started every game his junior and senior season at linebacker. Lining up alongside former Arizona Cardinal safety Pat Tillman at ASU, Smith earned honorable mention All Pac-10 honors as a senior in 1996. San Francisco offensive tackle Kyle Kosier is a Peoria, AZ native who played college football at Arizona State. After being named all state at Cactus High School, Kosier went on to start his final 23 games at tackle posting 90 key blocks/knockdowns. San Francisco tight ends coach Dan Cozzetto was Arizona State’s offensive coordinator and offensive line coach during the 1993-99 seasons. The Sun Devils offense ranked fourth in the nation in 1996, averaging 492.5 yards per game and was third in scoring, averaging 42.8 points per outing. San Francisco special teams coach Larry Mac Duff twice was the defensive coordinator for the University of Arizona (1987-1996, 2001-2002). During Mac Duff’s first stop in Tucson, his defense led the nation in scoring defense in 1992. The defense finished among the top 10 defenses for four consecutive years from 1992-95. San Francisco quarterbacks coach Rich Olson was the offensive coordinator for Arizona for two seasons 2001-02. His offense only had 27 turnovers, a team low in a 16-game season. The offense’s 5.13-yard average per play was the Cardinals best since 1993. San Francisco special teams quality control coach Jeff Rodgers was a graduate assistant at the University of Arizona during the 2001-02 seasons. San Francisco secondary coach Al Simmons participated in the NFL’s Minority Fellowship Coaching program spending the 1996 training camp with the Cardinals in Flagstaff. San Francisco offensive quality control coach Scott Swartz was the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator for Northern Arizona University the past two seasons (2002-03). Cardinals practice squad quarterback Chris Lewis played at Stanford from 2000-03, playing in 30 games with 19 starts. He ranks in the school’s top 10 in TD passes (7th), attempts (7th), yardage (8th) and completions (9th). Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and linebacker Gerald Hayes played on the same team at Pittsburgh as San Francisco cornerback Shawntae Spencer, punter Andy Lee. Fitzgerald (3rd overall), Spencer (58th overall), and Lee (188th overall) were all drafted in the 2004 NFL Draft. Arizona wide receiver Bryant Johnson and San Francisco defensive tackle Anthony Adams were teammates together at Penn State and were both drafted in the 2004 NFL Draft (Johnson-17th overall, Adams-57th overall).
RACKERS ROLLING
Cards kicker Neil Rackers had a tremendous preseason and has continued his roll into the regular season. He is 6-7 on field goals and leads the NFC in touchbacks with six. Rackers closed the preseason by hitting 10 consecutive field goals. In the regular season opener at St. Louis he made his only try (22 yards). In the second quarter in week 2 vs. NE, he booted 51 and 52 yarders and had a 58-yarder blocked at the end of the quarter, his only miss of the year. Heading into that Pats game, Rackers had made three field goals of 50+ yards in his career but nailed two in the same quarter against NE. The NFL record for 50-yarders in one game is three (Morten Andersen, 12/10/95) and Rackers became the first player to have two in a game since Mike Vanderjagt did for Indy on 11/24/02. Rackers, who led the NFL in preseason touchbacks with seven, has six in the regular season including three against the Patriots and two last week vs. the Saints.
STRONG START FOR FITZGERALD
WR Larry Fitzgerald, whom the Cardinals selected with the third overall selection in the 2004 NFL Draft, has started each of the season’s first four games and is tied for second among NFL rookies with 17 catches for 204 yards. Those figures also make him the Cards leading receiver. After injuring his ankle in the preseason opener at
Minnesota, Fitzgerald missed the next three games and didn’t return to practice fully until the week before the
opener. Fitzgerald finished the opener at St. Louis with a team-high 70 receiving yards on four catches (17.5
average). He led the team in catches in week 2 against the Pats (5 for 36 yards), had 5 for 37 at Atlanta, and was 3-61 last week vs. New Orleans. On the season’s first play from scrimmage, he leapt between two Rams defenders to come down with a 37-yard reception on a flea-flicker that was the longest offensive play of the game for either team. His second catch was a 15- yarder in the second quarter and just as athletic as he corralled a pass from McCown and pinned it against his side while absorbing a hit. His third may have been the most impressive as he tight-roped the sideline for a 10-yard catch that gave the Cards a key conversion on third-and-four from the St. Louis 44, extending a drive that culminated in the Cards go-ahead TD. Said Rams defensive tackle and 10-year vet Tyoka Jackson after game 1, “Every now and then you play against a guy and say, ‘I’m going to remember this guy.’”
http://www.azcardinals.com/news/news_details.html?iid=2267
ARIZONA CARDINALS (1-3) at SAN FRANCISCO 49ers (0-4)
Sunday, October 10, 2004
1:15 PM (MST) – Monster Park
THIS WEEK’S GAME
The Cardinals posted their first win of the season - and their first under head coach Dennis Green - with a 34-10 win over the New Orleans Saints last Sunday at Sun Devil Stadium. This week they’ll hope to make it two in a row when they head to San Francisco to take on the Niners. The 49ers will be playing their second straight home game at the newly renamed Monster Park. San Fran fell to the Rams last Sunday night 24-14. The Cards and Niners have played three of the same teams in their first four games – Atlanta, St. Louis and New Orleans. Arizona’s other opponent was New England while San Fran’s was Seattle.
THE SERIES
The 49ers and Cardinals have met 25 times with the 49ers holding a 15-10 advantage over the Cards in the series. The Cards joined the NFC West from the NFC East prior to the 2002 season and have met twice a year since. They split their ’03 meetings: on 12/7 San Francisco earned a 50-14 victory over the Cards. Earlier in the year, Arizona defeated the 49ers 16-13 in overtime. San Francisco will travel to Arizona to finish the 2004 series on December 12.
Date Site Result
Dec. 7, 2003 @ San Francisco L, 50-14
Oct. 26, 2003 @ Arizona W, 16-13 (OT)
Dec. 21, 2003 @ Arizona L, 17-14
Oct. 27, 2003 @ San Francisco L, 38-28
Oct. 1, 2000 @ San Francisco L, 27-20
Sept. 27, 1999 @ Arizona L, 24-10
Oct. 24, 1993 @ San Francisco L, 28-14
Nov. 1, 1992 @ Arizona W, 24-14
Nov. 17, 1991 @ San Francisco L, 14-10
Nov. 6, 1988 @ Arizona W, 24-23
Oct. 18, 1987 @ San Francisco L, 34-28
Nov. 9, 1986 @ San Francisco L, 43-17
Sept. 18, 1983 @ St. Louis L, 42-27
Nov. 21, 1982 @ St. Louis L, 31-20
Sept. 14, 1980 @ San Francisco L, 24-21 (OT)
Dec. 2, 1979 @ St. Louis W, 13-10
Nov. 12, 1978 @ San Francisco W, 16-10
Oct. 31, 1976 @ St. Louis W, 23-20 (OT)
Oct. 6, 1974 @ San Francisco W, 34-9
Oct. 24, 1971 @ St. Louis L, 26-14
Sept. 22, 1968 @ San Francisco L, 35-17
Sept. 27, 1964 @ San Francisco W, 23-13
Nov. 25, 1962 @ St. Louis L, 24-17
Sept. 29, 1957 @ San Francisco W, 20-10
Nov. 18, 1951 @ San Francisco W, 27-21
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TELEVISION
Network: FOX
Play-by-Play: Ron Pitts
Color Analyst: Tim Ryan
CARDINALS RADIO NETWORK
Flagship: 1060 KDUS (AM)
KSLX 100.7 (FM)
Play-by-Play: Dave Pasch
Color Analyst: John Mistler
Sideline: Mike Jurecki
CARDINALS SPANISH RADIO
Flagship: KMIA (710 AM)
Play-by-Play: Gabriel Trujillo
Color Analyst: Luis Zendejas
Halftime/Analyst: Felipe Coral
CARDINALS & NINERS – TALE OF THE TAPE “BIG” WIN
The Cardinals 24-point win over the Saints last week marked the team’s largest margin of victory in more than a decade. The last time the Cardinals won by more than 24 points was on 12/5/93 when they defeated the Los Angeles Rams, 38-10 (167 games ago). In between the 28-point win over the Rams in ’93 and the 24- point victory over New Orleans last week, Arizona won 60 regular season games but the majority of those victories were very close. Of those 60 wins, only 16 were by more than a touchdown while more than half (32) were by a field goal or less.
Prior to last week’s win over the Saints, the Cardinals seven most recent wins were all by six points or fewer and six of the seven were by a field goal or less. The last time Arizona won by more than six points was more than two years ago when the team defeated the Giants at Sun Devil Stadium on 9/29/03 by a score of 21-7. “It’s different,” said fourth-year linebacker LeVar Woods after the game. “I haven’t played a game like that in a long time. The 34 points scored against New Orleans were the most by a Cardinals team since a 34-32 OT win vs. the Raiders on 12/2/01.
Another aspect of note from last week’s win over the Saints: the Cardinals never trailed in the game. The last time that happened was in Arizona’s 12/30/01 win over the Panthers.
CARDS “D” MAKING ITS MARK
A year ago the Arizona defense ranked at the bottom of the league in points allowed, surrendering 28.25 points per contest. Through four games in 2004, the Cardinals rank at the top with a per game average of 14 points. The last team to score a touchdown against the Cardinals defense was New England in the second quarter of game two.
Since then, the Arizona defense has gone 10 quarters without allowing a TD. The last time a Cardinals defense went two straight games without allowing a touchdown was in November of 1970, a span of 512 games.
Last week vs. N.O., the Cardinals gave up just 41 rushing yards on 14 attempts and the longest run was an 8-yarder by QB Aaron Brooks on the game’s opening drive. It was the fewest rushing yards Arizona allowed in a game since 11/26/95 at Atlanta when the Cards limited the Falcons to 15 carries for 34 yards. The Cardinals defense has 12 takeaways, nine sacks, and has yet to allow a rushing touchdown. The defense ranks #1 in the
NFL in red zone efficiency after allowing just three touchdowns in 15 trips inside the 20 (just 20%). The defense has only allowed three passing touchdowns in those 15 trips with the other possessions resulting in eight field goals, three fumbles and one clock stoppage. Last week, the Saints reached the red zone twice but came away with just three points. Last week, the first New Orleans drive reached the Arizona 1- yard line before the Cards took it away with a Gerald Hayes fumble recovery in the end zone. It marked the team’s fifth red zone takeaway (the fourth inside the 10) and they’ve had at least one in every contest. They’ve had another two takeways inside their own 30. “Every time someone gets in the red zone, we expect to stop them,” said cornerback Duane Starks after Sunday’s game.
CARDINALS & NINERS – A YEAR AGO
49ers 50, CARDINALS 14
December 7, 2003 – 3Com Park – (66,975)
Arizona suffered its 12th consecutive road loss, a one-sided 50-14 setback at San Francisco. The game was decided quickly when the 49ers scored five first-half touchdowns to lead 34-0 at intermission. San Francisco quarterback Jeff Garcia accounted for six of the seven 49er touchdowns – four passing, two rushing. Running back Kevan Barlow, in his first career start (for injured regular Garrison Hearst), posted his first 100-yard rushing effort with 154 yards and one touchdown on 18 carries. The Niners amassed 496 total yards in a balanced fashion (264 yards passing, 232 rushing), accumulating 302 total yards by halftime. The 49ers recorded first downs on seven of their first 10 plays and gained 41 or more yards on eight possessions, scoring touchdowns on even of those drives. Eight 49ers caught passes led by Terrell Owens’ seven catches for 92 yards and two touchdowns. While the Cardinal defense has its hands full, Arizona’s offense did little to stem the tide, gaining two or fewer yards on seven possessions and failing to score until late in the third quarter. By then, reserve quarterback Josh McCown had replaced starter Jeff Blake. McCown, playing the entire second half, drove the Cards to their two touchdowns, the first a six-play, 66-yard march capped by a three-yard pass to fullback James Hodgins, the second a 15-play, 94-yard final-possession drive that rookie Anquan Boldin punctuated with a 16-yard touchdown reception. The scores were McCown’s first two career touchdown passes. Boldin posted his fourth 100-yard receiving day by catching nine passes for 123 yards and his late touchdown.
CARDINALS 16, 49ers 13 (OT)
October 26, 2003 – Sun Devil Stadium – (40,824)
Running back Marcel Shipp spearheaded an Arizona rushing attack with 35 carries for 165 yards (both career highs) in the Cardinals’ 16-13 overtime victory, their first triumph over San Francisco since 1992. Shipp’s effort was the top performance by a Card runner since Ronald Moore’s 36-carry (franchise record), 160-yard outing 11/7/93 vs. Philadelphia. Arizona’s 44- rush, 221-yard running game led to a tide-turning 37:56-27:03 time-of-possession advantage.
The kicking game also played a pivotal role in the contest. San Francisco missed PAT try, two field-goal tries, and booted the overtime kickoff out of bounds; Arizona kicker Tim Duncan made three of six FG attempts. The Cards took their first lead at 7-6 with 3:52 to play in the first quarter when quarterback Jeff Blake completed a 12-play, 70-yard march with a one-yard leap. The Cards extended their lead which they held until 7:12 remained in the fourth quarter, to 13-6 on two Duncan field goals, the first a career-long 53-yarder, the longest by a Cardinals kicker since 1998 (Joe Nedney). However a 73-yard Niners touchdown drive tied the contest at 13-13. A missed field goal by both teams on their final fourth-quarter possessions sent the contest into overtime. When San Francisco’s kickoff went out of bounds, Arizona enjoyed field position at their own 40-yard line. Nine plays and 38 yards later, Duncan booted his first career game-winning field goal from 39 yards away. An inspired Cardinals defense limited the 49ers vaunted rushing attack to only 106 yards on 27 carries. Safety Adrian Wilson’s third-quarter blocked punt, the Cardinals first since 1997 (Tony McCombs), led to Arizona’s second field goal.
#1 ALL-TIME… AND COUNTING
In last week’s 34-10 win over Saints, Emmitt Smith continued to prove that reports of his demise have been greatly exaggerated. Against New Orleans, he rushed 21 times for 127 yards and a 29-yard TD that put the Cards up 27-10 with five minutes to play in the fourth. On that same TD drive he also had an 18-yard reception and a key first down that moved the ball to the New Orleans 36. The 29-yard TD run was his longest run as a Cardinal. The NFL’s all-time leader in rushing yardage and rushing TDs also pulled off a career first when he completed his first career passing attempt for a 21-yard TD to fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo.
The 127-yard rushing output gave him his 77th career regular season 100-yard rushing game, tying Walter Payton for the most in NFL history. It was his first 100-yard game as a Cardinal and his first since Thanksgiving of 2002 (11/28/02 Dallas vs. Washington when he was 23-144). The last player to top 100 rushing yards after his 35th birthday was Marcus Allen for Kansas City at Cleveland on 12/3/94 (21-124).
In week one at St. Louis, Smith opened the 15th season of his NFL career/second with the Cardinals and did so in impressive fashion. In that game, he ran 16 times for 87 yards (5.4 average) against the Rams with an 11-yard TD run in the third quarter. The TD run was his third as a Cardinal and the 156th of his career, extending his all-time NFL lead in that category. In week 2 vs. NE, he ran for just 31 yards on 13 carries but scored again on 1-yard TD jaunt marking the first time since December of 2001 that he had rushing TDs on consecutive weeks.
Through four games in 2004, Smith leads the Cardinals in rushing with 290 yards on 68 carries (4.3 average) and three touchdowns. With three rushing touchdowns he has already surpassed his 2002 total of two. Projecting his four game statistics over the entire season and Emmitt is on pace to finish with 1,160 yards and 12 touchdowns.
SMITH ON THE NFL’S ALL-TIME LISTS
Most Rushing Yards, Career
1. Emmitt Smith 17,708
2. Walter Payton 16,726
3. Barry Sanders 15,269
Most Rushing TDs, Career
1. Emmitt Smith 158
2. Marcus Allen 123
3. Walter Payton 110
Most 100-Yard Games, Career
1. Walter Payton 77
Emmitt Smith 77
3. Barry Sanders 76
4. Eric Dickerson 64
CARDINALS 34, Saints 10
October 3, 2004 – Sun Devil Stadium – (28,109)
The Cardinals gave Dennis Green his first win as head coach, moved to 1-3, and scored their most decisive victory in over a decade with a 24-point decision over the visiting Saints. Leading the way was Hall of Fame bound RB Emmitt Smith, who ran for one TD and threw for another on his first career passing attempt. He topped 100 rushing yards for the first time as a Cardinal and for the 77th time in his career, tying Walter Payton for first place in NFL history in that category. The Arizona defense was again outstanding and held the opposing offense out of the end zone for the second straight week. On the game’s opening drive, the Saints moved deep into Arizona territory and QB Aaron Brooks nearly scored on a 3rd-n-goal scramble from the 9 but was popped at the 1-yard line on a TD-saving stop by LB James Darling. The Saints went for it on 4th-n-goal from the 1 but Brooks lost the handle and LB Gerald Hayes recovered in the end zone. Later in the first, a mishandled exchange on a reverse led to a fumble that Adrian Wilson scooped up and returned 35 yards for a TD. The next Saints drive again reached the Cards 1 before they stopped them twice and a holding penalty backed them into settling for a 20-yard John Carney FG. The FG came on the first play of the second quarter and the Saints offense would not cross midfield again. Later in the second, Smith attempted his first career pass and completed it for a 21-yard TD pass to fullback Obafemi Ayanbadejo that made it 14-3 at the half. The Cardinals opening drive of the second half ended when Steve Gleason blocked a Scott Player punt and Mel Mitchell recovered it in the end zone for a TD that made it a 4-point game. Arizona extended the lead to 20-10 thanks to Neil Rackers FGs on their next two drives while the D continued to put the clamps on the Saints. With 5:10 to go, Smith topped the century mark in grand style with a 29-yard TD scamper on 3rd-n-3. An 11-yard Troy Hambrick TD run just after the 2:00 warning provided the game’s final points.
TAKING IT AWAY
A year ago, the Cardinals finished with a plus-minus of -13 and recorded just 23 total takeways. Among NFC teams, only the Bears (20) and Giants (22) had fewer takeaways and only the Giants had a lower plus-minus (-16). Through four games, the Cardinals are +5 and have 12 total takeaways. A year ago they did not record takeaway #12 until the 11th game of the year (November 23 vs. St. Louis). Among all NFL teams, only the Giants (13) have more takeaways in ’04 than Arizona’s 12 and the Cards lead the league with eight recoveries of opponent’s fumbles.
Against St. Louis in week 1, the Cards took it away three times (two fumble recoveries and an INT), had no turnovers themselves, and finished +3. Against New England in week 2, the Cards took it away three times (two interceptions and one fumble recovery). Two of the takeaways led to field goals while the third came on the final play of the first half. At Atlanta, the Cards took it away a season-best four times with three fumble recoveries and an INT. Two of them killed drives that had reached the Arizona red zone while the other two gave the Cards offense possession inside the Falcons 20. Last week vs. N.O., they had two big takeaways that resulted in a 14-point swing. The first killed a Saints
drive at the one with a fumble recovery in the end zone and the second put 7 on the board with a 35-yard fumble recovery for a TD by SS Adrian Wilson.
CARDS-NINERS CONNECTIONS
Cardinals Head Coach Dennis Green was the wide receivers/special teams coach for the Niners in 1979 and returned to coach the wide receivers during the 1986-88 seasons. Green was also the running backs coach for Stanford during the 1977-78 seasons and was the head coach for the Cardinal during the 1989-91 seasons. Arizona tight ends coach Mike Wilson played wide receiver for the Niners for 10 seasons (1981-90) where Green was his position coach. He was a member of four Super Bowl championship teams (following the 1981, ’84,’88, ’89 seasons) and caught 182 passes for 2,470 yards and 17 touchdowns. Wilson then went on to coach wide receivers/tight ends at Stanford during the 1992-94 seasons. He followed that job by coaching wide receivers for the Oakland Raiders during the 1995-96 seasons. Arizona defensive tackle Ross Kolodziej was on the 49ers roster for five games in 2002 (four games inactive, one DNP) and four games in 2003 (all four inactive). San Francisco quarterback Tim Rattay attended high school at Phoenix
Christian High School where he set state season records for passing yards, completions, and touchdowns. His father, Jim Rattay, is currently the coach at Phoenix Christian High School. San Francisco linebacker Derek Smith is a former ASU Devil (1995-1996) where he started every game his junior and senior season at linebacker. Lining up alongside former Arizona Cardinal safety Pat Tillman at ASU, Smith earned honorable mention All Pac-10 honors as a senior in 1996. San Francisco offensive tackle Kyle Kosier is a Peoria, AZ native who played college football at Arizona State. After being named all state at Cactus High School, Kosier went on to start his final 23 games at tackle posting 90 key blocks/knockdowns. San Francisco tight ends coach Dan Cozzetto was Arizona State’s offensive coordinator and offensive line coach during the 1993-99 seasons. The Sun Devils offense ranked fourth in the nation in 1996, averaging 492.5 yards per game and was third in scoring, averaging 42.8 points per outing. San Francisco special teams coach Larry Mac Duff twice was the defensive coordinator for the University of Arizona (1987-1996, 2001-2002). During Mac Duff’s first stop in Tucson, his defense led the nation in scoring defense in 1992. The defense finished among the top 10 defenses for four consecutive years from 1992-95. San Francisco quarterbacks coach Rich Olson was the offensive coordinator for Arizona for two seasons 2001-02. His offense only had 27 turnovers, a team low in a 16-game season. The offense’s 5.13-yard average per play was the Cardinals best since 1993. San Francisco special teams quality control coach Jeff Rodgers was a graduate assistant at the University of Arizona during the 2001-02 seasons. San Francisco secondary coach Al Simmons participated in the NFL’s Minority Fellowship Coaching program spending the 1996 training camp with the Cardinals in Flagstaff. San Francisco offensive quality control coach Scott Swartz was the wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator for Northern Arizona University the past two seasons (2002-03). Cardinals practice squad quarterback Chris Lewis played at Stanford from 2000-03, playing in 30 games with 19 starts. He ranks in the school’s top 10 in TD passes (7th), attempts (7th), yardage (8th) and completions (9th). Arizona wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald and linebacker Gerald Hayes played on the same team at Pittsburgh as San Francisco cornerback Shawntae Spencer, punter Andy Lee. Fitzgerald (3rd overall), Spencer (58th overall), and Lee (188th overall) were all drafted in the 2004 NFL Draft. Arizona wide receiver Bryant Johnson and San Francisco defensive tackle Anthony Adams were teammates together at Penn State and were both drafted in the 2004 NFL Draft (Johnson-17th overall, Adams-57th overall).
RACKERS ROLLING
Cards kicker Neil Rackers had a tremendous preseason and has continued his roll into the regular season. He is 6-7 on field goals and leads the NFC in touchbacks with six. Rackers closed the preseason by hitting 10 consecutive field goals. In the regular season opener at St. Louis he made his only try (22 yards). In the second quarter in week 2 vs. NE, he booted 51 and 52 yarders and had a 58-yarder blocked at the end of the quarter, his only miss of the year. Heading into that Pats game, Rackers had made three field goals of 50+ yards in his career but nailed two in the same quarter against NE. The NFL record for 50-yarders in one game is three (Morten Andersen, 12/10/95) and Rackers became the first player to have two in a game since Mike Vanderjagt did for Indy on 11/24/02. Rackers, who led the NFL in preseason touchbacks with seven, has six in the regular season including three against the Patriots and two last week vs. the Saints.
STRONG START FOR FITZGERALD
WR Larry Fitzgerald, whom the Cardinals selected with the third overall selection in the 2004 NFL Draft, has started each of the season’s first four games and is tied for second among NFL rookies with 17 catches for 204 yards. Those figures also make him the Cards leading receiver. After injuring his ankle in the preseason opener at
Minnesota, Fitzgerald missed the next three games and didn’t return to practice fully until the week before the
opener. Fitzgerald finished the opener at St. Louis with a team-high 70 receiving yards on four catches (17.5
average). He led the team in catches in week 2 against the Pats (5 for 36 yards), had 5 for 37 at Atlanta, and was 3-61 last week vs. New Orleans. On the season’s first play from scrimmage, he leapt between two Rams defenders to come down with a 37-yard reception on a flea-flicker that was the longest offensive play of the game for either team. His second catch was a 15- yarder in the second quarter and just as athletic as he corralled a pass from McCown and pinned it against his side while absorbing a hit. His third may have been the most impressive as he tight-roped the sideline for a 10-yard catch that gave the Cards a key conversion on third-and-four from the St. Louis 44, extending a drive that culminated in the Cards go-ahead TD. Said Rams defensive tackle and 10-year vet Tyoka Jackson after game 1, “Every now and then you play against a guy and say, ‘I’m going to remember this guy.’”
http://www.azcardinals.com/news/news_details.html?iid=2267
