Cardinals Insider: Jurecki Reviews Rams Game

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by: Mike Jurecki

Observations

There’s nothing like the start of the National Football League season, and this past weekend lived up to the expectations and just can’t be duplicated by any other professional sport. The unique factor is the parity that exists from week to week because you just don’t know what to expect from one week to another. It was evident on Sunday when the Arizona Cardinals traveled to St. Louis to play the Rams. They were able to hold them to only seventeen points. I understand there are no moral victories, but maybe there is something to build on and in certain areas there was some improvement. Arizona came out and played physical ball which led to three first quarter turnovers. However, they weren’t able to capitalize on those opportunities and that was disappointing, but it really set the tone for the game.

Birdseed
Quarterback Josh McCown did a nice job managing the game, his footwork is getting better. He’s more relaxed which comes with being comfortable in the pocket. McCown’s presence is apparent in the huddle and he’s starting to take control. Running back Emmitt Smith showed flashes that he still has the ability to run inside tackles and get to the edge. In the third quarter his 11 yard touchdown run was vintage Emmitt Smith. First round pick Larry Fitzgerald, what can you say, he missed the majority of the preseason, and still looks like a five year veteran. What’s impressive is his hand-eye coordination plus the way he utilizes his body to go up and get the ball. The offensive line is still a work-in-progress; a better job needs to done on the pass protection along with opening up the holes for the running game. It’s puzzling why St. Louis Head Coach Mike Martz didn’t run the ball more; the home team was averaging 5.9 yards per carry, led by the 1-2 punch of Marshall Faulk and rookie Steven Jackson. They both gained 178 yards combined on the ground, this is an area where when it comes to the Cardinals run defense, they need to tighten the bolts. Along those lines, the Redbirds still need to somehow put pressure on the quarterback (Marc Bulger wasn’t sacked all game). The entire secondary played well for Arizona, registering 28 tackles, one interception, six passes defended, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

Special teams have held up to their end of the bargain, with Scott Player, Neil Rackers, and Josh Scobey who averaged 27.6 yards per kickoff return.

How long before Head Coach Dennis Green shakes up the offensive or defensive line?

When was the last time Arizona was plus three in the turnover department?

Last year in week eleven against the Rams (30-27 OT) and week sixteen versus Seahawks (28-10), both were losses. According to Dick Vermeil’s weekly stats last year, teams that were plus 3 in the turnover department won 92% of the time.

Home Openers
Since the Cardinals have moved to the desert, they haven’t fared too well when it comes to their home openers, going 3-13. As a matter of fact, former Redbird Head Coach Vince Tobin has all three of those wins. Arizona is going to open up at home against the former Super Bowl champions who are currently riding a sixteen game winning streak dating back to last year including regular season and playoffs. To top it off, they will have ten days to prepare for the Cardinals. Bring on the heat!

Year…Team…………… Score….Attendance….Result 1988…Dallas…………….17-14…….67,139……….Loss
1989…San Diego……….. 24-13……44,201……….Loss 1990…Washington………38-10……49,303………..Loss
1991…Dallas…………….17-9……..68,814………..Loss
1992…Philadelphia………31-14……42,533………..Loss
1993…Dallas…………….17-10……73,025………..Loss
1994…N.Y. Giants………20-17……60,066………..Loss 1995…Philadelphia………31-19……45,004………..Loss
1996…Miami…………….38-10……55,444………..Loss
1997…Dallas…………….25-22 (OT)..70,060…..…WIN 1998…Philadelphia………17-3…….36,717…….…WIN
1999…San Francisco…….24-10……70,993………..Loss
2000…Dallas…………….32-31……58,303………..WIN
2001…Denver……………38-17……47,239………..Loss
2002…San Diego…………23-15…...26,827…..……Loss 2003…Seattle…………….38-0…….23,127………. Loss

How the new coaches fared over the weekend…
There were seven new coaches that were hired in the off-season. A lot came close, but in the end only two of them were victorious: Joe Gibbs
(Washington Redskins) and Jim Mora (Atlanta Falcons).

FYI…
Here are the players that are 30 years of age or older that were on the opening day roster.
Emmitt Smith-35
Scott Player-34
Karl Williams-33
Ronald McKinnon-30
Duane Starks-30
Robert Tate-30

Did anyone notice long time Cardinal Ronald McKinnon played under 33 snaps at linebacker on Sunday?

Road Trip
Congratulations to the Detroit Lions for breaking their 24 game road losing streak, they beat the Chicago Bears on Sunday. After Sunday’s loss, currently Arizona is on a 14 game road losing streak.

Crowd
The Redbirds are expecting about 45,000 to 50,000 people for Sunday's game against the Patriots.

Tune In
If you would like to listen to the halftime tribute to the late Pat Tillman, tune in on 100.7 (KLSX) 1060 (KDUS) during halftime of the game on Sunday. The Cardinals will scrap the halftime analysis and give full attention to the tribute to those who have served this great country.

We would all like to say…. THANK YOU!


http://www.azcardinals.com/news/col_details.html?iid=270
 

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