azdad1978
Championship!!!!
REGULAR SEASON GAME #4
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (2-1) at ARIZONA CARDINALS (0-3)
Sunday, October 3, 2004
1:05 PM (MST) – Sun Devil Stadium
This Week's Game
The Cardinals return home this week seeking their first win of the ’04 regular season after falling last Sunday in Atlanta, 6-3. Arizona opened the season at St. Louis where the team dropped a 17-10 decision in week one and lost its home opener to the Patriots in week two, 23-12. The Saints enter the game at 2-1 after earning an overtime win over the Rams last Sunday in St. Louis, 28-25. This week will mark their fourth straight game against the NFC West. New Orleans opened the season at home vs. Seattle (L, 21-7) and San Francisco (W, 30-27).
The Series
The Cardinals & Saints have met 23 times, dating back to 1967, and the Cards hold a 12-11 edge over the Saints. The two teams have split the last four meetings 2-2, with the Saints claiming a 21-10 victory over the Cardinals the last time the two teams met on Oct. 29, 2000 at Sun Devil Stadium. The last time the Cardinals beat the Saints was a 19-17 victory on Dec. 20, 1998. The Cardinals have outscored the Saints 504-484 in the series. According to the NFL schedule rotation, the two teams are not scheduled to meet again until 2007 when the Saints will host the Cardinals.
The Last Time
Saints 21, CARDINALS 10
October 29, 2000 – Sun Devil Stadium – (35,016)
Four Cardinals turnovers – two interceptions, two fumbles – and two missed field goalattempts that both bounced off the left upright, spoiled Dave McGinnis’ head coaching debut as New Orleans overcame Arizona’s statistical advantages to post its fourth consecutive victory. The Cards held the upper hand in total yards (394-247), offensive plays (77-57), rushing yards (125-89), passing yards (269-158), first downs (24-17), time of possession (33:19-26:41), and penalties (4/27-5/55). The total yards, first downs, time of possession and third down conversion percentage (10-18, 56 percent) were Cardinal season bests against the Saints NFL-leading defense. The New Orleans offense opened the scoring with a 68 yard, 12 play march that tight end Lamont Hall ended with a one-yard touchdown reception. Also contributing touchdowns were the Saints defense (linebacker Keith Mitchell’s 40-yard touchdown interception) and special teams (forced fumble and recovery on fourth-quarter punt return at Arizona’s 16-yard line leading to the final New Orleans touchdown). The Cardinals tallied their first first-quarter touchdown in 24 games on a three-yard pass from quarterback Jake Plummer to tight end Terry Hardy, the latter’s first NFL touchdown and one of seven career-best receptions. Ten different Cardinal players caught passes, a season high, including NFL firsts for wide receiver/tight end Tywan Mitchell and rookie tight end Jay Tant. Arizona’s defense snapped Saint running back Ricky Williams’ streak of five consecutive 100-yard rushing games by limiting him to 54 yards on 21 carries.
BROADCAST INFORMATION TELEVISION
Network: FOX
Play-by-Play: Ron Pitts
Color Analyst: Tim Ryan
CARDINALS RADIO NETWORK
Flagship: 1060 KDUS (AM)
KSLX 100.7 (FM)
Play-by-Play: Dave Pasch
Color Analyst: John Mistler
Sideline: Mike Jurecki
CARDINALS SPANISH RADIO
Flagship: KMIA (710 AM)
Play-by-Play: Gabriel Trujillo
Color Analyst: Luis Zendejas
Halftime/Analyst: Felipe Coral
TAKING IT AWAY
A year ago, the Cardinals finished with a plus minus of -13 and recorded just 23 total takeways. Among NFC teams, only the Bears (20) and Giants (22) had fewer takeaways and only the Giants had a lower plus-minus (-16). Through three games, the Cardinals are +4 and have 10 total takeaways. A year ago they did not record takeaway #10 until the 11th game of the year (November 23 vs. St. Louis). No team in the NFL has more takeaways in ’04 than Arizona’s 10 (the Giants and Seahawks also have 10) and the Cards also lead the league with six recoveries of opponent’s fumbles.
Against St. Louis in week 1, the Cards took it away three times (two fumble recoveries and an INT), had no turnovers themselves, and finished +3. Against New England in week 2, the Cards took it away three more times (two interceptions and one fumble recovery). Two of the takeaways led to field goals while the third came on the final play of the first half.
Last week at Atlanta, the Cards took it away a season-best four times with three fumble recoveries and an interception. Two of them killed drives that had reached the Arizona red zone while the other two gave the Cards offense possession inside the Falcons 20.
CARDS-SAINTS CONNECTIONS
New Orleans fullback Mike Karney was a standout at Arizona State starting 28 of 46 career games with 32 carries for 78 yards and 37 receptions for 308 yards and a touchdown. Cardinals QB Shaun King enjoyed a record-setting college career at Tulane. He is the school’s all-time leader in attempts (1,163), completions (646), passing yards (8,419) and passing touchdowns (70). As a senior in 1998, he set an NCAA record with a 183.3 passing
efficiency rating (#2 is Michael Vick with 190.4 at Virginia Tech the next year) and that season King led the Green Wave to an 11-0 record. King made his Cardinal debut last week vs. Atlanta and was 5-6 for 40 yards passing. New Orleans linebacker Derrick Rodgers was part of the 1996/1997 Pac-10 Champion Rose Bowl Team at ASU. Playing alongside fellow linebacker and former Arizona Cardinal Pat Tillman, Rodgers was a finalist for the Bronco Nagurksi Award, given to college football’s premier defensive player as a junior in 1996. New Orleans defensive tackle Shaun Smith was claimed by the Cardinals off waivers from Dallas during this past preseason (September 1) and appeared in the Cardinals final preseason contest against the Denver Broncos. Arizona linebacker Ray Thompson is a native of New Orleans where he was a prep all-America at St. Augustine High School. He was a three-year starter at linebacker and safety while at St. Augustine. New Orleans wide receiver Devery Henderson and Arizona tight end Eric Edwards were both members of the 2004 National Champion LSU Tigers. Edwards is a native of Monroe, LA where he was the 1998 Gatorade Player of the Year in Louisiana at Ouachita Christian High School New Orleans punter Mitch Berger (1996-2000) and quarterback Todd Bouman (1997-2001) both played under Arizona Head Coach Dennis Green with the Minnesota Vikings. Arizona defensive backs coach Richard Solomon is a native of New Orleans where he attended St. Augustine High School. Arizona wide receiver Anquan Boldin, New Orleans wide receiver Talman Gardner, and New Orleans guard Montrae Holland all attended Florida State together on the offensive side of the ball and are all entering their second season in the NFL. New Orleans special teams coach Al Everest was the special teams coach for Arizona from 1996-1999 where his units ranked third in the NFL in defensive punt return coverage, fifth in opponents net punting average, and second in field goal defense. New Orleans running backs coach Dave Atkins was Arizona’s offensive coordinator from 1994-1995. He also was the tight ends coach for the Minnesota Vikings in 1997-1999 under current Cardinals Head Coach Dennis Green. New Orleans secondary/cornerbacks coach Greg Brown started his collegiate career at Glendale Community College in 1976-1977. Arizona offensive tackle Anthony Clement played his college football at Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana-Lafayette) in 1994-1997. Clement started the final 33 games at left tackle while in college. The Breaux Bridge, LA native was a all district 6-A selection as a defensive tackle for Cecilia High School. New Orleans tight ends coach Bob Palcic was the offensive line coach for the University of Arizona during the 1984-1985 seasons.
RACKERS ROLLING
Cards kicker Neil Rackers had a tremendous preseason and has continued his roll into the regular season. He is 4-5 on field goals and has also been very strong on kickoffs. Rackers closed the preseason by connecting on 10
consecutive field goals. In the regular season opener at St. Louis he made his only try (22 yards). In the second quarter in week 2 vs. NE, he booted 51 and 52 yarders and had a 58-yarder blocked at the end of the quarter.
Heading into that Pats game, Rackers had made three field goals of 50+ yards in his career but nailed two in the same quarter against NE. The NFL record for 50-yarders in one game is three (Morten Andersen, 12/10/95) and Rackers became the first player to have two in a game since Mike Vanderjagt did for Indy on 11/24/02. Rackers, who led the NFL in preseason touchbacks with seven, has four in the regular season including three against the Patriots.
http://www.azcardinals.com/news/news_details.html?iid=2250
NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (2-1) at ARIZONA CARDINALS (0-3)
Sunday, October 3, 2004
1:05 PM (MST) – Sun Devil Stadium
This Week's Game
The Cardinals return home this week seeking their first win of the ’04 regular season after falling last Sunday in Atlanta, 6-3. Arizona opened the season at St. Louis where the team dropped a 17-10 decision in week one and lost its home opener to the Patriots in week two, 23-12. The Saints enter the game at 2-1 after earning an overtime win over the Rams last Sunday in St. Louis, 28-25. This week will mark their fourth straight game against the NFC West. New Orleans opened the season at home vs. Seattle (L, 21-7) and San Francisco (W, 30-27).
The Series
The Cardinals & Saints have met 23 times, dating back to 1967, and the Cards hold a 12-11 edge over the Saints. The two teams have split the last four meetings 2-2, with the Saints claiming a 21-10 victory over the Cardinals the last time the two teams met on Oct. 29, 2000 at Sun Devil Stadium. The last time the Cardinals beat the Saints was a 19-17 victory on Dec. 20, 1998. The Cardinals have outscored the Saints 504-484 in the series. According to the NFL schedule rotation, the two teams are not scheduled to meet again until 2007 when the Saints will host the Cardinals.
The Last Time
Saints 21, CARDINALS 10
October 29, 2000 – Sun Devil Stadium – (35,016)
Four Cardinals turnovers – two interceptions, two fumbles – and two missed field goalattempts that both bounced off the left upright, spoiled Dave McGinnis’ head coaching debut as New Orleans overcame Arizona’s statistical advantages to post its fourth consecutive victory. The Cards held the upper hand in total yards (394-247), offensive plays (77-57), rushing yards (125-89), passing yards (269-158), first downs (24-17), time of possession (33:19-26:41), and penalties (4/27-5/55). The total yards, first downs, time of possession and third down conversion percentage (10-18, 56 percent) were Cardinal season bests against the Saints NFL-leading defense. The New Orleans offense opened the scoring with a 68 yard, 12 play march that tight end Lamont Hall ended with a one-yard touchdown reception. Also contributing touchdowns were the Saints defense (linebacker Keith Mitchell’s 40-yard touchdown interception) and special teams (forced fumble and recovery on fourth-quarter punt return at Arizona’s 16-yard line leading to the final New Orleans touchdown). The Cardinals tallied their first first-quarter touchdown in 24 games on a three-yard pass from quarterback Jake Plummer to tight end Terry Hardy, the latter’s first NFL touchdown and one of seven career-best receptions. Ten different Cardinal players caught passes, a season high, including NFL firsts for wide receiver/tight end Tywan Mitchell and rookie tight end Jay Tant. Arizona’s defense snapped Saint running back Ricky Williams’ streak of five consecutive 100-yard rushing games by limiting him to 54 yards on 21 carries.
BROADCAST INFORMATION TELEVISION
Network: FOX
Play-by-Play: Ron Pitts
Color Analyst: Tim Ryan
CARDINALS RADIO NETWORK
Flagship: 1060 KDUS (AM)
KSLX 100.7 (FM)
Play-by-Play: Dave Pasch
Color Analyst: John Mistler
Sideline: Mike Jurecki
CARDINALS SPANISH RADIO
Flagship: KMIA (710 AM)
Play-by-Play: Gabriel Trujillo
Color Analyst: Luis Zendejas
Halftime/Analyst: Felipe Coral
TAKING IT AWAY
A year ago, the Cardinals finished with a plus minus of -13 and recorded just 23 total takeways. Among NFC teams, only the Bears (20) and Giants (22) had fewer takeaways and only the Giants had a lower plus-minus (-16). Through three games, the Cardinals are +4 and have 10 total takeaways. A year ago they did not record takeaway #10 until the 11th game of the year (November 23 vs. St. Louis). No team in the NFL has more takeaways in ’04 than Arizona’s 10 (the Giants and Seahawks also have 10) and the Cards also lead the league with six recoveries of opponent’s fumbles.
Against St. Louis in week 1, the Cards took it away three times (two fumble recoveries and an INT), had no turnovers themselves, and finished +3. Against New England in week 2, the Cards took it away three more times (two interceptions and one fumble recovery). Two of the takeaways led to field goals while the third came on the final play of the first half.
Last week at Atlanta, the Cards took it away a season-best four times with three fumble recoveries and an interception. Two of them killed drives that had reached the Arizona red zone while the other two gave the Cards offense possession inside the Falcons 20.
CARDS-SAINTS CONNECTIONS
New Orleans fullback Mike Karney was a standout at Arizona State starting 28 of 46 career games with 32 carries for 78 yards and 37 receptions for 308 yards and a touchdown. Cardinals QB Shaun King enjoyed a record-setting college career at Tulane. He is the school’s all-time leader in attempts (1,163), completions (646), passing yards (8,419) and passing touchdowns (70). As a senior in 1998, he set an NCAA record with a 183.3 passing
efficiency rating (#2 is Michael Vick with 190.4 at Virginia Tech the next year) and that season King led the Green Wave to an 11-0 record. King made his Cardinal debut last week vs. Atlanta and was 5-6 for 40 yards passing. New Orleans linebacker Derrick Rodgers was part of the 1996/1997 Pac-10 Champion Rose Bowl Team at ASU. Playing alongside fellow linebacker and former Arizona Cardinal Pat Tillman, Rodgers was a finalist for the Bronco Nagurksi Award, given to college football’s premier defensive player as a junior in 1996. New Orleans defensive tackle Shaun Smith was claimed by the Cardinals off waivers from Dallas during this past preseason (September 1) and appeared in the Cardinals final preseason contest against the Denver Broncos. Arizona linebacker Ray Thompson is a native of New Orleans where he was a prep all-America at St. Augustine High School. He was a three-year starter at linebacker and safety while at St. Augustine. New Orleans wide receiver Devery Henderson and Arizona tight end Eric Edwards were both members of the 2004 National Champion LSU Tigers. Edwards is a native of Monroe, LA where he was the 1998 Gatorade Player of the Year in Louisiana at Ouachita Christian High School New Orleans punter Mitch Berger (1996-2000) and quarterback Todd Bouman (1997-2001) both played under Arizona Head Coach Dennis Green with the Minnesota Vikings. Arizona defensive backs coach Richard Solomon is a native of New Orleans where he attended St. Augustine High School. Arizona wide receiver Anquan Boldin, New Orleans wide receiver Talman Gardner, and New Orleans guard Montrae Holland all attended Florida State together on the offensive side of the ball and are all entering their second season in the NFL. New Orleans special teams coach Al Everest was the special teams coach for Arizona from 1996-1999 where his units ranked third in the NFL in defensive punt return coverage, fifth in opponents net punting average, and second in field goal defense. New Orleans running backs coach Dave Atkins was Arizona’s offensive coordinator from 1994-1995. He also was the tight ends coach for the Minnesota Vikings in 1997-1999 under current Cardinals Head Coach Dennis Green. New Orleans secondary/cornerbacks coach Greg Brown started his collegiate career at Glendale Community College in 1976-1977. Arizona offensive tackle Anthony Clement played his college football at Southwestern Louisiana (now Louisiana-Lafayette) in 1994-1997. Clement started the final 33 games at left tackle while in college. The Breaux Bridge, LA native was a all district 6-A selection as a defensive tackle for Cecilia High School. New Orleans tight ends coach Bob Palcic was the offensive line coach for the University of Arizona during the 1984-1985 seasons.
RACKERS ROLLING
Cards kicker Neil Rackers had a tremendous preseason and has continued his roll into the regular season. He is 4-5 on field goals and has also been very strong on kickoffs. Rackers closed the preseason by connecting on 10
consecutive field goals. In the regular season opener at St. Louis he made his only try (22 yards). In the second quarter in week 2 vs. NE, he booted 51 and 52 yarders and had a 58-yarder blocked at the end of the quarter.
Heading into that Pats game, Rackers had made three field goals of 50+ yards in his career but nailed two in the same quarter against NE. The NFL record for 50-yarders in one game is three (Morten Andersen, 12/10/95) and Rackers became the first player to have two in a game since Mike Vanderjagt did for Indy on 11/24/02. Rackers, who led the NFL in preseason touchbacks with seven, has four in the regular season including three against the Patriots.
http://www.azcardinals.com/news/news_details.html?iid=2250
