Cards Need To Be In First After Week One!

[Mel Gray TD]

With San Fran having to go to Green Bay and St. Louis having to go to Detroit, I like our chances of being in first place after week one.

 

[27Veer]

I agree with this and I think we will win this coming Sunday.

 

[Jetstream Green]

Roy Green here approves of Mel Gray's TD

 

[JeffGollin]

The danger - in setting up our opening game as a "must game" - is that, should we lose it, the tendency will be to declare the season "over."

Every one of our 16 regular season NFL games is equal in value to every other NFL game (Note - The iillusion is that a division loss is worth twice as much as a non-division loss. In actuality, you can make up for a division-loss in a subsequent week by winning a game you weren't expected to win while your division rival loses one they shouldn't have).

Ergo - One game at a time. Learn from our losses and celebrate our wins; remembering that, each year, there will be 4, 5 or even 6 teams who started slowly but somehow found themselves in playoff contention by Week 17.

 

[Duckjake]

The danger - in setting up our opening game as a "must game" - is that, should we lose it, the tendency will be to declare the season "over."

Every one of our 16 regular season NFL games is equal in value to every other NFL game (Note - The iillusion is that a division loss is worth twice as much as a non-division loss. In actuality, you can make up for a division-loss in a subsequent week by winning a game you weren't expected to win while your division rival loses one they shouldn't have).

Ergo - One game at a time. Learn from our losses and celebrate our wins; remembering that, each year, there will be 4, 5 or even 6 teams who started slowly but somehow found themselves in playoff contention by Week 17.

Except that teams that start 0-2 almost never make the playoffs. So one of your first two games is a must win game.

For example, since the league went to the current 8 division format in 2002, there were 79 teams that started 2-0, and conversely, 79 teams that started 0-2. 58.2% of the teams that started 2-0 eventually made the playoffs, while only 10.1% of the teams that started 0-2 made it. (41.5% of 1-1 teams made it).

Of course teams that start 0-2 are usually bad teams and half the teams in the NFL will start 0-1.

Also you don't always make up a loss to a Division rival by them losing and you winning a game that was supposed to go the other way. You are still behind in the first thing used to break ties within the Division. The only way you make that up without having to finish at least one game ahead of that rival is to beat that team in the 2nd game and then have the advantage in the other tie breakers.

 

[JeffGollin]

Except that teams that start 0-2 almost never make the playoffs. So one of your first two games is a must win game.



Of course teams that start 0-2 are usually bad teams and half the teams in the NFL will start 0-1.

Also you don't always make up a loss to a Division rival by them losing and you winning a game that was supposed to go the other way. You are still behind in the first thing used to break ties within the Division. The only way you make that up without having to finish at least one game ahead of that rival is to beat that team in the 2nd game and then have the advantage in the other tie breakers.

Nice try. The issue had to do with losing our first game not going 0 & 2.

 

[Duckjake]

Nice try. The issue had to do with losing our first game not going 0 & 2.

Oh did some other Jeff Gollin write this:

Every one of our 16 regular season NFL games is equal in value to every other NFL game

each year, there will be 4, 5 or even 6 teams who started slowly but somehow found themselves in playoff contention by Week 17

The illusion is that a division loss is worth twice as much as a non-division loss.

 

[TJ]

Cards need to be in first after Week 17.

But I agree; it is important we start fast and the team develops a semblance of an offense

 

[blindseyed]

Actually we need to be in first place after week 16!

 

[Bodha]

That sounds like the lead up to an outside analyst favoring the Seahawks to be in 1st after this weekend:

With San Fran having to go to Green Bay and St. Louis having to go to Detroit, and Seattle playing Arizona, I like Seattles chances of being in first place after week one.

 

[daves]

Actually we need to be in first place after week 16!

That would be great... but it would be even better for the Cards to be in first place after week 17!

...dave

 

[Drop D]

There are 16 games but 17 weeks. Don't forget the bye week.

 

[52brandon]

Except that teams that start 0-2 almost never make the playoffs. So one of your first two games is a must win game.



Of course teams that start 0-2 are usually bad teams and half the teams in the NFL will start 0-1.

Also you don't always make up a loss to a Division rival by them losing and you winning a game that was supposed to go the other way. You are still behind in the first thing used to break ties within the Division. The only way you make that up without having to finish at least one game ahead of that rival is to beat that team in the 2nd game and then have the advantage in the other tie breakers.

that only makes it that much more spectacular when it happens. The Cardinals franchise probably goes to the playoffs less often than teams that start 0-2. Doesn't mean they wont though