Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
Ken Whisenhunt was fairly pleased with the Cardinals' special teams last week, save his concerns for the return teams. It seemed that SF was winning the field position battles most of the night. As for the return game, on kickoff returns the Cardinals averaged 19.4 yards a return, with longs of 23 for Steve Breaston and 17 for J.J. Arrington. The blocking for them was poor. On punt returns the blocking was even worse as Breaston was tackled the second he caught the ball three times, averaging 0.3 yards a return.
It didn't help that K Neil Rackers didn't kick one touchback even when the wind was in his favor. Against the wind his kicks were being fielded at the ten yard line. Hopefully Rackers will get back to kicking touchbacks this week. The only wind this week will be coming from the beer stands!
P Matt Barr's numbers: 7/259/37.0/3 inside the 20/long of 46. Not bad, but not great.
Tampa Bay had some success on returns versus Seattle. Ernest Graham had a 31 yard kickoff return and Ike Hilliard had a 20 yard punt return, and averaged nearly 10 yards on 4 returns.
K Josh Brown is a good one...and he's clutch. 2/2 in field goals last week with a long of 46.
P Ryan Plackemeier had a good day: 6/258/43.0/3 inside the 20/long of 54...but, as previously stated, Hilliard averaged nearly 10 a return, so Plackemeier's net was only 36.7.
KR Nate Burleson: 2/35/17.5/long of 19.
The Cards need to get to Burleson early and often on punt returns...he had a 56 yard return on one of them...but only 7 yards on his other 4.
I noticed that Ralph Brown made one nice special teams tackle, as did Joe Tafoya. The Cards need role players to step up...and it would be great if Antrel Rolle would make a splash there. Where are you Sean Morey?
Other Thoughts:
1. Talk about two incredibly bizarre officiating scenarios in Monday night's game:
(a) when have any of us ever seen a first and one?
(b) the fact that no one seemed to know the rule about a forward fumble into the end zone...when the Seahawks recovered the ball, many of them were signaling touchdown...then, the announcing crew didn't add any clarification on the rule (with an ex-head coach and an ex-player in the booth) until the official did...then, all the post-game commentary about Green's opportunity to swat the ball out of the end zone issued from the Cardinal coaches and players---thus, they didn't know the rule that a player cannot swat a fumble out of the end zone for a touchback...which is mind boggling.
One would think the Cardinals and every other NFL team would have an NFL official come during mini-camp or the pre-season and verse the players with regard to all the rules.
One would think that when teams are practicing situations that rules such as the forward fumble rule would be addressed.
2. Why are so many two-minute, hurry-up offenses so successful?
(a) The major reason is having 4 downs to work with each time the chain moves...and absolutely knowing that 4 will be used when necessary.
(b) The sense of urgency and fast pace forces offenses to concentrate more than usual.
(c) Everyone loves to see a comeback, which is why even the officials are prone to swallowing their whistles, especially on holding calls.
(d) The defenses often go into a prevent mode...which, as we've all see can quickly become a "prevent their own win" scenario.
(e) The defenses versus the hurry-up have a very hard time changing their personnel, coverage and blitz calls.
Therefore...wouldn't it make more sense for teams to do everything they can to go for first downs when they have the lead and the ball?
3. It seems totally unthinkable that the Cardinals' best pass rusher, Bertrand Berry, was on the sidelines for several plays (by the coach's design), with the game on the line. Unreal.
And when I posted last week that the Cards should use DE Quentin Moses right away as an edge rusher in passing situations, it was amazing to me how many of the posters here were in favor of keeping Moses out for the first week, as the Cardinals elected to do. Moses could have gotten the sack to seal that victory...as no other DE in the final two minutes came anywhere close, even with a rookie at RT.
Not playing Berry and Moses on that last drive is analagous to Eric Green not recovering the fumble...in the sense that one play in that game could have made the difference between winning and losing...and one sack could have ruined it all for the 49ers...especially when they gambled on 4th and 1 by attempting to pass the ball....they still had a timeout left then.
Food for thought.
It didn't help that K Neil Rackers didn't kick one touchback even when the wind was in his favor. Against the wind his kicks were being fielded at the ten yard line. Hopefully Rackers will get back to kicking touchbacks this week. The only wind this week will be coming from the beer stands!
P Matt Barr's numbers: 7/259/37.0/3 inside the 20/long of 46. Not bad, but not great.
Tampa Bay had some success on returns versus Seattle. Ernest Graham had a 31 yard kickoff return and Ike Hilliard had a 20 yard punt return, and averaged nearly 10 yards on 4 returns.
K Josh Brown is a good one...and he's clutch. 2/2 in field goals last week with a long of 46.
P Ryan Plackemeier had a good day: 6/258/43.0/3 inside the 20/long of 54...but, as previously stated, Hilliard averaged nearly 10 a return, so Plackemeier's net was only 36.7.
KR Nate Burleson: 2/35/17.5/long of 19.
The Cards need to get to Burleson early and often on punt returns...he had a 56 yard return on one of them...but only 7 yards on his other 4.
I noticed that Ralph Brown made one nice special teams tackle, as did Joe Tafoya. The Cards need role players to step up...and it would be great if Antrel Rolle would make a splash there. Where are you Sean Morey?
Other Thoughts:
1. Talk about two incredibly bizarre officiating scenarios in Monday night's game:
(a) when have any of us ever seen a first and one?
(b) the fact that no one seemed to know the rule about a forward fumble into the end zone...when the Seahawks recovered the ball, many of them were signaling touchdown...then, the announcing crew didn't add any clarification on the rule (with an ex-head coach and an ex-player in the booth) until the official did...then, all the post-game commentary about Green's opportunity to swat the ball out of the end zone issued from the Cardinal coaches and players---thus, they didn't know the rule that a player cannot swat a fumble out of the end zone for a touchback...which is mind boggling.
One would think the Cardinals and every other NFL team would have an NFL official come during mini-camp or the pre-season and verse the players with regard to all the rules.
One would think that when teams are practicing situations that rules such as the forward fumble rule would be addressed.
2. Why are so many two-minute, hurry-up offenses so successful?
(a) The major reason is having 4 downs to work with each time the chain moves...and absolutely knowing that 4 will be used when necessary.
(b) The sense of urgency and fast pace forces offenses to concentrate more than usual.
(c) Everyone loves to see a comeback, which is why even the officials are prone to swallowing their whistles, especially on holding calls.
(d) The defenses often go into a prevent mode...which, as we've all see can quickly become a "prevent their own win" scenario.
(e) The defenses versus the hurry-up have a very hard time changing their personnel, coverage and blitz calls.
Therefore...wouldn't it make more sense for teams to do everything they can to go for first downs when they have the lead and the ball?
3. It seems totally unthinkable that the Cardinals' best pass rusher, Bertrand Berry, was on the sidelines for several plays (by the coach's design), with the game on the line. Unreal.
And when I posted last week that the Cards should use DE Quentin Moses right away as an edge rusher in passing situations, it was amazing to me how many of the posters here were in favor of keeping Moses out for the first week, as the Cardinals elected to do. Moses could have gotten the sack to seal that victory...as no other DE in the final two minutes came anywhere close, even with a rookie at RT.
Not playing Berry and Moses on that last drive is analagous to Eric Green not recovering the fumble...in the sense that one play in that game could have made the difference between winning and losing...and one sack could have ruined it all for the 49ers...especially when they gambled on 4th and 1 by attempting to pass the ball....they still had a timeout left then.
Food for thought.
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