Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
What we are starting to see is a striking evolution of what could well be a perennial NFL stalwart in Arizona. Prior to Ken Whisenhunt's arrival, the Cardinals often had some pretty decent talent to work with...and, at times, they would put forth some very aggressive one or two game efforts and would pull off the occasional upset, but, they could never seem to sustain the same intensity from week to week. They could win a big game at home and then easily get blown out the next game. Why was this?
It comes down to strength and conditioning...and the coaching that stresses the two.
The most important two things Ken Whisenhunt did the moment he was hired is convince the Bidwills to build a high-caliber training facility, and then hire strength and conditioning coach extraordinaire, John Lott.
The Cardinal teams of the past could muster up the aggressiveness to play super hard for one game, but stacking such efforts was not going to happen in the old culture because the players were not properly trained to handle the physcial pounding of the game.
We have debated at length over the merits of Ken Whisenhunt's first draft decisions...and, in particular, many have questioned his very first selection in T Levi Brown, a big mauler of a tackle from Penn. St.
However, in retrospect, from a symbolic standpoint, Whiz did a very smart thing...not only by starting to build strength on the offensive line, but then by trading up in the early portion of the second round to draft DT Alan Branch.
Sure, we can argue that both Brown and Branch have taken a while to develop and perhaps that neither one of them is still quite where we would have hoped he'd be, with regard to production and consistency. But, these two players right now epitomize the evolution that has begun to take firm roots in Glendale...because, they are both physical players and because they have helped to make both sides of the Cardinals' lines more physical. Perfect, no. More physcial, yes.
The fact that both lines are more physical is the main reason why this year, despite a 1-2 start, the team finished 10-6, and registered big wins that rarely ever happened before, such as beating up on the Giants in New York and pounding the Vikings at home.
It's very interesting to see how different this year's Cardinal team is from last year's. Last year's team could barely run the ball, it thrived on big plays in the passing game. Quite frankly last year's defense was a poor tackling and pass coverage unit that could not hold up at all on the road, save the stunning upset at Carolina in the second round of the playoffs. In addition, the special teams, which often are an indication of the kind of young talent and depth that a team has on its roster, were subpar at best.
This year's team hasn't needed big play passes to win games. In fact, they really haven't gotten any. Suddenly this offense has more than a modicum of balance, suddenly there is a running game that defensive coordinators have to account for. On the other side of the ball, the play in general has been far more physical, and the tackling and pass coverage have improved significantly. The special teams have---more often than not---been special---really for the first time in eons.
Where we as fans really need to tip our hats is to Whiz, of course, for getting all these wheels in motion...but we also need to heap praise on the coaching staff...and, without question, the unsung hero in all of this is John Lott. He has helped turn these players into tough, hard-minded and strong-bodied competitors---players that can control the line of scrimmage, and thus give the team the best chance to win in any environment.
Look, for example, at Lott's influence on the offense---and let's remember that this off-season last year was five weeks shorter than normal. The interior three of LG Reggie Wells, C Lyle Sendlien and RG Deuce Lutui, have played good, tough, physical football every game this season. They have been about as consistent as the interior of an offensive line can be...and it wasn't too long ago that Wells looked far too overmatched at guard, Sendlein looked a little too small and too far reliant on finesse, and Lutui was too overweight, undisciplined and underconditioned to hold up consistently well.
Look at what Lott did with Beanie Wells...he got him to lose twenty pounds of fat and turned it into muscle and in the process made Wells faster, tougher and more dynamic.
And you can see the fruits of Lott's labor in young players like WR Early Doucet who looks much stronger on his feet and in his play this year.
On the defensive side of the ball, the emergence of Calais Campbell and Alan Branch has been striking...as, to a somewhat lesser degree the improved strength and quickness of Kenny Iwebema, whose progress was delayed by major surgery during a portion of the off-season.
One player who has stood out in terms of strength and conditioning has been LB Clark Haggans. Haggans, a 10 year veteran coming off an injury plagued inaugural season with the team where he ended up on the IR for the last 5 games and all 4 playoffs games, has played with exemplary strength and bounce this season, and has been, by far, the most consistent linebacker on the team. He's also provided for the team an outside pass rushing threat---something this team has desperately needed.
Look at Antrel Rolle...he's never tackled as hard and well as he has this year. For that matter, he has never covered nearly as well either...or shown the same speed and range. Suddenly he is looking like a potential Pro Bowler at FS, a mere year after showing a slow transistion there.
And, the coup de grace really is the recent sentiment from Larry Fitzgerald after he got rolled up in the MNF game at San Francisco...Fitz lauded John Lott afterward when he let everyone know that the doctor examining his leg told him that if his legs weren't so chiseled he would likely have suffered a major injury.
Whiz saw first hand all the reasons why the Steelers are perennial NFL stalwarts. They play tough, hard-nosed football...that all begins and ends with what the players do in the training facility.
Thus, this is what we are seeing evolve before our eyes. Heck, the Steelers were the ones who suffered the Super Bowl hangover, and not the Cardinals. In fact, the way the Cardinals played on the road this year, these Cardinals were significantly better than last year's team, and significantly more physical.
I think the truest test of this evolution came following the Tennessee game, which was one of the more physcial games the Cardinals have played in quite some time. Players were laying it on the line in that game, and quite frankly, from a physcial standpoint---they deserved the win---which could have made them 7-1 on the road this year. I remember feeling very uneasy about the Cardinals' prospects in the next game at home versus Minnesota...were you wondering the same? Plus, the heartbreak factor of losing on the last play of a game that the players fought tooth and nail for was potentially demoralizing.
The toughest thing for a football player is dealing with all the aches and pains especially after putting it all on the ine and yet having to suffer through a loss. The aches and pains are far more tolerable after a win. Either way, it's not easy to dig right back in and take on the next pounding.
Cardinal teams of the past after a heartbreak like the Tennessee would have rolled over for a couple games. Not these Cardinals. They came out and they pounded on the Vikings, and that's when the evolution of this team, under the watchful leadership of Ken Whisenhunt and S&C guru, John Lott, was starting to make itself entirely evident.
As long as Whiz and Lott stay---and I strongly believe they are like Lennon and McCartney---the band won't be the same if they are apart---it looks like we finally do have a winner in Arizona.
The fact that they've done it so quickly (8-8, 9-7 (12-8), 10-6) suggests to me that the best is yet to come.
It comes down to strength and conditioning...and the coaching that stresses the two.
The most important two things Ken Whisenhunt did the moment he was hired is convince the Bidwills to build a high-caliber training facility, and then hire strength and conditioning coach extraordinaire, John Lott.
The Cardinal teams of the past could muster up the aggressiveness to play super hard for one game, but stacking such efforts was not going to happen in the old culture because the players were not properly trained to handle the physcial pounding of the game.
We have debated at length over the merits of Ken Whisenhunt's first draft decisions...and, in particular, many have questioned his very first selection in T Levi Brown, a big mauler of a tackle from Penn. St.
However, in retrospect, from a symbolic standpoint, Whiz did a very smart thing...not only by starting to build strength on the offensive line, but then by trading up in the early portion of the second round to draft DT Alan Branch.
Sure, we can argue that both Brown and Branch have taken a while to develop and perhaps that neither one of them is still quite where we would have hoped he'd be, with regard to production and consistency. But, these two players right now epitomize the evolution that has begun to take firm roots in Glendale...because, they are both physical players and because they have helped to make both sides of the Cardinals' lines more physical. Perfect, no. More physcial, yes.
The fact that both lines are more physical is the main reason why this year, despite a 1-2 start, the team finished 10-6, and registered big wins that rarely ever happened before, such as beating up on the Giants in New York and pounding the Vikings at home.
It's very interesting to see how different this year's Cardinal team is from last year's. Last year's team could barely run the ball, it thrived on big plays in the passing game. Quite frankly last year's defense was a poor tackling and pass coverage unit that could not hold up at all on the road, save the stunning upset at Carolina in the second round of the playoffs. In addition, the special teams, which often are an indication of the kind of young talent and depth that a team has on its roster, were subpar at best.
This year's team hasn't needed big play passes to win games. In fact, they really haven't gotten any. Suddenly this offense has more than a modicum of balance, suddenly there is a running game that defensive coordinators have to account for. On the other side of the ball, the play in general has been far more physical, and the tackling and pass coverage have improved significantly. The special teams have---more often than not---been special---really for the first time in eons.
Where we as fans really need to tip our hats is to Whiz, of course, for getting all these wheels in motion...but we also need to heap praise on the coaching staff...and, without question, the unsung hero in all of this is John Lott. He has helped turn these players into tough, hard-minded and strong-bodied competitors---players that can control the line of scrimmage, and thus give the team the best chance to win in any environment.
Look, for example, at Lott's influence on the offense---and let's remember that this off-season last year was five weeks shorter than normal. The interior three of LG Reggie Wells, C Lyle Sendlien and RG Deuce Lutui, have played good, tough, physical football every game this season. They have been about as consistent as the interior of an offensive line can be...and it wasn't too long ago that Wells looked far too overmatched at guard, Sendlein looked a little too small and too far reliant on finesse, and Lutui was too overweight, undisciplined and underconditioned to hold up consistently well.
Look at what Lott did with Beanie Wells...he got him to lose twenty pounds of fat and turned it into muscle and in the process made Wells faster, tougher and more dynamic.
And you can see the fruits of Lott's labor in young players like WR Early Doucet who looks much stronger on his feet and in his play this year.
On the defensive side of the ball, the emergence of Calais Campbell and Alan Branch has been striking...as, to a somewhat lesser degree the improved strength and quickness of Kenny Iwebema, whose progress was delayed by major surgery during a portion of the off-season.
One player who has stood out in terms of strength and conditioning has been LB Clark Haggans. Haggans, a 10 year veteran coming off an injury plagued inaugural season with the team where he ended up on the IR for the last 5 games and all 4 playoffs games, has played with exemplary strength and bounce this season, and has been, by far, the most consistent linebacker on the team. He's also provided for the team an outside pass rushing threat---something this team has desperately needed.
Look at Antrel Rolle...he's never tackled as hard and well as he has this year. For that matter, he has never covered nearly as well either...or shown the same speed and range. Suddenly he is looking like a potential Pro Bowler at FS, a mere year after showing a slow transistion there.
And, the coup de grace really is the recent sentiment from Larry Fitzgerald after he got rolled up in the MNF game at San Francisco...Fitz lauded John Lott afterward when he let everyone know that the doctor examining his leg told him that if his legs weren't so chiseled he would likely have suffered a major injury.
Whiz saw first hand all the reasons why the Steelers are perennial NFL stalwarts. They play tough, hard-nosed football...that all begins and ends with what the players do in the training facility.
Thus, this is what we are seeing evolve before our eyes. Heck, the Steelers were the ones who suffered the Super Bowl hangover, and not the Cardinals. In fact, the way the Cardinals played on the road this year, these Cardinals were significantly better than last year's team, and significantly more physical.
I think the truest test of this evolution came following the Tennessee game, which was one of the more physcial games the Cardinals have played in quite some time. Players were laying it on the line in that game, and quite frankly, from a physcial standpoint---they deserved the win---which could have made them 7-1 on the road this year. I remember feeling very uneasy about the Cardinals' prospects in the next game at home versus Minnesota...were you wondering the same? Plus, the heartbreak factor of losing on the last play of a game that the players fought tooth and nail for was potentially demoralizing.
The toughest thing for a football player is dealing with all the aches and pains especially after putting it all on the ine and yet having to suffer through a loss. The aches and pains are far more tolerable after a win. Either way, it's not easy to dig right back in and take on the next pounding.
Cardinal teams of the past after a heartbreak like the Tennessee would have rolled over for a couple games. Not these Cardinals. They came out and they pounded on the Vikings, and that's when the evolution of this team, under the watchful leadership of Ken Whisenhunt and S&C guru, John Lott, was starting to make itself entirely evident.
As long as Whiz and Lott stay---and I strongly believe they are like Lennon and McCartney---the band won't be the same if they are apart---it looks like we finally do have a winner in Arizona.
The fact that they've done it so quickly (8-8, 9-7 (12-8), 10-6) suggests to me that the best is yet to come.
Last edited:
Good post Mav.
