Arizona's Finest
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http://myespn.go.com/blogs/nfcwest/0-5-219/Picking-apart-Giants-Cardinals-showdown.html
Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
The Arizona Cardinals keep taking steps.
They finished 8-8 last season, their best record since 1998.
They outlasted Dallas in Week 6 this season when the Cowboys were 4-1, an outcome that helped establish Arizona as tough to beat at home.
They gained confidence on the road during a 27-23 defeat at Carolina in Week 8. Arizona has outscored opponents by 37 points over its last 14 quarters away from University of Phoenix Stadium.
The Cardinals have exorcised demons in prime time and at Seattle's Qwest Field over the last two weeks.
The next step -- finding a way to beat the 9-1 New York Giants on Sunday in Glendale -- might qualify as a leap if the Cardinals can make it happen.
"I'm picking them over the Giants this week because they possess the ball and their defense is never on the field for sustained periods," said ESPN's Trent Dilfer, the last quarterback to beat the Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. "They don't get to third down. You see defenses change and Kurt Warner and [offensive coordinator] Todd Haley have an answer. You see perfect defensive plays against them and it's a 12-yard gain."
That's all good, but the Cardinals haven't faced an opponent as complete as the Giants.
"I don't think the Giants are going to have much of a problem," said Tag Ribary, who joined Scouts Inc. this year after evaluating talent for the Carolina Panthers in recent seasons. "What they did to Baltimore doesn't get enough credit at all. The No. 1 run defense in the league and they put 200 up on them. It's unthinkable, almost."
Until recently, unthinkable meant the Cardinals having a shot at clinching a playoff spot in Week 12. A victory over the Giants could make it happen.
At 7-3, Arizona stands third in the NFC with six games to play.
"If they can beat the Giants and then get the Eagles on Thursday night, they could be in the hunt to play at home through the playoffs," Keith Kidd of Scouts Inc. said. "I don't think that will happen, but they could be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed. They can win a playoff game at home." (Read Kidd's take on the matchup between the Cardinals' defense and Giants' offense here.)
The Cardinals arguably haven't had a game as meaningful as their Giants matchup in a decade. Dilfer, Ribary and Kidd joined Hot Topic respondents in helping us break it down 10 ways, and then some.
1. A case for the Cardinals.
Dilfer: "I think at home the Cardinals match up pretty darn well in this football game. I'm a Cardinals hater. I thought they stunk forever. I'm the last guy to beat them at home. That's saying a lot about how bad they [have been], but I'm a believer now because of what they have identified as their strengths and weaknesses."
Arizona has built its offense around Warner's ability to get rid of the football quickly and the receivers' ability to win individual matchups. The Cardinals don't pretend to be a power running team. They throw short passes instead.
Dilfer compares the Cardinals' offense this season to the one New England fielded in 2007. He sees Larry Fitzgerald as Randy Moss, Anquan Boldin playing Wes Welker's role and Steve Breaston as Jabar Gaffney or Donte Stallworth. And he sees Warner getting rid of the football with accuracy before even unblocked defenders can reach him.
"The Giants blitz you, but they still cover the flats," Dilfer said. "The Cardinals eat up the middle of the football field, where you are vulnerable when you fire-zone [blitz]. Aaron Ross and Corey Webster and those guys cannot just cover man-to-man all day. They have to rely on scheme, and scheme works to Arizona's advantage right now. The defense has to show their hand a little bit."
Two traits stood out to Dilfer when he studied great offenses over the past decade. Most had outstanding lines. Most also forced defenses to defend the field from sideline to sideline, not just vertically. Arizona lacks the great line, but few teams can stretch defenses as well horizontally.
The combination should give teams problems until opponents take a harder look at solving Arizona come playoff time.
"Inevitably it's going to come down to, you have to block people," Dilfer said. "Kurt can't continue to get rid of the ball [as a substitute for pass protection].
"I don't think at this point in the season teams will devote enough time and energy to the game plan to stop it. The Giants will have a great plan, but it's a different thing in the playoffs. Kurt is being careful with the ball."
2. A case against the Cardinals.
Ribary sees an Arizona team that has beaten up on a weak division while needing two special-teams touchdowns to defeat the Cowboys when Dallas was beginning to slide.
He doesn't buy the idea that Tim Hightower's emergence at running back will give the Cardinals a legitimate ground game against good teams.
"They don't move anybody off the ball," Ribary said. "They are always tricking people. It's a delay or a draw or a misdirection or a toss. It's something to catch them off-guard. It's not imposing our will and making you curl up in a ball. They are not that at all.
"Seattle is not even stout up front and they could at least hold their own against them. I'm watching and saying they have three receivers and a good quarterback. Outside that, I'm not sure what they have besides a creative coordinator on defense. They don't scare you."
Ribary thinks young running backs make Arizona vulnerable in pass protection against a coordinator as skilled as the Giants' Steve Spagnuolo.
"People are trying to make it sound like the Cardinals have found the answers," Ribary said, "but you can see the confusion they have with stunts and then the running backs. Spagnuolo will have a field day with those guys.
"I would overload [Hightower's] side and even bring weak-side stuff to make him cross Warner's face. Seattle did it and they didn't have a full arsenal and they confused him. You could see him blowing assignments and releasing into routes [at the wrong time]. Spagnuolo will see that and start salivating."
3. What the Giants do better than anyone.
Dilfer: "They are very good in the interior [offensive] line, but where the Giants kill you is on the edges. They crush people in the C gaps. I have never seen a team run better off tackle. Kevin Boss has been a huge addition. Their guards are incredible on the tight pulls. They punish you when they do it."
4. Why Arizona might win anyway.
Dilfer: "The Giants' argument is to keep the Cardinals' offense off the field. That is hard to do on the road. The Giants ran the ball against the Browns but made some mistakes. It only takes one Eli Manning interception, one fumble and one big penalty during the course of the game. All Arizona has to do is capitalize on those and continue to play the way they are playing offensively. Suddenly it's 31-20."
5. Which Arizona players are in for long days?
Kidd: "To me, [Cardinals linebacker] Gerald Hayes has to be a guy that has to concern you because he has to play well and above his capabilities. He is a good player, but that is a position that can be kind of rough depending on how that [Giants] line can create the movement to create those inside seams. What Arizona has to do is attack them and get guys going up the field and bring Karlos Dansby and bring Hayes to get the bubble to go back where the line of scrimmage is on the negative side. If the running game is going, I don't want to be Hayes."
Ribary: "I wouldn't want to be [defensive tackle] Darnell Dockett because you know you are just going to get pounded on. Chris Snee and those guys are going to come off and double-team you and stay on you and then with the chip blocking they'll do when you try to get to the quarterback, it's not going to be a fun day for him."
More Ribary: "I wouldn't want to be [cornerback] Rod Hood out there trying to play with some [injured] ribs going against Plaxico Burress. I wouldn't' want to be [right tackle] Levi Brown with Justin Tuck lining up against you. [Brown] is a lazy-footwork guy and Tuck's work ethic is just going to wear him down."
6. Which Giants players will have it rough?
Kidd: "I don't want to be one of those corners going against Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. If I'm one of those corners, I'm trying to put as much extra cash in my defensive linemen's back pocket to get upfield and get pressure. 'Please help me.' Because Warner is playing at a level where he is not only getting it out of his hand quickly, but he has that uncanny accuracy.
"The speed of the game is so fast and your ability to process has to be so much quicker, the ball has to be going to an area before the receiver gets his head around. That is what makes Drew Brees so special and Tom Brady so special. And Warner is doing that. You look at things to try to get him off-kilter. You have to attack the interior part of the pocket, but it's so quick out of his hand that it's not even funny."
7. How far can the Cardinals go this season?
Kidd: "This year is so crazy. At one time I thought there would be three teams out of the NFC East, but now I'm not so sure. The Eagles and Redskins are probably going to fade. The Redskins could lose to the Seahawks this weekend. If the Cardinals can beat the Giants and get the Eagles on Thursday night, they could be in the hunt to play at home [throughout] the playoffs. I don't think that will happen. They could be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed. They can win a playoff game at home."
Ribary: "This is a game where Arizona finds out where they stand in the scheme of things. They've been beating the Rams and the Seahawks and the 49ers. They went out and played a decent game against Carolina. Carolina didn't play great by any means and still pulled it off. I don't think the Cardinals are with the elite teams yet. ... I think Atlanta and Tampa Bay would go in there and whip up on them."
8. A word on the Cardinals' defense.
Dilfer: "Defensively, [coordinator] Clancy Pendergast was one of the real creative guys. They are so simple now. There are a lot of yards to have out there against them, but they don't give up a lot of touchdowns. Antrel Rolle is settling in at safety. The rookie corner [Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie] is coming on. Dockett can get to you."
9. What if Giants RB Brandon Jacobs doesn't play?
Ribary: "I think it means the same formula, only Derrick Ward is doing what Jacobs would do. They may not come out and just run 12 of the first 18 plays like they have been, but enough so that Arizona cheats up and then they can start picking at them on the back end off play action."
Great breakdown for die hards like all of us. Two things I take away;
1) With the comments about young running backs I think edge is going to get more reps this week for Pass Pro purposes. In fact he will get his most time since he was dropped down the depth chart IMO
2) This Ribary guy is obviously a hater. I respect almost all of his "X and O" points but his 'opinions' are insane. If he thinks "ATL and TB would come in here (U OF P) and beat them down" he hasn't been watching enough. He also really knocks our wins as we played against the "NFC West and beat the Cowboys on their slide with two ST touchdowns". Umm did he watch that game? We DOMINATED them and if not for mental miscues we have seen to clean up since Carolina it wouldn't have even been a game. And wouldnt you say we STARTED that slide in knocking Romo out? I would think so.
I guess its all perspective.
Posted by ESPN.com's Mike Sando
The Arizona Cardinals keep taking steps.
They finished 8-8 last season, their best record since 1998.
They outlasted Dallas in Week 6 this season when the Cowboys were 4-1, an outcome that helped establish Arizona as tough to beat at home.
They gained confidence on the road during a 27-23 defeat at Carolina in Week 8. Arizona has outscored opponents by 37 points over its last 14 quarters away from University of Phoenix Stadium.
The Cardinals have exorcised demons in prime time and at Seattle's Qwest Field over the last two weeks.
The next step -- finding a way to beat the 9-1 New York Giants on Sunday in Glendale -- might qualify as a leap if the Cardinals can make it happen.
"I'm picking them over the Giants this week because they possess the ball and their defense is never on the field for sustained periods," said ESPN's Trent Dilfer, the last quarterback to beat the Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. "They don't get to third down. You see defenses change and Kurt Warner and [offensive coordinator] Todd Haley have an answer. You see perfect defensive plays against them and it's a 12-yard gain."
That's all good, but the Cardinals haven't faced an opponent as complete as the Giants.
"I don't think the Giants are going to have much of a problem," said Tag Ribary, who joined Scouts Inc. this year after evaluating talent for the Carolina Panthers in recent seasons. "What they did to Baltimore doesn't get enough credit at all. The No. 1 run defense in the league and they put 200 up on them. It's unthinkable, almost."
Until recently, unthinkable meant the Cardinals having a shot at clinching a playoff spot in Week 12. A victory over the Giants could make it happen.
At 7-3, Arizona stands third in the NFC with six games to play.
"If they can beat the Giants and then get the Eagles on Thursday night, they could be in the hunt to play at home through the playoffs," Keith Kidd of Scouts Inc. said. "I don't think that will happen, but they could be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed. They can win a playoff game at home." (Read Kidd's take on the matchup between the Cardinals' defense and Giants' offense here.)
The Cardinals arguably haven't had a game as meaningful as their Giants matchup in a decade. Dilfer, Ribary and Kidd joined Hot Topic respondents in helping us break it down 10 ways, and then some.
1. A case for the Cardinals.
Dilfer: "I think at home the Cardinals match up pretty darn well in this football game. I'm a Cardinals hater. I thought they stunk forever. I'm the last guy to beat them at home. That's saying a lot about how bad they [have been], but I'm a believer now because of what they have identified as their strengths and weaknesses."
Arizona has built its offense around Warner's ability to get rid of the football quickly and the receivers' ability to win individual matchups. The Cardinals don't pretend to be a power running team. They throw short passes instead.
Dilfer compares the Cardinals' offense this season to the one New England fielded in 2007. He sees Larry Fitzgerald as Randy Moss, Anquan Boldin playing Wes Welker's role and Steve Breaston as Jabar Gaffney or Donte Stallworth. And he sees Warner getting rid of the football with accuracy before even unblocked defenders can reach him.
"The Giants blitz you, but they still cover the flats," Dilfer said. "The Cardinals eat up the middle of the football field, where you are vulnerable when you fire-zone [blitz]. Aaron Ross and Corey Webster and those guys cannot just cover man-to-man all day. They have to rely on scheme, and scheme works to Arizona's advantage right now. The defense has to show their hand a little bit."
Two traits stood out to Dilfer when he studied great offenses over the past decade. Most had outstanding lines. Most also forced defenses to defend the field from sideline to sideline, not just vertically. Arizona lacks the great line, but few teams can stretch defenses as well horizontally.
The combination should give teams problems until opponents take a harder look at solving Arizona come playoff time.
"Inevitably it's going to come down to, you have to block people," Dilfer said. "Kurt can't continue to get rid of the ball [as a substitute for pass protection].
"I don't think at this point in the season teams will devote enough time and energy to the game plan to stop it. The Giants will have a great plan, but it's a different thing in the playoffs. Kurt is being careful with the ball."
2. A case against the Cardinals.
Ribary sees an Arizona team that has beaten up on a weak division while needing two special-teams touchdowns to defeat the Cowboys when Dallas was beginning to slide.
He doesn't buy the idea that Tim Hightower's emergence at running back will give the Cardinals a legitimate ground game against good teams.
"They don't move anybody off the ball," Ribary said. "They are always tricking people. It's a delay or a draw or a misdirection or a toss. It's something to catch them off-guard. It's not imposing our will and making you curl up in a ball. They are not that at all.
"Seattle is not even stout up front and they could at least hold their own against them. I'm watching and saying they have three receivers and a good quarterback. Outside that, I'm not sure what they have besides a creative coordinator on defense. They don't scare you."
Ribary thinks young running backs make Arizona vulnerable in pass protection against a coordinator as skilled as the Giants' Steve Spagnuolo.
"People are trying to make it sound like the Cardinals have found the answers," Ribary said, "but you can see the confusion they have with stunts and then the running backs. Spagnuolo will have a field day with those guys.
"I would overload [Hightower's] side and even bring weak-side stuff to make him cross Warner's face. Seattle did it and they didn't have a full arsenal and they confused him. You could see him blowing assignments and releasing into routes [at the wrong time]. Spagnuolo will see that and start salivating."
3. What the Giants do better than anyone.
Dilfer: "They are very good in the interior [offensive] line, but where the Giants kill you is on the edges. They crush people in the C gaps. I have never seen a team run better off tackle. Kevin Boss has been a huge addition. Their guards are incredible on the tight pulls. They punish you when they do it."
4. Why Arizona might win anyway.
Dilfer: "The Giants' argument is to keep the Cardinals' offense off the field. That is hard to do on the road. The Giants ran the ball against the Browns but made some mistakes. It only takes one Eli Manning interception, one fumble and one big penalty during the course of the game. All Arizona has to do is capitalize on those and continue to play the way they are playing offensively. Suddenly it's 31-20."
5. Which Arizona players are in for long days?
Kidd: "To me, [Cardinals linebacker] Gerald Hayes has to be a guy that has to concern you because he has to play well and above his capabilities. He is a good player, but that is a position that can be kind of rough depending on how that [Giants] line can create the movement to create those inside seams. What Arizona has to do is attack them and get guys going up the field and bring Karlos Dansby and bring Hayes to get the bubble to go back where the line of scrimmage is on the negative side. If the running game is going, I don't want to be Hayes."
Ribary: "I wouldn't want to be [defensive tackle] Darnell Dockett because you know you are just going to get pounded on. Chris Snee and those guys are going to come off and double-team you and stay on you and then with the chip blocking they'll do when you try to get to the quarterback, it's not going to be a fun day for him."
More Ribary: "I wouldn't want to be [cornerback] Rod Hood out there trying to play with some [injured] ribs going against Plaxico Burress. I wouldn't' want to be [right tackle] Levi Brown with Justin Tuck lining up against you. [Brown] is a lazy-footwork guy and Tuck's work ethic is just going to wear him down."
6. Which Giants players will have it rough?
Kidd: "I don't want to be one of those corners going against Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. If I'm one of those corners, I'm trying to put as much extra cash in my defensive linemen's back pocket to get upfield and get pressure. 'Please help me.' Because Warner is playing at a level where he is not only getting it out of his hand quickly, but he has that uncanny accuracy.
"The speed of the game is so fast and your ability to process has to be so much quicker, the ball has to be going to an area before the receiver gets his head around. That is what makes Drew Brees so special and Tom Brady so special. And Warner is doing that. You look at things to try to get him off-kilter. You have to attack the interior part of the pocket, but it's so quick out of his hand that it's not even funny."
7. How far can the Cardinals go this season?
Kidd: "This year is so crazy. At one time I thought there would be three teams out of the NFC East, but now I'm not so sure. The Eagles and Redskins are probably going to fade. The Redskins could lose to the Seahawks this weekend. If the Cardinals can beat the Giants and get the Eagles on Thursday night, they could be in the hunt to play at home [throughout] the playoffs. I don't think that will happen. They could be the No. 2 or No. 3 seed. They can win a playoff game at home."
Ribary: "This is a game where Arizona finds out where they stand in the scheme of things. They've been beating the Rams and the Seahawks and the 49ers. They went out and played a decent game against Carolina. Carolina didn't play great by any means and still pulled it off. I don't think the Cardinals are with the elite teams yet. ... I think Atlanta and Tampa Bay would go in there and whip up on them."
8. A word on the Cardinals' defense.
Dilfer: "Defensively, [coordinator] Clancy Pendergast was one of the real creative guys. They are so simple now. There are a lot of yards to have out there against them, but they don't give up a lot of touchdowns. Antrel Rolle is settling in at safety. The rookie corner [Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie] is coming on. Dockett can get to you."
9. What if Giants RB Brandon Jacobs doesn't play?
Ribary: "I think it means the same formula, only Derrick Ward is doing what Jacobs would do. They may not come out and just run 12 of the first 18 plays like they have been, but enough so that Arizona cheats up and then they can start picking at them on the back end off play action."
Great breakdown for die hards like all of us. Two things I take away;
1) With the comments about young running backs I think edge is going to get more reps this week for Pass Pro purposes. In fact he will get his most time since he was dropped down the depth chart IMO
2) This Ribary guy is obviously a hater. I respect almost all of his "X and O" points but his 'opinions' are insane. If he thinks "ATL and TB would come in here (U OF P) and beat them down" he hasn't been watching enough. He also really knocks our wins as we played against the "NFC West and beat the Cowboys on their slide with two ST touchdowns". Umm did he watch that game? We DOMINATED them and if not for mental miscues we have seen to clean up since Carolina it wouldn't have even been a game. And wouldnt you say we STARTED that slide in knocking Romo out? I would think so.
I guess its all perspective.
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