azdad1978
Championship!!!!
REGULAR SEASON GAME #6
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (3-2) at ARIZONA CARDINALS (1-4)
Sunday, October 24, 2004
1:15 PM (MST) – Sun Devil Stadium
THIS WEEK’S GAME
The Cardinals return from their bye week and will host a divisional opponent for the first time in 2004 as the Seahawks visit Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona enters the contest at 1-4 after suffering a 31-28 overtime set-back at San Francisco in the team’s most recent contest (10/10). Seattle enters the game coming off consecutive losses. The Seahawks lost at home against the Rams two weeks ago and fell to the Patriots in Foxboro last Sunday.
The Cardinals and Seahawks have each played five games and have faced four of the same opponents: New Orleans, San Francisco, St. Louis and New England. Both clubs beat the Saints and lost to the Patriots and Rams. The
Seahawks defeated the Niners while the Cards did not. Arizona also faced Atlanta and Seattle played Tampa Bay
THE SERIES
The Seahawks and Cardinals have met only 10 times since 1976 with the Cardinals holding a 6-4 advantage in the series. The two teams have met twice annually since the 2002 season when Seattle moved from the AFC to the NFC West. Since the NFL realignment, the Seahawks have taken three of four contests against the Cardinals. The last time the two teams met was Dec. 21, 2003 at Seattle with the Seahawks claiming a 28-10 victory. The last time the Cards beat the Seahawks was September 15, 2002, 24-13, at Seattle. The Cards and Seahawks will meet again Dec. 26 when the Cards travel to Seattle to finish the divisional series.
Date Site Result
Dec. 21, 2003 @ Seattle L, 28-10
Sept. 14, 2003 @ Arizona L, 38-0
Nov. 10, 2002 @ Arizona L, 27-6
Sept. 15, 2002 @ Seattle W, 24-13
Sept. 13, 1998 @ Seattle L, 33-14
Oct. 29, 1995 @ Arizona W, 20-14 (OT)
Dec. 19, 1993 @ Seattle W, 30-27 (OT)
Sept. 17, 1989 @ Seattle W 34-24
Nov. 13, 1983 @ St. Louis W, 33-28
Sept. 12, 1976 @ Seattle W, 30-24
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TELEVISION
Network: FOX
Play-by-Play: Spero Dedes
Color Analyst: Erik Kramer
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
BY THE NUMBERS
Though the Cardinals have the same record that they did a year ago at this point, the statistics reflect a stark contrast that will hopefully translate to more wins over the rest of the schedule. A year ago through five contests, Arizona surrendered 90 more points that they scored en route to finishing the season with an overall point differential of -227. Fourteen takeaways have contributed to a plus-minus ratio of +6, a marked improvement from the -11 ratio the Cards had through five games a year ago. On the road, the ’04 Cardinals are allowing half as many points as a year ago (18 to 36). Overall the offense is averaging 17.4 points per contest, up from 12.8 a year ago.
CARDS “D” MAKING ITS MARK
A year ago the Arizona defense ranked 32nd in the league in points allowed, surrendering 28.25 points per contest. Through five games in 2004, the Cardinals have been much more respectable with a per game average of 17.5 points. In their most recent game at San Francisco, the Cards defense kept the Niners out of the end zone for three-plus quarters before surrendering two TDs in the fourth. Prior to that, the last team to score a touchdown against the Cardinals defense was New England in the second quarter of game 2 on September 19. Arizona went over two full games and 13 quarters without allowing a defensive touchdown. The last time a Cardinals defense went two straight games without allowing a touchdown was in November of 1970, a span of 512 games. In game 4 vs. N.O., the Cardinals gave up just 41 rushing yards on 14 attempts and the longest run was an 8-yarder by QB Aaron Brooks on the game’s opening drive. It was the fewest rushing yards Arizona allowed in a game since 11/26/95 at Atlanta when the Cards limited the Falcons to 15 carries for 34 yards. The Cardinals defense has 14 takeaways, 14.0 sacks, and has yet to allow a rushing touchdown joining the NY Giants as the only NFL teams that can make that claim. The defense continues to rank #1 in the NFL in red zone efficiency after allowing just four touchdowns in 20 trips inside the 20 (just 20%). The defense has only allowed four passing touchdowns in those 20 trips with the other possessions resulting in 11 field goals, four fumbles and one clock stoppage.
CARDINALS & SEAHAWKS - A YEAR AGO
GAME 15
Seahawks 28, CARDINALS 10
December 21, 2003 – Seahawks Stadium – (64,899)
The Cardinals 28-10 loss at Seattle was their seventh consecutive setback and their 13th straight on the road. Arizona never seriously threatened after failing to score following four Seahawk turnovers (two interceptions, two fumbles) and three trips inside the Seahawks redzone (two missed field goals, one sack-and-fumble). The Seahawks took quick command with touchdown on three of its four possessions, highlighted by running back Shaun Alexander’s 44-yard dash for the third six-pointer. At halftime, the Seahawks boasted 271 total yards (147 passing, 124 rushing) to lead 21-3. Wide receiver Anquan Boldin made history with his fifth reception of the day in the third quarter, an 11-yard gain in front of the Arizona bench, to become the most prolific rookie receiver in NFL history. He finished the day with 10 receptions for 122 yards and one touchdown, a 60-yarder from quarterback Josh McCown in the fourth quarter for the Cardinals only six-pointer. Boldin raised his season reception total to 96, bettering Terry Glenn’s 90-catch record for New England in 1996. Neil Rackers tallied Arizona’s only other points with a 49-yard second-quarter field goal. McCown was 25-40 for
275 yards passing in his first road start. He also led the Cardinals in rushing with 38 yards on eight carries, a team first in 41 games (35 yards, Jake Plummer at Dallas, Oct. 28, 2001). McCown endured eight sacks (-54 yards), the most against the Cardinals in 52 outings (8, at Philadelphia, Nov. 19, 2000). Alexander became the fourth Card opponent runner in five weeks to crack 100 rushing yards with 135 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns. Cornerback Renaldo Hill and strong safety Dexter Jackson each logged their fifth interceptions of the season, career bests for both.
GAME 2
Seahawks 38, CARDINALS 0
September 14, 2003 – Sun Devil Stadium – (23,127)
The Cardinals suffered their first home shutout in 93 games (28-0 vs. Minnesota, Oct. 27, 1991) and largest margin of defeat at home in 167 outings (52-10 vs. Philadelphia, Nov. 8, 1981) in their home-opener against Seattle. Six Arizona turnovers (four interceptions, two fumbles) caused most of the damage. Turnovers on the Cards’ first four offensive possessions staked Seattle to a 14-0 lead. Sandwiched around two pass interceptions of Card quarterback
Jeff Blake that Arizona weathered by forcing punts, Seattle recovered and returned the Cardinals’ two lost fumbles 31 and 55 yards, the former to Arizona’s six-yard line leading to Seattle’s first touchdown three plays later, the latter a touchdown by Seahawk linebacker Randall Godfrey. Long touchdown passes of 55 and 66 yards from quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to wide receiver Darrell Jackson followed, accounting for 121 of Seattle’s 323 total yards. Cardinal rookie receiver Anquan Boldin extended his NFL-leading reception total to 18 with eight catches for 62 yards. Fellow rookie Bryant Johnson added seven grabs for 68 yards. Josh McCown quarterbacked the Cardinals for most of the afternoon after starter Blake was forced from the contest with a bruised heel late in the first quarter. The second-year McCown completed 18 of 32 passes for 150 yards and two interceptions in his most extensive NFL playing time. Running back Josh Scobey averaged 30.4 yards on five kickoff returns, including a 4-yard average, his career single-game best, an effort that included a 64-yard boot, the second-longest of his career.
BROTHERS IN ARMS
Both starting QBs in this week’s game - Arizona’s Josh McCown and Seattle’s Matt Hasselbeck - have younger brothers who are also NFL quarterbacks. Josh’s brother Luke is a rookie QB with the Cleveland Browns while Matt’s younger brother Tim is in his second season with the Washington Redskins and third in the NFL. In addition to the McCowns and Hasselbecks, there are three other sets of brothers playing quarterback in the NFL, including Seattle QB Brock Huard (Injured Reserve) and brother Damon (Chiefs #3). The other two brother pairings are Koy (Eagles) and Ty (Atlanta) Detmer and Eli (NY Giants) and Peyton Manning (Colts).That total of five brother-QB sets eclipses the previous benchmark of three established in 2002. What may be more remarkable is that aside from the five current sets of QB brothers, in the history of the NFL there have been just two other brother tandems at the QB position. Craig (Oilers, 1980) & Terry Bradshaw (Steelers, 1970-1983) and Ed (Decatur Staleys/Chicago Bears, 1920-27) & Joey Sternamen (Bears, 1922- 25, 1927-30, also played with Duluth Eskimos, 1923). The Detmer brothers accomplished a unique feat back in 1997 when they both played quarterback for the same team – the Philadelphia Eagles - during Koy’s rookie season. Two seasons later both Koy and Ty became the first set of brothers to ever throw touchdown passes on the same day (December 19, 1999). The Hasselbeck brothers accomplished the same feat last season on November 23, 2003. The Huards were the first pair of brothers to ever start at quarterback in the NFL on the same weekend back in 2000, when Damon filled in for an injured Jay Fiedler in Miami and Brock started in place of an ailing Jon Kitna. The Hasselbecks also duplicated that feat last November.
MEETING OF ALL-TIME GREATS
Pending league approval and the passing of a physical, a Monday trade between Oakland and Seattle means that the NFL’s all-time leading rusher and receiver will both be in action this Sunday at Sun Devil Stadium. Cardinals running back Emmitt Smith holds the top spot on the NFL’s all-time lists for career rushing yardage, attempts and touchdowns while Seattle wide receiver Jerry Rice is #1 alltime in career receiving yards, receptions and touchdowns. The pair of first-ballot Hall of Famers also rank 1-2 in NFL history in total touchdowns. Rice has found the end zone 205 times in his career while Smith is second with 170 scores (Marcus Allen is #3 with 145 career touchdowns).
Most Rushing Yards, Career Most Receiving Yds, Career
1. Emmitt Smith 17,771 1. Jerry Rice 22,533
2. Walter Payton 16,726 2. Tim Brown 14,856
3. Barry Sanders 15,269 3. James Lofton 14,004
Most Rushing Attempts, Career Most Receptions, Career
1. Emmitt Smith 4,226 1. Jerry Rice 1,524
2. Walter Payton 3,838 2. Cris Carter 1,101
3. Jerome Betis 3,156 3. Tim Brown 1,087
Most Rushing TDs, Career Most Receiving TDs, Career
1. Emmitt Smith 159 1. Jerry Rice 194
2. Marcus Allen 123 2. Cris Carter 130
3. Walter Payton 110 3. Steve Largent 100
CARDS-SEAHAWKS CONNECTIONS
• Arizona Head Coach Dennis Green (receivers), Seattle Head Coach Mike Holmgren (quarterbacks), and Seattle defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes (defensive backs) were assistants together with the San Francisco 49ers during the 1986-1988 seasons.
• Seattle General Manager Bob Ferguson worked in the personnel department for the Cardinals from 1996-2002, serving as General Manager during the 1999-2002 seasons.
• Seattle running backs coach Stump Mitchell played for the Cardinals from 1981-1989 ranking as one of the team’s all time great running backs and kick returners. He is the Cardinals’ all-time leader in combined yardage with 11,988 yards and ranks second with 4,649 yards rushing on 986 attempts and 32 touchdowns. After his playing days, Mitchell coached Casa Grande H.S. where he led the team to a playoff berth in his second year.
• Seattle Director of Player Administrations Jay Nienkark worked 12 seasons (1992-2003) for the Cardinals, including the last 10 as the Cardinals “capologist.” Nienkark was the Director of Player Administration during the 2002-2003 seasons.
• Arizona linebacker James Darling is a Kettle Falls, Washington native who played his college football at Washington State and was a two-year starter at linebacker. He attended Kettle Falls High School lettering as a three-year starter in football as a defensive back and running back.
• Arizona offensive coordinator Alex Wood was the tight ends coach at Washington State during the 1987-1988 seasons.
• Arizona defensive quality control coach Rick Courtright was an assistant offensive line coach at the University of Washington during the 1991-1992 seasons.
• Seattle defensive backs coach Teryl Austin coached Cardinals safety Quentin Harris at Syracuse in 1998
• Seattle linebacker Solomon Bates played his college ball at Arizona State where he started 34 of 43 games recording 248 tackles (133 solos) with five sacks for a loss of 25 yards, 29 stops for losses of 79 yards, six fumble recoveries, five forced fumbles, three interceptions, and 18 passes defensed.
• Arizona defensive tackle Darnell Dockett and Seattle strong safety Micheal Boulware were defensive teammates together at Florida State and were both selected in the 2004 NFL Draft (Dockett-3rd Round, 64th overall) (Boulware-2nd Round, 53rd overall)
• Arizona free safety Ifeanyi Ohalete and Seattle cornerback Kris Richard were teammates together at USC and played in the same secondary.
• Arizona strong safety Adrian Wilson and Seattle wide receiver Koren Robinson were teammates together at N.C. State and both entered the NFL in the 2001 draft (Wilson-3rd Round, 64th overall; Robinson-1st Round, 9th overall).
FREQUENT FLIERS
The Seahawks and Cardinals ranks second and third in the NFL in terms of combined air miles traveled in ‘04
(preseason & regular season), trailing only the 49ers.
Most Air Miles
1. San Francisco 35,756
2. Seattle 29,956
3. Arizona 27,622
4. Miami 26,244
5. San Diego 26,244
AFTER THE BYE
In his career, Dennis Green is 9-2 (.818) all-time in the game after the bye week. Among active NFL head coaches, only Philadelphia’s Andy Reid (1.000) and Jon Gruden (.833) have a better win percentage than Green.
1. Andy Reid 6-0 1.000
2. Jon Gruden 5-1 .833
3. Dennis Green 9-2 .818
4. Dennis Erickson 4-1 .800
5. Norv Turner 5-2 .715
The Cardinals are 7-8 all-time after the bye.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Seahawks & Cardinals field lineups that are among the youngest in the NFL. The league’s five youngest starting lineups, including average age and starters over the age of 30 are as follows:
1. Chicago 25.68 1
2. San Diego 25.86 4
3. Jacksonville 26.27 4
4. Seattle 26.36 3
5. Arizona 26.40 3
http://www.azcardinals.com/news/news_details.html?iid=2304
SEATTLE SEAHAWKS (3-2) at ARIZONA CARDINALS (1-4)
Sunday, October 24, 2004
1:15 PM (MST) – Sun Devil Stadium
THIS WEEK’S GAME
The Cardinals return from their bye week and will host a divisional opponent for the first time in 2004 as the Seahawks visit Sun Devil Stadium. Arizona enters the contest at 1-4 after suffering a 31-28 overtime set-back at San Francisco in the team’s most recent contest (10/10). Seattle enters the game coming off consecutive losses. The Seahawks lost at home against the Rams two weeks ago and fell to the Patriots in Foxboro last Sunday.
The Cardinals and Seahawks have each played five games and have faced four of the same opponents: New Orleans, San Francisco, St. Louis and New England. Both clubs beat the Saints and lost to the Patriots and Rams. The
Seahawks defeated the Niners while the Cards did not. Arizona also faced Atlanta and Seattle played Tampa Bay
THE SERIES
The Seahawks and Cardinals have met only 10 times since 1976 with the Cardinals holding a 6-4 advantage in the series. The two teams have met twice annually since the 2002 season when Seattle moved from the AFC to the NFC West. Since the NFL realignment, the Seahawks have taken three of four contests against the Cardinals. The last time the two teams met was Dec. 21, 2003 at Seattle with the Seahawks claiming a 28-10 victory. The last time the Cards beat the Seahawks was September 15, 2002, 24-13, at Seattle. The Cards and Seahawks will meet again Dec. 26 when the Cards travel to Seattle to finish the divisional series.
Date Site Result
Dec. 21, 2003 @ Seattle L, 28-10
Sept. 14, 2003 @ Arizona L, 38-0
Nov. 10, 2002 @ Arizona L, 27-6
Sept. 15, 2002 @ Seattle W, 24-13
Sept. 13, 1998 @ Seattle L, 33-14
Oct. 29, 1995 @ Arizona W, 20-14 (OT)
Dec. 19, 1993 @ Seattle W, 30-27 (OT)
Sept. 17, 1989 @ Seattle W 34-24
Nov. 13, 1983 @ St. Louis W, 33-28
Sept. 12, 1976 @ Seattle W, 30-24
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TELEVISION
Network: FOX
Play-by-Play: Spero Dedes
Color Analyst: Erik Kramer
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
BY THE NUMBERS
Though the Cardinals have the same record that they did a year ago at this point, the statistics reflect a stark contrast that will hopefully translate to more wins over the rest of the schedule. A year ago through five contests, Arizona surrendered 90 more points that they scored en route to finishing the season with an overall point differential of -227. Fourteen takeaways have contributed to a plus-minus ratio of +6, a marked improvement from the -11 ratio the Cards had through five games a year ago. On the road, the ’04 Cardinals are allowing half as many points as a year ago (18 to 36). Overall the offense is averaging 17.4 points per contest, up from 12.8 a year ago.
CARDS “D” MAKING ITS MARK
A year ago the Arizona defense ranked 32nd in the league in points allowed, surrendering 28.25 points per contest. Through five games in 2004, the Cardinals have been much more respectable with a per game average of 17.5 points. In their most recent game at San Francisco, the Cards defense kept the Niners out of the end zone for three-plus quarters before surrendering two TDs in the fourth. Prior to that, the last team to score a touchdown against the Cardinals defense was New England in the second quarter of game 2 on September 19. Arizona went over two full games and 13 quarters without allowing a defensive touchdown. The last time a Cardinals defense went two straight games without allowing a touchdown was in November of 1970, a span of 512 games. In game 4 vs. N.O., the Cardinals gave up just 41 rushing yards on 14 attempts and the longest run was an 8-yarder by QB Aaron Brooks on the game’s opening drive. It was the fewest rushing yards Arizona allowed in a game since 11/26/95 at Atlanta when the Cards limited the Falcons to 15 carries for 34 yards. The Cardinals defense has 14 takeaways, 14.0 sacks, and has yet to allow a rushing touchdown joining the NY Giants as the only NFL teams that can make that claim. The defense continues to rank #1 in the NFL in red zone efficiency after allowing just four touchdowns in 20 trips inside the 20 (just 20%). The defense has only allowed four passing touchdowns in those 20 trips with the other possessions resulting in 11 field goals, four fumbles and one clock stoppage.
CARDINALS & SEAHAWKS - A YEAR AGO
GAME 15
Seahawks 28, CARDINALS 10
December 21, 2003 – Seahawks Stadium – (64,899)
The Cardinals 28-10 loss at Seattle was their seventh consecutive setback and their 13th straight on the road. Arizona never seriously threatened after failing to score following four Seahawk turnovers (two interceptions, two fumbles) and three trips inside the Seahawks redzone (two missed field goals, one sack-and-fumble). The Seahawks took quick command with touchdown on three of its four possessions, highlighted by running back Shaun Alexander’s 44-yard dash for the third six-pointer. At halftime, the Seahawks boasted 271 total yards (147 passing, 124 rushing) to lead 21-3. Wide receiver Anquan Boldin made history with his fifth reception of the day in the third quarter, an 11-yard gain in front of the Arizona bench, to become the most prolific rookie receiver in NFL history. He finished the day with 10 receptions for 122 yards and one touchdown, a 60-yarder from quarterback Josh McCown in the fourth quarter for the Cardinals only six-pointer. Boldin raised his season reception total to 96, bettering Terry Glenn’s 90-catch record for New England in 1996. Neil Rackers tallied Arizona’s only other points with a 49-yard second-quarter field goal. McCown was 25-40 for
275 yards passing in his first road start. He also led the Cardinals in rushing with 38 yards on eight carries, a team first in 41 games (35 yards, Jake Plummer at Dallas, Oct. 28, 2001). McCown endured eight sacks (-54 yards), the most against the Cardinals in 52 outings (8, at Philadelphia, Nov. 19, 2000). Alexander became the fourth Card opponent runner in five weeks to crack 100 rushing yards with 135 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns. Cornerback Renaldo Hill and strong safety Dexter Jackson each logged their fifth interceptions of the season, career bests for both.
GAME 2
Seahawks 38, CARDINALS 0
September 14, 2003 – Sun Devil Stadium – (23,127)
The Cardinals suffered their first home shutout in 93 games (28-0 vs. Minnesota, Oct. 27, 1991) and largest margin of defeat at home in 167 outings (52-10 vs. Philadelphia, Nov. 8, 1981) in their home-opener against Seattle. Six Arizona turnovers (four interceptions, two fumbles) caused most of the damage. Turnovers on the Cards’ first four offensive possessions staked Seattle to a 14-0 lead. Sandwiched around two pass interceptions of Card quarterback
Jeff Blake that Arizona weathered by forcing punts, Seattle recovered and returned the Cardinals’ two lost fumbles 31 and 55 yards, the former to Arizona’s six-yard line leading to Seattle’s first touchdown three plays later, the latter a touchdown by Seahawk linebacker Randall Godfrey. Long touchdown passes of 55 and 66 yards from quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to wide receiver Darrell Jackson followed, accounting for 121 of Seattle’s 323 total yards. Cardinal rookie receiver Anquan Boldin extended his NFL-leading reception total to 18 with eight catches for 62 yards. Fellow rookie Bryant Johnson added seven grabs for 68 yards. Josh McCown quarterbacked the Cardinals for most of the afternoon after starter Blake was forced from the contest with a bruised heel late in the first quarter. The second-year McCown completed 18 of 32 passes for 150 yards and two interceptions in his most extensive NFL playing time. Running back Josh Scobey averaged 30.4 yards on five kickoff returns, including a 4-yard average, his career single-game best, an effort that included a 64-yard boot, the second-longest of his career.
BROTHERS IN ARMS
Both starting QBs in this week’s game - Arizona’s Josh McCown and Seattle’s Matt Hasselbeck - have younger brothers who are also NFL quarterbacks. Josh’s brother Luke is a rookie QB with the Cleveland Browns while Matt’s younger brother Tim is in his second season with the Washington Redskins and third in the NFL. In addition to the McCowns and Hasselbecks, there are three other sets of brothers playing quarterback in the NFL, including Seattle QB Brock Huard (Injured Reserve) and brother Damon (Chiefs #3). The other two brother pairings are Koy (Eagles) and Ty (Atlanta) Detmer and Eli (NY Giants) and Peyton Manning (Colts).That total of five brother-QB sets eclipses the previous benchmark of three established in 2002. What may be more remarkable is that aside from the five current sets of QB brothers, in the history of the NFL there have been just two other brother tandems at the QB position. Craig (Oilers, 1980) & Terry Bradshaw (Steelers, 1970-1983) and Ed (Decatur Staleys/Chicago Bears, 1920-27) & Joey Sternamen (Bears, 1922- 25, 1927-30, also played with Duluth Eskimos, 1923). The Detmer brothers accomplished a unique feat back in 1997 when they both played quarterback for the same team – the Philadelphia Eagles - during Koy’s rookie season. Two seasons later both Koy and Ty became the first set of brothers to ever throw touchdown passes on the same day (December 19, 1999). The Hasselbeck brothers accomplished the same feat last season on November 23, 2003. The Huards were the first pair of brothers to ever start at quarterback in the NFL on the same weekend back in 2000, when Damon filled in for an injured Jay Fiedler in Miami and Brock started in place of an ailing Jon Kitna. The Hasselbecks also duplicated that feat last November.
MEETING OF ALL-TIME GREATS
Pending league approval and the passing of a physical, a Monday trade between Oakland and Seattle means that the NFL’s all-time leading rusher and receiver will both be in action this Sunday at Sun Devil Stadium. Cardinals running back Emmitt Smith holds the top spot on the NFL’s all-time lists for career rushing yardage, attempts and touchdowns while Seattle wide receiver Jerry Rice is #1 alltime in career receiving yards, receptions and touchdowns. The pair of first-ballot Hall of Famers also rank 1-2 in NFL history in total touchdowns. Rice has found the end zone 205 times in his career while Smith is second with 170 scores (Marcus Allen is #3 with 145 career touchdowns).
Most Rushing Yards, Career Most Receiving Yds, Career
1. Emmitt Smith 17,771 1. Jerry Rice 22,533
2. Walter Payton 16,726 2. Tim Brown 14,856
3. Barry Sanders 15,269 3. James Lofton 14,004
Most Rushing Attempts, Career Most Receptions, Career
1. Emmitt Smith 4,226 1. Jerry Rice 1,524
2. Walter Payton 3,838 2. Cris Carter 1,101
3. Jerome Betis 3,156 3. Tim Brown 1,087
Most Rushing TDs, Career Most Receiving TDs, Career
1. Emmitt Smith 159 1. Jerry Rice 194
2. Marcus Allen 123 2. Cris Carter 130
3. Walter Payton 110 3. Steve Largent 100
CARDS-SEAHAWKS CONNECTIONS
• Arizona Head Coach Dennis Green (receivers), Seattle Head Coach Mike Holmgren (quarterbacks), and Seattle defensive coordinator Ray Rhodes (defensive backs) were assistants together with the San Francisco 49ers during the 1986-1988 seasons.
• Seattle General Manager Bob Ferguson worked in the personnel department for the Cardinals from 1996-2002, serving as General Manager during the 1999-2002 seasons.
• Seattle running backs coach Stump Mitchell played for the Cardinals from 1981-1989 ranking as one of the team’s all time great running backs and kick returners. He is the Cardinals’ all-time leader in combined yardage with 11,988 yards and ranks second with 4,649 yards rushing on 986 attempts and 32 touchdowns. After his playing days, Mitchell coached Casa Grande H.S. where he led the team to a playoff berth in his second year.
• Seattle Director of Player Administrations Jay Nienkark worked 12 seasons (1992-2003) for the Cardinals, including the last 10 as the Cardinals “capologist.” Nienkark was the Director of Player Administration during the 2002-2003 seasons.
• Arizona linebacker James Darling is a Kettle Falls, Washington native who played his college football at Washington State and was a two-year starter at linebacker. He attended Kettle Falls High School lettering as a three-year starter in football as a defensive back and running back.
• Arizona offensive coordinator Alex Wood was the tight ends coach at Washington State during the 1987-1988 seasons.
• Arizona defensive quality control coach Rick Courtright was an assistant offensive line coach at the University of Washington during the 1991-1992 seasons.
• Seattle defensive backs coach Teryl Austin coached Cardinals safety Quentin Harris at Syracuse in 1998
• Seattle linebacker Solomon Bates played his college ball at Arizona State where he started 34 of 43 games recording 248 tackles (133 solos) with five sacks for a loss of 25 yards, 29 stops for losses of 79 yards, six fumble recoveries, five forced fumbles, three interceptions, and 18 passes defensed.
• Arizona defensive tackle Darnell Dockett and Seattle strong safety Micheal Boulware were defensive teammates together at Florida State and were both selected in the 2004 NFL Draft (Dockett-3rd Round, 64th overall) (Boulware-2nd Round, 53rd overall)
• Arizona free safety Ifeanyi Ohalete and Seattle cornerback Kris Richard were teammates together at USC and played in the same secondary.
• Arizona strong safety Adrian Wilson and Seattle wide receiver Koren Robinson were teammates together at N.C. State and both entered the NFL in the 2001 draft (Wilson-3rd Round, 64th overall; Robinson-1st Round, 9th overall).
FREQUENT FLIERS
The Seahawks and Cardinals ranks second and third in the NFL in terms of combined air miles traveled in ‘04
(preseason & regular season), trailing only the 49ers.
Most Air Miles
1. San Francisco 35,756
2. Seattle 29,956
3. Arizona 27,622
4. Miami 26,244
5. San Diego 26,244
AFTER THE BYE
In his career, Dennis Green is 9-2 (.818) all-time in the game after the bye week. Among active NFL head coaches, only Philadelphia’s Andy Reid (1.000) and Jon Gruden (.833) have a better win percentage than Green.
1. Andy Reid 6-0 1.000
2. Jon Gruden 5-1 .833
3. Dennis Green 9-2 .818
4. Dennis Erickson 4-1 .800
5. Norv Turner 5-2 .715
The Cardinals are 7-8 all-time after the bye.
YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Seahawks & Cardinals field lineups that are among the youngest in the NFL. The league’s five youngest starting lineups, including average age and starters over the age of 30 are as follows:
1. Chicago 25.68 1
2. San Diego 25.86 4
3. Jacksonville 26.27 4
4. Seattle 26.36 3
5. Arizona 26.40 3
http://www.azcardinals.com/news/news_details.html?iid=2304
