Cardinals coach hopes home field revs up 'inept' offense

[jefftheshark]

I didn't see this posted.


http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=ap-cardinals-green&prov=ap&type=lgns

By BOB BAUM, AP Sports Writer
September 18, 2006



TEMPE, Ariz. (AP) -- The Arizona Cardinals are hoping their newfound home-field advantage can help them restart an offense coach Dennis Green labeled "inept" on Monday.
One week after Kurt Warner was voted NFC offensive player of the week in Arizona's season-opening victory over San Francisco, he was blamed, in part, by his coach for the offense's struggles in Sunday's 21-10 loss at Seattle.
In addition to throwing 38 times, the Cardinals fumbled five snaps and were sacked five times.
"That's 48 (pass) plays on the road, way too many," Green said at his Monday news conference. "It makes you inept, and that's what we were yesterday, very inept."
The bumbled snaps in shotgun formation weren't all the fault of center Alex Stepanovich.
"They were not all bad snaps. They were fumbled snaps," Green said. "Kurt just dropped some of them."
Asked if Warner had one of the more off games that Green has seen from his veteran quarterback, the coach said simply, "Yes."
Returning to a packed house at their new stadium against St. Louis on Sunday might go a long ways toward providing a remedy, Green said. It also helps facing someone other than the defending NFC champion Seahawks.
"Seattle's very difficult up there. They haven't lost a game in a long time," Green said. "We felt they were very improved defensively because of their speed, but we also had some opportunities that we didn't take advantage of it."
Warner completed 24 of 38 passes for 191 yards and one touchdown with one interception, but the Cardinals were seldom sharp in the raucous atmosphere of Qwest Field.
"Noise was a factor. It's a very noisy stadium. They rely on that," Green said. "They've been a very successful team the last few years and I think they bring that kind of fan emotion into the game."
Green wants the same kind of edge Sunday against St. Louis in the new Cardinals Stadium. The game, like every other one at home for Arizona this season, is sold out.
"What we can do Sunday is have a sellout at home, have everybody come in wearing their red, be ready to have a good time, and get our offense back playing like it's one of the best in the game," the coach said.
Another area of concern is penalties. Arizona was penalized 11 times for 66 yards, several for false starts. In their opener, the Cardinals committed 11 penalties for 83 yards.
"We've got to be, by a long shot, the worst penalized team in the National Football League," Green said.
The fumbled snaps, penalties and sacks all led to long yardage situations and negated any chance for Edgerrin James to get much of a running game going.
Offensive tackle Oliver Ross practiced last week after returning from knee surgery, but didn't play. That could change with more practice this week, Green said.
The Cardinals lost linebacker James Darling to a pulled groin on the opening kickoff. He could be out at least two weeks. Starting cornerback Eric Green was sidelined with an injured right calf. An MRI was planned, but Green was hopeful the cornerback would not be lost for more than one game.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

That pretty much wraps up his press conference.

 

[moklerman]

"They were not all bad snaps. They were fumbled snaps," Green said. "Kurt just dropped some of them."

How many bad shotgun snaps were there if "some" of them were Warner's fault? Why is Green protecting Stepanovich? I'm assuming this is just some sort of motivator for the team but it seems surprising that Green wouldn't spend his whole press conference lambasting the o-line much less absolving them of some of their mistakes. I think it's obvious that Step is mediocre at best when it comes to the shotgun.

 

[football karma]

How many bad shotgun snaps were there if "some" of them were Warner's fault? Why is Green protecting Stepanovich? I'm assuming this is just some sort of motivator for the team but it seems surprising that Green wouldn't spend his whole press conference lambasting the o-line much less absolving them of some of their mistakes. I think it's obvious that Step is mediocre at best when it comes to the shotgun.

The one right before the half sure looked like it went right through Kurts hands --

there seemed to be an issue on the timing of the snap -- Step snapped it a couple times before Warner was ready

 

[moklerman]

I remember that there was one where the t.v. guy said that Step snapped it too soon and I remember at least a couple from both games that were off line and Warner had to make a play on. I suppose on a day like Sunday no one was blameless but I question the tactic of making a public statement about it by Green. The way it reads, Green is making excuses for Step and criticizing Warner.

 

[Russ Smith]

I remember that there was one where the t.v. guy said that Step snapped it too soon and I remember at least a couple from both games that were off line and Warner had to make a play on. I suppose on a day like Sunday no one was blameless but I question the tactic of making a public statement about it by Green. The way it reads, Green is making excuses for Step and criticizing Warner.

So you think he should have said nothing, or should have blamed Step? IIRC he was responding directly to a question about all the bad snaps so I don't think Green just volunteered it(like when he went off on Leinart not being signed).

It seemed to me he was asked about the snaps and replied well they weren't all on Step some of them were just dropped which implies some where on Step and some were on Kurt?

 

[BigRedRage]

So you think he should have said nothing, or should have blamed Step? IIRC he was responding directly to a question about all the bad snaps so I don't think Green just volunteered it(like when he went off on Leinart not being signed).

It seemed to me he was asked about the snaps and replied well they weren't all on Step some of them were just dropped which implies some where on Step and some were on Kurt?

Thats exactly what it says. Step is still starting and has never been shuffled, i'm not the coach so ill assume hes better than most people think or he wouldnt be at center anymore

 

[Red Hawk]

Like I was saying at work any team worth its salt takes out its frustration over losing a road game like Cards at Seattle on the next home opponent.

This game should show a lot. I will be severly disappointed and will dump my Cardinals Kool-Aid if they don't soundly thrash St. louis this Sunday.

 

[Duckjake]

Like I was saying at work any team worth its salt takes out its frustration over losing a road game like Cards at Seattle on the next home opponent.

This game should show a lot. I will be severly disappointed and will dump my Cardinals Kool-Aid if they don't soundly thrash St. louis this Sunday.

I don't care if they win by one at the last second as long as they look like a real NFL football team all day instead of the keystone kops.

I'd like to watch just one replay/game before I die without having to hear the announcers say "the Cardinals keep shooting themselves in the foot".

 

[conraddobler]

I don't care if they win by one at the last second as long as they look like a real NFL football team all day instead of the keystone kops.

I'd like to watch just one replay/game before I die without having to hear the announcers say "the Cardinals keep shooting themselves in the foot".

I want to see a effort that impresses me, that's fun to watch on replay and that's not agonizing to watch because it's so inept you have to force yourself to watch it to analyze it but can't stand knowing where all the crappy parts are.

 

[Red Hawk]

I'd like to watch just one replay/game before I die without having to hear the announcers say "the Cardinals keep shooting themselves in the foot".

You didn't see the 9'rs game?


A "thrashing" IMHO doesn't have to reflect in the final score so much.

It has to do with being in total control of the game from start to finish.

That's what I want to see!!!!

 

[Duckjake]

You didn't see the 9'rs game?


A "thrashing" IMHO doesn't have to reflect in the final score so much.

It has to do with being in total control of the game from start to finish.

That's what I want to see!!!!

"If the Cardinals keep shooting themselves in the foot they're going to let the 49ers right back into this game"

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

The headline should read:

Cardinals offense hopes home field revs up 'inept' coach.

Instead of:

Cardinals coach hopes home field revs up 'inept' offense.

 

[moklerman]

So you think he should have said nothing, or should have blamed Step?

I don't think it's good form for a coach to ever single out a player in the media if he intends to keep starting him. If you're going to send a message to the rest of the team by benching a guy and making an example of him, fine. Sacrificial lamb. Warner's still the starter though so I don't agree with the tactic by Green.

No one ever knows the full story so I don't know if Green's been riding Warner about this or that and he won't get the message but assuming that isn't the case I don't think exonnorating one player(Step) by throwing another under the bus(Warner) is good leadership.

I've never been coached on how to speak to the media but I think it would have been easy enough for Green to deflect whatever the particular question was if he was inclined to do so. "Coach, what do you have to say about Step's bad snaps?" answer: "We didn't play well in many aspects of the offense today." or, if you want be a little more specific and on point: "Step had a couple of bad snaps but he's earned his job as our center and I'm confident in his abilities.", etc.

I didn't get to hear the interview so I may be wrong about the tone or inference(s) by Green. It just seems like bad form to me. Especially a day later. In the heat of the moment I can kind of give a pass on critical statements, but to bring it up in the press conference on Monday seems to serve little purpose to me. What's the message? If you screw up, you'll be singled out to the media by the coach?

I'm not saying Warner didn't have his share of screw-up's on Sunday just that Green is taking a piss-poor approach to supporting his players. Calling guys out in the media rarely endears players to a coach/GM. He's setting a bad precident that could polarize the locker room.

 

[ReddBird]

I agree. It was a cheap move to put down Warner. I'm not saying that the QB did a great job...he didn't look good in Seattle, still holding the ball too long, and then there were the fumbles -- but he gutted it out. Green has always opened up publicly when the classier move is to speak privately. Doesn't mean I have to like it.

But what I really want to hear is this: "When a team is penalized time and again," Dennis Green said, "you've got to wonder why the team's coaching staff hasn't done a better job. A well-coached team won't make those kind of mistakes." And then I'd love to hear him add: "And why haven't I ever learned how to manage the clock in a football game?"

 

[ajcardfan]

I agree. It was a cheap move to put down Warner. I'm not saying that the QB did a great job...he didn't look good in Seattle, still holding the ball too long, and then there were the fumbles -- but he gutted it out. Green has always opened up publicly when the classier move is to speak privately. Doesn't mean I have to like it.

But what I really want to hear is this: "When a team is penalized time and again," Dennis Green said, "you've got to wonder why the team's coaching staff hasn't done a better job. A well-coached team won't make those kind of mistakes." And then I'd love to hear him add: "And why haven't I ever learned how to manage the clock in a football game?"

Ok, I'll play along....

And just how would that make the team play better?

 

[moklerman]

No words are going to make the team play better. Words can cause a coach to lose a player's loyalty and respect though.

 

[Scot1]

I agree with Reddbird that the words he suggested for Green would be welcome, both as some very appropriate acceptance of responsibility (and a good example of the behavior players should adopt, too) and an indication that he is moving to change instead of always finding players to punish when things go wrong.

I still think Green is peculiar in making about 2 good decisions for every bad one, except related to the offensive line (where bad decisions are much more frequent). That makes him hard to evaluate--he clearly is knowledgeable and does things worthy of praise (especially in drafts, obviously), but needs someone to stabilize him. I wish Graves or even MB would realize the need and try--he could just read this board and know what to do in the extreme cases. (I'm not fooling--when posters here disagree, the right choice is unclear, I think, but there's sometimes such clear agreement, and the wrong choice still gets made.)

 

[AZ Shocker]

Unbelievable post Scot1!
Very astute but more improtantly...on the spot!

 

[JeffGollin]

We're not going to change DG's coaching style.

What's vexing to me is that the collective fan whine has mostly to do with (a) ineptness along the O-line and (b) crowd noise in Seattle.

It's not as though we weren't aware of both factors well in advance.

- The O-line has been a problem for several years and hasn't been effectively addressed. (Why this is true is irrelevent. The point is - the O-line still plays awful).

- Several media sources pointed to crowd noise in Seattle as problem we'd have to deal with. If my math serves me correctily, 50% of the games every team plays are in enemy houses. If every visiting team were to lose all their away games, we'd have full parity in the NFL with every team winding up at .500.

But several teams find a way to overcome crowd noise and win on the road. It's unrealistic to ignore crowd noise as a factor in the game, but how did the Cardinals prepare for this? Could they have done more? From my distant vantage point, it seemed to me that, instead of "managing the problem" our coaches let us get victimized. (Winning teams don't let things like that happen - could you picture Belicheck admitting that the Pats got rattled by crowd noise on the road? Or Peyton Manning whining about how no one could hear his audibles? I don't think so).

 

[RonF]

If the coach can't criticize a player for poor play, imagine if it was the home crowd that booed the player's mistakes. I'm not talking about the occasional fumble or miscue, but multiple mistakes that shouldn't have been made. I wonder if the Seahawks intimitated Warner to the point that it affected his play?

 

[Pariah]

How many bad shotgun snaps were there if "some" of them were Warner's fault? Why is Green protecting Stepanovich? I'm assuming this is just some sort of motivator for the team but it seems surprising that Green wouldn't spend his whole press conference lambasting the o-line much less absolving them of some of their mistakes. I think it's obvious that Step is mediocre at best when it comes to the shotgun.

There was at least one that looked like a good snap that Warner simply mis-handled. It does happen, you know...even to the almighty Warner.

I don't know if there was more than just that one, but I distinctly remember it. I also remember the one you mentioned--that one was obviously on Step's shoulders.

 

[moklerman]

There was at least one that looked like a good snap that Warner simply mis-handled. It does happen, you know...even to the almighty Warner.

I didn't imply that Warner was blameless did I? The sad thing is, there were so many bad snaps/exchanges that we can't identify particular circumstances. If we were talking about the Colts, it would be: "remember that ONE play where the hike was bad/mishandled?" "oh yeah, that was really weird, wasn't? I wonder who's fault that was?".

 

[Big T]

A couple of points I noticed from this past weekend that I think are appropriate here:
First, after Rackers missed 51 or 54 yd field goal where it hit the crossbar, he is running off the field. He runs directly by Dennis Green, who, as usual, shows absolutely no emotion what so ever, in fact just seems to totally blatently ignore Rackers as if he didn't exist. Now I'm willing to bet, that Rackers probably wasn't exactly overjoyed with what happened, but he's been a gem and that miss was certainly not just a "blow of a gimme". To me a good coach, under the circumstances there, would have at least, somewhat, somehow, offered SOME kind of encouragment, even if it was just a little facial expressionn of acknowldegement. If I'm a player for a coach like that, that sure doesn't endure him in my heart or win my respect for him. No wonder Green so often seems to end up "losing his team".

Next, late in the game, when Kurt comes off the field, hot under the collar and is giving Kruczek an earful. Kruczek responds by simply kind of shaking his head and saying: "I know, I know", at least a couple of times, (I read lips, but didn't catch exactly what it was Kurt was saying), before turning and walking away.

Now...to Monday night. The last timeout, with just a couple of minutes or so left in the game. Cowher has James Farrior on the sideline and is emphatically up in his face saying: "NO ********, NO ********. YOU GOT THAT. NO ******** NOW".
To me, I interpret that as Cowher is saying this to Farrior because Farrior is, I believe, the defensive play caller/captain/leader on the team, an Cowher is making sure that when Farrior goes back out onto the field he relays that to the rest of the team, so they don't melt down, as can be so easy to do under the circumstances where the game appears to be over. Cowher is making sure they stay disciplined and don't lose their "class", even under such a devastating loss.
How different that is from what we DON'T SEE from Dennis Green.

 

[AZ Shocker]

Yep...I just don't see Denny being a good coach. I want to believe he can get us to the promised land, but his teams are ill-prepared quite a bit. Very chaotic both on and of the field.