Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
All my brain can do right now is tell my lungs to breathe, so I am going to need to just number my points, in no particular order, per se.
1. First of all, just typing Cardinals 51 (and realizing that this is what it took to win this unbelievable game) gives me goosebumps the size of pears.
2. The short take of the game is: the Cardinals' defense forces key turnovers on the first and last Packer offensive plays and the Cardinals' offense plays virtually perfect football in between. Yes, remarkably, and it took everything to happen this way for the Cardinals to win this game.
3. Amidst swirling ESPN rumors that Warner is going to retire...talk about a TV network doing everything it can to distract the Cardinals and to dismiss the Cardinals...let's for the fun of it, always remember that between the ESPN crew and the FOX crew...the pre-game predictions were unanimously in favor of the Packers (let's name them all: Berman, Ditka---who picked a GB/BAL Super Bowl, Keyshawn, Cris "C'mon Mang" Carter, Tommy Jackson, Chris Mortensen, Adam Schefter, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, and Jimmy Johnson---ALL predicted GB). The ONLY one who didn't was comedian Frank Caliendo, who after his hysterical Andy Rooney "60 seconds" bit, picked the Cardinals...because Kurt Warner reminded him of a QB he used to love back in his (Rooney's) day: yup, Kurt Warner (donning leather helmet, no less!).
Well, the funny thing is: the wisest character on Shakespeare's stage was always the jester or the Fool...and Shakespeare would have loved this outcome...not only for the drama that we just witnessed, and the near-miss tragedy that Kurt Warner may have just played his final game for the Cardinals and lost, having played flawless, extraordinary football to the tune of 28/32 379 yards and 5 TDs. Alas, this was all too possible an outcome, especially seeing as the Fates willed Sir Charles Woodson to call tails on the over-time coin flip, and the man who can do no wrong picked right, of course! But, wait, this is where the great Bard had his say...in a game where no defense could stop the other, the game was decided on a defensive play where the much victimized diminutive underdog Pauper Adams, who had earlier missed a wide open sack on King Aaron, gets in on him quickly, forces a fumble, which King Aaron kicks straight up to Adams' teammate Prince Dansby, who races the ball into the crowd for a twenty minute standing ovation! The tragedy is averted. The sun can rise over Glendale another morning!
All I can say is good for you Frank! You were the only one...and I also need to give props to ESPN NFL West Blogger Extraordinaire, Mike Sando and AZ Republic sportswriter Dan Bickley for being the only other two pundits interviewed before the game who actually made a passionate case as to why the Cardinals were going to win.
4. I can honestly say that this was the best game I have ever watched a Cardinals' offense play in my 54 years of being a Cardinals' fan. It was the best pass protection I have seen a Cardinals team perform (take your shots at Levi Brown now, darksiders, I dare you!)---the one sack was on a flea flicker---that's right---it was perfect pocket after perfect pocket play after scintillating play. Kurt Warner was as brilliant and as emotionally charged as I have ever seen him---and, mind you, he put up first half numbers like today's in virtually all his road games this year---but this time, he had to sustain his perfection for 4 quarters, and with great determination, he did.
The WR trio of Fitz, Breaston and Doucet were fabulous---how about Doucet's last play catching the ball in traffic versus Sir Charles and with Sir Charles ripping at the ball, ripping it away from him and barreling forward another ten yards to set up what should have been the GW FG? And how about Doucet's 2 TDs, the second of which he was like a human piball darting a careening through the bumpers? And Fitz's 2 TDs...the great one handed grab in the end zone and the split the defense one that was like a mini version of his Super Bowl dash? And how about Breaston's leaping catch TD that put the Cardinals back ahead 45-38?
And Beanie's great runs? And TH's smashmouth TD with Darnell and Gabe plowing the way! And LSH fighting for every little inch out there!
5. Now for my gripes...
(a) it all started when I saw that FS Rashad Johnson was inactive...I was in disbelief. First of all, he had a good game last week. Secondly, Rolle has been hurt, what if he reinjured the quad? Thirdly, who was going to pair with Rolle as the nickel safeties? We had better learn that Johnson was sick---because otherwise, it meant Ralph Brown and Hamzah Abdullah playing nickel safeties...neither of whom has played there all year...and neither of who CAN play there. This meant that with Ralph Brown at FS, that Michael Adams was apparently the only option on covering WR Donald Driber in the slot. What's worse than a coach actually deciding this mismatch, is that Adams was instructed to press Driver---anyone see the pipes on Driver? There is NO way Adams was going to win press battles with Driver. The only chance he had was to shadow him, using his quick feel, and not his hands. I think the world of Adams---I still do---I think the coaches whiffed big-time on this one---
(b) just as the coaches, Bill Davis, in particular whiffed playing with a 3 TD lead---it shows me that he has not only failed to learn from CP's egregious mistakes (rewatch the Super Bowl), he has failed to learn from his own this year (hello, Tennessee, etc.). To watch Packer receivers not even being covered at all in a playoff game with the game on the line---was unthinkable. To this point I've been very high on Davis, but today's performance has me back to square one with him. That was about as lame as it gets. The good news is: the Packers and the mighty Dom Capers---coincidentally Davis' old mentor---were just as lame---if not more---and they have stronger personnel.
(c) Neil Rackers' routine---I've harped on this for years now and cannot help doing it again---sprinting onto the field while pulling on his helmet after nervoulsy kicking 100 balls into a net with a baseball cap on---it gets him too over-hyped---raise your hand if you just knew he was going to miss that FG? I mean I love the guy, but Kevin Spencer ought to settle Rackers down and get him to focus on his fundamentals and not rush. Clearly by rushing and being over-hyped, his plant foot slipped and he hooked the ball big-time.
(d) Been saying this a while too because it just seems too evident: the Cardinals' offense with Warner at QB is MORE IN UNISON without Boldin. Not to dis Boldin's great skills and talents...but the real reason is: Warner is more relaxed because he doesn't have to keep Q happy, or worry about leading Q into the next big hit. Remember back to the game at Chicago when Q was inactivated right before the game? Remember the flawless first half Warner put up in that game? Same today.
6. But what I loved most about the offense today, when some guys made some of the few rare mistakes---they immediately atoned for it---like Doucet (Warner was mad at him for blowing his route on the play of the Fitz fumble), like Fitz scoring 2 TDs after he uncharacteristically fumbled---after having secured the ball perfectly earlier in traffic versus Sir Charles...like Breaston and his customary 6 men on the l.o.s. call, catching the big 4th quarter TD---and the offense responding virutally EVERY nerve-wracking time.
7. I save this for last: Whiz, you knew what you were doing---I think in retrospect you wouldn't have played your key players in the second half last week---but---you were like Domino's Pizza today: you delivered! You are a real gem, Whiz. And you boys love to play because you help to allow them to love it.
On wish: please Kurt Warner, just make it clear you have not made your mind up about retiring. We all need hope that you will be back because, quite frankly, you are the star that continues to guide this franchise, and you have shined a path for Cardinals' fans that was always far too dark to see. Please---let us still hope.
1. First of all, just typing Cardinals 51 (and realizing that this is what it took to win this unbelievable game) gives me goosebumps the size of pears.
2. The short take of the game is: the Cardinals' defense forces key turnovers on the first and last Packer offensive plays and the Cardinals' offense plays virtually perfect football in between. Yes, remarkably, and it took everything to happen this way for the Cardinals to win this game.
3. Amidst swirling ESPN rumors that Warner is going to retire...talk about a TV network doing everything it can to distract the Cardinals and to dismiss the Cardinals...let's for the fun of it, always remember that between the ESPN crew and the FOX crew...the pre-game predictions were unanimously in favor of the Packers (let's name them all: Berman, Ditka---who picked a GB/BAL Super Bowl, Keyshawn, Cris "C'mon Mang" Carter, Tommy Jackson, Chris Mortensen, Adam Schefter, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Michael Strahan, and Jimmy Johnson---ALL predicted GB). The ONLY one who didn't was comedian Frank Caliendo, who after his hysterical Andy Rooney "60 seconds" bit, picked the Cardinals...because Kurt Warner reminded him of a QB he used to love back in his (Rooney's) day: yup, Kurt Warner (donning leather helmet, no less!).
Well, the funny thing is: the wisest character on Shakespeare's stage was always the jester or the Fool...and Shakespeare would have loved this outcome...not only for the drama that we just witnessed, and the near-miss tragedy that Kurt Warner may have just played his final game for the Cardinals and lost, having played flawless, extraordinary football to the tune of 28/32 379 yards and 5 TDs. Alas, this was all too possible an outcome, especially seeing as the Fates willed Sir Charles Woodson to call tails on the over-time coin flip, and the man who can do no wrong picked right, of course! But, wait, this is where the great Bard had his say...in a game where no defense could stop the other, the game was decided on a defensive play where the much victimized diminutive underdog Pauper Adams, who had earlier missed a wide open sack on King Aaron, gets in on him quickly, forces a fumble, which King Aaron kicks straight up to Adams' teammate Prince Dansby, who races the ball into the crowd for a twenty minute standing ovation! The tragedy is averted. The sun can rise over Glendale another morning!
All I can say is good for you Frank! You were the only one...and I also need to give props to ESPN NFL West Blogger Extraordinaire, Mike Sando and AZ Republic sportswriter Dan Bickley for being the only other two pundits interviewed before the game who actually made a passionate case as to why the Cardinals were going to win.
4. I can honestly say that this was the best game I have ever watched a Cardinals' offense play in my 54 years of being a Cardinals' fan. It was the best pass protection I have seen a Cardinals team perform (take your shots at Levi Brown now, darksiders, I dare you!)---the one sack was on a flea flicker---that's right---it was perfect pocket after perfect pocket play after scintillating play. Kurt Warner was as brilliant and as emotionally charged as I have ever seen him---and, mind you, he put up first half numbers like today's in virtually all his road games this year---but this time, he had to sustain his perfection for 4 quarters, and with great determination, he did.
The WR trio of Fitz, Breaston and Doucet were fabulous---how about Doucet's last play catching the ball in traffic versus Sir Charles and with Sir Charles ripping at the ball, ripping it away from him and barreling forward another ten yards to set up what should have been the GW FG? And how about Doucet's 2 TDs, the second of which he was like a human piball darting a careening through the bumpers? And Fitz's 2 TDs...the great one handed grab in the end zone and the split the defense one that was like a mini version of his Super Bowl dash? And how about Breaston's leaping catch TD that put the Cardinals back ahead 45-38?
And Beanie's great runs? And TH's smashmouth TD with Darnell and Gabe plowing the way! And LSH fighting for every little inch out there!
5. Now for my gripes...
(a) it all started when I saw that FS Rashad Johnson was inactive...I was in disbelief. First of all, he had a good game last week. Secondly, Rolle has been hurt, what if he reinjured the quad? Thirdly, who was going to pair with Rolle as the nickel safeties? We had better learn that Johnson was sick---because otherwise, it meant Ralph Brown and Hamzah Abdullah playing nickel safeties...neither of whom has played there all year...and neither of who CAN play there. This meant that with Ralph Brown at FS, that Michael Adams was apparently the only option on covering WR Donald Driber in the slot. What's worse than a coach actually deciding this mismatch, is that Adams was instructed to press Driver---anyone see the pipes on Driver? There is NO way Adams was going to win press battles with Driver. The only chance he had was to shadow him, using his quick feel, and not his hands. I think the world of Adams---I still do---I think the coaches whiffed big-time on this one---
(b) just as the coaches, Bill Davis, in particular whiffed playing with a 3 TD lead---it shows me that he has not only failed to learn from CP's egregious mistakes (rewatch the Super Bowl), he has failed to learn from his own this year (hello, Tennessee, etc.). To watch Packer receivers not even being covered at all in a playoff game with the game on the line---was unthinkable. To this point I've been very high on Davis, but today's performance has me back to square one with him. That was about as lame as it gets. The good news is: the Packers and the mighty Dom Capers---coincidentally Davis' old mentor---were just as lame---if not more---and they have stronger personnel.
(c) Neil Rackers' routine---I've harped on this for years now and cannot help doing it again---sprinting onto the field while pulling on his helmet after nervoulsy kicking 100 balls into a net with a baseball cap on---it gets him too over-hyped---raise your hand if you just knew he was going to miss that FG? I mean I love the guy, but Kevin Spencer ought to settle Rackers down and get him to focus on his fundamentals and not rush. Clearly by rushing and being over-hyped, his plant foot slipped and he hooked the ball big-time.
(d) Been saying this a while too because it just seems too evident: the Cardinals' offense with Warner at QB is MORE IN UNISON without Boldin. Not to dis Boldin's great skills and talents...but the real reason is: Warner is more relaxed because he doesn't have to keep Q happy, or worry about leading Q into the next big hit. Remember back to the game at Chicago when Q was inactivated right before the game? Remember the flawless first half Warner put up in that game? Same today.
6. But what I loved most about the offense today, when some guys made some of the few rare mistakes---they immediately atoned for it---like Doucet (Warner was mad at him for blowing his route on the play of the Fitz fumble), like Fitz scoring 2 TDs after he uncharacteristically fumbled---after having secured the ball perfectly earlier in traffic versus Sir Charles...like Breaston and his customary 6 men on the l.o.s. call, catching the big 4th quarter TD---and the offense responding virutally EVERY nerve-wracking time.
7. I save this for last: Whiz, you knew what you were doing---I think in retrospect you wouldn't have played your key players in the second half last week---but---you were like Domino's Pizza today: you delivered! You are a real gem, Whiz. And you boys love to play because you help to allow them to love it.
On wish: please Kurt Warner, just make it clear you have not made your mind up about retiring. We all need hope that you will be back because, quite frankly, you are the star that continues to guide this franchise, and you have shined a path for Cardinals' fans that was always far too dark to see. Please---let us still hope.
