How would you attack the Cardinals offense?

[Goldfield]

Or should I say how will the other teams do it?

We have skilled players at WR, TE, were not to bad RB.

The one spot they will try to hurt us the most is by rushing McCown very hard to make hiim make mistakes & not let our WR's tear it up...



So after a look at it like that, maybe Starting Emmitt is alot smarter than we first thought...?

Shipp will still get a boatload of carries. Emmitt will help protect from early mistakes, from our new players in a new system.

I dont think Emmitt is better than Ship. But maybe we didnt get a fair enough look at him last year... Maybe Emmitt will be much more effective in Greens system with WR's that can open up the run alot more...

 

[Goldfield]

Hmmmmmm, I should of read every other thread b4 I posted this "original" idea!

 

[Chris_Sanders]

Cover 2.

Until our line shows it wants to pass block, there is no need to blitz. Play the cover 2 since supposedly our receivers "lack deep speed".

I am pretty sure this is what we will see to start.

 

[Ryanwb]

Rush through Anthony Clement and sack the QB...repeat

 

[so far away]

Cover 2, Blitz, Cover 2, Blitz, Cover 2, Blitz...

 

[40yearfan]

Cover 2.

Until our line shows it wants to pass block, there is no need to blitz. Play the cover 2 since supposedly our receivers "lack deep speed".

I am pretty sure this is what we will see to start.

I hope we start out the season with the other teams playing this defense against us. I think Boldin and Fitz will surprise a lot of people in their ability to get open. It all depends on Josh being able to follow both receivers and hit the open one. They won't be able to double cover both of them, so one should usually be able to break free. I'd have Johnson, McAddley, Kasper rotate in the 3rd spot and have them go long and hard on almost every snap. That along with Freddie Jones blocking and then hanging around in the middle should give McCown as many targets as he could possibly want.

 

[CaliCards]

Teams will go with the cover 2, Blitz defense.

But I think Boldin is going to get open because of better route running and the ocasional single coverage--suprise, TD.

 

[Russ Smith]

Or should I say how will the other teams do it?

We have skilled players at WR, TE, were not to bad RB.

The one spot they will try to hurt us the most is by rushing McCown very hard to make hiim make mistakes & not let our WR's tear it up...



.

I think I'd key on the line of scrimmage, stuff Emmitt, and then force Josh into passing downs and blitz the hell out of him. Same thing we saw with jake and same thing Blake saw last year. We have more talent at WR but only Quan has proven himself, and Josh is so unproven teams are going to probably try it.

So there's an argument for pass protection with Emmitt, but there's also the argument that Shipp was MUCH more effective running against 8 in the box last year than Emmitt was.

Hard to tell with stats because ESPN shows 4 on d line 5 on d line etc but not 8 in the box, 9 in the box etc, but from what I saw in games we could not run against 8 in the box with Emmitt, but had some games where we could(and to be fair some where we couldn't) with Shipp.

 

[JeffGollin]

Try stuff until something works.

Start out with blitzing and press coverage to force McCown into making decisions earlier than he wants and to disrupt the timing of the receivers. Keep doing this until we burn the "D" with hot reads and beat the defense long.

Then switch up and go into a read & react cover two defense - with a few delayed blitzes thrown in. Idea would be to force McCown to be patient while waiting for his receivers to get open - and then hope he'll wait too long and get nailed.

Then switch back and forth between the two schemes while being very careful to disguise coverages and present confusing looks.

Objective should be to make McCown prove he can beat you.

Note - I wouldn't worry about our running attack as a primary weapon except to contain it when misdirection or counters are called. It doesn't appear as though this team will be configured to play smashmouth.

 

[Pariah]

I'd call it fat and then kick it in the nads.

 

[Russ Smith]

Cover 2.

Until our line shows it wants to pass block, there is no need to blitz. Play the cover 2 since supposedly our receivers "lack deep speed".

I am pretty sure this is what we will see to start.

I think we'll see a lot of zone but I also expect teams to just refuse to let us run the ball and force us into passing situations.

3 wr in and of itself does not mean teams won't play 8 in the box against you, they did last year until we forced them out of it and that was with a veteran QB.

This year we have more experience at WR(Quan and Johnson a year in the NFL) and more talent(Fitz) but we have a very raw QB. If I were a DC I'd blitz and see if our QB and WR's are on the same page on hot reads.

Now i think we'll see some big plays as a result, but also some terrible plays for us.

But I don't expect teams to just come out in a nickel or dime package, and I don't think teams will be coming out daring us to run. I DO think teams will respect our WR's more this year but theyr'e going to be challenging Josh until he proves he can make the plays, here's hoping he does early and often.

 

[Gnomad]

BLIIIIIIIIITZ!

hey, if it works in Madden, it'll work against us, right?

Teams will force McCown to prove he can beat a team, and try to put as much load on him as possible. If anything, he's the weakest link to the offense, as he's ultimately quite unproven, and by getting to him, you remove our biggest weapon, the receiving corp.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

Rush through Anthony Clement and sack the QB...repeat

There you go.

Put your best pass rusher in Clement and your most powerful DT over Wells.

No run and no time to pass.

Peace

 

[nidan]

Of all the throws I've watched in practice this year, Josh looks real good under pressure.

To my uneducated eye Josh throws short/mid distance passes real good and he is mobile. Blitzes are the least of my worries.

 

[Mrospi]

8 guys in the box to stop the run....keep them there until the offense can prove they can beat that, I still have not seen enough to say we can....I hope with adding another WR we can avoid this situation...... it would be hard to single cover either Boldin or Fitz.....I would expect DG to be prepared for this situation......it's a matter of execution by the Receiving core & Josh...........if they perform consistently that will open up the running game for Emmitt & Shipp........

So, i would basically crowd the line and blitz the heck out of Josh until the Cards prove they can beat it....

 

[slanidrac16]

playing 8 men in the box against us would be

insane. teams have been able to stuff us with 7 men up for the last 4 years. I HOPE teams play 8 men in because Q and Fitz will take turns in single coverage. Eventually thats a match-up that will burn opposing teams.
I'd play cover 2 and make us prove that we can run the ball and make McCown make the proper reads. Of coarse I would show blitz very often to confuse Mccown as much as I could.

If our offense is successful against the above, we will have a very exciting season because it will open everything up.

 

[Snakester]

First, constant change of the defense is the norm. I think every NFL team knows DG is going to have a wide open offense. I would have my defense do two things a lot against the Cards.
1. Overload one side when rushing and force McCown to run out to the other side to throw limiting his vision and targets on the field and have my coverage heavy on that side of the field to make him run or try and force a throw.
2. Do a lot of blitzing, but try to keep at least five guys in coverage to stick to Boldin and company. A 4-2-5 defense would be ideal against a DG offense. A couple of pro-bowl cornerbacks wouldn't hurt either.

The best chance that I see is make the Cardinals play mistake free football with a young quarterback while keeping pressure on him. It's a new offense with new coaches and it will take time to jell. I would try to get the Cardinals playing catch up by getting a couple of scores early in the game. History would be on my side that a team with a brand new coaching staff and a young QB will make mistakes and that all I have to do is not let them get deep but make them have to work the field.

 

[Skkorpion]

Nonsense all the above. Attack the weakest link -- Leonard Davis at LT. By week 4, we'll be starting some waiver wire yahoo at QB.

 

[perivolaki]

Hope They Blitz

Seems to me Emmit used to be pretty good running the draw when he was at Dallas. If the line can learn how to direct those blitzers and create a lane for Emmit on those draws he could pick up some good yards.

No doubt with those three young receivers it can open up all kinds of other opportunities. With DG I feel we might have someone who knows how to take advantage of those opportunities.

 

[Snakester]

Nonsense all the above. Attack the weakest link -- Leonard Davis at LT. By week 4, we'll be starting some waiver wire yahoo at QB.

I think DG is just trying Big out at LT while Shelton is recovering from his injuries. As soon as LJ shows that he is in shape and recovered I'm sure he will get his job back.

 

[joeshmo]

1. Overload one side when rushing and force McCown to run out to the other side to throw limiting his vision and targets on the field and have my coverage heavy on that side of the field to make him run or try and force a throw.

I dont think this would work beucase you cant overload one side, cover Fitz, BJ, Boldin, Jones, Smith/Shipp all at the same time, it gives McCown a clear running lane on the opposite side of the overlaod. If a team does this McCown and his speed will run for 5-10 yards a pop every time.

 

[TRW]

First and second downs, stack against the run, 3rd down...blitz....

By week 3...Hello Mr. King....

 

[justAndy]

after all the years

of false hopes in Cardinal Land (that really OLD fun park, supposedly under renovation) I have visions of a disasterous early season.
Green can scheme, but are ALL of the players going to apply themselves 100%? Have they ever? CAN they?