Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
One of the reasons why the Cardinals had become much more competitive (until last night) over the last half of last season and the first quarter of this season is that the Cardinal players have recognized how physically and mentally tough they needed to get in order to challenge the 49ers.
There's no question that the 49ers and their recent dominance over the Cardinals by virtue of their physical style of play and timely playmaking have set the bar not only for the Cardinals, but for all of teams in the NFC West, and quite possibly this season for the entire NFC if they can solve their issues versus the Giants.
In my opinion, the 49ers have more talent, depth and balance than the Giants and it will be just a matter of time before they supplant the Giants as NFC Champs and perennial top Super Bowl contender.
The thing is---these 49ers are now built to last.
They are not going away anytime soon.
They are young and loaded at many of the key positions, especially on the offensive line and at their linebacker positions.
Their key veterans like RB Frank Gore, QB Alex Smith, TE Vernon Davis, DE/DT Justin Smith, S Donte' Whitner, CB Carlos Rogers, P Andy Lee, and PR Ted Ginn are not showing any visible signs of age---they all look to be relishing success in the thick of their primes.
Plus, now they have the smart, fiery HC and talented coaching staff that know exactly what buttons to push. This team comes expertly prepared in the X's and O's and even more prepared top knock people's heads off in the process.
Their young depth at the skill positions (QB Kaepernick, RB Hunter, RB James, FB Miller, WR Crabtree, WR Jenkins, WR Williams, CB Cox, CB Culliver, S Spillman)---is going to allow them to draft the top linemen on their boards over the next few years and with that they are quite possibly going to dominate the lines of scrimmage---even more than what they are doing now---for years to come.
The 49ers know how to build a dominant team.
The funny thing is---just a couple of years ago they couldn't win despite having a top defense---because they couldn't manage a respectable offense---but they went about fixing it the right way by spending 3 first round draft picks on a G and 2 Ts---which enabled them to stay with frustrated veterans RB Gore, TE Davis and QB Smith and build around them.
In a way the Cardinals now find themselves in a similar fix---with a potentially strong defense and an inadequate offense.
In the 49ers' case---Mike Singletary's forte as a defensive coach was at least having an impact on that side of the ball---but the revolving door of OCs and spotty rapport the impatient Singletary had with his QB and TE did Singeltary in. The 49ers went after the best offensive head coach they could find---and now they are not looking back.
In the Cardinals' case, it's curiously the reverse. Ken Whisenhunt's forte is offense, and his offense under Kurt Warner was carrying the team despite a horrific defense until Warner decided the game wasn't any fun anymore. But, now the Cardinals defense is the team strength and Whisenhunt's offense sans Kurt Warner has been so bad it has given up the most sacks of any NFL team over the last 3 years---and that stat could have gone back another few years if Warner didn't manage the game plans himself and become a master of getting rid of the ball before taking another sack---if you look at the personnel Warner had on his o-lines, especially at tackle, you will see not much has changed.
Warner took a beating---teams were going after his head---and Warner knew he was playing Russian Roulette with 5 bullets in the chamber---having been concussed again during the season and nearly having his head taken off by the Saints in his last game.
The problem is---everyone in the USA now knows what it has been ever since Ken Whisenhunt arrived---a house of cards offensive line built with late draft picks, unheralded free agents and undrafted rookies---and one top 5 first round pick who took 4 1/2 years just to play respectably at the position.
The temerity of it all was that Assistant Head Coach Russ Grimm could make it all work, that is when he wasn't checking out the halftime show at the Super Bowl or lobbing over the shoulder balls to Larry Fitzgerald.
Some Cardinal fans still get upset that the Cardinals never seem to get the respect of the national media or the pundits.
The reason is simple---almost every time America wants to become interested in the Cardinals, the Cardinals do what they did last night---they embarrass themselves.
Most American are just hoping for a good, close MNF game---and many of them go to bed disgruntled when they watch a blowout and a team like the Cardinals look like they don't even give a rat's arse.
Yup---to America---the Cardinals always wind up being: "What we thought they were."
For those of us who follow the team every day of every year---we have seen enough of Ken Whisenhunt's feeble attempt to build, to field and to orchestrate a respectable NFL offense.
The flaws in its design are so numerous, but the most egregious of them are that all of the Cardinals' opponents now have figured out every predictable time the Cardinals are going to try to run, to the point where the ILB is stopping the run one step in front of the handoff---and the other is that teams can have their top pass rusher make three sacks in a row and still be left the rest of the game in isolation.
The system stays the system---no matter what.
In Whisenhunt's offense---it's as if all they practice in is a 25 foot rectangle because there is no such thing as threatening the defense deep. As a result, Whisenhunt is making the opposing safeties look like All Pros, even young, inexperienced ones like the Bills' Jarius Byrd and the Vikings' rookie Harrison Smith, let alone the likes of Donta' Whitner and Dashon Goldson who were licking their chops like dobermans set free in an unattended meat locker.
With Cardinal QBs---other than Warner---we fans don't know whether to give them purple hearts or pink slips.
Warner deserved a Purple Heart and a Silver Star---and an another MVP trophy.
The reality is---the other QBs don't stand a chance.
Fans get mad when passes are repeatedly overthrown---but why are most passes overthrown? Because they are thrown too quickly under duress---which is exactly why other teams draft first round edge demons like Aldon Smith---so QBs will rush the throws.
Luckily none of John Skelton's overthrows were picked off---but the reason is that the safeties didn't bother playing deep because they were up ball-hawking and head-hunting all night long.
Until last night---it appeared that Ray Horton was generating something special on the defensive side of the ball---and it's still quite possible he is---
One thing Horton does is he reacts quickly to what the other team is doing. Last week after Adrian Peterson had such a big first half, Horton had all the right answers at half-time and his defense not only put the clamps on Peterson, but they stifled the rest of the Vikings' defense to boot. But, alas, the system offense couldn't cash in.
The one question about Horton, especially after last night, however, is just how much progress his secondary is making under his watch---which should be Horton's forte. Not one CB or S last night played good, fundamentally sound football---in fact they all were two steps late and listless the entire night. None of them showed they could tackle---and all of them still don't play the ball, or for that matter, ever seem to know where the ball is until it's far too late.
It's surprising we haven't seen the kind of CB and S progress one would expect by this time---and by contrast the 49ers' CBs and S's put on a clinic.
Patrick Peterson is still very young---as is Jamel Fleming---but the one who rwally stank the joint up and has on many occasions this year is William Gay---who is the supposedly savvy ex-Steeler who was brought in to stabilize the secondary because the FO and CKW decided not to pay Horton's choice for 2011 Defensive MVP, CB/S Richard Marshall.
Not only are CKW and the offensive coaches slower than slow itself in reacting and adjusting to how the offense is being attacked---the FO is just the same, if not worse.
If I hear one more "we always are looking to try to improve our football team" from CKW or Rod Graves, I am going to vomit.
There should have been tryouts for free agent tackles---there should have been trades---even worse, they even decided to cut the one waiver wire tackle they nabbed in Pat McQuistan in favor of keeping 4 TEs, like Jim "The Ghost" Dray.
McQuistan was brought back---but he won't even be tried in a game even when Bobbie Massie or D'Anthony Batiste's man is at the QB's throat every play.
Nothing is even tried.
Nothing.
No one is brought in---and nothing is tried.
It's like it's way too much work for Russ Grimm.
We already know what QB gets signed if Skelton goes down---Rich Bartel. He knows "the system."
It's too much of a bother once training camp starts to teach a new player "the system."
A SHORT GUIDE TO THE ANSWERS:
1. Whisenhunt and all the offensive coaches will remain.
2. Horton leaves for a HC gig and takes Kevin Spencer with him to be his Asst. HC/ST Coordinator.
3. Levi Brown returns to LT next season.
4. Bobbie Massie remains the starting RT and is "expected to show marked improvement" (see Brandon Keith).
5. Daryn Colledge, Lyle Sendlein and Adam Snyder will remain the starters at LG, C and RG respectively for at least another two years.
6. Beanie---gone. And with Ryan Williams still a question mark, Roger Goodell: "With their first round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals select RB Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina. Mel Kiper: "Lattimore, when healthy, is a total stud. The Cardinals feel confident that Lattimore's knee will be as healthy as ever for training camp."
7. Kolb will be retained. CKW: "We liked what we saw of Kevin last year and we feel confident that with the improvements we made that he will have a big year for us."
8. Skelton and Lindley will battle it out in TC for #2. Lindley will start game 4 of the pre-season and will play every second half on the first three.
9. Louis Cioffi will be the new DC and veterans LB Lenon, CB Gay, S Rhodes and S Wilson will still be starting.
10. "And the seasons go round and round, painted ponies go up and down, we 're captive on a carousel of time...we can't return---we can only look behind from where we came---and go round and round again in the circle game." (Joni Mitchell)
11. Marcus Fitzgerald will broadband his "Free Larry" Tweet Campaign.
There's no question that the 49ers and their recent dominance over the Cardinals by virtue of their physical style of play and timely playmaking have set the bar not only for the Cardinals, but for all of teams in the NFC West, and quite possibly this season for the entire NFC if they can solve their issues versus the Giants.
In my opinion, the 49ers have more talent, depth and balance than the Giants and it will be just a matter of time before they supplant the Giants as NFC Champs and perennial top Super Bowl contender.
The thing is---these 49ers are now built to last.
They are not going away anytime soon.
They are young and loaded at many of the key positions, especially on the offensive line and at their linebacker positions.
Their key veterans like RB Frank Gore, QB Alex Smith, TE Vernon Davis, DE/DT Justin Smith, S Donte' Whitner, CB Carlos Rogers, P Andy Lee, and PR Ted Ginn are not showing any visible signs of age---they all look to be relishing success in the thick of their primes.
Plus, now they have the smart, fiery HC and talented coaching staff that know exactly what buttons to push. This team comes expertly prepared in the X's and O's and even more prepared top knock people's heads off in the process.
Their young depth at the skill positions (QB Kaepernick, RB Hunter, RB James, FB Miller, WR Crabtree, WR Jenkins, WR Williams, CB Cox, CB Culliver, S Spillman)---is going to allow them to draft the top linemen on their boards over the next few years and with that they are quite possibly going to dominate the lines of scrimmage---even more than what they are doing now---for years to come.
The 49ers know how to build a dominant team.
The funny thing is---just a couple of years ago they couldn't win despite having a top defense---because they couldn't manage a respectable offense---but they went about fixing it the right way by spending 3 first round draft picks on a G and 2 Ts---which enabled them to stay with frustrated veterans RB Gore, TE Davis and QB Smith and build around them.
In a way the Cardinals now find themselves in a similar fix---with a potentially strong defense and an inadequate offense.
In the 49ers' case---Mike Singletary's forte as a defensive coach was at least having an impact on that side of the ball---but the revolving door of OCs and spotty rapport the impatient Singletary had with his QB and TE did Singeltary in. The 49ers went after the best offensive head coach they could find---and now they are not looking back.
In the Cardinals' case, it's curiously the reverse. Ken Whisenhunt's forte is offense, and his offense under Kurt Warner was carrying the team despite a horrific defense until Warner decided the game wasn't any fun anymore. But, now the Cardinals defense is the team strength and Whisenhunt's offense sans Kurt Warner has been so bad it has given up the most sacks of any NFL team over the last 3 years---and that stat could have gone back another few years if Warner didn't manage the game plans himself and become a master of getting rid of the ball before taking another sack---if you look at the personnel Warner had on his o-lines, especially at tackle, you will see not much has changed.
Warner took a beating---teams were going after his head---and Warner knew he was playing Russian Roulette with 5 bullets in the chamber---having been concussed again during the season and nearly having his head taken off by the Saints in his last game.
The problem is---everyone in the USA now knows what it has been ever since Ken Whisenhunt arrived---a house of cards offensive line built with late draft picks, unheralded free agents and undrafted rookies---and one top 5 first round pick who took 4 1/2 years just to play respectably at the position.
The temerity of it all was that Assistant Head Coach Russ Grimm could make it all work, that is when he wasn't checking out the halftime show at the Super Bowl or lobbing over the shoulder balls to Larry Fitzgerald.
Some Cardinal fans still get upset that the Cardinals never seem to get the respect of the national media or the pundits.
The reason is simple---almost every time America wants to become interested in the Cardinals, the Cardinals do what they did last night---they embarrass themselves.
Most American are just hoping for a good, close MNF game---and many of them go to bed disgruntled when they watch a blowout and a team like the Cardinals look like they don't even give a rat's arse.
Yup---to America---the Cardinals always wind up being: "What we thought they were."
For those of us who follow the team every day of every year---we have seen enough of Ken Whisenhunt's feeble attempt to build, to field and to orchestrate a respectable NFL offense.
The flaws in its design are so numerous, but the most egregious of them are that all of the Cardinals' opponents now have figured out every predictable time the Cardinals are going to try to run, to the point where the ILB is stopping the run one step in front of the handoff---and the other is that teams can have their top pass rusher make three sacks in a row and still be left the rest of the game in isolation.
The system stays the system---no matter what.
In Whisenhunt's offense---it's as if all they practice in is a 25 foot rectangle because there is no such thing as threatening the defense deep. As a result, Whisenhunt is making the opposing safeties look like All Pros, even young, inexperienced ones like the Bills' Jarius Byrd and the Vikings' rookie Harrison Smith, let alone the likes of Donta' Whitner and Dashon Goldson who were licking their chops like dobermans set free in an unattended meat locker.
With Cardinal QBs---other than Warner---we fans don't know whether to give them purple hearts or pink slips.
Warner deserved a Purple Heart and a Silver Star---and an another MVP trophy.
The reality is---the other QBs don't stand a chance.
Fans get mad when passes are repeatedly overthrown---but why are most passes overthrown? Because they are thrown too quickly under duress---which is exactly why other teams draft first round edge demons like Aldon Smith---so QBs will rush the throws.
Luckily none of John Skelton's overthrows were picked off---but the reason is that the safeties didn't bother playing deep because they were up ball-hawking and head-hunting all night long.
Until last night---it appeared that Ray Horton was generating something special on the defensive side of the ball---and it's still quite possible he is---
One thing Horton does is he reacts quickly to what the other team is doing. Last week after Adrian Peterson had such a big first half, Horton had all the right answers at half-time and his defense not only put the clamps on Peterson, but they stifled the rest of the Vikings' defense to boot. But, alas, the system offense couldn't cash in.
The one question about Horton, especially after last night, however, is just how much progress his secondary is making under his watch---which should be Horton's forte. Not one CB or S last night played good, fundamentally sound football---in fact they all were two steps late and listless the entire night. None of them showed they could tackle---and all of them still don't play the ball, or for that matter, ever seem to know where the ball is until it's far too late.
It's surprising we haven't seen the kind of CB and S progress one would expect by this time---and by contrast the 49ers' CBs and S's put on a clinic.
Patrick Peterson is still very young---as is Jamel Fleming---but the one who rwally stank the joint up and has on many occasions this year is William Gay---who is the supposedly savvy ex-Steeler who was brought in to stabilize the secondary because the FO and CKW decided not to pay Horton's choice for 2011 Defensive MVP, CB/S Richard Marshall.
Not only are CKW and the offensive coaches slower than slow itself in reacting and adjusting to how the offense is being attacked---the FO is just the same, if not worse.
If I hear one more "we always are looking to try to improve our football team" from CKW or Rod Graves, I am going to vomit.
There should have been tryouts for free agent tackles---there should have been trades---even worse, they even decided to cut the one waiver wire tackle they nabbed in Pat McQuistan in favor of keeping 4 TEs, like Jim "The Ghost" Dray.
McQuistan was brought back---but he won't even be tried in a game even when Bobbie Massie or D'Anthony Batiste's man is at the QB's throat every play.
Nothing is even tried.
Nothing.
No one is brought in---and nothing is tried.
It's like it's way too much work for Russ Grimm.
We already know what QB gets signed if Skelton goes down---Rich Bartel. He knows "the system."
It's too much of a bother once training camp starts to teach a new player "the system."
A SHORT GUIDE TO THE ANSWERS:
1. Whisenhunt and all the offensive coaches will remain.
2. Horton leaves for a HC gig and takes Kevin Spencer with him to be his Asst. HC/ST Coordinator.
3. Levi Brown returns to LT next season.
4. Bobbie Massie remains the starting RT and is "expected to show marked improvement" (see Brandon Keith).
5. Daryn Colledge, Lyle Sendlein and Adam Snyder will remain the starters at LG, C and RG respectively for at least another two years.
6. Beanie---gone. And with Ryan Williams still a question mark, Roger Goodell: "With their first round pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, the Arizona Cardinals select RB Marcus Lattimore, South Carolina. Mel Kiper: "Lattimore, when healthy, is a total stud. The Cardinals feel confident that Lattimore's knee will be as healthy as ever for training camp."
7. Kolb will be retained. CKW: "We liked what we saw of Kevin last year and we feel confident that with the improvements we made that he will have a big year for us."
8. Skelton and Lindley will battle it out in TC for #2. Lindley will start game 4 of the pre-season and will play every second half on the first three.
9. Louis Cioffi will be the new DC and veterans LB Lenon, CB Gay, S Rhodes and S Wilson will still be starting.
10. "And the seasons go round and round, painted ponies go up and down, we 're captive on a carousel of time...we can't return---we can only look behind from where we came---and go round and round again in the circle game." (Joni Mitchell)
11. Marcus Fitzgerald will broadband his "Free Larry" Tweet Campaign.
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