Cardinals unveil brand-new way to lose
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 25, 2006 12:00 AM
Say this much about the new Cardinals: They keep finding new ways to lose.
Other than that, not much has changed around here.
Incredibly, the honeymoon in Glendale is over. After a stunning 16-14 loss to the mediocre St. Louis Rams on Sunday, the Cardinals are 1-2 and engulfed in familiar chaos. By now, it should be obvious that new buildings alone won't bring championship banners.
Coupled with Arizona State's crushing loss at California on Saturday, the first weekend of fall turned into yet another precipitous fall for our football teams.
"I don't think I've been more disappointed since I've been here," Cardinals head coach Dennis Green said. "I'm convinced of it. I don't think I've been more angry since I've been here. And I've had some bad-ass days since I've been here, believe me. But none of them compare to today."
Alas, just when you thought this team had drained the well of unhappy endings, here we go again. This time, after a gift-wrapped turnover by the Rams granted the Cardinals an enormous reprieve late in the fourth quarter, the home team promptly threw away the opportunity for a relatively easy, game-winning field goal.
This time, the goat was quarterback Kurt Warner, who fumbled a clean snap from center Alex Stepanovich and handed the game back to the Rams, a team Warner once led to two Super Bowl appearances.
It was Warner's eighth fumble of the season and his second bad game in succession. He also had three passes intercepted by the Rams, two occurring near or in the opponent's end zone. It was so bad that the affable veteran was booed as he left the field, and in the coming days, there will be great public outcry for the Cardinals to start their prized rookie, Matt Leinart.
"I'm not Coach Green," Warner said. "I'll let Coach Green make that decision. Of course, I know what I would do, but that's not my decision to make."
The end of the game was also marred by delay and confusion. The Cardinals tried to use a little-known rule to attempt a very long field goal with no time left on the clock, only to have the whole thing negated by a penalty.
It was a fitting ending to a game they didn't deserve to win, and by then, the problems were only getting started.
After the game, new running back Edgerrin James blistered offensive coordinator Keith Rowen for poor play calling, claiming that he didn't get the ball enough in the second and third quarters.
James has yet to rush for more than 100 yards in any of the first three games and is befuddled by how often and how quickly the team abandons its running game.
"One day, my importance is going to be realized," James said. "I hope it's not too late."
Lost amid all the mistakes and the gut-wrenching conclusion is a much bigger problem. The Cardinals have played one good quarter of football all season, and that was the opening period against the San Francisco 49ers in the debut of Cardinals Stadium.
Since then, the offense has been dormant, the defense has been overly stressed and fans have begun to grumble. Over the past week, the Cardinals organization has been widely criticized for sitting on $10.7 million in unused salary cap money, especially after moving into a stadium largely funded with public dollars.
After this loss, much blame should fall on the Cardinals coaching staff. With an emphasis on keeping core players healthy, the team didn't work that hard in training camp. The lack of preparation is showing.
The Cardinals also have committed 27 penalties in three games, with many of them coming at the worst times. That's the hallmark of a highly undisciplined team. Finally, Green's sideline maneuvering has left much to be desired.
"We've got a million excuses," James said.
And now they've got an upcoming road game against the powerful Atlanta Falcons.
"If we don't get our minds right, they're going to put about 40 points on the board against us," Cardinals defensive lineman Darnell Dockett said.
Not exactly the sound of a playoff team in progress. Guess the new era will have to wait.
The Arizona Republic
Sept. 25, 2006 12:00 AM
Say this much about the new Cardinals: They keep finding new ways to lose.
Other than that, not much has changed around here.
Incredibly, the honeymoon in Glendale is over. After a stunning 16-14 loss to the mediocre St. Louis Rams on Sunday, the Cardinals are 1-2 and engulfed in familiar chaos. By now, it should be obvious that new buildings alone won't bring championship banners.
Coupled with Arizona State's crushing loss at California on Saturday, the first weekend of fall turned into yet another precipitous fall for our football teams.
"I don't think I've been more disappointed since I've been here," Cardinals head coach Dennis Green said. "I'm convinced of it. I don't think I've been more angry since I've been here. And I've had some bad-ass days since I've been here, believe me. But none of them compare to today."
Alas, just when you thought this team had drained the well of unhappy endings, here we go again. This time, after a gift-wrapped turnover by the Rams granted the Cardinals an enormous reprieve late in the fourth quarter, the home team promptly threw away the opportunity for a relatively easy, game-winning field goal.
This time, the goat was quarterback Kurt Warner, who fumbled a clean snap from center Alex Stepanovich and handed the game back to the Rams, a team Warner once led to two Super Bowl appearances.
It was Warner's eighth fumble of the season and his second bad game in succession. He also had three passes intercepted by the Rams, two occurring near or in the opponent's end zone. It was so bad that the affable veteran was booed as he left the field, and in the coming days, there will be great public outcry for the Cardinals to start their prized rookie, Matt Leinart.
"I'm not Coach Green," Warner said. "I'll let Coach Green make that decision. Of course, I know what I would do, but that's not my decision to make."
The end of the game was also marred by delay and confusion. The Cardinals tried to use a little-known rule to attempt a very long field goal with no time left on the clock, only to have the whole thing negated by a penalty.
It was a fitting ending to a game they didn't deserve to win, and by then, the problems were only getting started.
After the game, new running back Edgerrin James blistered offensive coordinator Keith Rowen for poor play calling, claiming that he didn't get the ball enough in the second and third quarters.
James has yet to rush for more than 100 yards in any of the first three games and is befuddled by how often and how quickly the team abandons its running game.
"One day, my importance is going to be realized," James said. "I hope it's not too late."
Lost amid all the mistakes and the gut-wrenching conclusion is a much bigger problem. The Cardinals have played one good quarter of football all season, and that was the opening period against the San Francisco 49ers in the debut of Cardinals Stadium.
Since then, the offense has been dormant, the defense has been overly stressed and fans have begun to grumble. Over the past week, the Cardinals organization has been widely criticized for sitting on $10.7 million in unused salary cap money, especially after moving into a stadium largely funded with public dollars.
After this loss, much blame should fall on the Cardinals coaching staff. With an emphasis on keeping core players healthy, the team didn't work that hard in training camp. The lack of preparation is showing.
The Cardinals also have committed 27 penalties in three games, with many of them coming at the worst times. That's the hallmark of a highly undisciplined team. Finally, Green's sideline maneuvering has left much to be desired.
"We've got a million excuses," James said.
And now they've got an upcoming road game against the powerful Atlanta Falcons.
"If we don't get our minds right, they're going to put about 40 points on the board against us," Cardinals defensive lineman Darnell Dockett said.
Not exactly the sound of a playoff team in progress. Guess the new era will have to wait.
