New Way To Look at the Season?

[kerouac9]

Usually I can look at a team that isn't being successful on the field and say, "Well, I want to see how this is developing" to help me keep interest in the team.

I think that it's become nearly impossible to follow this Cardinals team through the W and L column. In the possible event that they made the playoffs, I don't think they'd stand much of a chance against a 10-win wild card team like the Giants--even at home (cue score from last year's game at the Old Meadowlands, I suppose)

That being said, when I went into this season, I expected mediocrity and rebuilding. I was interested in seeing if/how #7 developed into an NFL starter, and if we can finally establish a dominant ground game combined with an opportunistic defense. I wanted to see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from the late 90s (one of my favorite team eras). That's what I expected from Jump Street.

But now we're halfway through the season, and we're not winning games. We're not developing players (except for Rashard Johnson, Daryl Washington and Dan Williams), and some of our more promising players are actually regressing (we're looking at you, Calais Campbell).

The number one reason to watch this team right now is that we're never far from a LaRod Stephens-Howling kick return. What are you looking for when you watch games so that you're not devestated by the final scoreboard? What is your measure for progress?

 

[JC_AZ]

When we talk about the problems, it seem so many revolve around our inability to have any consistency on offense, we have crap at QB and everyone thinks we should run the ball... simple fact is we can't and likely why Whiz continues to try to find a passing combination that works... we are supposedly built to be a running team (by initial accounts and why we added Faneca), yet we still suck at it...no running game = lot os 3 and outs with our QB situation = tired,overworked D and late game losses...maybe we need to focus on making the necessary changes to give us a real running game to see if we really do suck again... fire Grimm, put Bridges and Hadnot in the game and see if we can actually make any progress...right now it looks like the Lambs have the best shot of continuing to improve in the NFC West

 

[RugbyMuffin]

What is your measure for progress?

I don't know how you "measure progress" in this league.

I think as long as you stay competitive in about 80% of your games then you are good enough to wait till the stars align.

How do you predict the success of Alan Branch, the regression of DRC, the effect getting a new PR will have, and the effect the KR will have in the same year ?

How do you figure that Fitzgerald will start dropping passes, and Steve Breaston becomes your go to reciever this year ?

You can't. Just like you cannot tell me, or anyone that in 2008 the team that got beat by the Pats in the snow would be in the SuperBowl.

I think our team is keeping games close. They are being competitive, and showing signs of positives. Our flippin' record could be anywhere between 6-2 and 0-6 and each record could be more than justified.

You just don't know. Actually I think it would be easier to list what is not making any sense.

The #1 "that makes no sense at all" situation for me is why in the hell can't this team ever run the ball ?

Things like Pass Rush and QB's are problems every team has at one point or another. Those are understandable, those are all-most "luck of the draw".

Things like running the ball, and defending the run are more concerning to me.

 

[kerouac9]

When we talk about the problems, it seem so many revolve around our inability to have any consistency on offense, we have crap at QB and everyone thinks we should run the ball... simple fact is we can't and likely why Whiz continues to try to find a passing combination that works... we are supposedly built to be a running team (by initial accounts and why we added Faneca), yet we still suck at it...no running game = lot os 3 and outs with our QB situation = tired,overworked D and late game losses...maybe we need to focus on making the necessary changes to give us a real running game to see if we really do suck again... fire Grimm, put Bridges and Hadnot in the game and see if we can actually make any progress...right now it looks like the Lambs have the best shot of continuing to improve in the NFC West

I'd believe this if we actually WERE running the ball. But we're not. The main problem with our offense isn't 2nd-and-8 after a failed run. It's 2nd and 10 after an incomplete pass.

If we'd tried running the ball and discovered that the offense was going off the field, I'd be with you. But we've never tried committing to the running attack to see if it would be successful.

• Against St. Louis we passed the ball 41 times (!) and ran the ball just 21 times (!).
• Before the Cards fell behind by three scores in Atlanta, we called 10 pass plays (including penalties) and 6 rushes. The only real positive from those plays was--wait for it--a touchdown run by Tim Hightower.
• Before the San Diego game went sideways we called 13 passes against 9 runs.

 

[JeffGollin]

Funny - I see things flipped 180 degrees differently.

It's all about W's & L's.

Think about it - we're executing at roughly 65% of the overall level we were at a year ago (I mean, it's lethal).

Yet - each time we lose a gut-wrencher, we discover that Seattle, SF or StL are keeping pace with us in the loss column.

Losing ain't fun. Losing in the final minutes is even less fun. But one thing coming out of the TB and Minnesota losses is that - even with Anderson as part of the overall equation - we can compete close to evenly with good NFL teams.

I'd take it one step farther: Even with Anderson as our QB, we are capable of playing well enough to win most games against "normal" opponents. (Clearly, Minnesota led by Favre was white-hot and not normal - few if any NFL teams would have stopped them in the 4Q and OT).

We are still in the playoff hunt - mainly because everyone else's W's and L's put us in a position to win the division.

Note about Anderson - He did positive things to cut down on his mistakes...and it helped. If the rest of the team hangs in there and continues to play hard, we have a better than even chance of winning the division. Where the problem comes in is at crunch time: Anderson hasn't showed he can handle pressure-situations. He really looked flummoxed out there in the last few minutes with the game on the line, with little or no escapability or improvisational skills - stumbling around, stepping or backing up into his blockers.

For this reason, while we may get to the playoffs, it's doubtful DA can take us much farther, because there will inevitably be close playoff games he'd somehow have to rise to the occasion and save.

 

[Russ Smith]

Im hoping that Vick continues to play lights out in Philly. If he does, they may keep him and trade Kolb which would be the easiest way for us to obtain a talented young QB since I don't think Luck will be in this draft and if he is, we already won too many games to get him.

I am not totally sold on Kolb but I think he's good enough that if he's available the cards should pursue him.

If you can do it without a first round pick surrendered(which I realize is unlikely) then you can look at OL or pass rushing OLB etc in the draft. If not we'll be looking there with the 2nd round pick.

 

[kerouac9]

I don't know how you "measure progress" in this league.

I think as long as you stay competitive in about 80% of your games then you are good enough to wait till the stars align.

How do you predict the success of Alan Branch, the regression of DRC, the effect getting a new PR will have, and the effect the KR will have in the same year ?

How do you figure that Fitzgerald will start dropping passes, and Steve Breaston becomes your go to reciever this year ?

You can't. Just like you cannot tell me, or anyone that in 2008 the team that got beat by the Pats in the snow would be in the SuperBowl.

I think our team is keeping games close. They are being competitive, and showing signs of positives. Our flippin' record could be anywhere between 6-2 and 0-6 and each record could be more than justified.

You just don't know. Actually I think it would be easier to list what is not making any sense.

The #1 "that makes no sense at all" situation for me is why in the hell can't this team ever run the ball ?

Things like Pass Rush and QB's are problems every team has at one point or another. Those are understandable, those are all-most "luck of the draw".

Things like running the ball, and defending the run are more concerning to me.

That 2008 Super Bowl team wasn't competitive in 5 of their 16 games. In 69% of their games they were competitive. Was that team not good? Did they have no signs of progress?

What I saw when I looked at that team was a defense that could win games for you if the offense is able to put pressure on the opposing defense. That's how the Saints ended up so successful last year, and how the Colts have survived so successfully for so long using spare parts on that side of the football. The Packers' success last season was because they had a defense that could "play from ahead" and pressure quarterbacks trying to get back into the game.

What we heard from guys like Wolfley at the beginning of the season was that the Cards needed to find an identity. He said this through the first quarter before he started diagnosing whether or not Max Hall was being "part of the solution" or "part of the problem" on any given pass attempt. We're halfway through the season at this point. Does this team know who it is?

It doesn't seem that way to me. You see a lot of lost expressions on the sideline. We have a ton of talent at WR, but no pass blocking offensive linemen. We have talented young players at RB, but a coach who doesn't feel like committing to the run game. The defense puts up a fight for three quarters only to let their guard down when it's time to close out the game and they've been on the field for 30 minutes.

 

[RugbyMuffin]

What we heard from guys like Wolfley at the beginning of the season was that the Cards needed to find an identity.

Does identity find you, or do you make your own indentity ?

If I had to force one upon this team I would:

1. Rely on special teams, and by doing so Steve Breaston goes back to fielding punts.

2. Commit to the run game. Don't make me put Steve Breaston back there to drive the idea home. So, we run three running plays and punt you ask ? Yes, I say. I will run and if we lose the game on 56 runs with a 0.9 ypc then so be it.

3. On defense, I would sign Al Harris, NB, (just became available), and keep a healthy rotation with [Hayes, Washington, Lenon], [Dockett, Campbell, Branch] and [Porter, Haggans, Davis, Schofield].

The my game plan is to run, run, run. With our offensive focus being possession. I'll give up an extra 1/2 yard to maintain the ball (no fumbles EVER).

Then punt, and use our superior punt coverage to tilt field position in our advantage. Enjoy our KR getting us good field position, and put Breaston back to return punts cause he will have better impact there then at WR in my system.

Next the defense has to do whatever it takes to control third down. Our team plays marginally better on 3rd down, and it would make all the difference in the world.

There is my forced identity.

 

[jefftheshark]

What are you looking for when you watch games so that you're not devestated by the final scoreboard?

Everytime a ball sails over a receiver's head, I drink a shot of beer, and if Fitz grimaces or rolls his eyes afterward I follow it with a shot of Jack.

The games are now very entertaining.

JTS

 

[Cards_Campos]

Everytime a ball sails over a receiver's head, I drink a shot of beer, and if Fitz grimaces or rolls his eyes afterward I follow it with a shot of Jack.

The games are now very entertaining.

JTS

LOL Cheers

 

[Cards_Campos]

Well here is the thing....DA should have never been benched...He has been in the league long enough to ride the highs and lows....He knows the NFL...Max Hall didn't. I think with DA we could have beaten the Seahawks and Tampa But actually might have lost the Saints. (The scrambling saved us because of the lucky bounces for TD's) But anyway....We have the potential to be good. Our defense is opportunistic but the scheme is horrible. When they do get the ball they almost score at will. But they are hardly ever in the right position. The key is Larry Fitzgerald. If he continues to get 100 yard games and can make an extra 2 acrobatic catches a game we can play with most teams.

It really depends on how everything shapes up but I like our chances since we dont play any great teams and most of our games are at home.

The Playoffs will come down to matchups...We can beat Tampa Bay, Chicago Washington, and maybe Minnesota...We would struggle against Atlanta, Giants and Philly, Saints.

If we play the next 8 games like we did against the Vikings we will win 6 or 7 of them.

 

[kerouac9]

Funny - I see things flipped 180 degrees differently.

It's all about W's & L's.

Think about it - we're executing at roughly 65% of the overall level we were at a year ago (I mean, it's lethal).

Yet - each time we lose a gut-wrencher, we discover that Seattle, SF or StL are keeping pace with us in the loss column.

Losing ain't fun. Losing in the final minutes is even less fun. But one thing coming out of the TB and Minnesota losses is that - even with Anderson as part of the overall equation - we can compete close to evenly with good NFL teams.
I'd take it one step farther: Even with Anderson as our QB, we are capable of playing well enough to win most games against "normal" opponents. (Clearly, Minnesota led by Favre was white-hot and not normal - few if any NFL teams would have stopped them in the 4Q and OT).

We are still in the playoff hunt - mainly because everyone else's W's and L's put us in a position to win the division.

Note about Anderson - He did positive things to cut down on his mistakes...and it helped. If the rest of the team hangs in there and continues to play hard, we have a better than even chance of winning the division. Where the problem comes in is at crunch time: Anderson hasn't showed he can handle pressure-situations. He really looked flummoxed out there in the last few minutes with the game on the line, with little or no escapability or improvisational skills - stumbling around, stepping or backing up into his blockers.

For this reason, while we may get to the playoffs, it's doubtful DA can take us much farther, because there will inevitably be close playoff games he'd somehow have to rise to the occasion and save.

Minnesota's now 3-5. How are they a good team? Is Tampa still a good team if they finish the season 8-8 or 9-7? They're 5-3 right now and they have roadies to Baltimore, San Francisco, Washington, and New Orelans left on their schedule, as well as hosting Atlanta in four weeks.

So if we eke out losses against middling-to-bad teams, that's a good sign for a 10-win team from the year before?

This team scored 10 offensive points last week. It's great that Derek Anderson wasn't really bad, but is that something you can build your season around?

 

[kerouac9]

Does identity find you, or do you make your own indentity ?

If I had to force one upon this team I would:

1. Rely on special teams, and by doing so Steve Breaston goes back to fielding punts.

2. Commit to the run game. Don't make me put Steve Breaston back there to drive the idea home. So, we run three running plays and punt you ask ? Yes, I say. I will run and if we lose the game on 56 runs with a 0.9 ypc then so be it.

3. On defense, I would sign Al Harris, NB, (just became available), and keep a healthy rotation with [Hayes, Washington, Lenon], [Dockett, Campbell, Branch] and [Porter, Haggans, Davis, Schofield].

The my game plan is to run, run, run. With our offensive focus being possession. I'll give up an extra 1/2 yard to maintain the ball (no fumbles EVER).

Then punt, and use our superior punt coverage to tilt field position in our advantage. Enjoy our KR getting us good field position, and put Breaston back to return punts cause he will have better impact there then at WR in my system.

Next the defense has to do whatever it takes to control third down. Our team plays marginally better on 3rd down, and it would make all the difference in the world.

There is my forced identity.

1) Steve Breason was not a good punt returner last year. He hasn't been a weapon as a punt returner for a while now.

2) I agree with you. I don't know if we need to run the ball 70% of the time, but I'd like to run the ball 60% of the time or more. Even if it means a (slightly) less productive offense.

3) Al Harris is done. Teams that want to make the postseason don't cut quality cornerbacks. He never recovered from his knee injury last season.

I like your plan; I wish we had the defense to win games 20-13. I don't think we have the personnel (pass rusher) to do that yet. I think the fact that our defense is so much further along than our offense hides the reality that our defense isn't very good, either. They're middle of the pack, probably.

Damian Anderson said yesterday in the post-game that to win in the NFL you have to win in two aspects of the game between offense, defense, and special teams. We're winning on special teams, but we have to improve on defense to win more consistently. I'm just not sure we have the players on the roster to do that right now.

I'm sure that the offense can't win games for us, though. We have to find a way to white out the passing plays on Whis's play card until 3rd down--nothing else seems to work.

 

[football karma]

For the remainder of the season, the team faces some pretty mediocre to poor defenses. The highest ranked is St Louis. Better-- they face some equally lousy offenses. Only Denver is in the top ten, with the remainder being a Romo-less Cowboys and all others ranked 18th or below.

The teams they play will make it easy to go with a run heavy scheme and picking spots for the pass.

DA and the offensive line performs much better out of balanced situations -- its no coincidence that 4 of the teams 6 sacks came from throwing out of four wide formations in obvious passing downs.

The defense, while not perfect -- is being put on the field for far too many plays. This not only wears them down physically -- but gives teams multiple "reps" against the scheme the Cardinals are running. With all the new guys, the defensive game plans from week to week have been simplified, and I don't think they can build a defensive game plan that puts in enough variety to last more than 60 plays.

so in a word -- I expect uglier games but a better record in the second half.

 

[kerouac9]

For the remainder of the season, the team faces some pretty mediocre to poor defenses. The highest ranked is St Louis. Better-- they face some equally lousy offenses. Only Denver is in the top ten, with the remainder being a Romo-less Cowboys and all others ranked 18th or below.

The teams they play will make it easy to go with a run heavy scheme and picking spots for the pass.

DA and the offensive line performs much better out of balanced situations -- its no coincidence that 4 of the teams 6 sacks came from throwing out of four wide formations in obvious passing downs.

The defense, while not perfect -- is being put on the field for far too many plays. This not only wears them down physically -- but gives teams multiple "reps" against the scheme the Cardinals are running. With all the new guys, the defensive game plans from week to week have been simplified, and I don't think they can build a defensive game plan that puts in enough variety to last more than 60 plays.

so in a word -- I expect uglier games but a better record in the second half.

You'd think that, wouldn't you? But against the 32nd-ranked rush defense in the NFL in Tampa Bay, we passed the ball 40 times and ran the ball 22 times.

I swear that this coaching staff has no clue sometimes.

 

[BigRedMO]

Everytime a ball sails over a receiver's head, I drink a shot of beer, and if Fitz grimaces or rolls his eyes afterward I follow it with a shot of Jack.

The games are now very entertaining.

JTS

I like the approach. I would add for every time the opposing QB drops back and has time to scan the field twice and there is still no Cardinal in the backfield you have to chug a beer.

 

[ajcardfan]

Everytime a ball sails over a receiver's head, I drink a shot of beer, and if Fitz grimaces or rolls his eyes afterward I follow it with a shot of Jack.

The games are now very entertaining.

JTS

If you have still been standing at the end of the games doing that... well, may I suggest rehab is needed?

 

[AzStevenCal]

Everytime a ball sails over a receiver's head, I drink a shot of beer, and if Fitz grimaces or rolls his eyes afterward I follow it with a shot of Jack.

The games are now very entertaining.

JTS

I've watched DA play. I hope you know someone willing to share a liver with you.

Steve

 

[cardpa]

It's hard for an offense to have any identity when you have musical chairs at QB and RB. It also didn't help to have the injuries at WR either.

There is also too much predictability in the offense. Every time they had LSH lined up in the back field to the left of Scud I knew the play was a run to the right with LSH and it was. There is no variation off this set.

I think this offense gets 20-25% better with an OC who calls the plays and not Whiz calling them.

 

[Catfish]

K-9, I guess the hard part of all this for me is that the staff and FO spent so very much time and money trying to rebuild from the huge losses during the off season. They seemingly did pretty well, considering what they had to work with, at building what looked to be a run-first team that could play defense well enough to cover for a QB who was going to be a check down guy that took what the defense gave him.

I was ok with all of that, because it was a comprehensive plan that maximized what we had to work with, and took advantage of what was available on the open market by way of FA and draft prospects that were reasonably available.

Then to have Whiz suddenly throw all that careful planning away for some knee jerk reaction going into the next to last pre-season game is just mind numbing to me. He managed to throw the baby out with the bath water, and never even gave that carefully constructed plan a chance to work in the regular season.

Did he really believe that he could turn DA into another Warner? Even if he believed that, what possible contingency plan did he have in place if that move failed? Could he not see that the next best alternative was going to be starting an undrafted free-agent rookie QB to face the best defenses that the league could field against him? THAT, to me is exhasperating, and is so far from being reasonable that it just blows my mind. The fact that he did this immediately after receiving a new contract extension just gnaws at me. Does this man really believe that he could salvage all this turmoil with his PLAY CALLING, and his ability to coach up a rocket armed gunslinger who was known for his inability to put the ball where his receiver was?


In my mind, if Whiz believed all that-----then he is nothing more than a prima-donna who is so full of himself that he willingly threw away ALL the hard work and planning by the FO just to satisfy his own ego. It leaves me wondering just how that fits with 'smart, disciplined, physical football', and 'we do this together'????? Apparently the one heartbeat he had in mind for this team was his alone.