Major concerns with Seattle game

[MadCardDisease]

The more I think about this game the more I don't like our chances in Seattle.

Seattle's offense didn't look that great against the Lions. Shaun Rogers was able to get great penetration against the Seattle O-Line. The Lions also were very aggressive and Blitzed Hasselbeck with success. Hence Hasselbeck was never able to get comfortable in the pocket. Also the Lions controlled the line of scrimmage which lead to Alexander only getting about 50 yards on the ground and no TDs.

I don't see the Cardinals having that same success. We don't have a Shaun Rogers that can collapse the pocket like him. The 49ers controlled the LOS against us and they had great success running the ball. Plus we gave Alex Smith way to much time to find the open WR. If we give Hasselbeck the same amount of time he will find an open WR, if they can hang onto the ball is another question.

Putting pressure on Hasselbeck all comes down to, did the Cardinals hold back their playbook on Defense? I sure hope they did because they will need to get pressure on Hasselbeck with the Blitz. I just don't think our front four will be able to get it done by themselves. This is where missing Dansby hurts so much.

As for stopping the Run, I think the Cardinals are in for a long day. The Cardinals have done nothing to show that we can stop the run whether it was in the preseason or against the 49ers. Look for Alexander to easily eclipse the 100 yard mark this week. If I were Seattle I wouldn't even throw the ball once till the Cardinals prove the can stop the run.

The Cardinals offense against the Seahawks D is less predictable. We have the potential to have success however I think that Seattle will continue to expose or weaknesses on the O-Line. Seattle had Kitna on his back the entire game last week. Look for Peterson to have a huge game against the Cardinals especially on the Blitz.

I think that Seattle will not respect our running game and will bring pressure to try and get into Warner's head. The book on Warner is if you can knock him around you will take him out of his game. This may be the game that Leinart gets his first live action if Warner takes as many hits as Kitna did.

Every time I've looked at the schedule I've marked this game up as a loss. I've seen nothing so far to change my mind on that result.

My prediction is that the Seahawks win big.

Seattle 32 Cards 16

 

[abomb]

Alexander is averaging 150+ and 3 TDs in his last 3 games against us.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Funny... I posted essentially the same thing over at the Cards board...

Objectively speaking, I don't see Edge going for 70-plus yards and I don't see him getting 25-plus carries. We will be coming from behind and so the running game will all but be abandoned...
Kurt is going to have to have a career year in order to keep this thing even relatively close... Which sucks as truly, the only way to win on the road is by running the ball, and stopping the run - both of which we can't do.
If our defense can come with with scores off of turnovers, that could provide an X-factor that might turn momentum. But as usual, I fear we will be forced to rely upon our defense to bring us points, and an aging QB who will need to play like superman...
So, if our defense does not score, and if Warner is rendered ineffective or otherwise does not have a career game, we will lose and lose big. I can easily see this being a 3-4 TD loss...

Go Kurt! Go Defense!!

 

[JeffGollin]

Alexander is averaging 150+ and 3 TDs in his last 3 games against us.
Which means he can "bring it" when our MLB is smart but less physical (Darling), our LB's are decimated and Russell Davis is out, Clancy, Watson, Lewis aren't on the squad (and Dockett who was injured a lot last year may not have been on the field). And oh yeah, our most physical corner (Rolle) is on the IR.

Question is: Will he enjoy the same kind of success, running against a defense that now has Pace on the strong side, Clancy and probably Watson inside, a healthy Dockett, an improved Langston Moore, Hayes running down hill in the middle and Rolle at one of the CB's?

None of this isn't a guarantee that Alexander won't gash us again, but he'll be playing against a defense that - at least on paper - figures to be better than in the previous 3 Seahawk games.

 

[Duckjake]

We will be coming from behind and so the running game will all but be abandoned...

Remember that last year in Seattle the score was 10-6 when Warner got hurt. Rackers kicked a FG on the next play sending the Cards into halftime down only 10-9.

Then they came out and killed us in the 2nd half.

 

[az1965]

Question is: Will he enjoy the same kind of success, running against a defense that now has Pace on the strong side, Clancy and probably Watson inside, a healthy Dockett, an improved Langston Moore, Hayes running down hill in the middle and Rolle at one of the CB's?

Question is: What makes us believe that it will make a difference against Seattle when it did not against 49ers? Alexander is much better RB than Gore, their OL is much better than 49ers.

 

[82CardsGrad]

Remember that last year in Seattle the score was 10-6 when Warner got hurt. Rackers kicked a FG on the next play sending the Cards into halftime down only 10-9.

Then they came out and killed us in the 2nd half.

I didn't predict the halftime score... The only thng that matters is the score when the clock reads 00:00 after the 4th quarter... Seattle trounded us last year, and I see very little reason to suggest they won't do it again...
Hope I'm wrong!

 

[lobo]

Remember that last year in Seattle the score was 10-6 when Warner got hurt. Rackers kicked a FG on the next play sending the Cards into halftime down only 10-9.

Then they came out and killed us in the 2nd half.

thanks ---a pleasant-sobering reminder...yeah we played them very tough last year...

one game does not make a season...16 teams are going to lose over the weekend and guess what...i will bet that some of them are going to be in the playoff hunt...so let's not be defeatest and lets not throw everyone under the bus just yet!!!

 

[jefftheshark]

While I agree with your basic premise that the Cards will probably not win this game, I am not sure I agree with how you got there.

1) The loss of Hutchinson might have made Shaun Rogers appear better than he actually is. They may be far more vulnerable to run blitzing than they were before.

2) Alex Smith wasn't beating us downfield (except for the TD that was called back), it was the drop offs to Gore & Davis that hurt.

3) We can take Alexander off the table if we win the time of possession battle by controlling the ball on offense and scoring TD's instead of FG's. Here is where having James really helps. If we avoid a lot of 3 and out's and make them play catch-up, Alexander can get 100+ yards and we still might win.

4) Boldin, James & Pope getting the same drop off passes that Gore & Davis were getting against us could quickly make them re-think the blitz.

This will be a tough game and one that, on paper, we should not win. But I have a feeling that we will keep it close, and in close games anything can happen.

The Shark

 

[MadCardDisease]

Alexander is averaging 150+ and 3 TDs in his last 3 games against us.
Which means he can "bring it" when our MLB is smart but less physical (Darling), our LB's are decimated and Russell Davis is out, Clancy, Watson, Lewis aren't on the squad (and Dockett who was injured a lot last year may not have been on the field). And oh yeah, our most physical corner (Rolle) is on the IR.

Question is: Will he enjoy the same kind of success, running against a defense that now has Pace on the strong side, Clancy and probably Watson inside, a healthy Dockett, an improved Langston Moore, Hayes running down hill in the middle and Rolle at one of the CB's?

None of this isn't a guarantee that Alexander won't gash us again, but he'll be playing against a defense that - at least on paper - figures to be better than in the previous 3 Seahawk games.

Like I said, the 49ers were able to control the LOS against the Cardinals. I think that would suggest that the Seahawks will be able to do the same. I've seen nothing so far from our starting DL that suggest we can stop the run or put consistant pressure on the QB.

Harry mentioned that we held back the playbook against the 49ers. That is my only hope at this point because if we play like we did against the niners the Seahawks are going to kill us.

 

[imaCafan]

Like I said, the 49ers were able to control the LOS against the Cardinals. I think that would suggest that the Seahawks will be able to do the same. I've seen nothing so far from our starting DL that suggest we can stop the run or put consistant pressure on the QB.

Harry mentioned that we held back the playbook against the 49ers. That is my only hope at this point because if we play like we did against the niners the Seahawks are going to kill us.

What if the Seahawks play against us like they played against Detroit? Just asking, didn't get to see either game.....

 

[MadCardDisease]

While I agree with your basic premise that the Cards will probably not win this game, I am not sure I agree with how you got there.

1) The loss of Hutchinson might have made Shaun Rogers appear better than he actually is. They may be far more vulnerable to run blitzing than they were before.

I agree but when you look back at the 49er game, the niners lost their starting left side of the OL and they still had success against us. Our only hope is that one of our DT can exploit the loss of Hutch and school Porkchop. Watching our defense so far suggests otherwise.

2) Alex Smith wasn't beating us downfield (except for the TD that was called back), it was the drop offs to Gore & Davis that hurt.

I think this is where not having Dansby hurts. Pace was caught out of position a few times which ended up giving up a few big gainers. Fortunately Seattle doesn't have a great TE so that does go in our favor.

3) We can take Alexander off the table if we win the time of possession battle by controlling the ball on offense and scoring TD's instead of FG's. Here is where having James really helps. If we avoid a lot of 3 and out's and make them play catch-up, Alexander can get 100+ yards and we still might win.

I don't think we will have success running the ball so I doubt we will be able to controll the clock. My money is on the Seahawks controlling the clock and keeping the Cardinals offense off the field. This is bad news for our defense which will be on the field for way to long and it will show in the second half.

4) Boldin, James & Pope getting the same drop off passes that Gore & Davis were getting against us could quickly make them re-think the blitz.

I agree, Warner needs to quickly dump off the ball if he feels the pressure. This could result in some good plays and help keep the Seahawks defense honest.

 

[MadCardDisease]

What if the Seahawks play against us like they played against Detroit? Just asking, didn't get to see either game.....

The Seahawk defense looked really solid. If they play like they did in Detroit then I think they put the Brakes on the Cardinal offense. Speaking of breaks they might actually break Warner if he is on his back as much as Kitna was.

I just don't think the Cardinals Defensive Line gets the same push that the Lions got. If for some reason we can stop Alexander and knock around Hasselbeck then yes I think we can have the same success as the Lions had. However that is a lot of IFs.

 

[conraddobler]

The NFL changes a ton from year to year.

Hutchinson is a huge loss for them, HUGE!

See the Chiefs with Willie Roaf and without him.

They are still a better team than us, mainly because they are more experienced, they are not more talented than us.

The reason we will lose is mainly due to leadership and coaching and the fact we will be on the road.

We have more than enough firepower to beat them but the team has to believe that, and has to execute on the road with very little room for error.

 

[Duckjake]

I didn't predict the halftime score... The only thng that matters is the score when the clock reads 00:00 after the 4th quarter... Seattle trounded us last year, and I see very little reason to suggest they won't do it again...
Hope I'm wrong!

 

[Faithful]

I'm a little nervous about this Sunday because I am not satisfied with how our defense played last week either. But remember boys, on any given Sunday......


GO CARDINALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[MadCardDisease]

1) The loss of Hutchinson might have made Shaun Rogers appear better than he actually is. They may be far more vulnerable to run blitzing than they were before.

Thinking about this some more, this is the one spot the Cardinals need to exploit. Clearly the middle of the Seattle O-Line is their weakness. Especially now that Hutch is gone. The Cardinals need to test them with stunts and the Blitz. Something we didn't see against the 49ers.

I'd like to see Langston Moore in there more often because he seems to have the most sucess at stopping the run. Hopefully Gabe Watson is active this game as well. I'd be all for having a 5 man line with Moore, Watson and Clancy in the middle. Then Berry, Okeafor, and Smith rotating in on the bookends. We need to controll the LOS like Detroit did and make Seattle beat us with the pass. I think we will need 5 DLinemen to do that though.

If Dansby looks like he is back to full speed that adds another dimension to our defense. IMO, not having Dansby at LB for the Cardinals is like Carolina not having Steve Smith on offense. They just are not the same units without these guys. NOTE I'm in no way saying that Dansby is as good as Steve Smith, just that each unit seems to play differently when these guys are out.

Our top priority needs to be stopping Alexander and keeping or defense off the field! If we can do that then I like our chances much better.

 

[jefftheshark]

I hope we approach this game like we did against Atlanta, where we employed a 5 man front. IIRC we took away the middle of the field and dared them to beat us through the air.

The longer I see Dockett on the sidelines the better, as Clancy and Moore are more likely to hold their ground and less inclined to be mis-directed.

The Shark

 

[mesacardsfan]

I am sorry but think most of you are judging this D by the first game. We play a very very vanilla defense against the niners it is by FAR less that what our D is capable of, you will see a much different look this weekend and many many more blitzes. I counted I think about 2 or 3 blitzes the entire niner game, which was a mistake but hey we still won. Seattle is NOT going to roll us this will be a close game and we have a very good chance of winning.

 

[joko4]

On the other hand,Seahawks Def. Coordinator better get his plan right, because if he does'nt the Cards will score at will. In other words they definitly have there work cut out for them also. This game will be tighter than most of you think. I do know if we can win, but the Cards will be in the whole game. Hey, and that's what counts for me.

 

[MadCardDisease]

On the other hand,Seahawks Def. Coordinator better get his plan right, because if he does'nt the Cards will score at will.

The Cards didn't exactly score at will against the 49ers in the second half. This was against a defense that only recently had to chage from a 3-4 to a 4-3 because of injuries.

If the Cardinals can keep the Seachickens off of Warner then yes I like our chances. However if they knock Warner around like they did to Kitna, then that is when Warners starts making bad decisions and coughs up the ball or makes stupid INTs.

 

[Duckjake]

The Cards didn't exactly score at will against the 49ers in the second half. This was against a defense that only recently had to chage from a 3-4 to a 4-3 because of injuries.

But in the 2nd half they did go 86 yards in 10 plays to answer the 49ers TD after Warners fumble. They also had a 13 play 68 yard drive leading to a Rackers FG.

 

[MigratingOsprey]

my preliminary look is that this game could break either way - i think seattle has the better team, but there are some interesting matchups

seattle's run D is very good - this was overlooked last year, but they kept teams out of the endzone and really limited what could be done on the ground

their passing D is a concern though and is prone to giving up the big play

with that said, they were near the top of the league in sacks and added peterson to provide even more pressure

so seattle needs to negate the poor matchup in the secondary, by taking advantage of their potential mismatch at the line and knock around warner - for most of his career if you knock him around he won't be as effective - his whole demeanor changes

on the other side of the ball I think seattle has the talent to outmatch the cards - however, the OL was nicked up a lot during preseason and didn't really look cohesive

seattle's offense relies on balance and consistency - if the cards can break the rhythmm and consistency of the offense by scheme it could get very interesting

overall I give seattle the edge by being at home and I think they'll be able to do a little bit more on offense

 

[Redsz]

Watching our defense so far suggests otherwise.

So far? As in one game? Win or lose - one game does not make a season. It's pretty hard to make assumptions about a team based off one game. That's a pretty small sample to use IMO.

We have seen this D use all types of methods to get pressure over the last two years. I find it very hard to believe that we simply can't do it now based off one game.

I don't think we will have success running the ball so I doubt we will be able to controll the clock. My money is on the Seahawks controlling the clock and keeping the Cardinals offense off the field. This is bad news for our defense which will be on the field for way to long and it will show in the second half.

Edge had 2.8 YPC and yet we dominated the TOP 35:02 to 24:58 (granted that YPC is deceptive because we were running the ball better in the 2nd half). Additionally, with no running game last year we ranked 7th in the NFL in TOP with 31:20.

They aren't going to keep us off the field - we are going to get our shots here.

 

[MadCardDisease]

So far? As in one game? Win or lose - one game does not make a season. It's pretty hard to make assumptions about a team based off one game. That's a pretty small sample to use IMO.

We have seen this D use all types of methods to get pressure over the last two years. I find it very hard to believe that we simply can't do it now based off one game.

I was also basing it off of preseason and the prior year. What has changed on this defense since last year? We still cannot control the Line of scrimage or stop the run. I don't see enough change to indicate anything will be different. I think our weakness start right in the middle with our DTs.