Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
Bruce Arians always talks about the players' and the team's aspirations to get better each and every day. The preparation that BA and his staff put into each practice and every game has made the Cardinals the most competitive team on a day-to-day and week-to-week that the organization has ever had.
In the past, even during the good Warner years, one could count on a handful of no-show performances from the Cardinals---which is why pundits like Cris Collinsworth would make statements like the Cardinals are "the worst playoff team ever." In the past, it seemed as if the Cardinals could get blown out at any time. It made the fans leery and the pundits skeptical.
In the 33 games that Bruce Arians has been head coach, the Cardinals are 21-12 and the only games that the Cardinals have lost by more than 12 points were Week 3 (2013) at the Saints, Week 4 (2014) at the Broncos, Week 12 (2014) at the Seahawks and Week 16 (2014) home versus the Seahawks---and note that starting QB Carson Palmer did not play in the latter three losses.
Arians' Cardinals seem to play in a bunch of close games. This is why he teaches and practices "situational football" as much and as effectively as he does.
However, this year, can the Cardinals actually start to pull away from teams earlier?
One thing about Kurt Warner was that he was not only win-hungry, he was points-hungry and stats-hungry, to boot. He loved to put the pedal to the metal and keep it there---and, boy oh boy, could he.
Arians has tended to get very conservative with the lead and in close games, he has relied on his defense to carpe the diem as much as his offense.
That's good because up until now it has worked far more than it has failed.
But---now that the team is more talented and experienced in his system---will Arians become more consistently aggressive?
Arians and his offense need to start blowing some teams out. Not only for the sake of ascending to the next level---but for the necessary sake of being able to give some of the starters some much-needed rest in the 4th quarters of some of the games. Let's face it----the 16 game season is a grueling marathon and last year the Cardinals as a team hit a wall after the 14th game.
In thinking about how the Cardinals can takes those necessary steps to get to become one of the NFL's most feared and elite teams, there are three burning questions to pose:
1---(offensive personnel): Would the Cardinals be more explosive on offense if they ran the spread offense early and then go to the double TE offense once they have established comfortable leads? Here's the crux---the Cardinals' offense is loaded at the skill positions and it is now the fastest, quickest offense they have had since the days of Mel Gray and Terry Metcalf. The Cardinals' TE situation is not a strength---nor do the Cardinals have the big, hammer RB that a run between the tackles in 2 TE sets requires.
The key here is Andre Ellington and having a similar RB behind him now in David Johnson. They are "bounce off the edge" talents. The problem is---with 2 TE sets---the edge is widened and thus takes longer to bounce. In a spread offense, the edge is closer and much more accessible.
BA has said that he plans to pound the ball this year more with Robert Hughes. But---can anyone see Hughes getting the bulk of the carries in the first half of games?
Hughes might be a good situational hammer RB late in games when the team is trying to pound the ball and run out the clock. Save him and the steady diet of 2 TE sets for those situations and short-yardage situations.
Most importantly---what you do not want to do versus the Seahawks and Rams is allow them to load the box. Look at what the Patriots did to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. They made SS Cam Chancellor try to play in space, because they spread the defense out. And when the Seahawks were playing tight, sticky coverage on the slots, the Patriots exploited their coverage by passing out of the backfield to their RBs. The Cardinals have the personnel to do exactly this---if they spread the Seahawks out.
When the Cardinals tried to run 2 TE sets versus the Seahawks, Cam Chancellor was able to play in the box which allowed him and Bobby Wagner to have field days. Same thing in the playoffs versus Carolina---the Cardinals played right into the strength of their prolific defense by allowing them to load the box with Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly, both of whom put on tackling clinics.
Getting the quartet of Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, John Brown, Jaron Brown ( J.J. Nelson, Brittan Golden and Jaxson Shipley) out in the spread with Andre Ellington or David Johnson in the backfield is very apt to cause defensive matchup nightmares. There are times BA could put Ellington or Johnson in the slot---or motion them out of the backfield---to get them the ball quicker in space---which would pose quite a challenge for any defense.
BA has been grooming the offense in the hurry-up this off-season. This offense is being groomed to play faster than it ever has.
2---(defensive personnel): This year, can the Cardinals finally get good pressure on the QB from a 4 man rush, and thus not have to rely on blitz pressures as much?
What a luxury it is in the NFL to be able to pressure the QB with a 4 man rush. Todd Bowles blitzed more than any other DC in the NFL the past two seasons. But---that was as much out of necessity, as anything else. Why? Bowles did not have the personnel to be able to count on a 4 man rush.
As one looks at the Cardinals' options this year for their 4 man rush on passing situations, the most promising looking quartet might be LaMarr Woodley, Cory Redding, Calais Campbell and Alex Okafor. The best second team 4 man rush may well be Kareem Martin, Frostee Rucker, Rodney Gunter and Markus Golden---although Matt Shaughnessy, Josh Mauro and Shaq Riddick might emerge in pass rushing roles.
Clearly the Cardinals have a number of options---but can they find a fearsome foursome?
Dwight Freeney---who had over 40 QB hurries last year as a situational rusher---is still unsigned. If the Cardinals could add him and his explosiveness to the mix---imagine what that could do for the pass rush.
By the end of the year last year the opponents seemed to know exactly where the Cardinals' blitzes were coming from, and thus, even when selling out on blitzes, the QB pressure was not strong enough. James Bettcher is going to have to disguise the blitzes better---but it sure would be nice for him to have a good 4 man rush so that he wouldn't have to lead the NFL in blitzes, like his predecessor.
Plus---when you can pressure with 4---it makes it easier and safer to keep a "spy" on the likes of Wilson and Kaepernick.
3---(special teams personnel): Can Patrick Peterson, in key situations, step back up to be the elite, game-changing punt returner he was as a rookie? The Cardinals' return game has floundered the past two years, despite the fact that they have one of the top three punt returners on the planet. What a bonus it would be for the Cardinals and their Super Bowl hopes to be able to turn to Peterson when they need a home run. The pressure a rejuvenated Peterson would put on the opponents would be immense.
In the past, even during the good Warner years, one could count on a handful of no-show performances from the Cardinals---which is why pundits like Cris Collinsworth would make statements like the Cardinals are "the worst playoff team ever." In the past, it seemed as if the Cardinals could get blown out at any time. It made the fans leery and the pundits skeptical.
In the 33 games that Bruce Arians has been head coach, the Cardinals are 21-12 and the only games that the Cardinals have lost by more than 12 points were Week 3 (2013) at the Saints, Week 4 (2014) at the Broncos, Week 12 (2014) at the Seahawks and Week 16 (2014) home versus the Seahawks---and note that starting QB Carson Palmer did not play in the latter three losses.
Arians' Cardinals seem to play in a bunch of close games. This is why he teaches and practices "situational football" as much and as effectively as he does.
However, this year, can the Cardinals actually start to pull away from teams earlier?
One thing about Kurt Warner was that he was not only win-hungry, he was points-hungry and stats-hungry, to boot. He loved to put the pedal to the metal and keep it there---and, boy oh boy, could he.
Arians has tended to get very conservative with the lead and in close games, he has relied on his defense to carpe the diem as much as his offense.
That's good because up until now it has worked far more than it has failed.
But---now that the team is more talented and experienced in his system---will Arians become more consistently aggressive?
Arians and his offense need to start blowing some teams out. Not only for the sake of ascending to the next level---but for the necessary sake of being able to give some of the starters some much-needed rest in the 4th quarters of some of the games. Let's face it----the 16 game season is a grueling marathon and last year the Cardinals as a team hit a wall after the 14th game.
In thinking about how the Cardinals can takes those necessary steps to get to become one of the NFL's most feared and elite teams, there are three burning questions to pose:
1---(offensive personnel): Would the Cardinals be more explosive on offense if they ran the spread offense early and then go to the double TE offense once they have established comfortable leads? Here's the crux---the Cardinals' offense is loaded at the skill positions and it is now the fastest, quickest offense they have had since the days of Mel Gray and Terry Metcalf. The Cardinals' TE situation is not a strength---nor do the Cardinals have the big, hammer RB that a run between the tackles in 2 TE sets requires.
The key here is Andre Ellington and having a similar RB behind him now in David Johnson. They are "bounce off the edge" talents. The problem is---with 2 TE sets---the edge is widened and thus takes longer to bounce. In a spread offense, the edge is closer and much more accessible.
BA has said that he plans to pound the ball this year more with Robert Hughes. But---can anyone see Hughes getting the bulk of the carries in the first half of games?
Hughes might be a good situational hammer RB late in games when the team is trying to pound the ball and run out the clock. Save him and the steady diet of 2 TE sets for those situations and short-yardage situations.
Most importantly---what you do not want to do versus the Seahawks and Rams is allow them to load the box. Look at what the Patriots did to the Seahawks in the Super Bowl. They made SS Cam Chancellor try to play in space, because they spread the defense out. And when the Seahawks were playing tight, sticky coverage on the slots, the Patriots exploited their coverage by passing out of the backfield to their RBs. The Cardinals have the personnel to do exactly this---if they spread the Seahawks out.
When the Cardinals tried to run 2 TE sets versus the Seahawks, Cam Chancellor was able to play in the box which allowed him and Bobby Wagner to have field days. Same thing in the playoffs versus Carolina---the Cardinals played right into the strength of their prolific defense by allowing them to load the box with Thomas Davis and Luke Kuechly, both of whom put on tackling clinics.
Getting the quartet of Larry Fitzgerald, Michael Floyd, John Brown, Jaron Brown ( J.J. Nelson, Brittan Golden and Jaxson Shipley) out in the spread with Andre Ellington or David Johnson in the backfield is very apt to cause defensive matchup nightmares. There are times BA could put Ellington or Johnson in the slot---or motion them out of the backfield---to get them the ball quicker in space---which would pose quite a challenge for any defense.
BA has been grooming the offense in the hurry-up this off-season. This offense is being groomed to play faster than it ever has.
2---(defensive personnel): This year, can the Cardinals finally get good pressure on the QB from a 4 man rush, and thus not have to rely on blitz pressures as much?
What a luxury it is in the NFL to be able to pressure the QB with a 4 man rush. Todd Bowles blitzed more than any other DC in the NFL the past two seasons. But---that was as much out of necessity, as anything else. Why? Bowles did not have the personnel to be able to count on a 4 man rush.
As one looks at the Cardinals' options this year for their 4 man rush on passing situations, the most promising looking quartet might be LaMarr Woodley, Cory Redding, Calais Campbell and Alex Okafor. The best second team 4 man rush may well be Kareem Martin, Frostee Rucker, Rodney Gunter and Markus Golden---although Matt Shaughnessy, Josh Mauro and Shaq Riddick might emerge in pass rushing roles.
Clearly the Cardinals have a number of options---but can they find a fearsome foursome?
Dwight Freeney---who had over 40 QB hurries last year as a situational rusher---is still unsigned. If the Cardinals could add him and his explosiveness to the mix---imagine what that could do for the pass rush.
By the end of the year last year the opponents seemed to know exactly where the Cardinals' blitzes were coming from, and thus, even when selling out on blitzes, the QB pressure was not strong enough. James Bettcher is going to have to disguise the blitzes better---but it sure would be nice for him to have a good 4 man rush so that he wouldn't have to lead the NFL in blitzes, like his predecessor.
Plus---when you can pressure with 4---it makes it easier and safer to keep a "spy" on the likes of Wilson and Kaepernick.
3---(special teams personnel): Can Patrick Peterson, in key situations, step back up to be the elite, game-changing punt returner he was as a rookie? The Cardinals' return game has floundered the past two years, despite the fact that they have one of the top three punt returners on the planet. What a bonus it would be for the Cardinals and their Super Bowl hopes to be able to turn to Peterson when they need a home run. The pressure a rejuvenated Peterson would put on the opponents would be immense.
Last edited:
Those days of Hart, Gray, Metcalf were great because of the Oline & as you say their team speed, which allowed Coryell to call up those bombs to #85, Ike Harris & Earl Thomas. 
