D-Dogg's Madden Prediction Season--Game 3: Cardinals @ Ravens

[D-Dogg]

I have been playing my Madden franchise slowly, week by week, with settings made so scores would end up being realistic and using that as the basis for my predictions. I am 2-0, and my results have been really close to the actual team's.

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Previous Results:

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=97203

Arizona Cardinals 17
San Francisco 49ers 14

Cards 1-0

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=97473

Final Score:

Cardinals 20
Seahawks 14

Cards 2-0

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I'm getting ready to start Game 3 right now, I'll give a Quarter Report. This is my official prediction for our score on Sunday. Enjoy (or hate it, whatever).

The Cardinals are boarding the plane to Baltimore right now! Land of crack, hookers and murder, here we come!!

 

[D-Dogg]

Q1 Recap

Baltimore italicized
Cardinals bolded

McLeghee gains 8 on his first carry, stoned in the backfield by AW and then Hayes gets a sack. Quick three and out to start the game.

Cards first possession ends after a couple of first downs, highlighted by a 17 yard gain by Q on a slant, when Ray Lewis jumped a route and got the pick (Bad Bad tackled him).

Heap gains 12, followed by PI on Holt puts them at the ARI 34. Hold them to 4th and inches at the 24, they kick the FG and go up 3-0.

3-0 Baltimore

Really nice Breaston return takes it out to the ARI 40. Edge gains 4. JJ nailed for no gain on a screen pass. Leinart sacked with a man open and me fumbling for the button (should have put in extra work in practice this week). Punt down to the 17, returned to the 22. Look at that, downfield coverage. Barr is a stud.

McLeg runs twice for 4 yards, then FB in the flat picks up 8. Couple of McLeg runs and it is 3rd and 2 at midfield. End of quarter.


End of Q1.

Baltimore 3
Arizona 0

 

[D-Dogg]

Q2 Recap

I bite...HARD on the play action on short yardage and Mason is all alone out there. 49 yard TD.

Baltimore 10
Arizona 0


I run off of Levi for 7 yards, then right between Bad Bad and Deuce for 13. 7 yard swing pass to JJ, then JJ up the middle for 5. Edge to the right side for 3 yards, then play action to Fitz for 13. In the red zone and rolling. 5 yard drag route to boldin. Then a nice little 13 yard fade to boldin in the back corner of the endzone. TD BOLDIN! TD CARDINALS! I also chewed up a lot of clock on this drive.

Baltimore 10
Arizona 7


Quick three and out with nothing of note. Punted to me and I get the ball at my own 46.

Edge off right tackle for 7, thanks to a great block by Boldin on the comeback to stick Ray Lewis before he stuck me. Then on play action, Matt gets hammered by Ngata. Sacked. 3rd and 8. Pope picks up the 1st...juuuuust barely. 2 minute warning. Boldin off the slant (money play) down to the 19. JJ draw for 8 yards.

Edge runs for everything but the last two inches. I draw them offsides so get a free play and throw a risky one to BJ in the endzone nearly picked off. 1st and goal on the one, 14 seconds left. I call a play action to Pope but can't get it off, sacked by Pryce. Time out with 9 ticks left. During the timeout, Duece and Bad Bad come up to me and say "run it right between us, we will make a hole." I do. They do. Edge scores and does a ridiculously stupid, completely un-Edge like dance. Oh well. 14-10.

Baltimore 10
Arizona 14

I kick to them, they run one play and take it into the locker room.

Halftime Score:

Baltimore 10
Arizona 14

 

[ActingWild]

I'm either getting easier and easier to entertain or I'm reeeeeally bored. Either way, I'm enjoying this.

 

[D-Dogg]

Halftime stats:

QB:

Matt: 8/11 for 84 yards, 1 TD & 1 INT 86.9 passer rating. Long of 17.
McNair 3/5 for 76 yards and a TD 143.something rating.

RB:

Edge: 10 for 49 and a TD, long of 13.
JJ : 2 for 15
McLeghee: 11 for 30

WR:

Boldin: 4 for 52 and a TD
JJ: 2 for 4.
Fitz: 1 for 16
Pope: 1 for 12


Baltimore Williams (my bad on the call, it wasn't mason) 1 for 50 and a TD.
Heap: 1 for 11 (and I've been shadowing him the whole game).

The teams are getting ready to take the field for the second half. Cardinals to receive the ball.


Coach interview:

"Well, I'm really happy with the way we responded after digging a ten point hole out there. This is a really good defense, and we are going to continue to use our short passing game and rely on counters and misdirection running plays to keep the chains and the clock moving. We can't get beat again like we did in the first half, peeking into the backfield and biting on a play action. I like our chances right now, but the defense really needs to pick it up in the second half.

 

[D-Dogg]

Start of 3rd quarter.

Play action pass to Pope for 12 yards...FUMBLE!!! Ball picked up by Pryce. Turnover. Coach throws wireless headset (or controller, whatever). McAllister hit him. Ravens ball on the Arizona 38.

McLeg gets a first down...but we don't bite on the PA this time and stop the pass for no gain. Complete pass to the Az 13. D-Dock comes on a stunt off the edge and gets picked up, and shoved over but right into the scrambling mcNair. Sack. I hold them to a field goal batting down a pass in the endzone. The crowd lets the Ravens hear it! Ha!! They get booed in their own building. (I think they are 0-2 on the season).

Baltimore 13
Arizona 14

Edge run stuffed right away. Try a bomb to fitz' side and the ball is knocked just out of his hands. Drag route to Boldin nets 17 yards as he bowls over a guy. Edge blown up in the backfield by Ray. Back to back passes to Fitz and Q get our first down. Leinart heating up and the cards on the Ravens 34. False start, Reggie Wells. 3rd and 14 and Pope makes up for his fumble by catching one and taking contact, shedding it and picking up the first to the 19 yard line. Edge gets the first by an inch after three runs. Fitz short catch, then Pope catches a TD.

And that's the end of the quarter.

Baltimore 13
Arizona 21

 

[schwalbhimself]

Start of 3rd quarter.

Play action pass to Pope for 12 yards...FUMBLE!!! Ball picked up by Pryce. Turnover. Coach throws wireless headset (or controller, whatever). McAllister hit him. Ravens ball on the Arizona 38.

McLeg gets a first down...but we don't bite on the PA this time and stop the pass for no gain. Complete pass to the Az 13. D-Dock comes on a stunt off the edge and gets picked up, and shoved over but right into the scrambling mcNair. Sack. I hold them to a field goal batting down a pass in the endzone. The crowd lets the Ravens hear it! Ha!! They get booed in their own building. (I think they are 0-2 on the season).

Baltimore 13
Arizona 14

Edge run stuffed right away. Try a bomb to fitz' side and the ball is knocked just out of his hands. Drag route to Boldin nets 17 yards as he bowls over a guy. Edge blown up in the backfield by Ray. Back to back passes to Fitz and Q get our first down. Leinart heating up and the cards on the Ravens 34. False start, Reggie Wells. 3rd and 14 and Pope makes up for his fumble by catching one and taking contact, shedding it and picking up the first to the 19 yard line. Edge gets the first by an inch after three runs. Fitz short catch, then Pope catches a TD.

And that's the end of the quarter.

Baltimore 13
Arizona 21

man u suck at the game, u got live?

 

[Mulli]

Pryce is injured. Do over.

 

[D-Dogg]

Well, I had it all written up and then flipping lost it. Anyway, We scored. Matt throws INT. They scored they didn't get the 2 point conversion due Calvin Pace kicking ass and stoning him. Then they hold us on third down and they now have the ball...Moses gets a roughing the passer call. Ravens ball on the 50 with two minutes left.

Cards 21, Ravens 19.

 

[D-Dogg]

man u suck at the game, u got live?

Uhm, I set the sliders for the most realistic game experience. I didn't think it would do well for predictions with me beating the colts by 17 and q racking up 200 yards a game. The point was to make it realistically difficult.

 

[D-Dogg]

Oh, and Edge had fumbled but Bad Bad picked it up.

 

[D-Dogg]

Oh, this game is coming down to a cardinals experience. They are now on the 1 after PI in the end zone.

TD, Leghee.

 

[D-Dogg]

And they get the two point conversion.

A minute left.

 

[D-Dogg]

I also bet that Ken Whisenhunt doesn't have his wife jabbering in his ear in the 4th quarter. So it goes.

 

[D-Dogg]

Big 40 yard return negated by holding. my ball on the 22.

4th down huge gainer to fitz to midfield.

I drive it down to the freaking 28 yard line...but no timeouts left.

Baltimore 27
Arizona 21

 

[D-Dogg]

Post game news conference time...fire away questions if you have them.

 

[Mulli]

Post game news conference time...fire away questions if you have them.

Why was Pryce playing? He is out a month.

 

[D-Dogg]

Why was Pryce playing? He is out a month.

I don't know why he was playing. The roster updates don't happen once the franchise starts and as a coach I really only concern myself with the cardinals players who are hurt or out. I don't mind taking on a team at full strength.

Although let me tell you, it would have been nice ot have him out as he did everything short of sexually assault Matt out there. 3 sacks is 3 too many.

 

[Mulli]

I don't know why he was playing. The roster updates don't happen once the franchise starts and as a coach I really only concern myself with the cardinals players who are hurt or out. I don't mind taking on a team at full strength.

Although let me tell you, it would have been nice ot have him out as he did everything short of sexually assault Matt out there. 3 sacks is 3 too many.

Okay, so why did so suck so bad at playing?

 

[D-Dogg]

"This is another one of those games fellas. We had it going in late and then some mental breakdowns happened. Penalties killed us. We weren't smart, or disciplined. The closing minutes of the fourth is winning time, and during that time we had a 15 yard penalty for roughing the passer, and a 24 yard penalty with pass interference in the endzone. I'll take 2-1 at this point in the season though, but it sure hurts to lose one in that fashion."

 

[D-Dogg]

Matt was 19 of 31 for 252, 2 TD and 2 INT

Edge 19 for 74 yards and a TD

Boldin 6 for 81, fitz 5 for 93. Pope 4 for 40. BJ 1 for 32.

 

[Mulli]

As the coach, aren't you ultimately responsible? Are you trying to excuse your performance on the wife's yapping?

 

[D-Dogg]

Okay, so why did so suck so bad at playing?

You want to crown my ass? Crown it!

 

[D-Dogg]

As the coach, aren't you ultimately responsible? Are you trying to excuse your performance on the wife's yapping?

I am ultimately responsible. We had a little malfunction on the communications equipment in the fourth quarter, there was some crosstalk signal or something. However, we didn't get it done out there. I put that on me, allowing the penalties to happen. We were in position to win, and we just didn't follow through.

We have another tough game at home next week and we will bounce back.

 

[Mulli]

Did Bryant Johnson play?