Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
I never really minded when people got mad at me if I predicted losing seasons. No one likes to lose. In fact, of all the people about whom that is true, Dennis Green probably tops the list. Yet here the Cards stand, 0-3 and the fans are already rising up in anger and Green is clearly frustrated.
I can’t say I’m surprised by the result. I said 1-4 was the likely status going into the open week. What I am surprised about is the angry response the Cards’ fans have shown towards these losses. It looks like the local media is joining in as well. I am reminded of what Steve Martin used to say, “Well excuuuuse me!” Apparently I was the only one not expecting the Cards to march straight to the Super Bowl.
As I have seen the first three games go by I have watched the Cards lose three close games. If I recall last season correctly, you could have turned any of the road games off by the end of the first quarter. They had clearly ceased to be entertaining. Anyone turn off any of this year’s road games? Lest we forget, the Rams game was the first game for a new offensive line, a new offensive co-coordinator and a new head coach. It was the quarterback’s fourth NFL start if I am counting correctly. A loss was not surprising. In week two, the Cards lost to a team that has won seemingly every game they have played this century. Then the Cards got to travel to Atlanta and play another undefeated team headed by the most dangerous offensive player in the game. “Piece of cake, right?”
Could we for once try to “get real.” The team lost its top receiver, top running back, starting safety, and several others, so most teams would have struggled (see Cleveland). I, for one, am happy to be in a position to win games near their end of those games. Most teams have to learn to take that last step and it usually takes some time. How are those miracle Bengals doing this season? If doing what the Pats did is so easy, why hasn’t everyone else done it? Most last to first scenarios are a fluke. The Cards have gone for non-competitive to competitive and I find that a reasonable advance.
As for Green, I tried to warn he had underestimated the problem. Expect him to be more frustrated until Boldin gets up to speed. That won’t happen in Boldin’s first game back, but it will happen.
McCown has played well for the most part. Would I have pulled him from the last game? No, I would not have. However, if that breaks his spirit, he wasn’t the right guy in the first place. Green was making the same point he made to Culpepper and I’ll take a QB like him any day.
Despite getting beaten here and there, I like Davis at left tackle. He made an awesome play in the last game where he knocked his rusher out of the play, slid to his right and took out another guy. Sadly, by then the entire right side of the line had collapsed and McCown was running for his life.
Wells has been decent and Stepanovich looks like a player who could develop. Clement and Spikes have been terrible. Jones has not risen to Green’s challenge. Instead of being a key target, he has mostly been a 5 yard receiver. As for blocking, I don’t expect him to cleanly handle every defensive end, but it would be nice if he could slow them down a little. He should have a couple of them on his TV spot. That way he would get close enough to them to see what they looked like, as he seems to have trouble recognizing them in a game. Twice in the Atlanta game it looked like he didn’t even touch the guy he was assigned to block.
Fitzgerald has been solid, but he has also been blanketed in all three games. Smith has been better than I expected, but no one could run consistently behind this line. Williams actually looked like a receiver in the last game. I’d still rather see Poole, but his injury may be limiting playing time.
As a whole the defense is playing well, though it’s easy to see why Ohalete was available. I am especially pleased with Macklin who seems to be the real deal. They need to keep the top 3 corners healthy, as Tate would appear to have little left in the tank. I have no idea how Stone is still on an NFL roster. However, beware of getting too confident. They will get blown out one day when the turnovers don’t go their way. They still lack line talent.
Finally, I think Green has done as good a job as I had hoped he would do. The playoffs were always a fantasy, but a team should aim high. He has never had so little with which to work and he’s frustrated. However, I rather be frustrated and in the games, than frustrate and having the team quit on the coach, like it did last year. Give him time and Green will get the job done. I am astonished Green is taking so much heat.
As for this week’s game, I picked the Cards, but they will have to play their best game of the year and they will have to have a running game. If they can stay close again, it’s about their turn to have on fall into the win column.
I can’t say I’m surprised by the result. I said 1-4 was the likely status going into the open week. What I am surprised about is the angry response the Cards’ fans have shown towards these losses. It looks like the local media is joining in as well. I am reminded of what Steve Martin used to say, “Well excuuuuse me!” Apparently I was the only one not expecting the Cards to march straight to the Super Bowl.
As I have seen the first three games go by I have watched the Cards lose three close games. If I recall last season correctly, you could have turned any of the road games off by the end of the first quarter. They had clearly ceased to be entertaining. Anyone turn off any of this year’s road games? Lest we forget, the Rams game was the first game for a new offensive line, a new offensive co-coordinator and a new head coach. It was the quarterback’s fourth NFL start if I am counting correctly. A loss was not surprising. In week two, the Cards lost to a team that has won seemingly every game they have played this century. Then the Cards got to travel to Atlanta and play another undefeated team headed by the most dangerous offensive player in the game. “Piece of cake, right?”
Could we for once try to “get real.” The team lost its top receiver, top running back, starting safety, and several others, so most teams would have struggled (see Cleveland). I, for one, am happy to be in a position to win games near their end of those games. Most teams have to learn to take that last step and it usually takes some time. How are those miracle Bengals doing this season? If doing what the Pats did is so easy, why hasn’t everyone else done it? Most last to first scenarios are a fluke. The Cards have gone for non-competitive to competitive and I find that a reasonable advance.
As for Green, I tried to warn he had underestimated the problem. Expect him to be more frustrated until Boldin gets up to speed. That won’t happen in Boldin’s first game back, but it will happen.
McCown has played well for the most part. Would I have pulled him from the last game? No, I would not have. However, if that breaks his spirit, he wasn’t the right guy in the first place. Green was making the same point he made to Culpepper and I’ll take a QB like him any day.
Despite getting beaten here and there, I like Davis at left tackle. He made an awesome play in the last game where he knocked his rusher out of the play, slid to his right and took out another guy. Sadly, by then the entire right side of the line had collapsed and McCown was running for his life.
Wells has been decent and Stepanovich looks like a player who could develop. Clement and Spikes have been terrible. Jones has not risen to Green’s challenge. Instead of being a key target, he has mostly been a 5 yard receiver. As for blocking, I don’t expect him to cleanly handle every defensive end, but it would be nice if he could slow them down a little. He should have a couple of them on his TV spot. That way he would get close enough to them to see what they looked like, as he seems to have trouble recognizing them in a game. Twice in the Atlanta game it looked like he didn’t even touch the guy he was assigned to block.
Fitzgerald has been solid, but he has also been blanketed in all three games. Smith has been better than I expected, but no one could run consistently behind this line. Williams actually looked like a receiver in the last game. I’d still rather see Poole, but his injury may be limiting playing time.
As a whole the defense is playing well, though it’s easy to see why Ohalete was available. I am especially pleased with Macklin who seems to be the real deal. They need to keep the top 3 corners healthy, as Tate would appear to have little left in the tank. I have no idea how Stone is still on an NFL roster. However, beware of getting too confident. They will get blown out one day when the turnovers don’t go their way. They still lack line talent.
Finally, I think Green has done as good a job as I had hoped he would do. The playoffs were always a fantasy, but a team should aim high. He has never had so little with which to work and he’s frustrated. However, I rather be frustrated and in the games, than frustrate and having the team quit on the coach, like it did last year. Give him time and Green will get the job done. I am astonished Green is taking so much heat.
As for this week’s game, I picked the Cards, but they will have to play their best game of the year and they will have to have a running game. If they can stay close again, it’s about their turn to have on fall into the win column.
I think some where looking for a miracle worker and since it has not happened so quickly they ready to abandon ship so they can be the first ones to say "I told you so".
