Cardinals Still Seeking True Identity

[john h]

Thanks, Chris.

Imagine this: if Q is having trouble with a big physical corner like Springs, what I would do is put him in the backfield, in a spread formation (Fitz wide left, Doucet in the left slot, Breaston in the right slot and Urban wide right) and Warner in the shotgun.

How would anyone defend this?

They would have to go zone, IMO.

If not, who covers Q?

The middle linebacker?

If it's the MLB, slip Q right at him and have him deke hard one way and cut the other fopr easy completions and killer RACs...all day long.

If not the MLB, do they line up Shawn Springs at MLB?

Then what do they do with the MLB?

They's have to shift him over to play Doucet or Breaston in the slot.

Good luck with that.

Also, if they put Springs at MLB, how about running the ball with Q versus a spread out defense? Springs wouldn't hold up in the middle and Boldin would punish him if he ever got close.

What a different philosophy between Whiz and the USC Coach. Last night USC had the ball with 4th and 9 on about the 40 yd line in the 3rd quarter and 2 TD's behind. USC went for it and even made it and Whiz want go for it with 4th and 4 with 2.5 min left??? Would we have called him an idiot if he had not made it? The fans were sure wanting USC to go for it.

 

[Cheesebeef]

What a different philosophy between Whiz and the USC Coach. Last night USC had the ball with 4th and 9 on about the 40 yd line in the 3rd quarter and 2 TD's behind. USC went for it and even made it and Whiz want go for it with 4th and 4 with 2.5 min left??? Would we have called him an idiot if he had not made it? The fans were sure wanting USC to go for it.

USC has more talent than anyone in college football and has for years. Wiz ain't playing with that kind of deck.

 

[john h]

Thanks for a very insightful analysis. I think a lot of coaches, like a lot of managers in the business world, are control freaks who underestimate the abilities of people under their control. These coaches love to keep the game close until the fourth quarter before taking the handcuffs off their skilled players when the game could be won a lot earlier.

Actually I prefer to go into the 4th quarter with a good lead and let the other team try to win it. As someone posted bring Kurt out firing and use the passing game to open up the running game. If we intended to be a running team we did not draft like that IMHO. We have missed out on couple of stud runners in the past two drafts. Dallas was one of the few teams that recognized what a super fast runner like Felix Jones could bring to the table. I do not think they are using him on kickoffs yet (?) but that is one of his real strengths. He and McFadden were both back to receive kickoffs at the same time. Felix has already broken several 50 yd + runs. Did he go in the second round???

Clearly Kurt Warner did not like what was going on that Washington game and he made no bones about it talking to every coach who would listen in a very animated fashion. This may be the most angry I have ever seen him. He probably kicked his dog and told his wife to shut up when he got home. Kurt has been around longer than many OC's and probably knows as much as many of them. He sure looks like he could motivate players using fear if nothing else. He was not a happy camper Saturday. Neither was I. I understand Whiz and his staff will have some growing pains not having been a HC so I am willing to give him some slack as he sure looks a lot better than anything we have had here in a long time. Just so he learns from his mistakes. Would it not be interesting to be a fly on the wall after that game when the players were discussing it?

 

[john h]

Mitch - I love your stuff but Q, Warner, and everyone else be damned. This is Wiz's team and I trust in him enough to have the final say in what they want to do and the direction. Sure he should have gone for it on 4th and 4 in hindsight. But I can guarantee you 22 of 32 NFL coaches would have done the same thing. He was just following the coaching 101 handbook and if they would have gone for it and didn't pick it up we would be crucifying him for not having faith in the defense.

Do you remember the scores of games when we use to just fling it? Its not the right way to play - especially when you have a QB with a looong history of turning the ball over. Thats why I believe he really WANTED Matt to win the job - because he trusts him with the ball more. And I can't fault him for that. The Rams and Giants all came to the same conclusion too.

In the Dolphins game we are at home against an inferior team. If we turn the ball over a couple times we can probably still win that game. So its still safe to throw it around the field. Miami doesn't have the defensive playmakers to really make them pay.

Not against Washington and on the road. If we were flinging it we might have lost the game 37 - 24. Did you see what Washington did the one time they had a short field?

I know we can all look back and say its a bad decision. And maybe without a running back that anyone is actually scared of its folly. But I don't fault the premise and think ultimately when he gets more of his types of players, it will pay off.

They need to find a balance and hopefully they will. But I cant for the life of me understand why people would take issue with Wiz being gun shy with Warner - and so far the results have been pretty dang good based on the performances of our two wins and how those teams looked last week.

If you don't learn from history, you are doomed to repeat it.

Trust in Wiz boys. The rebirth of Warner is BECAUSE of Wiz - not in spite of him.

Actually I was astonished we did not go for it even before the decision was made. It was a no brainer to me. I disagree that most coaches would have punted in that situation. We were not stopping the run and near the 50 yd line. Football book 101A (revised) says you go for it.

 

[john h]

USC has more talent than anyone in college football and has for years. Wiz ain't playing with that kind of deck.

USC may have all that talent but they lost to a team not ranked and who was predicted to lose by 27 points. Talent does not always win. How far will they fall in the polls this week? One of my favorite players transferred to USC from Arkansas (Damien Williams) and he made his presence known last night. There are other forces at work in any game besides talent. Go Beavers Go! Two of my unfavored teams have bit the dust this year with the Yankees not making the playoffs and USC losing to a 27 point underdog. They are in my dog house because they are perpetual winners. To go along with this my favorite team won the NL Central over a week ago and has home field advantage all the way. Go Cubs. Forget the goats, cats, and Steve Bartman it is time to roll. Even the Cards are 2-1. My stars are aligned and it is the age of Aquarius.

 

[Cheesebeef]

USC may have all that talent but they lost to a team not ranked and who was predicted to lose by 27 points. Talent does not always win.

your kind of destroying your own argument here John. That same coach who knew what he was doing going for it on 4th and 9 had all the talent in the world against a completely underclassed foe and lost.