Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
1. I am still completely befuddled as to why the Cardinals inactivated FS Rashad Johnson for the Packer game. First of all, Johnson's play was one of the very few bright spots of the previous week's debacle. He was in good position almost every play, and his tackles were crisp. I only saw him miss one in the game. To then put Ralph Brown in Johnson's spot in the nickel was even more mind-boggling. Brown and a clearly injured Antrel Rolle were non-factors in the game...and quite frankly were liabilities. Which leads me to another befuddling aspect of the decision to do without Johnson...Rolle was hurt...if he went out, what, Brown is the FS? Not only doesn Brown have zero experience at the position and was bound to struggle in coverage (lack of range to boot) he is one of the worst tacklers on the team.
The DB techniques employed in this game were atrocious. Like asking Michael Adams to press Donald Driver...let alone to ask him to cover Driver, without stressing to Adams that the only way he could neutralize Driver would be to use his quick feet, gain inside leverage and shadow him.
As for those of you who want to quit on Adams, don't be so fast. This was his very first taste of playing nickel in a playoff game (again, why oh why Ralph Brown was not used in that familiar role for him?). If and when Adams is properly coached, he will be a good one in that role.
The matchups? Just as mind-boggling. It was clear that the top two threats by far on the field that day were Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley...and yet, why wasn't DRC locked onto Jennings and Adrian Wilson locked onto Finley?
How about Bryant McFadden's play in this game and really throughout this season? He's just not athletic enough to play the position (when it involves man coverage) well enough, for starters. And, even worse, how many plays does he just simply quit on? Like the forever and a day lob pass Rodgers threw to Jennings that McFadden inexplicably got cement shoes on and let the pass over his head. And this guy was supposed to be a good hard tackler? Anyone see this in his game? Looks like a whiffer out there, far more often than not.
Then, as an entire secondary the pursuit angles to the ball once it was thrown were either non-existant or so far off that it made you wonder if these guys had ever been coached. Same as the last drive in the Super Bowl. Same as during the 99 yard Titans' winning TD. Brutal, and quite frankly, inexcusable for a professional team.
Even the blitz pursuit angles were awful...like Adams leaping over Rodgers when he had a perfectly clean hit on him...like Wilson running on a straight line at Rodgers in the 4th quarter, which Grandma Moses could have easily moved her walker to the right of and been in the clear.
The way this secondary played it deserved to lose. Top think that on first down of the OT, Jennings was still not being covered by DRC---which should have been a given...and had it not been for one of the unsung players (I will get to in a minute) forcing Rodgers to his left on the play, we would be sitting here in total despair perusing the FA CB lists.
2. Unsung Players:
1. LB Clark Haggans: he was the one who pressure Rodgers on the first and ten miss to Jennings. Credit our current joy to him. And he was the one who got to Rodgers on the first play interception. Haggans has been a top notch player for us this year and deserves plenty o' props.
2. TE Ben Patrick: what a good game from him. His catches and RACs were huge.
3. RB/ST LaRon Stephens-Howling. Man, this kid is playing his heart out and playing high quality football making repeated stops on STs and nifty plays on offense. How about the way he battled for the TD on the first drive? Yup, the size of the fight in the dog!
4. DE Bertrand Berry. His two sacks were huge...and if he can get the late sacks, like he hasn't done---check the Super Bowl---and this week, the Cardinals could close out these games. But, he seems to fade big-time. However, his two sacks were one of the main reasons why the defense held the Packers to 10 first half points, which, as it turns out was huge.
5. The entire o-line...who deserve an MVP share with Warner. These guys DOMINATED! And props to Jeremy bridges for pouncing on Warner's fumble...which the Cards compensated for by still scoring on the drive. That was a huge play!
3. The Game. Anyone feel this game was remarkably reminiscent to the Cowboys' game at home last year, where the Cardinals were in total command of the game up 21 points in the 4th quarter and gave up 21 points so alarmingly fast you could have gone for nachos and pee feeling safe and secure and come back mere minutes later with to realize the game is in total jeopary...the Cowboys converted an on-side kick in that game, and game was decided on a Okeafor sack and the punt block by Morey and recovery by Beisel in the end zone.
In a way, despite Rackers' ill-timed and regretful miss on a chip shot FG, it may be just what this humiliated defense needed was to win the game themselves, when that would have appeared impossible the way they were laying down in the second half.
4. As for Matt Leinart to Seattle, the things that makes this scenario intriguing:
1. If Warner returns, Leinart's cap hit nexy year is $6M...and is $14M in 2011. That's $20M over the next two years for a player who quite frankly has done almost nothing to warrant that type of salary.
2. The thing is, if the Cardinals can get a 1st (Seattle has two 1sts) or a 2nd for Leinart...it may be wise to take that deal because with $14M staring the club in the face in 2011, the team may have to release him anyway...and in that case they get nothing.
3. As for trading him to a division rival...hey, the Cardinals already know he's easy to rattle and he's not mobile. Sure, Pete Carroll may help psyche Leinart back up, but, playing NFL teams is a little more difficult than playing Washington St....not to dis on WSU.
The DB techniques employed in this game were atrocious. Like asking Michael Adams to press Donald Driver...let alone to ask him to cover Driver, without stressing to Adams that the only way he could neutralize Driver would be to use his quick feet, gain inside leverage and shadow him.
As for those of you who want to quit on Adams, don't be so fast. This was his very first taste of playing nickel in a playoff game (again, why oh why Ralph Brown was not used in that familiar role for him?). If and when Adams is properly coached, he will be a good one in that role.
The matchups? Just as mind-boggling. It was clear that the top two threats by far on the field that day were Greg Jennings and Jermichael Finley...and yet, why wasn't DRC locked onto Jennings and Adrian Wilson locked onto Finley?
How about Bryant McFadden's play in this game and really throughout this season? He's just not athletic enough to play the position (when it involves man coverage) well enough, for starters. And, even worse, how many plays does he just simply quit on? Like the forever and a day lob pass Rodgers threw to Jennings that McFadden inexplicably got cement shoes on and let the pass over his head. And this guy was supposed to be a good hard tackler? Anyone see this in his game? Looks like a whiffer out there, far more often than not.
Then, as an entire secondary the pursuit angles to the ball once it was thrown were either non-existant or so far off that it made you wonder if these guys had ever been coached. Same as the last drive in the Super Bowl. Same as during the 99 yard Titans' winning TD. Brutal, and quite frankly, inexcusable for a professional team.
Even the blitz pursuit angles were awful...like Adams leaping over Rodgers when he had a perfectly clean hit on him...like Wilson running on a straight line at Rodgers in the 4th quarter, which Grandma Moses could have easily moved her walker to the right of and been in the clear.
The way this secondary played it deserved to lose. Top think that on first down of the OT, Jennings was still not being covered by DRC---which should have been a given...and had it not been for one of the unsung players (I will get to in a minute) forcing Rodgers to his left on the play, we would be sitting here in total despair perusing the FA CB lists.
2. Unsung Players:
1. LB Clark Haggans: he was the one who pressure Rodgers on the first and ten miss to Jennings. Credit our current joy to him. And he was the one who got to Rodgers on the first play interception. Haggans has been a top notch player for us this year and deserves plenty o' props.
2. TE Ben Patrick: what a good game from him. His catches and RACs were huge.
3. RB/ST LaRon Stephens-Howling. Man, this kid is playing his heart out and playing high quality football making repeated stops on STs and nifty plays on offense. How about the way he battled for the TD on the first drive? Yup, the size of the fight in the dog!
4. DE Bertrand Berry. His two sacks were huge...and if he can get the late sacks, like he hasn't done---check the Super Bowl---and this week, the Cardinals could close out these games. But, he seems to fade big-time. However, his two sacks were one of the main reasons why the defense held the Packers to 10 first half points, which, as it turns out was huge.
5. The entire o-line...who deserve an MVP share with Warner. These guys DOMINATED! And props to Jeremy bridges for pouncing on Warner's fumble...which the Cards compensated for by still scoring on the drive. That was a huge play!
3. The Game. Anyone feel this game was remarkably reminiscent to the Cowboys' game at home last year, where the Cardinals were in total command of the game up 21 points in the 4th quarter and gave up 21 points so alarmingly fast you could have gone for nachos and pee feeling safe and secure and come back mere minutes later with to realize the game is in total jeopary...the Cowboys converted an on-side kick in that game, and game was decided on a Okeafor sack and the punt block by Morey and recovery by Beisel in the end zone.
In a way, despite Rackers' ill-timed and regretful miss on a chip shot FG, it may be just what this humiliated defense needed was to win the game themselves, when that would have appeared impossible the way they were laying down in the second half.
4. As for Matt Leinart to Seattle, the things that makes this scenario intriguing:
1. If Warner returns, Leinart's cap hit nexy year is $6M...and is $14M in 2011. That's $20M over the next two years for a player who quite frankly has done almost nothing to warrant that type of salary.
2. The thing is, if the Cardinals can get a 1st (Seattle has two 1sts) or a 2nd for Leinart...it may be wise to take that deal because with $14M staring the club in the face in 2011, the team may have to release him anyway...and in that case they get nothing.
3. As for trading him to a division rival...hey, the Cardinals already know he's easy to rattle and he's not mobile. Sure, Pete Carroll may help psyche Leinart back up, but, playing NFL teams is a little more difficult than playing Washington St....not to dis on WSU.
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