Finally back after being at the game and a few days in valley.

[Shane]

I just wanted to make a few comments about the game before I read the rest of the board. Im sure much of this has been stated but these are my unbiased observations!

1. I must say that I was finally proud of the fans at that stadium! The noise in that place was out of this world. It was occuring at the "right times" and it did disrupt that Bears team. It was an absolute joy to see it and be a part of it! I still cant talk right even today! Kudos to all of you that were there! We easily overpowered the Bears crowd making them almost non existent at times.

2. While there were a lot of bears fans there it was nowhere near the 30,000 I predicted. Couldnt have been more than 8,000 to 10,000 max. Very proud of the showing we gave especially with our record and the following the Bears have! Once again BIG KUDOS to all for keeping your tickets and attending this game.

3. In my 18 years of watching this club I had never seen them play so dominating against a good team. It sent shivers up my spine and made me feel in utter awe at the way they played for 3 quarters! I only hope thats something we can build on for the future!

4. What a swing from #3 I honestly dont think I have ever been more heartbroken following a loss. To go from such an emototional high to a low on a span of 30 minutes was downright incredible. There wa sno way we were going to lose. Yet we did. It tore my ******* heart out literally!

5. Despite # 4 I have some semblence of hope after that showing for 3 quarters on Monday. We dominated arguably the best team in football for 3 solid Quarters. It actually makes me believe we actually could be 5-5 at the ten game mark with 3 out of the next four against subpar teams and two weeks to prepare for the Cowboys. Lets just hope that this team mentally can move on from Monday.

6. Sorry but Edgerrin James did all of that complaining about being given the ball in the 4th quarter and letting him win it for us etc.... He better not open his mouth the rest of the season. He was given his chance and he followed it with an NFL record for the fewest yard on the most carries(Bears D or not thats atrocious) 36 carries and 55 yards WOW! Then he promptly fumbles away the game as well within 5 minutes of game time. Not something you should do when you have been asking for and demanding the ROCK!

7. Anyone that says they would trade Q for any other WR in football is absolutely insane IMO! Barring injury he WILL BE IN THE HOF!!!!!

8. Barring Injury Matt leinart will likely be in the HOF as well. Damn its fun to watch the QB position again!

9. Gerald Hayes ABSOLUTELY NEEDS to be the next guy on this team that gets a contract extension BAR NONE including Dansby!

10. Can Eric Green lay the wood or what?

 

[PJ1]

I just wanted to make a few comments about the game before I read the rest of the board. Im sure much of this has been stated but these are my unbiased observations!

1. I must say that I was finally proud of the fans at that stadium! The noise in that place was out of this world. It was occuring at the "right times" and it did disrupt that Bears team. It was an absolute joy to see it and be a part of it! I still cant talk right even today! Kudos to all of you that were there! We easily overpowered the Bears crowd making them almost non existent at times.

2. While there were a lot of bears fans there it was nowhere near the 30,000 I predicted. Couldnt have been more than 8,000 to 10,000 max. Very proud of the showing we gave especially with our record and the following the Bears have! Once again BIG KUDOS to all for keeping your tickets and attending this game.

3. In my 18 years of watching this club I had never seen them play so dominating against a good team. It sent shivers up my spine and made me feel in utter awe at the way they played for 3 quarters! I only hope thats something we can build on for the future!

4. What a swing from #3 I honestly dont think I have ever been more heartbroken following a loss. To go from such an emototional high to a low on a span of 30 minutes was downright incredible. There wa sno way we were going to lose. Yet we did. It tore my ******* heart out literally!

5. Despite # 4 I have some semblence of hope after that showing for 3 quarters on Monday. We dominated arguably the best team in football for 3 solid Quarters. It actually makes me believe we actually could be 5-5 at the ten game mark with 3 out of the next four against subpar teams and two weeks to prepare for the Cowboys. Lets just hope that this team mentally can move on from Monday.

6. Sorry but Edgerrin James did all of that complaining about being given the ball in the 4th quarter and letting him win it for us etc.... He better not open his mouth the rest of the season. He was given his chance and he followed it with an NFL record for the fewest yard on the most carries(Bears D or not thats atrocious) 36 carries and 55 yards WOW! Then he promptly fumbles away the game as well within 5 minutes of game time. Not something you should do when you have been asking for and demanding the ROCK!

7. Anyone that says they would trade Q for any other WR in football is absolutely insane IMO! Barring injury he WILL BE IN THE HOF!!!!!

8. Barring Injury Matt leinart will likely be in the HOF as well. Damn its fun to watch the QB position again!

9. Gerald Hayes ABSOLUTELY NEEDS to be the next guy on this team that gets a contract extension BAR NONE including Dansby!

10. Can Eric Green lay the wood or what?

Who are you? When is Shane coming back to the board.

 

[az jam]

Nice update. Was also at the game and agree that the Card fans were great. We do have a home field advantage and once they start winning (and they win) it will be even better.

 

[D-Dogg]

I was waiting for you to come back from the game, Shane. It was a fantastic atmosphere in that building and boy was it rocking. This team is adored by its fans, even though they rip our hearts out time and time again.

Glad you had a good time...there's a lot of new stuff for you to read, so I'll let you get to it.

Nice report by the way. And yeah, I'm really impressed with Eric Green...that's back to back big games for the guy. He has swagger.

 

[arthurracoon]

 

[earthsci]

Great post Shane. I agree 100%.

 

[RedViper]

Nice stuff. Especially agree with Edge's comments. More than anything I blame his big mouth for losing us this game. No one had the balls to stand up to him and the result was a disaster. He needs to keep his mouth shut from now on and make it back to us on the field, contributing in any way he can with the offense that we are best suited to run. Which damn sure won't mean breaking any more records for the most attempts for the least yardage. Agree with everything else too. The fan support was awesome. Boldin's awesome. Leinart's awesome. Its a brand new day. Horrifying loss notwithstading.

 

[mesacardsfan]

Garbage! Edge had no chance with the up the middle crap against 8 or 9 in the box. OC got fired for a reason it was atrocious playcalling that lost us this game period. You can't expect edge to do much with guys hitting him in the backfield or running into a wall of 8 or 9 guys. Our Oline is not to bad pass protecting but easily the worst in the league at run blocking! We should see some better running sets with the new OC who clearly is gonna open it up a little bit. One great play call was Leinart in the SG and pumped then handed off to edge, it would have easily been his longest run of the year judging by the huge hole, but alas an offensive penalty killed it. Then being the genius our OC is it was never called again!

 

[Red Dawn]

Who are you? When is Shane coming back to the board.

Exactly what I thought when I read his post lmao! Great summary, Shane.

 

[Evil Ash]

Garbage! Edge had no chance with the up the middle crap against 8 or 9 in the box. OC got fired for a reason it was atrocious playcalling that lost us this game period. You can't expect edge to do much with guys hitting him in the backfield or running into a wall of 8 or 9 guys. Our Oline is not to bad pass protecting but easily the worst in the league at run blocking! We should see some better running sets with the new OC who clearly is gonna open it up a little bit. One great play call was Leinart in the SG and pumped then handed off to edge, it would have easily been his longest run of the year judging by the huge hole, but alas an offensive penalty killed it. Then being the genius our OC is it was never called again!

Nope, the playcalling was fine. If Edge doesn't fumble that ball it was a cardinals win guaranteed

Edge holds onto the ball ... more time goes off the clock and the last punt return never would've happened because there wouldn't be any time for it

 

[Jersey Girl]

Who are you? When is Shane coming back to the board.

LOL!!!!

It was a great game to be at (well, except for those last few minutes or so). The excitement was ridiculous! And fabulous.

Since I'm in the midst of moving, I haven't had time to post about the game either, so I'll respond to your thoughts, Shane.

Quan was an absolute monster. I love that freaking guy!!! He should never be let go.

Green had an awesome game. I hope he keeps it up for the rest of the season.

Hayes. Wow. This is not the first time he's impressed me. I like this guy. Plays with heart. Plays hard.

Matt. Wow. I love watching this guy play. He just seems to have that inate ability to do what QBs should do. Imagine what he would be if the Cards could put a great OL in front of him.

Question for you, Shane. It sounds like you aren't disappointed that you went out for the game. Am I correct in that assumption? I know that I had an absolute blast those first three quarters and, even though the Cards lost the game, well, damn, what a game it was. Monday Night Football. Fun times. Yeah, I wanted to absolutelty die after Neil Rackers missed that field goal, but what a great ride to that disappointment it was, lol!

 

[Shane]

Question for you, Shane. It sounds like you aren't disappointed that you went out for the game. Am I correct in that assumption? I know that I had an absolute blast those first three quarters and, even though the Cards lost the game, well, damn, what a game it was. Monday Night Football. Fun times. Yeah, I wanted to absolutelty die after Neil Rackers missed that field goal, but what a great ride to that disappointment it was, lol!

Jersey I was more dissapointed than I have ever been with that game. Thats saying a lot. However I did have a blast. I had an absolute fantastic time for 3 1/2 quarters and I still can barely talk to show for it. Im am absolutely glad I came down for it. Wouldnt have missed it for the world. NEVER WOULD!

 

[Jersey Girl]

Jersey I was more dissapointed than I have ever been with that game. Thats saying a lot. However I did have a blast. I had an absolute fantastic time for 3 1/2 quarters and I still can barely talk to show for it. Im am absolutely glad I came down for it. Wouldnt have missed it for the world. NEVER WOULD!

That pretty much sums up how I felt about the game as well. Stupid freaking HOPE! I swear the Cards were gonna hand the Bears their first (and maybe only?) loss of the season. I got so many text messages fduring the game from people in Jersey saying "guess you're loving this!" And, by the time it was over, those people were all asleep, figuring the Cards won. Once I got back to Jersey I got a lot of "Dude, what happened?" sympathy questions.

For me, despite the loss, it was definitely worth every penny to be there. That's for sure!

 

[AZ Shocker]

Great recap Shane! Glad you had a blast and had a chance to witness a "home field advantage" in the making!

Your right...the Cards fans completly rocked all night. They sounded HUGE on tv. In my opinion...the 8-10,000 Bears fans was the same amount for the Chiefs the previous week. With the excemption of Dallas coming to town in a few weeks...those two popular teams (KC, Chicago) will be the only time we see 8-10,000 opposing teams fans. A far cry from what we saw at Sun Devil all those years!

The only other thing I'll add is that Edge actally caused two touchdowns. Apparently...he was supposed to block the DE that caused Lienarts fumble and Bears td. Then of course the fumble at the end. 14 points given away by our "leader". Arrrgghhh!

No doubt Edge had a bad game. He looked totally beside himself on the sideline. I think he re-evaluates himself and comes back stronger. Dude is a winner and he will now prove it on the field. Go Edge!

Oh and by the way...I haven't felt as passionate about a player since my days watching Derrick Thomas! Wow...Anquan Boldin now fills that void! HUGE! "Q" does NOT go down without a fight!

 

[Shane]

Oh and by the way...I haven't felt as passionate about a player since my days watching Derrick Thomas! Wow...Anquan Boldin now fills that void! HUGE! "Q" does NOT go down without a fight!

EASILY my favorite player in the ENTIRE NFL. Guy is the strongest WR in football IMO and tough as nails. Almost always makes things happen when he gets the ball. He alone is worth the price of admission as fas as Im concerned!

 

[Brian in Mesa]

While there were a lot of Bears fans there it was nowhere near the 30,000 I predicted. Couldn't have been more than 8,000 to 10,000 max. Very proud of the showing we gave especially with our record and the following the Bears have! Once again BIG KUDOS to all for keeping your tickets and attending this game.

Shane - there had to be more than that because we saw at least that many walk out at the half.

 

[Shane]

Shane - there had to be more than that because we saw at least that many walk out at the half.

No way. That crowd was easily dominated by cards fans. 10,000 Bears fans is still a lot. Especially when you are walking out at the end when they won. Obnoxious SOB's!

 

[Chaz]

I am one that wanted them to commit to the run game more and give James the ball. I still think he should get 25-30 carries.

But 36 carries? Against the Bears defense?
Why would you attack their strength when the short passing game was working?

I was saying the whole second half that they needed another TD to seal the win. They never got it because they got too conservative and tried to run up the middle too many times against a good rush defense.

 

[AZ Shocker]

I am one that wanted them to commit to the run game more and give James the ball. I still think he should get 25-30 carries.

But 36 carries? Against the Bears defense?
Why would you attack their strength when the short passing game was working?

I was saying the whole second half that they needed another TD to seal the win. They never got it because they got too conservative and tried to run up the middle too many times against a good rush defense.

Yep! That about sums it up for probably 99% of Cardinal fans.

This is why I say we fans know more (or appreciate more) than all these head coaches that come through. We KNOW we are the Cardinals...and you have to be up at least 3 maybe 4 scores late in the second half to "SEAL IT"!

Damn it...how many years am I gonna have to say it. Every...I mean EVERY team in the NFL knows they can beat the Cardinals. Even when the other team is down...they know they STILL HAVE A CHANCE against our Cardinals.

Mainly because of the very reason you just said...

I was saying the whole second half that they needed another TD to seal the win. They never got it because they got too conservative.

Typical Cardinal fashion. Coaches saying to themselves..."Yep we got this win...let's play it close and careful the rest of the way."

It's amazing to me that highly paid professional coaches don't realize the psychological advantage teams have when they play the Cardinals. You got to BURY them to PROVE your good and get the other team stunned and guessing. Otherwise the opposing teams have the confidence and prevail to victory off our HORRIBLE history.

 

[Duckjake]

10,000 fans for the other team is nothing at the new stadium where they are outnumbered 5-1 by Cards fans. At SDS 10,000 was half the crowd.

By the way who are all the weirdos who show up every week wearing a jersey from a team not involved in the game? Must be a 100 or more every game.

 

[Red Dawn]

By the way who are all the weirdos who show up every week wearing a jersey from a team not involved in the game? Must be a 100 or more every game.

I saw one guy with a hockey jersey (Bruins iirc) on lol.

 

[JeffGollin]

...Sorry but Edgerrin James...better not open his mouth the rest of the season...Anyone that says they would trade Q for any other WR in football is absolutely insane...Gerald Hayes ABSOLUTELY NEEDS to be the next guy on this team that gets a contract extension...Can Eric Green lay the wood or what?

Shane - Your best post ever.

Edge is Edge, and we need him. So I'm not that concerned that he embarrassed himself by mouthing off. The important thing is that he play better.

Guys like Q, A-Dub and now Leinart are the backbone of what I believe (sooner not later) will be the New Cardinals.

Hayes has been flying below everyone's radar. He's been consistently playing at a near-Pro Bowl level and nobody knows it - the best MLB we've ever had since EJ Junior and Dale Meinart.

Eric Green definitely elevated his play. The key for him is to keep the level of performance up there and not slide back. Ever.

Despite all the smirky comments by the media (including the national news and even Jay Leno) about the "biggest meltdown in the history of mankind", reading between the lines, I detect a newfound respect for this football team on the part of the more knowledgeable members of the sports media.

 

[Duckjake]

Hayes has been flying below everyone's radar. He's been consistently playing at a near-Pro Bowl level and nobody knows it - the best MLB we've ever had since EJ Junior and Dale Meinart.

Well not everyone.

http://www.arizonasportsfans.com/vb/showthread.php?t=78933

 

[phillycard]

The only other thing I'll add is that Edge actally caused two touchdowns. Apparently...he was supposed to block the DE that caused Lienarts fumble and Bears td. Then of course the fumble at the end. 14 points given away by our "leader". Arrrgghhh!

AZ where'd you hear that the DE was Edge's assignment? I thought that was totally Ross's job to be taking on DE's. Makes no sense to me if true.

 

[dreamcastrocks]

AZ where'd you hear that the DE was Edge's assignment? I thought that was totally Ross's job to be taking on DE's. Makes no sense to me if true.

There is another thread discussing it, but apparently there was an audible on the line, and the line was supposed to shift left. The FB or HB was supposed to pickup the DE.

Another reason why zone blocking will not work for the Arizona Cardinals.