Cards bringing in 9 players

[overseascardfan]

What about Tom Hackett, the stud P from UTA who was the 2 time Ray Guy Award winner. Dude is available from what Google indicates.

 

[Darkside]

Is it possible that other teams have studied the last game last season vs Carolina and found something that works well vs the Cards offense? Maybe they simply found a weakness and way to more easily beat us. Just a thought!

I think what they saw that worked was game 1 when the Pats stifled our offense. I really expected us to make adjustments in game 2 and we didn't, and then after winning game 2 it solidified the lack of adjustments for the next game.

There are several issues at play. First, we're a talented team, I don't think there's any arguing that, and BA has them believing they're better than just about anyone else, if not everyone else. That makes it incredibly difficult to stay patient on offense. When you think you're better than everyone else at the skill positions, it's difficult not to throw up those deep 50-50 balls Palmer loves so much. It's difficult to take 8 yards at a time all the way down the field when you believe in your heart you can get 40 anytime you want. For example, I was shocked to hear Fitz during pre-season say these games don't count, they just want to get rolling into the season and playoffs. When a guy like Fitz says that, it tells me there's a lack of patience and a lack of trusting the process of playing individual football games. These guys want the playoffs to start now. It doesn't work that way. There are still things to learn, and when Fitzgerald says something like that, it indicates to me that they believe they've arrived and just want to get the post-season started.

(Regarding practices, the coaches have said they've had great practices, but how can they really know now that practice is so watered down and sissified? Practices now are mostly about technique and knowledge of plays: given the # of players returning in this system, and their level of talent, they're going to breeze through these practices--problem is, practice no longer shows you a player's level of passion, grit, desire, or nastiness. I bet Campbell has great practices every day of every week, but he's been invisible. Guy should be beasting right now)

Secondly, several players, and coach himself, have said we're being too aggressive defensively. I found this hard to believe until I watched the first half of Sunday's game again. Every player on that defense thinks they're good and wants to make a special play. Guys are crashing down rather than maintaining gap integrity, players are leaving their zones to help out or make plays (in essence, they're all "cheating" based on instinct rather than maintaining their assignments, their zones, their gaps). This becomes a huge problem obviously, because no matter how athletic you are, if you sink your hips at the wrong time you become a statue, if you crash down instead of maintaining edge contain, you cannot recover. These are professional NFL athletes and just because our players may be better skill-wise doesn't mean they can over-run lanes, lose edge contain, lose gap contain, cheat as CB's or safeties. Can't do that, the game of football hasn't changed that much.

I believe it's a lack of patience and I think that lesson was taught to us in game 1 this year. I'm tired of tooting Belichick's horn, but he really is a master, he knew after all our talk all offseason and even last year, and all our talk this year, he knew we were going to be over-aggressive on both offense and defense, and he used the cutback lanes running and stopping the deep pass on defense and it worked. We over-pursue on defense and go for the home run on offense. That's not a recipe for winning football. Our team has to stay disciplined.

One last thing: I've blamed most of this on BA and Bettcher, even though I haven't posted as such, but I'm beginning to reconsider. If you make a game-plan and the players leave their zones, leave their gaps, ignore edge responsibilities against a running QB, that's not on the coaches. One of BA's jobs is to motivate these dudes, to make them believe, that's a huge part of his job. He's done that. What they do on the field with the scheme is on them.

I'll give one brief example of why I say that, and I'll use Belichick. During some documentary, I don't remember what, but he's preparing for a team and all week he's telling his coaches don't let the slot guy free, bump him, hit him, jam him, he's their only weapon. Stop him and we win. He's telling them this all week, and his coaches are telling the players all damn week. But come game-time that dude had like 3 TD's against them and the Patriots lost. During the game you can hear Belichick in his headset screaming to his coaches, "I F'ng told you, all week, I F'ing told you! I spelled it out, <insert numerous cuss words>!"

I'm not giving BA or Bettcher a pass, but I will say, when you instill a belief in players and a team, sometimes they do their own thing outside of the scheme. There's no excuse, and I'm sure it'll get corrected, but a team is built with individual players, and sometimes when you make them think they're great, they'll do unexpected and stupid things.

They're all just dying to get back to the playoffs and I believe they tried to cut corners. Not in coaching or GM'ing (just made that up) but in players being impatient. I'm not entirely sure it's on the coaches. Palmer doesn't have to throw deep every down, there are other players on the field, other routes, check-downs, etc.

(Addendum: I've previously said this team didn't learn anything from the NFC championship and I'd like to correct myself. I think defensively they "learned" to play more zone. That's the big take-away. They want to drop 6 or 7 in zone coverage and rush 4 come playoff time with Jones and others creating pressure naturally in a base front. If it works--if--then we're a dominant defense come playoff time. If we can create intense pressure naturally while dropping into zone coverage, we're going to get a lot of INT's later in the year and come playoffs. It almost makes this defense unstoppable. I have no problem at all with this, because it's the next step in evolution for this defense if it works. For those of you wanting the next step on defense, this is their offering and I'm not disappointed. It'll take growing pains for sure, but if they can get it figured out, this defense will be much better than last year)

 

[az240zz]

Our lack of a pass rush and QB sacks,to me,is the biggest disappointment so far.

 

[MrYeahBut]

If I see another screen pass that gets intercepted or nearly intercepted, on game day I will have
bamboo shoots driven under my fingernails and watch the Cowboy game on local TV instead.

 

[BigRedRage]

If I see another screen pass that gets intercepted or nearly intercepted, on game day I will have
bamboo shoots driven under my fingernails and watch the Cowboy game on local TV instead.

ugh those are really annoying but watching cowboy games?

 

[Son of RedRage]

No... I gotta believe there are better punters that are walking the streets. No need to trade for one.

Walking the streets? I mean, I knew there isn´t a high demand for a punter but that´s a bit much...

 

[nashman]

Dark side I agree I think as the defense continues to grow, if they stop trying to play hero ball this defense has the personnel to be very good. As you said it will take time and their will be some growing pains but clearly if it happens we will be much better off than the D we ran into the post season last year!