azdad1978
Championship!!!!
Bob McManaman
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 22, 2005 12:00 AM
Now that they managed to apply the brakes to a season on the verge of skidding out of control, the Cardinals have to decide how to finish the ride.
They could panic and find themselves upside-down in a ditch with a demoralizing effort Sunday at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the No. 1 passing defense in the league.
Or they could follow up a 38-28 triumph in St. Louis as quarterback Kurt Warner suggests, by stomping on the gas, refusing to look in the rear-view mirror, and beginning to trust that they're a football team headed in the right direction.
In the week-to-week mind game that is the NFL, the best talking is usually done on the field of play, but Warner made it clear following Monday's walk-through at the team's Tempe training facility that talk isn't cheap among teammates.
They're starting to get it, he said. So is he. Communication on all fronts has been improving, and never was that more evident than the week's worth of practices leading up to Sunday's win over the Rams.
"I think we played our best overall football game of the season, and that's what you build on," said Warner, who passed for 285 yards and three touchdowns, his most in a game in four years. "You can't take one step forward and two steps back. That doesn't work in this league. So we have to build off of this win and make sure we continue to do what we're doing right."
Other than too many penalties (10 for 111 yards), the Cardinals got most everything else right against St. Louis:
• The running game showed signs of life, gaining 94 yards and prompting coach Dennis Green to predict tailback J.J. Arrington is due for "a breakout game."
• Warner effectively mixed his tight ends into a No. 3-rated passing offense led by playmakers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, who have combined for 10 100-yard games, one shy of the franchise record.
• The defense stuffed the line of scrimmage and limited the Rams to 6 total rushing yards, the fewest allowed by a Cardinals team in 35 years.
• Strong safety Adrian Wilson became a candidate for NFC Defensive Player of the Week with three sacks, the most by a Cardinals defensive back since sack records have been kept, and also forcing and recovering a fumble.
• Kick returner Reggie Swinton set up a touchdown with a 90-yard runback, even though a toe injury has left him at less than 100 percent.
But can a 3-7 team only now starting to feel good about itself repeat that performance against a 7-3 Jacksonville club that is a lot tougher than the Rams?
"It's going to be a challenge for both teams," Fitzgerald said. "Their defense is pretty tough, but we're showing people we've got a very good offense, and our defense is capable of getting the job done, too. We'll be ready."
Warner, who has thrown for nearly 1,000 yards (987) in the three weeks since he returned from a groin injury, has noticed a change on the team. Teammates are challenging each other and are getting on the same page.
Constructive criticism is being taken to heart and not personally.
"Guys are talking a little bit more, saying, 'Hey, we need a little bit more of this,' or 'I need you to do this, not that,' and we're all communicating more about everything, even the little things. We know how important those things are and that communication is, and hopefully that's a sign of things to come.
"You need that. You have to stick with it. And once it's there, good things happen. I still think we've got a lot of good things ahead of us."
Did you know?
Some interesting numbers from Arizona's 38-28 victory over St. Louis:
• The 6 rushing yards Arizona allowed were the fewest by the defense since the NFL merger in 1970.
• The last time the Cardinals scored at least 32 or more points in road game was Nov. 22, 1998, at Washington, a 49-42 Arizona win.
• The last time they scored 22 points in the fourth quarter was Nov. 18, 2001, vs. Detroit. Arizona scored 24 in the fourth against the Lions.
• Kurt Warner's 115.9 quarterback rating was the highest for the Cardinals since Jake Plummer's 124.2 rating against Detroit in 2001.
• It was the first time Warner threw for three touchdowns since the 2001 season finale, when he was the league's MVP with the Rams.
• Arizona's 27 first downs were the most since the club had 30 on Jan. 2, 2000, at Green Bay.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/1122cards1122.html
The Arizona Republic
Nov. 22, 2005 12:00 AM
Now that they managed to apply the brakes to a season on the verge of skidding out of control, the Cardinals have to decide how to finish the ride.
They could panic and find themselves upside-down in a ditch with a demoralizing effort Sunday at home against the Jacksonville Jaguars and the No. 1 passing defense in the league.
Or they could follow up a 38-28 triumph in St. Louis as quarterback Kurt Warner suggests, by stomping on the gas, refusing to look in the rear-view mirror, and beginning to trust that they're a football team headed in the right direction.
In the week-to-week mind game that is the NFL, the best talking is usually done on the field of play, but Warner made it clear following Monday's walk-through at the team's Tempe training facility that talk isn't cheap among teammates.
They're starting to get it, he said. So is he. Communication on all fronts has been improving, and never was that more evident than the week's worth of practices leading up to Sunday's win over the Rams.
"I think we played our best overall football game of the season, and that's what you build on," said Warner, who passed for 285 yards and three touchdowns, his most in a game in four years. "You can't take one step forward and two steps back. That doesn't work in this league. So we have to build off of this win and make sure we continue to do what we're doing right."
Other than too many penalties (10 for 111 yards), the Cardinals got most everything else right against St. Louis:
• The running game showed signs of life, gaining 94 yards and prompting coach Dennis Green to predict tailback J.J. Arrington is due for "a breakout game."
• Warner effectively mixed his tight ends into a No. 3-rated passing offense led by playmakers Anquan Boldin and Larry Fitzgerald, who have combined for 10 100-yard games, one shy of the franchise record.
• The defense stuffed the line of scrimmage and limited the Rams to 6 total rushing yards, the fewest allowed by a Cardinals team in 35 years.
• Strong safety Adrian Wilson became a candidate for NFC Defensive Player of the Week with three sacks, the most by a Cardinals defensive back since sack records have been kept, and also forcing and recovering a fumble.
• Kick returner Reggie Swinton set up a touchdown with a 90-yard runback, even though a toe injury has left him at less than 100 percent.
But can a 3-7 team only now starting to feel good about itself repeat that performance against a 7-3 Jacksonville club that is a lot tougher than the Rams?
"It's going to be a challenge for both teams," Fitzgerald said. "Their defense is pretty tough, but we're showing people we've got a very good offense, and our defense is capable of getting the job done, too. We'll be ready."
Warner, who has thrown for nearly 1,000 yards (987) in the three weeks since he returned from a groin injury, has noticed a change on the team. Teammates are challenging each other and are getting on the same page.
Constructive criticism is being taken to heart and not personally.
"Guys are talking a little bit more, saying, 'Hey, we need a little bit more of this,' or 'I need you to do this, not that,' and we're all communicating more about everything, even the little things. We know how important those things are and that communication is, and hopefully that's a sign of things to come.
"You need that. You have to stick with it. And once it's there, good things happen. I still think we've got a lot of good things ahead of us."
Did you know?
Some interesting numbers from Arizona's 38-28 victory over St. Louis:
• The 6 rushing yards Arizona allowed were the fewest by the defense since the NFL merger in 1970.
• The last time the Cardinals scored at least 32 or more points in road game was Nov. 22, 1998, at Washington, a 49-42 Arizona win.
• The last time they scored 22 points in the fourth quarter was Nov. 18, 2001, vs. Detroit. Arizona scored 24 in the fourth against the Lions.
• Kurt Warner's 115.9 quarterback rating was the highest for the Cardinals since Jake Plummer's 124.2 rating against Detroit in 2001.
• It was the first time Warner threw for three touchdowns since the 2001 season finale, when he was the league's MVP with the Rams.
• Arizona's 27 first downs were the most since the club had 30 on Jan. 2, 2000, at Green Bay.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/cardinals/articles/1122cards1122.html
It's all about the mojo. The Jags will run it down our throats.
