Harry
ASFN Consultant and Senior Writer
Good News
How much time have you got? This is enough to make me believe in the Multiverse. The funny part was the announcers kept cutting in with one KC score after another. I kept thinking that was supposed to be the Cards’ game. Was I in the right universe?
While there were great performances by many players, this win belongs to the coaches. It’s one thing to tell your players to win; it’s another thing to coach like you’re all in to win. Gannon didn’t coach with thoughtless aggression, as Kingsbury did. Kingsbury’s moves seemed all about ego. To me Gannon’s was sending a message to his staff & players. I’ve been complaining the Cards seemed to be playing to lose. Gannon’s coaching told all there would be no further compromise. They were leaving it all on the field. He even took points off the board. The aggressive overall strategy cost a couple of conversion points, but the team played like they were risking everything and they came through. Whether it was a 62 yard field goal or a rookie CB challenging Lamb in the end zone. This time they played to win!
Another thing I noticed about the coaching is that they do their homework. The opening play was a naked bootleg. The Cowboys game film indicated they were vulnerable to QB planned runs. Later they had specific plays designed to attack some of the unusual defensive formations Dallas uses. In the old days we would have said the Cowboys got out-schemed. The Cards studied Dallas’ alignments and tendencies then exploited them. Nothing less than brilliant coaching. I also noted Dobbs on the bench studying a tablet. Yet another adjustment reflecting improved coaching. There ability to improve the performance of even veteran players is impressive.
The OC also realized he had been underusing Brown and the Cowboys seemed caught off-guard by Brown’s abilities. The Cards also got nice support via WR blocks. Wilson especially had a couple of significant contributions. I had been questioning why they didn’t go to Connor through the air. The Cards remedied that. I really liked the old school line pulling. They overpowered Dallas with it. Froholdt made a nice contribution to this strategy. The play design seems to have helped Connor find the Fountain of Youth. He’s running like he did in Pitt. Prater seems to also be recreating his prime. Dobbs was mostly solid. He made a nice throw to Brown to beat a blitz. He ran well but sometimes dangerously for his own safety.
On defense Gardeck continued to stand out. Wallace keeps contributing. He was an outstanding pickup. Thompson struggled in coverage, which was understandable since he was on Lamb. However, he was strong against the run. Clark continues to show great potential while still making rookie mistakes. The best part is he seemingly refuses to get discouraged. Collins contributed another sack. There were literally so many good contributions it would be hard to enumerate all of them.
On the whole there were far more positives than in the first 2 games.
The Bad News
The coaching wasn’t always brilliant. They ran one of the most convoluted trick plays I’ve seen. They continue to target Ertz short hoping he’ll run for the first; he won’t. His hands used to be better. The tackling was often poor and the Cards were fortunate that wasn’t more costly. Some of the players, like Wilson, don’t play physical enough. There are still too many penalties. The usual suspects keep making them. Stills was sloppy again. I was okay with the first 2 point conversion attempt. The second one was questionable especially since history says passes work less than 45% of the time. I didn’t like the draw call on third and long if your going all in. They still seem confused on the 2 minute drill.
Matthew belongs on the practice squad. His penalty was inexcusable and amateurish. Pass defense was inconsistent, but I liked playing more man. Wilson is still giving too much cushion, especially on third down. They played more man but when they switched to zone it was too loose. The coverage against passes in the flat is weak. Thomas needs to work on consistency. He’ll make a good play and then fail to recognize a screen or overrun the QB. He’s improving, but slowly. Dimukeje is much the same. He offers flashes of talent but gets out of control rushing sometimes. Considering they were facing Dallas’ second sting O-line, I expected more line penetration.
Dobbs played well but grounded a pass to the flat. He threw high to Ertz. On a throw to Brown, with Gilmore covering, Dobbs was late with his throw. He struggled occasionally with ball placement. No QB has only perfect passes, but Dobbs problems still seem related to holding his technique together.
The Cards still lack a backup running back. Ingram does not run with authority. He looked particularly bad executing a screen. Moore had a nice gimmick run. Sadly he appears to have few, if any, moves when he has the ball. He certainly doesn’t break tackles. The center of the DL played better but is not sound. They need a true anchor.
Dallas continued to struggle in the red zone. They made horrible coaching decisions. Passing on a field goal and continually running in the red zone when time was short. They frequently manifested weird formations. The Cards got lucky on the interference no call that cost Dallas a TD.
It crossed my mind that I wondered what Murray was thinking. Is he recognizing this team can eventually be built into a contender? Can he continue to adjust his behavior and be part of it? Does he see drafting a QB is less likely but he could be a large part making people forget that option? I’m beginning to think Gannon believes Murray is the guy. Gannon shoots pretty straight, so when he says so, maybe it’s gospel.
This was a big win. So much for tanking! These guys have the potential to surprise several teams. Luckily the Cards figure to still have 2 fairly early picks and enough cap space to contend for the playoffs in 2024. They continue to have many needs but they appear to be able to get more from less. That’s great coaching. What a promising start!
How much time have you got? This is enough to make me believe in the Multiverse. The funny part was the announcers kept cutting in with one KC score after another. I kept thinking that was supposed to be the Cards’ game. Was I in the right universe?
While there were great performances by many players, this win belongs to the coaches. It’s one thing to tell your players to win; it’s another thing to coach like you’re all in to win. Gannon didn’t coach with thoughtless aggression, as Kingsbury did. Kingsbury’s moves seemed all about ego. To me Gannon’s was sending a message to his staff & players. I’ve been complaining the Cards seemed to be playing to lose. Gannon’s coaching told all there would be no further compromise. They were leaving it all on the field. He even took points off the board. The aggressive overall strategy cost a couple of conversion points, but the team played like they were risking everything and they came through. Whether it was a 62 yard field goal or a rookie CB challenging Lamb in the end zone. This time they played to win!
Another thing I noticed about the coaching is that they do their homework. The opening play was a naked bootleg. The Cowboys game film indicated they were vulnerable to QB planned runs. Later they had specific plays designed to attack some of the unusual defensive formations Dallas uses. In the old days we would have said the Cowboys got out-schemed. The Cards studied Dallas’ alignments and tendencies then exploited them. Nothing less than brilliant coaching. I also noted Dobbs on the bench studying a tablet. Yet another adjustment reflecting improved coaching. There ability to improve the performance of even veteran players is impressive.
The OC also realized he had been underusing Brown and the Cowboys seemed caught off-guard by Brown’s abilities. The Cards also got nice support via WR blocks. Wilson especially had a couple of significant contributions. I had been questioning why they didn’t go to Connor through the air. The Cards remedied that. I really liked the old school line pulling. They overpowered Dallas with it. Froholdt made a nice contribution to this strategy. The play design seems to have helped Connor find the Fountain of Youth. He’s running like he did in Pitt. Prater seems to also be recreating his prime. Dobbs was mostly solid. He made a nice throw to Brown to beat a blitz. He ran well but sometimes dangerously for his own safety.
On defense Gardeck continued to stand out. Wallace keeps contributing. He was an outstanding pickup. Thompson struggled in coverage, which was understandable since he was on Lamb. However, he was strong against the run. Clark continues to show great potential while still making rookie mistakes. The best part is he seemingly refuses to get discouraged. Collins contributed another sack. There were literally so many good contributions it would be hard to enumerate all of them.
On the whole there were far more positives than in the first 2 games.
The Bad News
The coaching wasn’t always brilliant. They ran one of the most convoluted trick plays I’ve seen. They continue to target Ertz short hoping he’ll run for the first; he won’t. His hands used to be better. The tackling was often poor and the Cards were fortunate that wasn’t more costly. Some of the players, like Wilson, don’t play physical enough. There are still too many penalties. The usual suspects keep making them. Stills was sloppy again. I was okay with the first 2 point conversion attempt. The second one was questionable especially since history says passes work less than 45% of the time. I didn’t like the draw call on third and long if your going all in. They still seem confused on the 2 minute drill.
Matthew belongs on the practice squad. His penalty was inexcusable and amateurish. Pass defense was inconsistent, but I liked playing more man. Wilson is still giving too much cushion, especially on third down. They played more man but when they switched to zone it was too loose. The coverage against passes in the flat is weak. Thomas needs to work on consistency. He’ll make a good play and then fail to recognize a screen or overrun the QB. He’s improving, but slowly. Dimukeje is much the same. He offers flashes of talent but gets out of control rushing sometimes. Considering they were facing Dallas’ second sting O-line, I expected more line penetration.
Dobbs played well but grounded a pass to the flat. He threw high to Ertz. On a throw to Brown, with Gilmore covering, Dobbs was late with his throw. He struggled occasionally with ball placement. No QB has only perfect passes, but Dobbs problems still seem related to holding his technique together.
The Cards still lack a backup running back. Ingram does not run with authority. He looked particularly bad executing a screen. Moore had a nice gimmick run. Sadly he appears to have few, if any, moves when he has the ball. He certainly doesn’t break tackles. The center of the DL played better but is not sound. They need a true anchor.
Dallas continued to struggle in the red zone. They made horrible coaching decisions. Passing on a field goal and continually running in the red zone when time was short. They frequently manifested weird formations. The Cards got lucky on the interference no call that cost Dallas a TD.
It crossed my mind that I wondered what Murray was thinking. Is he recognizing this team can eventually be built into a contender? Can he continue to adjust his behavior and be part of it? Does he see drafting a QB is less likely but he could be a large part making people forget that option? I’m beginning to think Gannon believes Murray is the guy. Gannon shoots pretty straight, so when he says so, maybe it’s gospel.
This was a big win. So much for tanking! These guys have the potential to surprise several teams. Luckily the Cards figure to still have 2 fairly early picks and enough cap space to contend for the playoffs in 2024. They continue to have many needs but they appear to be able to get more from less. That’s great coaching. What a promising start!
