Game 2 Impressions: Falcons 41 Cardinals 7

[Buckybird]

What happened to all the "in whis I trust" posts from preseason? (NOT you Mitch!)

In Wiz I trust, many of the players I dont!!!

 

[Vermont Maverick]

In Whiz I Trust.

 

[Rats]

Mitch, love the blunt and frank assessment. I concur that the Cards and the Coaches know they are undermanned at key positions and need to "Pace" themselves thru this season and get the max effort in winnable games. My question is why are they undermanned at key positions. They had to know that Hayes was not going to be available, they made a choice to cut a guy that they said they were going to count on to have a big year in ML, and they shuffled the Oline and got rid of a solid lineman for nothing when we are having trouble getting pass protection which Wells was good at. These questions we may never get answers to other than the "we felt that so and so would give us the best man at the position due to his intangebles" disertations from the HC. They will never come out and say that they mismanged the offseason terribly at the QB position, at the LB position and on the OLINE. The depth they speak of is smoke and mirrorss and will only work against the lower rung of the NFL which without Warner we have sunk back down into. I was never on the get Mcnabb train because I felt we had ML and we could build around his strengths. We should have had a better plan for ML not being here than a highly innaccurate QB. At least we should go to a run heavy offense and set up the pass that way. DA is not capable of running the O that Warner ran. Not even the version that ML ran. He can't check down effectivly and is to innaccurate.
No, we have been sold a pig in a poke, in that we still should be a competitive team every Sunday and certainly in a weak division but the truth is we are no better than the Bottom 3rd with what Whis has built and have to hope not to slip up against the Nancys of the league for fear of being the Nancy again ourselves. I continue to say Warner made Whis. Not the other way around. The talent that has been run off made this a team to be proud of. It is becoming even more evident with every game. I guess the bright thing is we didn't have to see Max Komar in over his head on Sunday and muffing punts. Great decision there coach. Try a nd make a few more and maybe we will keep winning the games against the Nancys and still be the "Champ of the Weak West Division". "In Whiz we Bust indeed"

 

[ReddBird]

Love you, Mitch, but not this post. The players don't respect the coaches? I didn't see any sign of that.

 

[Cheesebeef]

* Even worse, I never thought I'd see Whiz quit on the team (which, by virtue of how uninspired his players were was perhaps understandable...but its still the first half)...which---unless he uncharacteristically lost count of his TOs and the clock---is what he did at the end of the first half after Levi Brown fortunately pounced on DA's fumble. With one TO left Whiz allowed the clock to wind down from 20 seconds to 5 before calling the TO. I cannot believe that Fitz or someone else didn't intervene sooner.

With 20 seconds left...and the clock stopped you have time for a strike downfield...a spike and another FG try.

If you get the FG there, it's 24-10. You get the ball first and score it's 24-17 and suddenly you have a ball game.

With 5 seconds left you have no shot, save a fluke Hail Mary...which from that distance was not going to happen anyway, as we saw....although, it sure looked like Max Komar was interfered with on the pass inside the 10. But, when the refs sense a team is quitting...they want to get to the locker room themselves.

even worse than that was a couple minutes earlier when we had the ball at the 45 yard line with 2:30 left and a first or second down... we lolly-gagged around, took our nice sweet-ass time, taking ALL 30 seconds to get to the line and then we snapped the ball right after the 2 minute warning whistle blew. I mean, not only didn't they try and hurry up to get another playoff... but they didn't even GET THE PLAY OFF PERIOD.

THAT was disgusting.

 

[red desert]

even worse than that was a couple minutes earlier when we had the ball at the 45 yard line with 2:30 left and a first or second down... we lolly-gagged around, took our nice sweet-ass time, taking ALL 30 seconds to get to the line and then we snapped the ball right after the 2 minute warning whistle blew. I mean, not only didn't they try and hurry up to get another playoff... but they didn't even GET THE PLAY OFF PERIOD.

THAT was disgusting.

I went ******* on that as well.

Great post, Mitch. Agree with everything.

 

[slanidrac16]

I agree Rugby

Holes at the most important positions on a NFL team (QB, LT, Edge rusher) don't bold well for the next few seasons.

Which is all the more reason to see what we have in Max Hall.

 

[Brewster10]

This team is incredibly predictable from an effort standpoint.. Expect a good effort this weekend, then a tank job vs SD, then a big effort vs the defending champs..

 

[Buckybird]

Which is all the more reason to see what we have in Max Hall.

I agree, but right now I think Wiz thinks he is doing whats best for his team in trying to give them the best chance at success on the field though I didnt believe in DA from the start.

 

[Duckjake]

This team is incredibly predictable from an effort standpoint.. Expect a good effort this weekend, then a tank job vs SD, then a big effort vs the defending champs..

I don't know. This isn't the same group we've had for the last 2-3 years. Right now I don't think anyone can tell what will happen next week.

Personally I don't think the Cards have much of a team this season. Too many guys on their way out and too many guys on their way in.

 

[Buckybird]

I don't know. This isn't the same group we've had for the last 2-3 years. Right now I don't think anyone can tell what will happen next week.

Personally I don't think the Cards have much of a team this season. Too many guys on their way out and too many guys on their way in.

I agree Duck

change isn't always a good thing & we're seeing the reality of it.

 

[Duckjake]

I agree Duck

change isn't always a good thing & we're seeing the reality of it.

You said it.

Let's just hope that Beanie and Watson can get game healthy real soon.

 

[Catfish]

Man this post just kept going and going.

If you bothered to read it-----you would know that the man had something to say. It was worth reading, (and reading again), and yet again until one has digested what this wonderful football mind has observed, and brought to us in black and white.

Now go back and watch the game again, keeping this thread in mind. The man makes a lot of sense, and so far, is the only one on the board that I have seen who has even given this poor excuse for a game some decent thought.

Most of us have been so caught up in the NON-PERFORMANCE IN THE GEORGIA DOME, that we come up with analytical gems as, (fire Davis), (DA sucks), or some other such putrid excuse for a post-game analysis. Hell, not even anyone on the coaching staff is willing to stand up and proclaim that WE GOT CHEATED !!!!!

In essence, this is exactly what has happened. With very few exceptions, this team, AND ITS COACHES, tanked, and phoned this game in. They stole from us, because we paid with our money for all the tickets and gear we have purchased to show our support, and more importantly because we paid with our hearts, WHICH THIS TEAM SO PROMPTLY TORE OUT AND GAVE AWAY IN ATLANTA.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I am pissed, not because we didn't come away with a win, but because this team, (OUR TEAM), did not even bother to show up, (with very few exceptions), and just like Coach Whizenhunt has urged-----THEY DID THIS TOGETHER-----players and coaches alike.

It is Monday evening now, and still there has been no condemnation by anyone in authority for this gutless excuse for a football game in Atlanta on Sunday. Just when in hell did it become OK for anyone getting paid, (and getting paid handsomely by the way), to put on a Cardinals uniform and then lay an egg like this team did Sunday in Atlanta; AND SINCE WHEN IS IT APPARENTLY OK WITH THE COACHING STAFF TO GO ALONG WITH SUCH B.S. ?????????? THOSE OF US LONG SUFFERING CARDINALS FANS DESERVE BETTER-----AND I BELIEVE WE DESERVE AN APOLOGY-----at least from the coaching staff.

 

[Buckybird]

Catfish, while I agree with much you write & say the players owe the fans just as much or more than the coaches. Coaches give the players the tools & ways to succeed and those guys collected free checks yesterday minus a few guys. This isn't college or high school football. This is the NFL, a career something that the players must take pride in themselves & their teammates to play with fire and tenacity. The great ones bring that passion every week, everyday and for their entire careers.

 

[Sunburn]

I wish the Cards would consult you Mitch.

 

[Duckjake]

In essence, this is exactly what has happened. With very few exceptions, this team, AND ITS COACHES, tanked, and phoned this game in. They stole from us, because we paid with our money for all the tickets and gear we have purchased to show our support, and more importantly because we paid with our hearts, WHICH THIS TEAM SO PROMPTLY TORE OUT AND GAVE AWAY IN ATLANTA.

I feel your pain (thank God I didn't watch that live) but I don't agree. I didn't see any evidence in the rewind of anyone phoning the game in. They just weren't anywhere near as good, at this point in the season, as Atlanta.

Right now our Defense is weak. Real weak. Even worse imo than at the end of last season when they gave up 128 points in the last three games. I don't know how many people realize the Cards have given up 188 points in their last 5 consecutive games that weren't against the Rams.

Until the Cards do something about the systemic problems with the defense, games like the one Sunday will continue to occur no matter how much heart the team has.

We have 6 new starters on D and 5 of them were purported to be upgrades over the guys they replaced but we still see the same results.

 

[Russ Smith]

Williams has taken 10 steps back.

The kid has to learn to catch with his hands and not pin the ball to his body or he will never become an NFL WR.

Some of that is on Anderson throwing the ball too hard. Someone pointed this out to me before I wish I could find the email, when Braylon Edwards was in Cleveland he had some extremely high total of drops, and the % from DA as opposed to from Quinn was huge. the idea being DA doesn't throw a catchable ball so WR's end up trapping the ball against their body

 

[ajcardfan]

Some of that is on Anderson throwing the ball too hard. Someone pointed this out to me before I wish I could find the email, when Braylon Edwards was in Cleveland he had some extremely high total of drops, and the % from DA as opposed to from Quinn was huge. the idea being DA doesn't throw a catchable ball so WR's end up trapping the ball against their body

I just can't fathom that Leinart was going to be so much worse than DA. The kicker is that Jurecki said today that had Leinart stayed that there was NO DOUBT in his mind Leinart would be starting this week.

But, it is what it is. It's the first decision by Whisenhunt that I thought was really dumb before it was made and the results are proving my thoughts correct. He's allowed a mistake like this, but he can't make a habit of it.

 

[LoyaltyisaCurse]

I just can't fathom that Leinart was going to be so much worse than DA. The kicker is that Jurecki said today that had Leinart stayed that there was NO DOUBT in his mind Leinart would be starting this week.

.

Jureki is such a two face bull-crapper. I agree though, Leinart would've been reinstated as the starter.

 

[EndZone]

* What the offense has been forced to become---as it was with Warner---is more of a dink and dunk offense---most of the passes are well under 20 yards and are actually in the under 10 yard range.

This is fine and can lead to long drives and a flurry of points as we've seen the last two years, except that this year Whiz has the wrong QB for this type of offense. DA's no dink and dunker...he's a QB that needs a running game so that he can play action to buy time for deep strikes down the field that would cause DCs to take their safeties out of the box.

* The good news is...Whiz has a good dink and dunker in Max Hall, who is far more nifty afoot and far more accurate. The problem is Whiz hasn't had the chance to give Hall enough first team reps in practice yet. But...Whiz let the cat out of the bag when he told Peter King that Hall was the best QB in TC. By Whiz's own mantra...the best players play. If Hall wasn't a rookie, he'd be in there already.

I think we had a dink and dunk QB...but we sent him on his merry way.

 

[mrbyte]

Mitch brilliant post, For me the most ensightful part is about this teams character. you voiced what i have thought for a while.
give them an excuse and they take it. Whiz doesn't preach win hard enough, I think in the players eyes he pays lip service to it.
The Atlanta debarcle is a good case study. I expected him to be seething in his post game comments....but no...it was almost as if he had put this one down as a loss when the schedule was released...."east coast, second road game, much fancied apponent"... I could accept the loss but not the manner of it...but Whiz really didn't seem too pained, and that sets a bench mark for players

great post Mitch

 

[Catfish]

Mitch brilliant post, For me the most ensightful part is about this teams character. you voiced what i have thought for a while.
give them an excuse and they take it. Whiz doesn't preach win hard enough, I think in the players eyes he pays lip service to it.
The Atlanta debarcle is a good case study. I expected him to be seething in his post game comments....but no...it was almost as if he had put this one down as a loss when the schedule was released...."east coast, second road game, much fancied apponent"... I could accept the loss but not the manner of it...but Whiz really didn't seem too pained, and that sets a bench mark for players

great post Mitch

Great point mrbyte: That is what I took from the Falcon's game too. To me, the fact that Whiz not only did not chastise the lack of effort exhibited by most of the Cardinals players, he seems content to dismiss this as us just not being very good yet. To me, this week speaks volumes. Remember, he was all over his team when they tanked the performance in New England in '08, and had them bring their big-boy pads to work the very next practice.

Hey, I am not faulting Derek Anderson here. No one believed that he would be an improvement over Warner. I will even consent that he made improvement from game one in St. Louis. At some point however, something surely needs to be said about the abhorant play of our offensive line. It is their responsibility to keep the hits from killing our QB. Not only has this not happened, but they have made virtually no progress from game one in this respect. THE TRULY SAD PART IS THAT NONE OF THE COACHES ARE EVEN CALLING FOR THEM TO IMPROVE. There seems to be a contentedness in the way they are performing. I could live with that in St. Louis, because they at least gave effort there. I just didn't see that here, and what's worse is that we are not likely to see any improvement until someone gets on their butts and calls them on it.

SOMEONE should be DEMANDING improvement from this team. The talent is there. Who among us doesn't believe that we have at least the same talent level that we had last year. Hell, most of us felt that we replaced several of our departures with better than we had. Didn't we all think that the FO and coaching staff did a great retooling job this off-season? SO,----WHERE IS THE URGENCY TO MAKE THIS TEAM PERFORM BETTER ????? Right now they are performing just like they are being asked to perform, and that is very little right now. That just sticks in my craw.

 

[Cbus cardsfan]

Mitch brilliant post, For me the most ensightful part is about this teams character. you voiced what i have thought for a while.
give them an excuse and they take it. Whiz doesn't preach win hard enough, I think in the players eyes he pays lip service to it.
The Atlanta debarcle is a good case study. I expected him to be seething in his post game comments....but no...it was almost as if he had put this one down as a loss when the schedule was released...."east coast, second road game, much fancied apponent"... I could accept the loss but not the manner of it...but Whiz really didn't seem too pained, and that sets a bench mark for players

great post Mitch

Just because Whiz isn't seething to the media doesn't mean he's not letting his players know his disappointment. He keeps things in perspective. It's one game out of 16 and,no matter how people want to think, a 34 point loss counts the same as a 1 point loss. The Niners aren't getting any more credit in the W/L column because they played NO close. Besides I would rather have a level headed coach than a freaking lunatic like they have in SF.

None of looking on the outside know the psyche of the team and it's all speculation. Whiz doesn't preach win hard enough, where do you get this from? We have no idea what he says to the team. I agree with what Whiz said, it would have been alot more disheartening in the Cards went out and played great but were still waxed by 34. The mistakes are correctable and going to Max Hall will not solve anything at this point. Mitch proclaims that Hall is a good dink and dunk QB. How would he, or anyone know what kind of NFL QB Hall is. He's never played a meaningful snap. If Whiz wanted a dink and dunk attack then ML would likely be starting. I'm sorry the Max Hall lovefest on this board is getting to me.

 

[mrbyte]

Just because Whiz isn't seething to the media doesn't mean he's not letting his players know his disappointment. He keeps things in perspective. It's one game out of 16 and,no matter how people want to think, a 34 point loss counts the same as a 1 point loss. The Niners aren't getting any more credit in the W/L column because they played NO close. Besides I would rather have a level headed coach than a freaking lunatic like they have in SF

I'm not advercating we need a freaking lunatic just a little emotional investment in public to show he cares..he really doesn't look very bothered to me (my opinion)

Whiz doesn't preach win hard enough, where do you get this from

sorry should have said IMO, but IMO some times you have to write cheques and ask the team to pay them rather than point how difficult the game will be and give the excuse.

obviously no one here knows what goes on in Cardinal land...but isn't that the point of coming to a board like this to exchange thoughts theories and opinions?

 

[Russ Smith]

I just can't fathom that Leinart was going to be so much worse than DA. The kicker is that Jurecki said today that had Leinart stayed that there was NO DOUBT in his mind Leinart would be starting this week.

But, it is what it is. It's the first decision by Whisenhunt that I thought was really dumb before it was made and the results are proving my thoughts correct. He's allowed a mistake like this, but he can't make a habit of it.

I was firmly in the DA is no good start Matt camp but at the end I just decided that clearly Whiz knew something I didn't about how the team responded to the 2 players? I have to believe in the end he decided they don't believe in Matt but they do in DA(why I can't fathom) and that's why he decided starting Matt wouldn't work.

I also think Whiz "fell in love" with Max Hall and decided neither Matt nor DA would be the QB for very long.