The Charlotte Observer

[Alan]

Ouch.

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[abomb]

Here are the five things;

In My Opinion

5 things to know about the Cardinals
By Scott Fowler
[email protected]
Posted: Sunday, Jan. 04, 2009

In a game that will offer a flashback to Amsterdam, October and autographs, the Carolina Panthers will host the Arizona Cardinals Saturday at 8:15 p.m. in the NFL playoffs.

The Panthers edged Arizona, 27-23, in October at Bank of America Stadium. Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner blistered the Panther defense for 381 yards in that one. Warner played so well that quarterback Jake Delhomme said if he had seen Warner following the game: “I would have probably asked him for his autograph.”But Carolina won after Jon Beason intercepted a pass while the Panthers clung to a 24-23 lead. Then the Panthers' offense secured the game by running out the final six minutes.

It's more than two months later, and here we go again. Here are five things to know – and an early prediction -- about the Cardinals. The winner of Arizona-Carolina will play the winner of the Philadelphia-N.Y. Giants game in the Jan.18 NFC Championship.

1 Arizona entertains: For those who like to watch balls in the air, the Cardinals provide an ideal opponent. Warner – who once started ahead of Delhomme for the Amsterdam Admirals in NFL Europe – has three 1,000-yard receivers to choose from in Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin and Steve Breaston. Only four other NFL offenses have ever sported a 1,000-yard *********.

But Boldin – who scored twice against Carolina in October -- hurt his left hamstring on a 71-yard TD against the Falcons. He's questionable.

2 Arizona has running issues: The Cardinals were dead last this season in running the ball. They were a mediocre 16th in defending it. That's where Carolina will try to attack the Cardinals first. DeAngelo Williams ran for 108 yards against them in October. However, Arizona stuffed Atlanta's Michael Turner Saturday (42 yards, 18 carries) and Edgerrin James ran for a respectable 73 yards in the Cardinals' 30-24 victory Saturday night, so Arizona has improved.

3 Blitzing Arizona is difficult: Warner used to work at a grocery store – the “rags” part of his rags-to-riches story -- but he's almost impossible to sack. On one play in October, Arizona accidentally left Julius Peppers totally unblocked. Peppers still couldn't get to Warner, who boasts the NFL's quickest release.

“It's real frustrating because it seems like you're never going to get there,” Peppers said then.

4 Arizona has a “feast or famine” defense: The Cardinals' defense can make big plays on defense – as it did repeatedly against Atlanta. It can also give up tons of big plays. Steve Smith scored twice in October against the Cardinals. Arizona lost four of its last six regular-season games, including three blowout losses (47-7 against New England, 35-14 against Minnesota and 48-20 against Philadelphia).

5 Arizona wants this rematch: As Arizona Republic beat writer Kent Somers wrote Sunday before the Cardinals' foe was known: “The Cardinals aren't saying who they would like to play next, but it's the Panthers. They've been to Carolina this season and lost, 27-23, in a game they feel like they should have won.”

Oh, really? They won't want it after this one's over.

My prediction: Carolina 34, Arizona 27.

 

[Perfectionist]

Not much locker room material here. Wish he would have approached it like the Atlanta reporter.

 

[Spielman]

That was a good, well-informed take on an opposing team. Kudos to Scott Fowler. I can't even bitch about his prediction... it's entirely reasonable.

 

[Totally_Red]

That is really a dead-on assessment of the Cardinals IMO. And the way the Panthers have played recently, they are probably a better team than the one the Cardinals played in October.

 

[WildBB]

5 Arizona wants this rematch: As Arizona Republic beat writer Kent Somers wrote Sunday before the Cardinals' foe was known: “The Cardinals aren't saying who they would like to play next, but it's the Panthers. They've been to Carolina this season and lost, 27-23, in a game they feel like they should have won.”

Oh, really? They won't want it after this one's over.

My prediction: Carolina 34, Arizona 27.

Oh really?! I'm sure Carolina wanted this game too. Now they have it.


My prediction: W

The Cardinals get no respect from East Coast writers. Remember that East Coast teams played abysmal on the West Coast as well. Everything is thrown out the window for this one. Clean Slate.

 

[CaptTurbo]

Remember that East Coast teams played abysmal on the West Coast as well. Everything is thrown out the window for this one. Clean Slate.

HUH? East coast teams were something like 13-8 on the west coast. If that is abysmal than what do you call our record on the east coast?

 

[Dback Jon]

I liked that graphic on the top. Wish our papers would do something similar.

 

[D-Dogg]

Damn...wish he'd have gotten cocky and left some bulletin board stuff...but no, he used facts and stats and stuff. Fire him and hire some Atlanta Journal Constitution writers, STAT!!!

 

[Jersey Girl]

I liked that graphic on the top. Wish our papers would do something similar.

LOL. It was pretty good.

Thought it was a pretty balanced article. We'll see how things go on Saturday.

 

[bratwurst]

Hey at least they used the new logo.

 

[abomb]

Of course the Cards and we fans wanted CAR. The team played them close and now they dont have to go to NYG. Not that hard to figure out.

 

[red desert]

Of course the Cards and we fans wanted CAR. The team played them close and now they dont have to go to NYG. Not that hard to figure out.

Not yet anyway.

 

[RonF]

Of course the Cards and we fans wanted CAR. The team played them close and now they dont have to go to NYG. Not that hard to figure out.

If we end up playing the Giants at least it will be at a neutral site.

 

[conraddobler]

Yeah we wanted Carolina big deal.

Your weather is better, sue us.

That's the thing about this, for all those dorks in Carolina that want to get all lathered up about us wanting them they can thank their weather for that.

No team like the Cardinals wants to go to NY in that stadium with a QB who lives or dies by passing the ball, Kurt even played there and mostly it was not pretty.

So go ahead and get worked up about nothing Carolina.

 

[AZ Native]

It was a good article. As far as his prediction, what did you expect? He picked his Panthers by 7 and the line is 10.

 

[Rivercard]

For those who like to watch balls in the air - Only four other NFL offenses have ever sported a 1,000-yard *********.

Paging Dr. Frued.......

 

[Renz]

Someone should tell Kent Somers to shut his pie hole!

 

[Renz]

I liked that graphic on the top. Wish our papers would do something similar.

Yeah, at least they used our new logo, unlike some other national sports networks.

 

[CardsFan88]

1 boldin - non issue. when has boldin not been knicked up? wish in one hand, crap in the other, and see which one fills up first -boldin plays and has the same odds of exploding on car as any other team

2 we do have running issues, but we can run the ball. number of runs leads to people thinking we're worse than we are. i had a feeling we were saving edge. maybe we were/weren't, but we are USING him. which makes the cards running game more like week 1,17 and wildcard, not those in between. plus hightower goes back to what he was producing best as. if car approaches our run game like this writer, we just might have the same success as last week

3 - is correct, and thankfully so when you think about fumbles

4-latest thanksgiving game, two games after clinch, can happen to any team, and when these circumstances approach other teams, often yields simil 6ar results. banking on these factors to label anything about us would be insane, so go nuts. [when there is nothing to be gained, don't expect them to show up]

stopping the run? should be relatively fixed. we were very prone this year, hell multiple years, to the cut back. we fixed that, and hopefully we keep the cure around as car, phi, nyg would all try it on us. i think that small focus, might have the biggest positive change of any change this year. i was thinking why didn't we do this earlier, but the timing [to implement the fix] whether intentional or not, might end up being the best. If we are pumped up enough to finish tackles, we should keep their run game in relative check. 75-125 total rush yds

5- we should have won, and the wish to play at 6 rather than 11am is sound. no west team wins at 11am period
we win in your house if the following occurred - defenders don't assume whositcalled is going to be out of bounds on the 70 or so yd td catch

we win if we don't play the we'll give you the 5-7 yard out routes all day long, and win if you don't completely take advantage of that

we win if we don't have a ref crew that makes 'the hoc' disaster look like a good day, or if they error on our side as much as they did yours - we win by double digits maybe even as high as 37-20

nothing is guaranteed, and whoever loses any playoff game might wish to have played someone else, but that isn't anything car
has hegemony over, at the end of the day they might say the same thing.

looks to me he went the espn route. use useless info to paint a story that isn't the truth, comparing apples to oranges and calling it grape juice. just because it has stats or facts doesn't mean when it's grouped together the interpretation is correct. it might have a milk chocolate outside, but it sure seems like it's dog crap in te middle

GO CARDS

 

[CardLogic]

Yeah, at least they used our new logo, unlike some other national sports networks.

FOX created graphics showing a Cardinals/Vikings blend and a Cardinals/Eagles blend, which they used prior to the Eagles/Vikings game which showed this coming weekends possible matchups.

So these were newly created graphics, not a re-use of a graphic on hand and they STILL used the old Cardinals logo. That is not just lazy; it is intentional.

 

[Rivercard]

FOX created graphics showing a Cardinals/Vikings blend and a Cardinals/Eagles blend, which they used prior to the Eagles/Vikings game which showed this coming weekends possible matchups.

So these were newly created graphics, not a re-use of a graphic on hand and they STILL used the old Cardinals logo. That is not just lazy; it is intentional.

I must be the only hard core fan who doesn't care what logo is used. Doesn't bother me in the least.