Game 16 Impressions: 49ers 38 Cardinals 7

[Mitch]

Alex Smith---of all people---the prophet.

Has the temerity to tell the FOX crew that "hey, if you get up on Arizona, they have a tendency to fold."

How did you feel when you heard that? Especially coming from Alex "They Boo Me" Smith.

The sad part is...Smith is terribly right.

Look at it this way...since beating the Rams at St. Louis in Game 1, the Cardinals went 0-5 in the hapless NFC West AND---get this---got outscored 142-47. In the NFC West???

0-3 at home in the NFC West---outscored 82-30.

It's not just that the Cardinals lost those games...it's HOW they lost those games.

Given several week's time to study the tape and make adjustments...you'd think the Cardinals' coaches would have some answers...

Rather than construct a litany of the egregious coaching errors the Cardinals coaches made today...let me just single out one in particular.

If you watch the 49ers' defense, one thing that they are drilled at and skilled at more than anything else is having their LBers defend the screen pass. Whiz tried it and failed on two key third down situations in the first game, a 27-6 drubbing at home on MNF.

In a key third down situation early in the second quarter...what does Whiz call? A screen pass---which is nailed at the spot for a loss.

Then Whiz has the gall to tell Nischelle of FOX at halftime that he was "not happy with Skelton's play" early on...

How about this one coach?

How about prepping your QB to being blindsided in a flash every time he drops back?

How about this one coach?

You just got way outcoached by an interim defensive line coach---who showed more heart and passion on his sideline in 60 minutes than you or your coaches have shown for an entire season.

He had HIS players jacked.

What about yours?

Your coaching performance this year was disgraceful, gutless and embarrassing.

And everyone else is to blame.

Hey, your practices were great!!!!

Too bad the players didn't show up for you on game day, huh?

As Alan Iverson would say, "We're talkin' bout practice, mang. We're talkin' bout practice, mang!"

0-5 in the NFC West after the bye week...142-47.

Sure vindicates the way you practice and the way you cling to the status quo, doesn't it?

And hey while you have adrotity managed to f-up the QB situation all year...why don't you go ahead and get a good long look at Richard Bartel at the expense of possibly demoralizing the one ray of hope at QB you've had.

Skelton: 2-2

DA & MH: 3-9

The irony is---you talk about practice---and Skelton is the QB you admitted got no reps with the starters in practice all year long. And he goes 2-2?

Rant over---for now---more to come in the days, months and weeks of frustration ahead.

 

[Zeno]

You summed up a lot of my feelings as well Mitch. The coach now has an offseason to prove he will do what it takes to turn us back in to winners, get coordinators with a well respected track record, make the right moves in free agency and the draft. Show us with actions the intent to get better and the fan base (for the most part) will settle down. A repeat of the 2010 offseason will see his support dwindle even further.

 

[Mulli]

Alex Smith knows all about folding. Ask Singletary and Nolan.

 

[desertdawg]

Duh, lets put Bartel in.
I honestly thought he was going to bring in DA after the Bartel pick.
Skelton earned that game, and I for one wanted to see him finish it. Whiz needs to hand over the play call.

 

[Buckybird]

Good stuff Mitch.

It's not all on Wiz...many of the players on this team have no pride, no backbone!!! This team has had this quitting problem for years now & now they don't have a leader on the team or staff to dig them out of a hole once they get behind. Warner, Boldin & Haley were big pieces of the pie that challenged players to believe & be better as players. This team needs a true leader to spark that fire again!!!

 

[Duckjake]

Good stuff Mitch.

It's not all on Wiz...many of the players on this team have no pride, no backbone!!! This team has had this quitting problem for years now & now they don't have a leader on the team or staff to dig them out of a hole once they get behind. Warner, Boldin & Haley were big pieces of the pie that challenged players to believe & be better as players. This team needs a true leader to spark that fire again!!!

It is going to take a while to get back to where we were in '07-'09, a team loaded with veteran NFL quality talent who had played years for the Cards and so could overcome poor coaching.

 

[az1965]

Usually I think Mitch goes overboard but this was well said.

 

[Buckybird]

It is going to take a while to get back to where we were in '07-'09, a team loaded with veteran NFL quality talent who had played years for the Cards and so could overcome poor coaching.

yep & thats why I say we go all in for Andrew Luck. Whatever it takes, because it all starts with getting a big time signal caller!!! The goal is to win a Super Bowl title...we're not doing that with Skelton or anyone else on this roster or even Newton like many here who want him. The classic dropback passer is what wins titles.

 

[Dr. Jones]

Good post Mitch. As I have said elsewhere.... Whis is now a .500 coach for the Cardinals.

His Super Bowl shine is gone, and by this time next year we might be searching for a coach again.

 

[desertdawg]

yep & thats why I say we go all in for Andrew Luck. Whatever it takes, because it all starts with getting a big time signal caller!!! The goal is to win a Super Bowl title...we're not doing that with Skelton or anyone else on this roster or even Newton like many here who want him. The classic dropback passer is what wins titles.

If we got Luck, I sure wouldn't mind buying you that lid homie.

 

[MrYeahBut]

With the lockout a strong possibility I fear the FO will do little to make bold moves to rectify the problems

 

[Buckybird]

If we got Luck, I sure wouldn't mind buying you that lid homie.

if we got Lucky dawg, I might buy all my buddies one here if I didn't die from heart failure 1st.

Positive thoughts guys, all of us need to imagine Commish Goodell saying "with the 1st pick of the 2011 NFL draft, the Arizona Cardinals select...Andrew Luck, QB Stanford"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[PACardsFan]

Usually I think Mitch goes overboard but this was well said.

Sorry, but Mitch did go overboard. Did anyone really expect more from this team today. I could see the Niners coming out & playing hard for this interim coach. Hell, they've been abused & embarrassed by their previous coach for 2 years. They LOVED this week & the guy pretty much let them do whatever they wanted. In return, they came out & busted their behind for him for ONE GAME. If he coached another 5 games, the niners would lose 4 of them. Football is an emotional game & once the emotional tank is empty, it's pretty much over. Other than a home Christmas game against their rivals, this team has been finished for some time now.

What happened today, I completely expected. Look around the league today, there were many lopsided scores. These guys are NOT rah, rah college kids. Their bodies are beaten down & there's NOTHING on the line. I am not going to judge Whisenhunt based on what happened this season. I'd rather judge him when there is something on the line. In that respect, he's done better than any coach in Cardinal history.

Cardinal Management brought Whiz in believing that they were ready to turn the corner & become a playoff team. A playoff team, but NOT a juggernaut. There was talent on the roster, but the team still had weaknesses. Whiz did a GREAT job of placing bandaids here & there & riding Warner for as long as they could. Our D has never been anything but inconsistent. Our Offense drove our defense. Without Warner, this team lost their identity & lost their confidence. It'll be up to Whiz to rebuild this team & establish an identity. How long will that take?? Probably 2 years. This franchise was building a new stadium & NEEDED to win now. I don't blame them for how they did it. But now we have to throw the bandaids away & build with a real foundation.

 

[Duckjake]

Wow. Since rushing for 148 yards against Denver Hightower has rushed 24 times for 69 yards. 2.875 yards per carry.

Wells has rushed 24 times for 74 yards. 3.08 ypc

So our top two RBs have averaged 16 carries per game for 48 yards in the last three games.

The Cards must have set an NFL record today for shortest amount of time between the snap and the RB getting tackled.

Also must be an NFL record to finish dead last in rushing attempts 3 seasons in a row.

 

[desertdawg]

Wow. Since rushing for 148 yards against Denver Hightower has rushed 24 times for 69 yards. 2.875 yards per carry.

Wells has rushed 24 times for 74 yards. 3.08 ypc

So our top two RBs have averaged 16 carries per game for 48 yards in the last three games.

The Cards must have set an NFL record today for shortest amount of time between the snap and the RB getting tackled.

Also must be an NFL record to finish dead last in rushing attempts 3 seasons in a row.

Mike Martz was getting all kinds of love on the pre-games because he went back to running after having the same exact problems we do. His QB was getting lit up, and the Defenses were stacking the box. We never made the adjustments the Bears did.

 

[dogpoo32]

Whis has become a joke, a shell of what we thought he was. Disgusting season, very hard to find any positives going forward under his "leadership."

 

[Seandonic]

Thanks and nice rant Mitch. I'm with ya on most points.

 

[NJCardFan]

Sorry, but Mitch did go overboard. Did anyone really expect more from this team today.

The Tennessee Titans had nothing to play for, on the road, against a team that needed to win to make the playoffs, and gave them all they had and lost by 3. The Redskins had nothing to play for and battled the Giants all game long and lost by 3. The Houston Texans had nothing to play for and lambasted a team playing for a division championship. The Detroit Lions had nothing to play for but pride and won. Cincinnati Bengals had nothing to play for and battled hard a playoff bound team. These were teams with nothing to play for yet they gave it their all and the one's that lost, lost did so fighting. The Cards had nothing to play for and played like they couldn't wait for the season to end. No guts. No heart. No pride. But I guess we fans don't know jack, right?

 

[azsouthendzone]

Your coaching performance this year was disgraceful, gutless and embarrassing.

And everyone else is to blame.

Excellent post. Nailed everything.

 

[azsouthendzone]

The Tennessee Titans had nothing to play for, on the road, against a team that needed to win to make the playoffs, and gave them all they had and lost by 3. The Redskins had nothing to play for and battled the Giants all game long and lost by 3. The Houston Texans had nothing to play for and lambasted a team playing for a division championship. The Detroit Lions had nothing to play for but pride and won. Cincinnati Bengals had nothing to play for and battled hard a playoff bound team. These were teams with nothing to play for yet they gave it their all and the one's that lost, lost did so fighting. The Cards had nothing to play for and played like they couldn't wait for the season to end. No guts. No heart. No pride. But I guess we fans don't know jack, right?

In Whiz We Trust. Great post. Whiz is a complete joke.

 

[az1965]

The Tennessee Titans had nothing to play for, on the road, against a team that needed to win to make the playoffs, and gave them all they had and lost by 3. The Redskins had nothing to play for and battled the Giants all game long and lost by 3. The Houston Texans had nothing to play for and lambasted a team playing for a division championship. The Detroit Lions had nothing to play for but pride and won. Cincinnati Bengals had nothing to play for and battled hard a playoff bound team. These were teams with nothing to play for yet they gave it their all and the one's that lost, lost did so fighting. The Cards had nothing to play for and played like they couldn't wait for the season to end. No guts. No heart. No pride. But I guess we fans don't know jack, right?

Heart, pride, guts are all foreign to this team.

 

[desertdawg]

The Tennessee Titans had nothing to play for, on the road, against a team that needed to win to make the playoffs, and gave them all they had and lost by 3. The Redskins had nothing to play for and battled the Giants all game long and lost by 3. The Houston Texans had nothing to play for and lambasted a team playing for a division championship. The Detroit Lions had nothing to play for but pride and won. Cincinnati Bengals had nothing to play for and battled hard a playoff bound team. These were teams with nothing to play for yet they gave it their all and the one's that lost, lost did so fighting. The Cards had nothing to play for and played like they couldn't wait for the season to end. No guts. No heart. No pride. But I guess we fans don't know jack, right?

Wow! Great post, my bad, I decided to drink cervezas tonight after that game and missed this friggin gem. Benching Skelton was the ultimate slap in my face. I wanted so badly to see how he would respond with what he has learned. Mitch mentioned how he started gelling with Fitz.
I also thought Davis would play for his career, I think he did and it shows he is scared in a 3-4, playing cushion when he shouldn't.

 

[cardpa]

It's Whiz stubbornness that bothers me most. His insistence that the system is correct even though time and time again he was proven wrong.

It's like a train wreck that is going to happen since the bridge is out ahead and the conductor is saying stop yet Whiz sees the rail signs saying everything is okay ahead and the train goes off the end of the bridge. Every week its the same thing. It's just like Groundhog Day!

His playing the ones who give us the best chance to win mantra is poppycock. If that were true Williams and Washington would have been in the lineup sooner and more often. It's really his own delusional view that matters to him and nothing else.

As for Skelton I see nothing that makes me believe he is the QBOF. From his first game to his last game I did not see one iota of improvement. Every game was a copy of the previous game. I was hoping to see at least improvements in some areas but there were none.

 

[az jam]

As for Skelton I see nothing that makes me believe he is the QBOF. From his first game to his last game I did not see one iota of improvement. Every game was a copy of the previous game. I was hoping to see at least improvements in some areas but there were none.

He is worth keeping and continue to develop but we need at least 2 new qbs; a veteran free agent and a top qb draft choice. Skelton can fight it out for the backup role.

 

[Osbern61]

The Tennessee Titans had nothing to play for, on the road, against a team that needed to win to make the playoffs, and gave them all they had and lost by 3. The Redskins had nothing to play for and battled the Giants all game long and lost by 3. The Houston Texans had nothing to play for and lambasted a team playing for a division championship. The Detroit Lions had nothing to play for but pride and won. Cincinnati Bengals had nothing to play for and battled hard a playoff bound team. These were teams with nothing to play for yet they gave it their all and the one's that lost, lost did so fighting. The Cards had nothing to play for and played like they couldn't wait for the season to end. No guts. No heart. No pride. But I guess we fans don't know jack, right?

You nailed it there, NJCardFan!

And a great post by Mitch as usual. I was actually thinking they might win yesterday inspite of my lopsided prediction, and knew they were toast when Vernon Davis had that run and catch for six points. That was when the team folded their tents.