azdad1978
Championship!!!!
The Arizona Cardinals three-game home winning streak came to an end with Sunday’s defeat by the New York Jets at Sun Devil Stadium. And although sitting at a record of 4-7, Cardinals Head Coach Dennis Green insists that the playoffs are still in the picture.
“I'm new so I don't think only Arizona,” Green said following the 13-3 loss. “By that I mean I don't think Tampa Bay thinks that they're not a playoff potential team because they're 4-7. I think that Carolina probably thinks they're a playoff team also and they're 4-7. I think that because Seattle is 6-5, they don't think they have it wrapped up. Because I'm new, I also think that we have as much a chance as Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Carolina and Detroit which play next week. Detroit will play the game like 5-7 is a lot better than 4-8 and we'll play it the same way."
While Green may still have his mind set on the playoffs, he isn’t so sure about who his starting quarterback will be when the team lines up to play the Lions on the road next Sunday. After nine games, Green demoted Josh McCown in favor of Shaun King against the Carolina Panthers a week ago. McCown and the team were coming off a two-game win streak at the time of the switch, and that move as well as his decision to stick with King again this week despite a four-turnover performance in his first start wasn’t well received by the fans, who chanted for McCown for most of the Jets game on Sunday.
"As a professional athlete you have to put it out of your mind,” said King of the fans’ booing. “They're emotional just like your emotional and they want to see a good product put on the field. That is what we have to work on and do. We have to put a better product out there on the field."
It was midway thru the fourth quarter, but the fans finally got their wish.
Following a 69-yard strike from Jets Quincy Carter to Santana Moss late in the third quarter, the Cardinals, trailing 13-3, had a chance to get back in the game. The Cards drove from their 21-yardline to the Jets 21 before King’s intended pass for Larry Fitzgerald was picked off at the Jets 5-yardline by Jonathan Vilma.
"That was probably the easiest throw I had all day,” King admitted. “I just threw it short. He ran well and had them beat. He was so open and I tried to make it look pretty instead of just throwing it."
On the Cards next drive, McCown took over but things didn’t much improve for the Cards offense, which had so far only managed to score on a 20-yard field goal by Neil Rackers as time expired in the first half.
McCown completed his first pass to wide receiver Anquan Boldin, but on the run after, former Cardinals cornerback David Barrett stripped the ball loose and the Jets recovered.
Two more fourth-quarter comeback drives also ended in turnovers. McCown completed four passes on his second series but was picked off in the endzone by David Barrett with 1:50 to play, and again by Terrell Buckley as time expired.
King, in his second straight start, was 14-for-26 for 119 yards. McCown was 5-of-10 for 62 yards.
When asked if making the switch was a mistake, Green responded, "I think that any strategy that doesn't work you're not pleased with. If you're a strategist you make decisions and if they work you're pleased with them, and if they don't you're not pleased with them."
Green said he would decide upon his starting quarterback for the Detroit game by Wednesday.
"I think Dennis Green is a wonderful head coach and I have a lot of respect for him as a head coach and as a person,” King said after the loss. “I think he will play whoever he thinks will help us win and hopefully that's me. I think I did do some good things out there today. There are some things I could have done a little better. It's my second start and I'm not discouraged in any way, shape, form, or fashion."
The Jets also utilized two quarterbacks, but with much better results. After Carter was injured on the third play of the game, the Jets relied on their star running back Curtis Martin. Even with Brooks Bollinger in at quarterback, a sixth-round pick in 2003 who had never taken a snap in a regular-season NFL game, Martin was able to help the Jets win the field position battle for most of the first half.
Carter returned midway in the second quarter for the Jets first scoring drive of the afternoon, but it was Martin again who carried the load, sparking the drive with a 19-yard run into Cardinals territory, and accounting for 38 yards on six carries to set up Doug Brien for a 28-yard field goal with 3:31 remaining in the first half.
It was Carter’s touchdown pass to Moss that become the decisive score of the game, but Martin had 24 carries for 99 yards, 28 more yards than the combined total of four of the Cardinals running backs. Starting running back Emmitt Smith carried three times for 21 yards before re-aggravating his injured ankle and exiting the game late in the first quarter. The Cardinals never seemed to find a rhythm in their run game, and failed to convert on a key running play on 3rd and 1 at the Jets 47-yardline on their first possession of the third quarter. Following that drive, the Jets scored on back-to-back possessions for the win.
Almost, but not quite…
On the 69-yard touchdown pass, cornerback Renaldo Hill had great coverage on Santana Moss and almost came away with a pick.
"I was there in great position, jumped over him and the ball just went right through my hands," Hill said. "I've got to make that play."
Cornerback David Macklin also had great coverage on Jonathan Carter on a sideline route at the Cards 4-yardline early in the second quarter. The officials ruled it a completion for Carter, claiming that both players came down with the ball and made a simultaneous catch, which reverts to the offense. The Cards challenged the play and the officials overturned the ruling. The replay showed the Macklin came down out-of-bounds and that in order for it to be a simultaneous catch, both players must come down in bounds.
Officiating Errors Continue…
Last week against Carolina, the Cardinals lost a down when after an intentional grounding penalty, the Cards went from first and ten to third and twenty after officials incorrectly changed the downs. This week, an officiating error again cost them, at least this time only a yard.
At the end of the first quarter, tackle LJ Shelton was called for an illegal leg whip. The 15-yard penalty was actually incorrectly spotted back at the Cards 16-yardline, thus charging them with a 16-yard penalty instead.
Chrissy Mauck, azcardinals.com
http://azcardinals.com/news/news_details.html?iid=2440
“I'm new so I don't think only Arizona,” Green said following the 13-3 loss. “By that I mean I don't think Tampa Bay thinks that they're not a playoff potential team because they're 4-7. I think that Carolina probably thinks they're a playoff team also and they're 4-7. I think that because Seattle is 6-5, they don't think they have it wrapped up. Because I'm new, I also think that we have as much a chance as Tampa Bay, New Orleans, Carolina and Detroit which play next week. Detroit will play the game like 5-7 is a lot better than 4-8 and we'll play it the same way."
While Green may still have his mind set on the playoffs, he isn’t so sure about who his starting quarterback will be when the team lines up to play the Lions on the road next Sunday. After nine games, Green demoted Josh McCown in favor of Shaun King against the Carolina Panthers a week ago. McCown and the team were coming off a two-game win streak at the time of the switch, and that move as well as his decision to stick with King again this week despite a four-turnover performance in his first start wasn’t well received by the fans, who chanted for McCown for most of the Jets game on Sunday.
"As a professional athlete you have to put it out of your mind,” said King of the fans’ booing. “They're emotional just like your emotional and they want to see a good product put on the field. That is what we have to work on and do. We have to put a better product out there on the field."
It was midway thru the fourth quarter, but the fans finally got their wish.
Following a 69-yard strike from Jets Quincy Carter to Santana Moss late in the third quarter, the Cardinals, trailing 13-3, had a chance to get back in the game. The Cards drove from their 21-yardline to the Jets 21 before King’s intended pass for Larry Fitzgerald was picked off at the Jets 5-yardline by Jonathan Vilma.
"That was probably the easiest throw I had all day,” King admitted. “I just threw it short. He ran well and had them beat. He was so open and I tried to make it look pretty instead of just throwing it."
On the Cards next drive, McCown took over but things didn’t much improve for the Cards offense, which had so far only managed to score on a 20-yard field goal by Neil Rackers as time expired in the first half.
McCown completed his first pass to wide receiver Anquan Boldin, but on the run after, former Cardinals cornerback David Barrett stripped the ball loose and the Jets recovered.
Two more fourth-quarter comeback drives also ended in turnovers. McCown completed four passes on his second series but was picked off in the endzone by David Barrett with 1:50 to play, and again by Terrell Buckley as time expired.
King, in his second straight start, was 14-for-26 for 119 yards. McCown was 5-of-10 for 62 yards.
When asked if making the switch was a mistake, Green responded, "I think that any strategy that doesn't work you're not pleased with. If you're a strategist you make decisions and if they work you're pleased with them, and if they don't you're not pleased with them."
Green said he would decide upon his starting quarterback for the Detroit game by Wednesday.
"I think Dennis Green is a wonderful head coach and I have a lot of respect for him as a head coach and as a person,” King said after the loss. “I think he will play whoever he thinks will help us win and hopefully that's me. I think I did do some good things out there today. There are some things I could have done a little better. It's my second start and I'm not discouraged in any way, shape, form, or fashion."
The Jets also utilized two quarterbacks, but with much better results. After Carter was injured on the third play of the game, the Jets relied on their star running back Curtis Martin. Even with Brooks Bollinger in at quarterback, a sixth-round pick in 2003 who had never taken a snap in a regular-season NFL game, Martin was able to help the Jets win the field position battle for most of the first half.
Carter returned midway in the second quarter for the Jets first scoring drive of the afternoon, but it was Martin again who carried the load, sparking the drive with a 19-yard run into Cardinals territory, and accounting for 38 yards on six carries to set up Doug Brien for a 28-yard field goal with 3:31 remaining in the first half.
It was Carter’s touchdown pass to Moss that become the decisive score of the game, but Martin had 24 carries for 99 yards, 28 more yards than the combined total of four of the Cardinals running backs. Starting running back Emmitt Smith carried three times for 21 yards before re-aggravating his injured ankle and exiting the game late in the first quarter. The Cardinals never seemed to find a rhythm in their run game, and failed to convert on a key running play on 3rd and 1 at the Jets 47-yardline on their first possession of the third quarter. Following that drive, the Jets scored on back-to-back possessions for the win.
Almost, but not quite…
On the 69-yard touchdown pass, cornerback Renaldo Hill had great coverage on Santana Moss and almost came away with a pick.
"I was there in great position, jumped over him and the ball just went right through my hands," Hill said. "I've got to make that play."
Cornerback David Macklin also had great coverage on Jonathan Carter on a sideline route at the Cards 4-yardline early in the second quarter. The officials ruled it a completion for Carter, claiming that both players came down with the ball and made a simultaneous catch, which reverts to the offense. The Cards challenged the play and the officials overturned the ruling. The replay showed the Macklin came down out-of-bounds and that in order for it to be a simultaneous catch, both players must come down in bounds.
Officiating Errors Continue…
Last week against Carolina, the Cardinals lost a down when after an intentional grounding penalty, the Cards went from first and ten to third and twenty after officials incorrectly changed the downs. This week, an officiating error again cost them, at least this time only a yard.
At the end of the first quarter, tackle LJ Shelton was called for an illegal leg whip. The 15-yard penalty was actually incorrectly spotted back at the Cards 16-yardline, thus charging them with a 16-yard penalty instead.
Chrissy Mauck, azcardinals.com
http://azcardinals.com/news/news_details.html?iid=2440
