Great article & something I & many have been saying

[Cardiac]

What everyone is now learning about Whiz: you cannot put much trust in what he says to the media. Whiz won't give away his thoughts...and that's mostly a good thing, but it's a frustrating thing for the fans, writers and pundits, especially after lopsided defeats when the fans want clear answers.

What it all boils down to, imo, Whiz has become enamored with scoring in the 20s and 30s...and with the skill players he has in this offense he still believes they can put up the points.

By committing more strictly to a running game, Whiz is committing to more low scoring games and that puts him in a predicament because the question is, can his defense win the low scoring close games?

I believe that as the defense gets stronger, so will Whiz's desire to run the ball. In the meantime, I expect Whiz to run the majority of the snaps out of the shotgun, where Max Hall feels more comfortable. Now...here's the thing, though. I think we will see more run calls from the shotgun...as Whiz will try to keep the defense off-balance.

It's easy for people to say the Cardinals should run the ball more...but, in reality, it's not that easy to do. In fact, when NFL teams stack the box these days it's near impossible to run the ball consistently well...it creates, as we saw Sunday a lot of 2nd and 9s and 3rd and 6s.

The problem is too...especially when you have a young QB, is constantly having to face third and mediums to longs...it puts a lot of pressure on the QB to convert.

Kurt Warner loved to pass to set up the run for that very reason...when you hand the ball off twice and now you get one pass to keep a drive going, you are not in a rhythm yet and that, combined with the pressure to be precise under third down pressure (both from the pass rush and your own pressure to preserve the drive) is a lot to put on the QB's shoulders.

One thing I do not mind at all is Whiz referring to Warner because Warner was right about so many things, the team needs to be reminded of those things. Warner was always mindful of getting himself and his WRs into a rhythm, right form the get-go (man, how many of Warner's first halfs last year were textbook? Remember the game at Chicago? Jacksonville? Home versus Green Bay?). In today's NFL this is the WAY to go. If you don't try to create rhythm by choosing to pound the ball, you risk two or three straight 3 and outs to start the game and the next thing you know you are down 10 or 14-0 and trying to dig yourself out of a hole.

This is what happened versus the Saints. The offense was not in rhythm early and the Saints jumped out. It wasn't until the offense started mixing things up more aggressively that the Cardinals were able to start moving the ball. Had the Cardinals continued to pound Beanie or Tim into the stacked box, they would have never won that game.

And...to Whiz's credit...the most dynamic player on his offense is still WR Larry Fitzgerald. When he is getting his touches the Cardinals are usually on the high side of the scoreboard.

Thus...Whiz should continue to do what the best OCs are doing today...try to get the QB into a rhythm as early as possible and mix up the plays to keep the defense guessing.

Fully agree.

 

[green machine]

I think the 2 comments below the article made more sense than Adam did.

Ouch.

 

[kerouac9]

This is what happened versus the Saints. The offense was not in rhythm early and the Saints jumped out. It wasn't until the offense started mixing things up more aggressively that the Cardinals were able to start moving the ball. Had the Cardinals continued to pound Beanie or Tim into the stacked box, they would have never won that game.

Drive 1
1-10-NO 45 (14:51) 34-T.Hightower right tackle to NO 43 for 2 yards (97-J.Charleston).

2-8-NO 43 (14:14) (Shotgun) 6-M.Hall pass short left to 89-B.Patrick to NO 40 for 3 yards (51-J.Vilma).

3-5-NO 40 (14:14) (Shotgun) PENALTY on ARZ-63-L.Sendlein, False Start, 5 yards, enforced at NO 40 - No Play.

3-10-NO 45 (13:07) (Shotgun) 6-M.Hall pass deep right intended for 11-L.Fitzgerald INTERCEPTED by 33-J.Greer at NO 25. 33-J.Greer to ARZ 49 for 26 yards (75-L.Brown).

Drive 2
1-10-ARI 20 (9:49) 34-T.Hightower up the middle to ARZ 21 for 1 yard (56-J.Dunbar).

2-9-ARI 21 (9:07) (Shotgun) 26-C.Wells left end to ARZ 18 for -3 yards (97-J.Charleston).

3-12-ARI 18 (8:28) (Shotgun) 6-M.Hall pass short left to 12-A.Roberts to ARZ 31 for 13 yards (34-P.Robinson). Penalty on NO-34-P.Robinson, Defensive Pass Interference, declined.

1-10-ARI 31 (7:59) 6-M.Hall pass incomplete short left to 81-J.Dray.

2-10-ARI 31 (7:54) 6-M.Hall pass incomplete short right to 83-S.Spach.

3-10-ARI 31 (7:48) (Shotgun) 6-M.Hall pass short middle to 11-L.Fitzgerald to ARZ 35 for 4 yards (33-J.Greer).

4-6-ARI 35 (7:12) 5-B.Graham punts 41 yards to NO 24, Center-82-M.Leach, downed by ARZ-21-H.Abdullah.

Drive 3
1-10- (1:21) (Shotgun) 6-M.Hall pass short left to 36-L.Stephens-Howling to NO 42 for 8 yards (56-J.Dunbar).

2-2-NO 42 41) 26-C.Wells up the middle to NO 41 for 1 yard (41-R.Harper, 51-J.Vilma).

END QUARTER 1
NO 10 ARZ 3 Plays: 10 Possession: 5:15
2nd Quarter
Arizona Cardinals continues ...
3-1-NO 41 (15:00) 26-C.Wells right tackle to NO 41 for no gain (41-R.Harper).
4-1-NO 41 (14:36) 26-C.Wells right tackle to NO 39 for 2 yards (34-P.Robinson).
1-10-NO 39 (13:56) 6-M.Hall pass incomplete deep left to 83-S.Spach.
2-10-NO 39 (13:51) (Shotgun) 6-M.Hall pass deep right to 11-L.Fitzgerald pushed ob at NO 14 for 25 yards (27-M.Jenkins).
WATCH HIGHLIGHT
1-10-NO 14 (13:20) 26-C.Wells left tackle to NO 9 for 5 yards (34-P.Robinson).
2-5-NO 9 (12:36) 26-C.Wells right end to NO 9 for no gain (34-P.Robinson).
3-5-NO 9 (11:53) 6-M.Hall sacked at NO 19 for -10 yards (96-A.Brown).

I'm not one to allow facts to get in the way of a good rant, but didn't we call passes on 11 of our first 18 offensive plays and what it got us was an INT and down 10 to 3?

How will we know wether we can run effectively to begin games if we don't try? Even if teams place 8 in the box, if we come out in base offense (2TE 1 RB) we still have 7 guys to block 8 and beanie or Tim only have to beat one guy/read the blitz to find the open lane.

Ironically enough, the first productive offensive drive was when we ran 5 our of 9 offensive plays. Maybe you don't pass to set up the run when you're playing three rookie wideouts and an undrafted rookie quarterback. At least, not if you don't want to have another three and out.

How are you avoiding second-and-longs or even third-and-mediums if the QB throws an incomplete pass?

 

[Duckjake]

What all that tells me is that despite all the Maxmania our offense still sucks.

The longest TD drive was 2 yards and that TD was scored by the LT.

If the defense doesn't step up and produce the Cards lose.

I'm not even confident that our O will be any better after the bye week because they aren't even practicing this week.

 

[JeffGollin]

Lots of undeserved "certainty" from the Peanut Gallery about what's going through Wiz's head about personnel, strategy and "fit."

I think most HC's are less singleminded about these things than the media makes them out to be. When coaches and personnel people balance out priorities like Size, Athleticism, Playing Style, Experience, Mind Set, Background and Commitment, they have far less than 100% control over the players they'll wind up with on their 53-man roster/PS.

Add to this, the various schemes and adjustments opposing teams throw at them from quarter to quarter and game to game and excercizing any control over the kinds of "ideal" players they have in relation to the ways they'd like to utilize them becomes more and more problematic for HC's..

Some coaches (like Belicheck, Shanahan and, I'm guessing, Rex Ryan) are pretty stubborn about insisting that their system is king and their roster be fitted to it (Witness the jettisoning of Moss and pickup of Branch).

Others (& I'd include Wiz here) tend to "live off the land" and tailor their systems to the players they've got. Warner and Hall have different strengths and weaknesses. Both have had THT and Beanie, but I'd argue that in either case, the RB fit hasn't been perfect. (With Warner, a pounding inside running attack wasn't consistent with a 5-receivers out vertical passing game. Based on what I've seen from Hall, he seems to fit more of a quick-drop horizontal passing model where a Westbrook-type receiving back (like Wright) might fit the offense better than Hightower or Wells).

Whatever the case, I'm assuming that Wiz will go with "whatever works" when calling plays against different teams, different schemes and different situations. That's what he did when he went away from Leinart and toward Warner and the no-huddle. That's what I'd guess he'll do as he gets to know Hall's strengths and weaknesses better.

I think this flexiblity and resourcefulness is a Whisenhunt strength and, for that reason, wouldn't be too concerned about whether we have the right players to fit our system.