azdad1978
Championship!!!!
REGULAR SEASON GAME #2
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (1-0) at ARIZONA CARDINALS (0-1)
Sunday, September 19, 2004
1:15 PM (MST) – Sun Devil Stadium
THIS WEEK’S GAME
The Cardinals play their first home game of the ’04 regular season when the New England Patriots visit Sun Devil Stadium. Arizonaopened the season last Sunday in St. Louis, where the team fell 17-10 to the Rams. The Cards kept it close throughout thanks to a 3-0 edge in turnovers and held a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter but came up short in the end. The defending Super Bowl champion Patriots kicked off the NFL regular season schedule by hosting a Thursday night game against Indianapolis on 9/9. After defeating the Colts (27-24) in that game, New England comes to town riding a 16-game win streak (13 regular season and three postseason). The NFL record is 18 (shared by 5 teams). This Sunday’s game will also be highlighted by a special salute to former Cardinals safety Pat Tillman and other Arizonans who sacrificed their lives in Operation Enduring Freedom.
THE SERIES
The Cardinals and Patriots are meeting for just the 11th time and Arizona holds a 6-4 edge in the all-time series. The teams have not met since Halloween of ’99 when New England registered a 27-3 victory at Sun Devil Stadium. That win was the Pats’ third straight in the series with the Cards. Prior to that, the Cardinals had won six of the first seven match-ups and four consecutive.
ALL-TIME SERIES RESULTS
Date Site Result
Nov. 8, 1970 @ St. Louis Cards, 31-0
Nov. 2, 1975 @ St. Louis Cards, 24-17
Sep. 10, 1978 @ St. Louis Pats, 16-6
Nov. 29, 1981 @ New England Cards, 27-20
Dec. 2, 1984 @ New England Cards, 33-10
Nov. 25, 1990 @ Arizona Cards, 34-14
Sep. 29, 1991 @ Arizona Cards, 24-10
Oct. 10, 2003 @ Arizona Pats, 23-21
Sep. 15, 1996 @ New England Pats, 31-0
Oct. 31, 1999 @ Arizona Pats, 27-3
BROADCAST INFORMATION TELEVISION
Network: CBS
Play-by-Play: Don Criqui
Color Analyst: Steve Tasker
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
NUMBER-ONE ALL-TIME … AND COUNTING
Last week at St. Louis, Emmitt Smith opened the 15th season of his NFL career/second with the Cardinals and did so in impressive fashion. The NFL’s all-time leading rusher ran 16 times for 87 yards (5.4 average) with an 11-yard TD run in the third quarter. It was his highest single game yardage total as a Cardinal and his most overall since 11/28/02 when he had 144 yards in 23 carries for Dallas vs. Washington (that was also his last 100-yard rushing game). The TD run was his third as a Cardinal and the 156th of his
career, extending his all-time NFL lead in that category. It was his longest scoring run since a 30-yarder vs. the Giants on 10/6/02 with Dallas. “That touchdown run was classic Emmitt Smith where he lets the blocks develop,” said head coach Dennis Green. His next 100-yard game will be the 77th of his career (reg. season) and would tie Walter Payton for #1 on that list.
Most Rushing Yards, Career
1. Emmitt Smith 17,505
2. Walter Payton 16,726
3. Barry Sanders 15,269
Most Rushing TDs, Career
1. Emmitt Smith 156
2. Marcus Allen 123
3. Walter Payton 110
Most 100-Yard Games, Career
1. Walter Payton 77
2. Emmitt Smith 76
Barry Sanders 76
4. Eric Dickerson 64
McKINNON IN THE MIDDLE
Arizona middle linebacker Ronald McKinnon came to the Cardinals in 1996 as an undrafted rookie free agent out of North Alabama. Since then, he has become one of the most consistent and reliable performers in the NFL having appeared all 16 games in seven of those eight seasons (he missed three games in ’98 with a knee injury) and has started 110 of the 126 career games in which he’s appeared for Arizona. He hasn’t missed a game or start for the Cardinals since that 3-game stretch in 1998 and has a stretch of seven straight 100-tackle seasons entering 2004. Only Miami’s Zach Thomas and Tampa Bay’s Derrick Brooks have more consecutive 100-tackle seasons with eight each. Over the last five seasons, no player in the NFL has accumulated more tackles than McKinnon. The league tackle leaders over that five-year span are as follows:
Player '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 Total
R. McKinnon, AZ 223 208 190 140 136 897
L. Fletcher, Buf. 138 193 189 209 158 887
Z. Thomas, Mia. 167 100 180 195 184 854
R. Lewis, Balt. 198 187 196 85 180 846
D. Brooks, TB 180 179 165 170 151 845
J. Trotter, Phi. 202 171 164 104 129 770
D. Edwards, SD 143 151 147 129 162 732
J. Sharper, Hou. 122 102 135 178 195 732
T. Spikes, Buf. 105 128 173 171 143 720
K. Brooking, Atl. 95 37 167 212 207 718
TILLMAN TRIBUTE
This Sunday, the Cardinals will honor former safety Pat Tillman and other Arizonans who have lost their lives serving in “Operation Enduring Freedom” during a special halftime ceremony. League-wide, players on all 32 teams will wear a #40 helmet decal (above) in their games this week. All fans attending the game will receive a
commemorative #40 lapel pin in honor of Tillman. Members of Tillman’s family will be on hand for this Sunday’s halftime ceremony which will also feature live and pre-recorded comments from several prominent figures as well as a videotaped tribute. It will conclude with the ceremonial retirement of Tillman’s jersey.
A 7th-round pick by the Cardinals, Tillman went on to become a starter and set the team’s single-season record for tackles (224 in 2000). He gained even greater acclaim when he walked away from a pro football career to enlist in the Army in the spring of 2002. Tillman was killed in the line of duty last April while serving as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan, becoming the first NFL player to be killed in combat since the Vietnam War. Shortly after his death, the team announced that it was retiring Tillman’s jersey #40 and that the perimeter area surrounding the new Cardinals stadium – scheduled to open in 2006 – would be known as the “Pat Tillman Freedom Plaza.” It was also recently announced that the NFL and NFL Players Association will generate funds by donating their proceeds from sales of Tillman’s jerseys manufactured by Reebok to the Pat Tillman Foundation. The jerseys will be sold at Cardinals home games, azcardinals.com, NFLShop.com, and military bases around the world. A specially designed hologram will be affixed to the jerseys to verify their authenticity.
TAKING IT AWAY
The Cardinals finished 2003 with a plus-minus of -13 and recorded 23 total takeways. Among NFC teams, only the Bears (20) and Giants (22) had fewer takeaways and only the Giants had a lower plus-minus (-16). Against St. Louis last week, the Cards took it away three times (two fumble recoveries and an INT), had no turnovers themselves, and finished +3. The Cardinals did not record their third takeway of the 2003 season until game #4 (9/29/03 at St. Louis). Free safety Quentin Harris, who started the game in place of an injured Ifeanyi Ohalete (ankle) had a key role in each takeaway. All three came in the first quarter and each ended a St. Louis drive that inside the Arizona 30-yard line. On the Rams first offensive series, they advanced to the Arizona 26 before Harris forced a fumble by running back Steven Jackson and strong safety Adrian Wilson recovered. The next St. Louis drive reached the Cards 36 before Harris intercepted a Marc Bulger pass at the 2-yard line. The third Rams drive ended in similar fashion when Harris recovered a fumble by wide receiver Dane Looker at the Arizona 18. For Harris, the forced fumble, INT and fumble recovery were the first of his career in any of those categories.
CARDS-PATS CONNECTIONS
New England linebacker Tedy Bruschi is a former University of Arizona standout (1992-1995) who tied the NCAA Division I-A sack record with 52 (Alabama’s Derrick Thomas). He was a unanimous All-American and All-Pac 10 selection his senior season.
New England assistant director of pro personnel Keith Kidd spent eight seasons (1991-1998) in the Arizona Cardinals pro personnel department.
Arizona running backs coach Kirby Wilson held the same title with the Patriots during the 1997-1999 seasons.
Arizona cornerback Dyshod Carter was a member of the New England Patriots practice squad during the final three weeks of the 2002 season. He also attended training camp with the Patriots in
2003 and was released on August 28.
Cardinals offensive line coach Bob Wylie is a native of West Warwick, Rhode Island and attended Roger Williams College where he earned a degree in American Studies. He later added a Master’s degree in economics from the University of Rhode Island.
New England punter Josh Miller is a former Wildcat from the University of Arizona (1992-1993). He was named a first team All- America and Pac 10 first team selection as a senior in 1993. Miller also kicked for two years at Scottsdale Community College where he was a two-time All Western State Football pick as a punter and
placekicker.
Arizona quarterbacks coach Mike Kruczek attended Boston College where he earned All-America notice in 1975 setting several school passing and total offense records.
New England assistant head coach and offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia coached the offensive line at Northern Arizona University during the 1979 season.
Arizona rookie quarterback John Navarre (7th round of 2004 draft, selection 202nd overall) and New England quarterback Tom Brady (6th round of 2000 draft, 199th overall) were both late round draft selections from the University of Michigan. During Brady’s senior season at Michigan in 1999, Navarre was a red-shirted freshman.
Arizona defensive end Peppi Zellner and New England cornerback Tyrone Poole both attended Fort Valley State and are two of the only three players (Nick Harper, Indianapolis Colts) currently in the NFL from that school.
New England cornerback Randall Gay and defensive end Marquise Hill were all teammates on last year’s National Championship squad at LSU team with Arizona tight end Eric Edwards.
Arizona wide receiver Bryant Johnson and New England safety Shaun Mayer were teammates at Penn State and are both entering their second year in the league.
Arizona punter Scott Player and New England punter Josh Miller both received their pro football starts in the Canadian Football League though neither was on a team based in Canada. Player punted for the Birmingham Barracudas in 1995 while Miller was with Baltimore in 1994 and ‘95.
Arizona defensive end Bertrand Berry and Patriots wide receiver David Givens have the same high school (Humble High in Texas) and college (Notre Dame) alma maters. Berry is almost exactly five years older (their birthdates are 8/15/75 and 8/16/80).
http://www.azcardinals.com/news/news_details.html?iid=2207
NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (1-0) at ARIZONA CARDINALS (0-1)
Sunday, September 19, 2004
1:15 PM (MST) – Sun Devil Stadium
THIS WEEK’S GAME
The Cardinals play their first home game of the ’04 regular season when the New England Patriots visit Sun Devil Stadium. Arizonaopened the season last Sunday in St. Louis, where the team fell 17-10 to the Rams. The Cards kept it close throughout thanks to a 3-0 edge in turnovers and held a one-point lead entering the fourth quarter but came up short in the end. The defending Super Bowl champion Patriots kicked off the NFL regular season schedule by hosting a Thursday night game against Indianapolis on 9/9. After defeating the Colts (27-24) in that game, New England comes to town riding a 16-game win streak (13 regular season and three postseason). The NFL record is 18 (shared by 5 teams). This Sunday’s game will also be highlighted by a special salute to former Cardinals safety Pat Tillman and other Arizonans who sacrificed their lives in Operation Enduring Freedom.
THE SERIES
The Cardinals and Patriots are meeting for just the 11th time and Arizona holds a 6-4 edge in the all-time series. The teams have not met since Halloween of ’99 when New England registered a 27-3 victory at Sun Devil Stadium. That win was the Pats’ third straight in the series with the Cards. Prior to that, the Cardinals had won six of the first seven match-ups and four consecutive.
ALL-TIME SERIES RESULTS
Date Site Result
Nov. 8, 1970 @ St. Louis Cards, 31-0
Nov. 2, 1975 @ St. Louis Cards, 24-17
Sep. 10, 1978 @ St. Louis Pats, 16-6
Nov. 29, 1981 @ New England Cards, 27-20
Dec. 2, 1984 @ New England Cards, 33-10
Nov. 25, 1990 @ Arizona Cards, 34-14
Sep. 29, 1991 @ Arizona Cards, 24-10
Oct. 10, 2003 @ Arizona Pats, 23-21
Sep. 15, 1996 @ New England Pats, 31-0
Oct. 31, 1999 @ Arizona Pats, 27-3
BROADCAST INFORMATION TELEVISION
Network: CBS
Play-by-Play: Don Criqui
Color Analyst: Steve Tasker
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
NUMBER-ONE ALL-TIME … AND COUNTING
Last week at St. Louis, Emmitt Smith opened the 15th season of his NFL career/second with the Cardinals and did so in impressive fashion. The NFL’s all-time leading rusher ran 16 times for 87 yards (5.4 average) with an 11-yard TD run in the third quarter. It was his highest single game yardage total as a Cardinal and his most overall since 11/28/02 when he had 144 yards in 23 carries for Dallas vs. Washington (that was also his last 100-yard rushing game). The TD run was his third as a Cardinal and the 156th of his
career, extending his all-time NFL lead in that category. It was his longest scoring run since a 30-yarder vs. the Giants on 10/6/02 with Dallas. “That touchdown run was classic Emmitt Smith where he lets the blocks develop,” said head coach Dennis Green. His next 100-yard game will be the 77th of his career (reg. season) and would tie Walter Payton for #1 on that list.
Most Rushing Yards, Career
1. Emmitt Smith 17,505
2. Walter Payton 16,726
3. Barry Sanders 15,269
Most Rushing TDs, Career
1. Emmitt Smith 156
2. Marcus Allen 123
3. Walter Payton 110
Most 100-Yard Games, Career
1. Walter Payton 77
2. Emmitt Smith 76
Barry Sanders 76
4. Eric Dickerson 64
McKINNON IN THE MIDDLE
Arizona middle linebacker Ronald McKinnon came to the Cardinals in 1996 as an undrafted rookie free agent out of North Alabama. Since then, he has become one of the most consistent and reliable performers in the NFL having appeared all 16 games in seven of those eight seasons (he missed three games in ’98 with a knee injury) and has started 110 of the 126 career games in which he’s appeared for Arizona. He hasn’t missed a game or start for the Cardinals since that 3-game stretch in 1998 and has a stretch of seven straight 100-tackle seasons entering 2004. Only Miami’s Zach Thomas and Tampa Bay’s Derrick Brooks have more consecutive 100-tackle seasons with eight each. Over the last five seasons, no player in the NFL has accumulated more tackles than McKinnon. The league tackle leaders over that five-year span are as follows:
Player '99 '00 '01 '02 '03 Total
R. McKinnon, AZ 223 208 190 140 136 897
L. Fletcher, Buf. 138 193 189 209 158 887
Z. Thomas, Mia. 167 100 180 195 184 854
R. Lewis, Balt. 198 187 196 85 180 846
D. Brooks, TB 180 179 165 170 151 845
J. Trotter, Phi. 202 171 164 104 129 770
D. Edwards, SD 143 151 147 129 162 732
J. Sharper, Hou. 122 102 135 178 195 732
T. Spikes, Buf. 105 128 173 171 143 720
K. Brooking, Atl. 95 37 167 212 207 718
TILLMAN TRIBUTE
This Sunday, the Cardinals will honor former safety Pat Tillman and other Arizonans who have lost their lives serving in “Operation Enduring Freedom” during a special halftime ceremony. League-wide, players on all 32 teams will wear a #40 helmet decal (above) in their games this week. All fans attending the game will receive a
commemorative #40 lapel pin in honor of Tillman. Members of Tillman’s family will be on hand for this Sunday’s halftime ceremony which will also feature live and pre-recorded comments from several prominent figures as well as a videotaped tribute. It will conclude with the ceremonial retirement of Tillman’s jersey.
A 7th-round pick by the Cardinals, Tillman went on to become a starter and set the team’s single-season record for tackles (224 in 2000). He gained even greater acclaim when he walked away from a pro football career to enlist in the Army in the spring of 2002. Tillman was killed in the line of duty last April while serving as an Army Ranger in Afghanistan, becoming the first NFL player to be killed in combat since the Vietnam War. Shortly after his death, the team announced that it was retiring Tillman’s jersey #40 and that the perimeter area surrounding the new Cardinals stadium – scheduled to open in 2006 – would be known as the “Pat Tillman Freedom Plaza.” It was also recently announced that the NFL and NFL Players Association will generate funds by donating their proceeds from sales of Tillman’s jerseys manufactured by Reebok to the Pat Tillman Foundation. The jerseys will be sold at Cardinals home games, azcardinals.com, NFLShop.com, and military bases around the world. A specially designed hologram will be affixed to the jerseys to verify their authenticity.
TAKING IT AWAY
The Cardinals finished 2003 with a plus-minus of -13 and recorded 23 total takeways. Among NFC teams, only the Bears (20) and Giants (22) had fewer takeaways and only the Giants had a lower plus-minus (-16). Against St. Louis last week, the Cards took it away three times (two fumble recoveries and an INT), had no turnovers themselves, and finished +3. The Cardinals did not record their third takeway of the 2003 season until game #4 (9/29/03 at St. Louis). Free safety Quentin Harris, who started the game in place of an injured Ifeanyi Ohalete (ankle) had a key role in each takeaway. All three came in the first quarter and each ended a St. Louis drive that inside the Arizona 30-yard line. On the Rams first offensive series, they advanced to the Arizona 26 before Harris forced a fumble by running back Steven Jackson and strong safety Adrian Wilson recovered. The next St. Louis drive reached the Cards 36 before Harris intercepted a Marc Bulger pass at the 2-yard line. The third Rams drive ended in similar fashion when Harris recovered a fumble by wide receiver Dane Looker at the Arizona 18. For Harris, the forced fumble, INT and fumble recovery were the first of his career in any of those categories.
CARDS-PATS CONNECTIONS
New England linebacker Tedy Bruschi is a former University of Arizona standout (1992-1995) who tied the NCAA Division I-A sack record with 52 (Alabama’s Derrick Thomas). He was a unanimous All-American and All-Pac 10 selection his senior season.
New England assistant director of pro personnel Keith Kidd spent eight seasons (1991-1998) in the Arizona Cardinals pro personnel department.
Arizona running backs coach Kirby Wilson held the same title with the Patriots during the 1997-1999 seasons.
Arizona cornerback Dyshod Carter was a member of the New England Patriots practice squad during the final three weeks of the 2002 season. He also attended training camp with the Patriots in
2003 and was released on August 28.
Cardinals offensive line coach Bob Wylie is a native of West Warwick, Rhode Island and attended Roger Williams College where he earned a degree in American Studies. He later added a Master’s degree in economics from the University of Rhode Island.
New England punter Josh Miller is a former Wildcat from the University of Arizona (1992-1993). He was named a first team All- America and Pac 10 first team selection as a senior in 1993. Miller also kicked for two years at Scottsdale Community College where he was a two-time All Western State Football pick as a punter and
placekicker.
Arizona quarterbacks coach Mike Kruczek attended Boston College where he earned All-America notice in 1975 setting several school passing and total offense records.
New England assistant head coach and offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia coached the offensive line at Northern Arizona University during the 1979 season.
Arizona rookie quarterback John Navarre (7th round of 2004 draft, selection 202nd overall) and New England quarterback Tom Brady (6th round of 2000 draft, 199th overall) were both late round draft selections from the University of Michigan. During Brady’s senior season at Michigan in 1999, Navarre was a red-shirted freshman.
Arizona defensive end Peppi Zellner and New England cornerback Tyrone Poole both attended Fort Valley State and are two of the only three players (Nick Harper, Indianapolis Colts) currently in the NFL from that school.
New England cornerback Randall Gay and defensive end Marquise Hill were all teammates on last year’s National Championship squad at LSU team with Arizona tight end Eric Edwards.
Arizona wide receiver Bryant Johnson and New England safety Shaun Mayer were teammates at Penn State and are both entering their second year in the league.
Arizona punter Scott Player and New England punter Josh Miller both received their pro football starts in the Canadian Football League though neither was on a team based in Canada. Player punted for the Birmingham Barracudas in 1995 while Miller was with Baltimore in 1994 and ‘95.
Arizona defensive end Bertrand Berry and Patriots wide receiver David Givens have the same high school (Humble High in Texas) and college (Notre Dame) alma maters. Berry is almost exactly five years older (their birthdates are 8/15/75 and 8/16/80).
http://www.azcardinals.com/news/news_details.html?iid=2207
