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http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=12916586&BRD=1641&PAG=461&dept_id=17739&rfi=6
By MICHAEL PARENTE
Journal Register News Service
FOXBORO, Mass. -- Dennis Green promised to bring a winning attitude to Arizona when he took over the Cardinals’ vacant head coaching job during the offseason.
After one game, it looks like he might be able to deliver sooner than most people thought.
Arizona did not win its season opener in St. Louis, but it gave the heavily-favored Rams all they could handle in a 17-10 loss at the Edward Jones Dome. The Cardinals led, 10-9, heading into the fourth quarter despite allowing 448 yards of offense and did not give up a touchdown until Marc Bulger connected with Isaac Bruce from eight yards out. Marshall Faulk, who finished with 128 rushing yards, ran in the two-point conversion to round out the scoring.
Interestingly enough, the Rams scored just 33 seconds into the final quarter, but during that drive, Arizona linebacker James Darling had a 95-yard interception return for a touchdown nullified because of a holding call on fellow linebacker LeVar Woods.
The result was the same for Arizona, which has had just two winning seasons in 20 years, but the execution and attitude was much-improved. The Cardinals’ next opponent is the New England Patriots, who are coming off a 27-24 win against Indianapolis in their opener last week. On paper, this seems like a mismatch, but after watching the Cardinals hang with the Rams, it might not be that easy.
The players won’t produce any bulletin-board material this week and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will undoubtedly rave about the Cardinals as if they were the ones who took home the last two Super Bowl titles. Fans might have a different perspective - and for good reason. Arizona has not had a winning season since 1998 when it finished 9-7 under head coach Vince Tobin. That was also the Cardinals’ last playoff appearance. They upset Dallas in the wild-card game before getting clobbered by the Vikings.
Furthermore, the Cardinals have not won 10 games in a season since Don Coryell coached the team in 1976, and they haven’t finished .500 since making the playoffs in ’98. They’ve won two NFL championships - the first in 1925 and another in 1947, both while playing in St. Louis. Here’s the most blatant statistic regarding their losing tradition - despite being one of the oldest franchises in the NFL, the Cardinals have played in as many cities (Chicago, St. Louis and Phoenix) as they have playoff victories (three).
With that in mind, it’s easy to see why most fans are probably already chalking this one up as a "W," but before you light that celebratory cigar, take a look at the facts. In addition to hiring Green, who entered the 2004 season with a 97-63 career record, the Cardinals added a solid pass-rushing defensive end by signing Bertrand Berry from Denver and had another productive draft in April.
They selected former Pittsburgh receiver Larry Fitzgerald with the third pick, adding another weapon to an already-deep corps of wideouts. With Fitzgerald joining last year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Anquan Boldin, and the team’s No. 1 pick from 2003, Bryant Johnson, the Cardinals should score more points than they did last season when they ranked 27th in the league in total offense.
They’re also expecting more from third-year quarterback Josh McCown. He’s remembered for eliminating the Vikings from the playoffs last year with a Hail Mary touchdown pass in the closing seconds of the season’s final game, but McCown actually finished with the 10th-highest quarterback rating in the NFL. Having former Buccaneer Shaun King in camp provided some competition and McCown responded by winning the job and earning Green’s trust in the process.
Their main concern offensively is with the running game. An injury to Marcel Shipp in early August left veteran Emmitt Smith as the starter. He had 87 yards in 16 carries on Sunday, but, at the age of 35, is well past his prime. He won’t get much help from an offensive line that underwent a facelift in the offseason. Green put two new starters on the left side, including fourth-round draft pick Alex Stepanovich.
Defensively, the Cardinals are more of a threat with Berry up front and they are stronger on the interior as well. The problem will be at linebacker, where middle-man Ronald McKinnon is the only sure thing. The secondary - which ranked 29th in the NFL in pass defense last year - should get an upgrade now that cornerback Duane Starks is back after missing the entire 2003 season with a knee injury. They also added David Macklin, who started at corner for the Indianapolis Colts in last year’s AFC title game.
Green has clearly wasted no time revamping the lineup and the results were positive on Sunday despite the loss. The Cardinals forced three turnovers and were competitive despite losing each of their road games by an average of 25 points last year. They’re not ready to compete for a playoff spot yet, but they’re much closer than they were a year ago.
They could give the Patriots a run for their money on Sunday at Sun Devil Stadium. Belichick has two options defensively - he can blitz the inexperienced McCown and try to force him into mistakes, or he can drop his defenders back in coverage since there’s no threat of a running game. The latter might be the better option since the Cardinals have some weapons in the passing game.
When the schedule came out, this game didn’t look all that interesting, but with Green running the show in Arizona, the Patriots can expect a battle - regardless of whether they win or lose.
©The Herald 2004
By MICHAEL PARENTE
Journal Register News Service
FOXBORO, Mass. -- Dennis Green promised to bring a winning attitude to Arizona when he took over the Cardinals’ vacant head coaching job during the offseason.
After one game, it looks like he might be able to deliver sooner than most people thought.
Arizona did not win its season opener in St. Louis, but it gave the heavily-favored Rams all they could handle in a 17-10 loss at the Edward Jones Dome. The Cardinals led, 10-9, heading into the fourth quarter despite allowing 448 yards of offense and did not give up a touchdown until Marc Bulger connected with Isaac Bruce from eight yards out. Marshall Faulk, who finished with 128 rushing yards, ran in the two-point conversion to round out the scoring.
Interestingly enough, the Rams scored just 33 seconds into the final quarter, but during that drive, Arizona linebacker James Darling had a 95-yard interception return for a touchdown nullified because of a holding call on fellow linebacker LeVar Woods.
The result was the same for Arizona, which has had just two winning seasons in 20 years, but the execution and attitude was much-improved. The Cardinals’ next opponent is the New England Patriots, who are coming off a 27-24 win against Indianapolis in their opener last week. On paper, this seems like a mismatch, but after watching the Cardinals hang with the Rams, it might not be that easy.
The players won’t produce any bulletin-board material this week and Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will undoubtedly rave about the Cardinals as if they were the ones who took home the last two Super Bowl titles. Fans might have a different perspective - and for good reason. Arizona has not had a winning season since 1998 when it finished 9-7 under head coach Vince Tobin. That was also the Cardinals’ last playoff appearance. They upset Dallas in the wild-card game before getting clobbered by the Vikings.
Furthermore, the Cardinals have not won 10 games in a season since Don Coryell coached the team in 1976, and they haven’t finished .500 since making the playoffs in ’98. They’ve won two NFL championships - the first in 1925 and another in 1947, both while playing in St. Louis. Here’s the most blatant statistic regarding their losing tradition - despite being one of the oldest franchises in the NFL, the Cardinals have played in as many cities (Chicago, St. Louis and Phoenix) as they have playoff victories (three).
With that in mind, it’s easy to see why most fans are probably already chalking this one up as a "W," but before you light that celebratory cigar, take a look at the facts. In addition to hiring Green, who entered the 2004 season with a 97-63 career record, the Cardinals added a solid pass-rushing defensive end by signing Bertrand Berry from Denver and had another productive draft in April.
They selected former Pittsburgh receiver Larry Fitzgerald with the third pick, adding another weapon to an already-deep corps of wideouts. With Fitzgerald joining last year’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, Anquan Boldin, and the team’s No. 1 pick from 2003, Bryant Johnson, the Cardinals should score more points than they did last season when they ranked 27th in the league in total offense.
They’re also expecting more from third-year quarterback Josh McCown. He’s remembered for eliminating the Vikings from the playoffs last year with a Hail Mary touchdown pass in the closing seconds of the season’s final game, but McCown actually finished with the 10th-highest quarterback rating in the NFL. Having former Buccaneer Shaun King in camp provided some competition and McCown responded by winning the job and earning Green’s trust in the process.
Their main concern offensively is with the running game. An injury to Marcel Shipp in early August left veteran Emmitt Smith as the starter. He had 87 yards in 16 carries on Sunday, but, at the age of 35, is well past his prime. He won’t get much help from an offensive line that underwent a facelift in the offseason. Green put two new starters on the left side, including fourth-round draft pick Alex Stepanovich.
Defensively, the Cardinals are more of a threat with Berry up front and they are stronger on the interior as well. The problem will be at linebacker, where middle-man Ronald McKinnon is the only sure thing. The secondary - which ranked 29th in the NFL in pass defense last year - should get an upgrade now that cornerback Duane Starks is back after missing the entire 2003 season with a knee injury. They also added David Macklin, who started at corner for the Indianapolis Colts in last year’s AFC title game.
Green has clearly wasted no time revamping the lineup and the results were positive on Sunday despite the loss. The Cardinals forced three turnovers and were competitive despite losing each of their road games by an average of 25 points last year. They’re not ready to compete for a playoff spot yet, but they’re much closer than they were a year ago.
They could give the Patriots a run for their money on Sunday at Sun Devil Stadium. Belichick has two options defensively - he can blitz the inexperienced McCown and try to force him into mistakes, or he can drop his defenders back in coverage since there’s no threat of a running game. The latter might be the better option since the Cardinals have some weapons in the passing game.
When the schedule came out, this game didn’t look all that interesting, but with Green running the show in Arizona, the Patriots can expect a battle - regardless of whether they win or lose.
©The Herald 2004
