Cards/Giants predictions

Jttsaz

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ack..the Insanity..I didn't want to do this but I see a Cards V 24-13...10 points off of T/O's(1 int return for a TD, 1 FG) and 2 Warner TD passes...if you can't be optimistic in week 1 with our press than when can you be optimistic?!
 

Redsz

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23 - 13, Cardinals.

The Cardinals come out firing on opening day as they did against St Louis last year. The Cards held the Rams to 17 points that day, the only TD coming late in the 4th. I can't see any reason why they can't hold tough against an offense that has yet to establish itself.

The defense will be in Mannings face too often for him to establish a rythm with his targets. Manning has big targets in Shockey and Burress, but both are egmatic and lack consistency. Not only that, the Giants have yet to establish that they can hold up against a pass rush of this quality, as generally Manning has to get the ball out of there too quickly (often only allowing him to make one read) because his line just can't hold up. Kareem MacKenzie will help as he is a very good RT. But he won't help when Pendergast starts to move players around to create mismatches on the D-line.

Tiki Barber is a force, but is going to be far less effective for two reasons. One, because the Cardinals are going to be more stout against the run with the additions of Okeafor, Huff, Rolle, Griffith and just general gap play. The 2nd being Tiki Barber is/was far less effective behind Manning than he was with Warner. This could just be a product of playing better defenses, but Barbers all purpose yds fell once Manning took over, which consiquently made him (Barber) less effective and made the Giants offense more one dimensional and easier to defend.

On offense, the key is obviously the offensive line. Quite frankly, I'm so sick of talking about this that I'm not going to go into it in depth. But from looking at who NY is starting, they won't be getting much of a push up the middle with their DT's. Osi is going to be nuetralised for most of the game against Leonard Davis, but it will intreasting to see what Strahan has left. As I noted in a previous thread, Strahan has had a string of injurys and at age 33/34 I'm wondering if he will be as effective as he once was. I am not questioning for one minute what he has acomplished, but just posing the question here.

I would not underestimate the effectiveness of an improved running game here ether. At the start of last year, the O-line was in just as bad shape, but they did come out with a solid performance against the Rams clearing the way for Emmitt Smith on about 4.0 YPC. To be simple about it: JJ Arrington, Marcel Shipp and James Jackson > Emmitt Smith, Troy Hambrick and Larry Croom. The Giants defense is MUCH better than the Rams, but the Cardinals personnel (sp?) is also improved, so again, an intreasting match up.

The one thing that I also haven't seen brought up is that we have shown vritually nothing on offensive. There was no shifting or motion what so ever during the pre-season. And I'm wondering how the Giants will exactly deal with something like that without any film on it. No question, they have seen it (motion and movement) before, many times. But, most teams don't have the talent at WR and present the matchup problems the Cardinals do. The TE isn't a featured part of this offense, but I wouldn't doubt for a moment the impact of moving Q, Fitz and BJ around to make holes in coverages for a pass catching TE like Adam Bergen to thrive in.
 

Buckybird

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This game will tell us all we need to know. Since 1991 we are 1-12 in season
openers. Pathetic!!! The last three seasons we have four seasons we have
won 3 road games. Another interesting stat I read is since 2000 75% of the
teams winning on opening day make the playoffs(11 of 12 last season). I'm
not going to predict the score but I say we finnish 8-8. 2006 WILL BE THE
YEAR THE CARDINALS RISE!!!

GO BIRDS :newcards:
 

MadCardDisease

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Giants 17

Cards 10


Cards have won only one away game in 2 years. O-Line still has problems. Plus they won't be able to stop Tiki from running the ball.

:(
 

DieHardFromMO

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The Cardinals haven't won a season opener since 1999. With what I saw in the preseason of the Cardinals I don't see that losing streak coming to an end.

The Cardinals defense should keep them in the game, but once again an impotent offense will be their achilles heel.

Giants 13
Cards 10
 

Shane

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Defensive stuggle.

Cards win in a real nail biter. 13-10 with a FG under a minute to go.
 

CardinalLaw

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34-10 I can't believe some these predictions. Giants score 30 on us, when did we get Marmie back? We held the lambs to under 30 in the last 2 games, but these offensive juggerNOTs are gonna get 30 on us. We will explode offensivly and see all what Rowen's been hiding these past few weeks.
 

Shane

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CardinalLaw said:
34-10 I can't believe some these predictions. Giants score 30 on us, when did we get Marmie back? We held the lambs to under 30 in the last 2 games, but these offensive juggerNOTs are gonna get 30 on us. We will explode offensivly and see all what Rowen's been hiding these past few weeks.

No way in hell the Cards score 34 on the road.
 

AnotherHOMER

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McClown plays 4th Q

Cards: 34
Giants: 20

Roommates Prediction
Cardinals: 28
Giants: 21

-****
 

Totally_Red

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Two scenarios

I'm gonna wimp out and pick two scenarios:


1. Will Peterson plays and is effective.

Giants 20 Cardinals 10

2. Will Peterson does not play.

Cardinals 21 Giants 18


You have to figure the Giants will run first in this game. If our defense can slow him (Barber) down and make play action less effective, we've got a legitimate chance. Having Shawn Lynch at center makes me very, very nervous with the innovative blitz schemes that DC Tim Lewis will be throwing at us. Hopefully, Nick Leckey is ready to go, and has no rust.
 

BACH

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kerouac9 said:
Homer. Kareem MacKenzie is better than Oliver Ross. Chris Snee (right now, at least) is better than Elton Brown. Shaun O'Hara is way better than Lynch or Leckey. Big is better than Luke Pettigout, but not by a great margin. And David Diehl is probably a little better than Reggie Wells. They're O-line is better than Arizona's, at least this season.

The cornerstone matchup of this game will be Pettigout v. Berry and Strahan versus a possibly rusty Oliver Ross. Whomever gets the best of those battles will probably dictate whether this game is 24-17 or 9-6.
I said that they were equal not better!! What I did like was the match-up!

This comes down to how you rate Wells and O'Hara. It's no secret that I really like Wells and I think he's better than Diehl (Diehl is terrible IMO). I don't think O'Hara is that good. He no more than adequade. I would rate Step over him, but Leckey is under him. The way I see it. BIG is much better than Petigout, McKenzie much better than Ross, but the two team are very close on the three interior positions with the Giants having a minimal edge, but NOTHING major.

But which OL is better is really a bit besides the point. The question is which match-up that you would prefer?

Wells, Leckey and Brown against William Joseph and Kendrick Clancy

or

Diehl, O'Hara and Snee against Dockett and Davis.

I would take the first matchup any day.
 
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Evil Ash

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Cards win 20-16. Defense has moments of lapses but hold up in the red zone, Offense and the kicking game do just enough to win the game

CardinalLaw said:
With Josh McCown on the bench, anythings possible.

So Josh McCown is the one that single handedly destroyed our "great" offense last year? :biglaugh:

I don't know what the hell you're smoking but can I have some? That must be some good stuff
 

CaptTurbo

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Evil Ash said:
So Josh McCown is the one that single handedly destroyed our "great" offense last year?


Responsible for at leats 90% yeah.


BTW Giants 28
Cards 13

:reversepsychology:
 

Stout

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Man, some of you guys who are predicting huge Giant victories really disgust me. It's the first game of the season. Show some optimism. Egads, it's like nothing has changed around here! AND THIS FROM A FORMER DARK SIDER!!! Ugh.
 

Redsz

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I gotta agree. Where are some of you coming from? Is it battered fan syndrome where you are so used to losing that you just expect to lose? ;)

I would understand some of the score lines if we where facing the elite teams, but the Giants? Come on. They are a solid team, but totally beatable.

This is the best team we have had in years. The coaching staff will have this team ready to play. And after watching us hang with some of the best of the NFL last year, and what we have done in the draft and FA, I have no idea where you guys are at with some of these predictions that totally write us off.
 

Duckjake

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Redsz said:
I gotta agree. Where are some of you coming from? Is it battered fan syndrome where you are so used to losing that you just expect to lose? ;)

I would understand some of the score lines if we where facing the elite teams, but the Giants? Come on. They are a solid team, but totally beatable.

This is the best team we have had in years. The coaching staff will have this team ready to play. And after watching us hang with some of the best of the NFL last year, and what we have done in the draft and FA, I have no idea where you guys are at with some of these predictions that totally write us off.

We've heard all that before several 4-12 and 5-11 seasons. Heck there were people who thought the 2003 team had the potential to go 9-7 or 10-6. Even in 1998 the Cards were toasted their first two games.

They lost two games to the 49ers last season for cryin' out loud. We finally get a prime time player in Boldin and the next season he's out for 6 games with a knee injury. We get a high profile WR with the #1 selection and he sprains his ankle and has to play his entire rookie season at 80%. We finally get somebody at MLB who can make stops at the line of scrimmage and bang he's out 6-8 weeks. We've lost 3 Centers. We have no experienced TE.
And then we have to open in New York on September 11th. We have no chance.

:stick: :stick: :stick: :stick: :stick:
 

seesred

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Our defense will help us win this game. If we win the time of possesion war we will win this game. TOP is a key as it will show that the defense is creating turnovers. WArner will have a good game. He came out of pre season with an over 60% completion percent and that was without anything special in line up or movement.

Final score 16-3 Cards

GBR
40
 
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