http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/0918cardsfolo0918.htm
Cardinals coach thrilled with crowd
Bob McManaman
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 18, 2007 12:00 AM
A game ball from his first NFL head-coaching victory now sits in his office. His answering machine and the text-messaging function on his cellphone are crammed with congratulatory calls from friends and fellow coaches.
But you know what makes Ken Whisenhunt most proud about the Cardinals' 23-20 victory over Seattle in Arizona's home opener?
It's you. The fans. It's the 64,542 of you who packed the place and brought the roof down, standing in a sea of unified red and cheering wildly during a fourth-quarter turnaround keyed by a fumble recovery and a solid march down the field for a last-second, game-winning field goal.
"Personally, at the end of the game, what means more to me was when it was a critical situation and our defense had to make a play, the crowd was there and they were into the game," Whisenhunt said at his Monday news conference.
"And that, to me, means that we have a chance if we do what we're supposed to do, to get something pretty special here as far as our fan support goes."
Whisenhunt credited the crowd noise for disrupting an attempted handoff between Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and running back Shaun Alexander with just under two minutes to play.
Linebacker Gerald Hayes got there just as the exchange was taking place and knocked the ball loose. Defensive end Darnell Dockett recovered, and the place got even louder.
"We had man coverage, and I had coverage on the back," Hayes said. "I shot through there. I saw an opening and just tried to make a play."
The crowd was on its feet from then on, and much like the first half, when the Cardinals dominated, the "12th man" was of huge importance, according to the coach.
"It makes a difference," Whisenhunt said of the fans. "You know what? They had an effect on the game, and to me, that's the most rewarding thing."
What the Cardinals (1-1) did exceptionally well Sunday was continue to establish a running game and stuff Seattle's rushing attack.
Edgerrin James rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown, and for the 10th consecutive time against an NFC West opponent, the defense didn't allow a 100-yard rusher as Alexander finished with 70 yards.
Whisenhunt was pleased with quarterback Matt Leinart's progress and with James, who leads the NFC with 220 rushing yards on 50 carries.
"A couple things about Edge is, Number 1, he's running very strong," Whisenhunt said. "He's getting a lot of yards after contact, which is very good for any back in the league. But the second thing is, his vision is very good. Edge is seeing things develop. He's hitting the right holes. He's showing very good patience in running."
Like Whisenhunt, James credited Sunday's crowd for breathing some extra life into the Cardinals, and he's eager to see the support continue to grow.
"When we go on the road, we get an earful of their fans, and it's only right that people can actually hear our fans," James said. "And as we win it's going to get even louder. A lot of people have kind of been misled in the past, and they don't want to come out yet. I've been through this before.
"When we first started in Indianapolis, they had went 3-13 in back-to-back years, so the fans weren't totally into it. Once we started rolling off those victories, then they said, 'OK, this is someone we can get behind and believe in.' We have to get it to where they believe in us and they're going to come in here and lose their voice and come in hoarse on Mondays."
Notes
Ravens coach Brian Billick said quarterback Steve McNair, who missed Sunday's game with a groin injury, will start against the Cardinals on Sunday in Baltimore. Defensive end Trevor Pryce, however, had surgery to repair a broken wrist and will miss three to four weeks.
• Whisenhunt is the first Cardinals head coach to win his home debut since Don Coryell on Sept. 23, 1973, against Washington.
• Neil Rackers' 42-yard field goal with one second left Sunday marked his first game-winning kick for the Cardinals. He had three game winners while with Cincinnati.
Cardinals coach thrilled with crowd
Bob McManaman
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 18, 2007 12:00 AM
A game ball from his first NFL head-coaching victory now sits in his office. His answering machine and the text-messaging function on his cellphone are crammed with congratulatory calls from friends and fellow coaches.
But you know what makes Ken Whisenhunt most proud about the Cardinals' 23-20 victory over Seattle in Arizona's home opener?
It's you. The fans. It's the 64,542 of you who packed the place and brought the roof down, standing in a sea of unified red and cheering wildly during a fourth-quarter turnaround keyed by a fumble recovery and a solid march down the field for a last-second, game-winning field goal.
"Personally, at the end of the game, what means more to me was when it was a critical situation and our defense had to make a play, the crowd was there and they were into the game," Whisenhunt said at his Monday news conference.
"And that, to me, means that we have a chance if we do what we're supposed to do, to get something pretty special here as far as our fan support goes."
Whisenhunt credited the crowd noise for disrupting an attempted handoff between Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and running back Shaun Alexander with just under two minutes to play.
Linebacker Gerald Hayes got there just as the exchange was taking place and knocked the ball loose. Defensive end Darnell Dockett recovered, and the place got even louder.
"We had man coverage, and I had coverage on the back," Hayes said. "I shot through there. I saw an opening and just tried to make a play."
The crowd was on its feet from then on, and much like the first half, when the Cardinals dominated, the "12th man" was of huge importance, according to the coach.
"It makes a difference," Whisenhunt said of the fans. "You know what? They had an effect on the game, and to me, that's the most rewarding thing."
What the Cardinals (1-1) did exceptionally well Sunday was continue to establish a running game and stuff Seattle's rushing attack.
Edgerrin James rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown, and for the 10th consecutive time against an NFC West opponent, the defense didn't allow a 100-yard rusher as Alexander finished with 70 yards.
Whisenhunt was pleased with quarterback Matt Leinart's progress and with James, who leads the NFC with 220 rushing yards on 50 carries.
"A couple things about Edge is, Number 1, he's running very strong," Whisenhunt said. "He's getting a lot of yards after contact, which is very good for any back in the league. But the second thing is, his vision is very good. Edge is seeing things develop. He's hitting the right holes. He's showing very good patience in running."
Like Whisenhunt, James credited Sunday's crowd for breathing some extra life into the Cardinals, and he's eager to see the support continue to grow.
"When we go on the road, we get an earful of their fans, and it's only right that people can actually hear our fans," James said. "And as we win it's going to get even louder. A lot of people have kind of been misled in the past, and they don't want to come out yet. I've been through this before.
"When we first started in Indianapolis, they had went 3-13 in back-to-back years, so the fans weren't totally into it. Once we started rolling off those victories, then they said, 'OK, this is someone we can get behind and believe in.' We have to get it to where they believe in us and they're going to come in here and lose their voice and come in hoarse on Mondays."
Notes
Ravens coach Brian Billick said quarterback Steve McNair, who missed Sunday's game with a groin injury, will start against the Cardinals on Sunday in Baltimore. Defensive end Trevor Pryce, however, had surgery to repair a broken wrist and will miss three to four weeks.
• Whisenhunt is the first Cardinals head coach to win his home debut since Don Coryell on Sept. 23, 1973, against Washington.
• Neil Rackers' 42-yard field goal with one second left Sunday marked his first game-winning kick for the Cardinals. He had three game winners while with Cincinnati.
You're weird!
