azdad1978
Championship!!!!
The Arizona Republic
Dec. 6, 2004 12:00 AM
DETROIT
These days, Josh McCown sits alone on the bench, looking like a kid who just found Santa's suit in dad's dresser drawer.
Shaun King went from first to third quicker than Ichiro.
And now, the John Navarre era begins with a whimper, four interceptions and a 14-point loss.
So, who's next under center and who's next under the bus?
"Like I said, we will take a look at that," Cardinals coach Dennis Green said. "I think that one thing we know is that everybody has had a chance and this is John's chance."
Just when you thought this season had become a beacon of hope, it is now just another bad joke. Just when you thought Green had refitted the Cardinals in the role of competitors, this wacky quarterback carousel has made them punch lines and punching bags once again.
It has been three weeks since Green benched McCown and his two-game winning streak. After all the heads scratched and questions asked, the motive is still missing.
If we didn't know better, we'd think Green had become enamored with some quarterback in college and decided to tank the season. What, is Larry Fitzgerald's little brother suddenly entering the draft or something?
Or maybe Green needs everyone to turn on him - the fans, the local media and his players - before the process moves from divide to conquer.
In light of any rational explanations, take your best guess.
Thrown to the Lions in his first professional start - on the road and without a running game, no less - Navarre's performance contained no surprises. He made some nice throws and some bad decisions. He got suckered into one interception. A couple of his passes bounced off helmets at the line of scrimmage, and once, he got picked off while trying to throw the ball away.
Now that's a bad pass.
To be fair, Navarre had a few impressive moments, too. There was no stage fright. There was the gutsy touchdown pass to Freddie Jones, who's actually a good player if he doesn't have to block. And before Navarre went on a futile search for the big play, he showed he could dink and dunk with the best of them.
After the game, he spoke in a calm monotone about his need to check the film and eliminate mistakes. It was an impressive display of self-analysis, except we've been hearing the same refrain from Cardinals quarterbacks since 1999.
"At the beginning of the game, I took what they gave me and got completions," Navarre said. "And obviously, it just went south."
After the game, it was also learned that Navarre had an injured finger on his throwing hand. Green said it was "a little fracture," but "nothing to keep him from throwing."
A little fracture? Followed by four interceptions? Followed by a third quarter in which Navarre passed for 11 yards? And still no sight of McCown? This is truly getting bizarre.
"I don't know anything," McCown said.
That would make two of us. Green, the master strategist, has overseen an offense that's actually gotten worse with each passing week. The rash of penalties continues to be a poor reflection of focus and concentration. Each week, some official makes some horrible call that really hurts the cause.
Or maybe it helps the cause. I don't know because I can't understand a thing the new guy is doing when it comes to winning games and choosing quarterbacks.
So, take solace in the fact that Green has somehow kept frustrated defensive players from launching a locker room rebellion. Give him credit for making some great draft picks, even though tabbing Fitzgerald as the best player in the country seems highly suspicious right about now.
And, certainly, one must give Green credit for keeping our attention. Losing was never this interesting under Dave McGinnis.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/columns/articles/1206bickley1206.html
Dec. 6, 2004 12:00 AM
DETROIT
These days, Josh McCown sits alone on the bench, looking like a kid who just found Santa's suit in dad's dresser drawer.
Shaun King went from first to third quicker than Ichiro.
And now, the John Navarre era begins with a whimper, four interceptions and a 14-point loss.
So, who's next under center and who's next under the bus?
"Like I said, we will take a look at that," Cardinals coach Dennis Green said. "I think that one thing we know is that everybody has had a chance and this is John's chance."
Just when you thought this season had become a beacon of hope, it is now just another bad joke. Just when you thought Green had refitted the Cardinals in the role of competitors, this wacky quarterback carousel has made them punch lines and punching bags once again.
It has been three weeks since Green benched McCown and his two-game winning streak. After all the heads scratched and questions asked, the motive is still missing.
If we didn't know better, we'd think Green had become enamored with some quarterback in college and decided to tank the season. What, is Larry Fitzgerald's little brother suddenly entering the draft or something?
Or maybe Green needs everyone to turn on him - the fans, the local media and his players - before the process moves from divide to conquer.
In light of any rational explanations, take your best guess.
Thrown to the Lions in his first professional start - on the road and without a running game, no less - Navarre's performance contained no surprises. He made some nice throws and some bad decisions. He got suckered into one interception. A couple of his passes bounced off helmets at the line of scrimmage, and once, he got picked off while trying to throw the ball away.
Now that's a bad pass.
To be fair, Navarre had a few impressive moments, too. There was no stage fright. There was the gutsy touchdown pass to Freddie Jones, who's actually a good player if he doesn't have to block. And before Navarre went on a futile search for the big play, he showed he could dink and dunk with the best of them.
After the game, he spoke in a calm monotone about his need to check the film and eliminate mistakes. It was an impressive display of self-analysis, except we've been hearing the same refrain from Cardinals quarterbacks since 1999.
"At the beginning of the game, I took what they gave me and got completions," Navarre said. "And obviously, it just went south."
After the game, it was also learned that Navarre had an injured finger on his throwing hand. Green said it was "a little fracture," but "nothing to keep him from throwing."
A little fracture? Followed by four interceptions? Followed by a third quarter in which Navarre passed for 11 yards? And still no sight of McCown? This is truly getting bizarre.
"I don't know anything," McCown said.
That would make two of us. Green, the master strategist, has overseen an offense that's actually gotten worse with each passing week. The rash of penalties continues to be a poor reflection of focus and concentration. Each week, some official makes some horrible call that really hurts the cause.
Or maybe it helps the cause. I don't know because I can't understand a thing the new guy is doing when it comes to winning games and choosing quarterbacks.
So, take solace in the fact that Green has somehow kept frustrated defensive players from launching a locker room rebellion. Give him credit for making some great draft picks, even though tabbing Fitzgerald as the best player in the country seems highly suspicious right about now.
And, certainly, one must give Green credit for keeping our attention. Losing was never this interesting under Dave McGinnis.
http://www.azcentral.com/sports/columns/articles/1206bickley1206.html
