Mitch
Crawled Through 5 FB Fields
In light of how physical the Cardinals had been with the Giants for the first 55 minutes, I actually believed there for a commercial break that they were going to prevail. I mean they even had Pro Bowl RG Chris Snee out of sorts---there were signs everywhere that the Giants were meant to wallow away in frustration---and yet---in what seemed faster than a New York minute---to the tune of 7/8 passes to wide open receivers for the sum of 126 yards and 2 TDs---an average of almost 18 yards per catch---it was a free NY gift-wrapping at FAO Schwartz.
The thing is---it's not only WHY this happened it is HOW this happened. How many times have we seen the Cardinal defense go into a complete and utter shell late in halfs, especially with the game on the line?
Ken Whisenhunt claimed that he didn't watch the tape of the Super Bowl---which makes a good deal of sense in that here Whisenhunt's Cardinals are three years later and they look even worse than ever---
There still is no edge pressure whatsoever---in fact, just as in the Super Bowl the edge rushers not only are getting stopped in their tracks 15 feet into their rushes, they stop even trying.
The DBs are nowhere near the receivers either.
When a team rushes 4...defenses can play sticky man to man on the 5 eligible receivers and protect deep with 2 safeties.
How is it, that in a game of this magnitude---after such a Herculean effort for 55 minutes that the DBs are nowhere near the receivers? How is it that there is no pressure whatsoever on the QB?
Why are the players and coaches gift-wrapping these games?
Here are some of the problems:
1. Not only is Joey Porter looking especially weak in his pass rush this year---weakest ever for him---what exacerbates the situation is the coaches again are playing him all game long. When the game is on the line---he's shot and has no chance.
2. Same with Haggans on the other side. He's gassed.
3. Same with Dockett and Campbell---they are gassed.
4. If you can't get pressure with 4 gassed players, what are the next best choices? Sub packages---and full-tilt blitzes.
What full-tilt blitzes do is they force the defense to be aggressive...both in the rush and in the coverage. Seems to be a better option than lining up like sitting ducks.
5. On the game winning TD to Hicks---did you notice who the deep safety was to that side? Yup. You got it. Adrian Wilson. Can you believe it? It's like playing LT Levi Brown on an island versus Osi Umenyioura. Again, can you believe it?
When Eli Manning saw Wilson to Hick's side---the play was a given. It was a no brainer---all Hicks had to do was get a step ahead of Peterson---who did like most Cardinal CBs do---he quit on the play. Egregious on his part, rookie or no. He wasn't that beat to where he couldn't make a play. He made little effort to stay with Hicks.
To make matters worse---the game winning TD to Hicks was basically the same play that Kolb tried to Fitz that Rolle came over the top an intercepted. Ironically, Rolle never showed over the top cover ability as a Cardinal. Like Wilson, his interceptions were always in the intermediate range.
Seems there is a little more coaching and use of common sense on the other team, isn't there?
Then---on the last offensive drive---which was going reasonably well until the screen pass---here are the reasons why---as open as the play seemed to be that call was first of all unnecessary and second of all just plain stupid:
1. It is 2nd and 1. There's well over a minute left on the clock and the team is a mere 10 yards from the red zone. The Giants' right side hasn't been able to stop Beanie Wells all day. For as shaky a pass protector that Levi Brown is---he is an absolute beast in the running game.
2. If you are going to pass in that situation---it should not be out of a shotgun---it should be off of play action. The fact that the Cardinals were in the shotgun told the Giants to play pass first---which they obviously did.
3. You DON'T call a screen there because: (a) the Cardinals under Ken Whisenhunt have NEVER run the screen properly; (b) Beanie Wells is just as likely to drop the pass as he is to catch it; (c) Kevin Kolb is too antsy to run the play the way it's supposed to run---ironically of all the time it would have paid for Kolb to drift backward, this was the one, and yet he stood there like the Statue of Liberty.
This week's SCREEN PASS was last week's HITCH pass---two plays in critical situations that the Cardinals NEVER run well, both of which helped to cost the Cardinals the games.
Speaking of Kolb, I will get this out now---have you ever seen an NFL QB run backwards as often as he does? Half the time it is totally unnecessary---and some of the time it results in drive killers---as in getting sacked or called for intentional downing.
What I loved about Warner was---he treated every play as brand new---even after he got sacked. It's called maintaining your poise and proper footwork.
Kolb has neither: poise nor footwork.
And this has got to change.
if somehow you think the Cardinals can win having their QB flushing out early all the time---you are mistaken. The Cardinals are losing these games for a reason and this one of the major ones.
4. Then, of course, it's the 4th and 1 and not using the timeout. Same as in the first half, which was awful then and even more awful with all the marbles on the line. And---everyone in the stadium knew exactly what the play was.
The Giants showed how a defense closes out a game---they rush the QB and they apply tight coverage. There is no other way. Except for what we repeatedly see from the Cardinals.
The pass plays---last week there were bunch routes out of trips, where two defenders could cover three receivers. This week there were spread 5 man hook passes---do you realize how hard that is for a QB to read, especially versus 4-5 defenders?
The point of the day was made by Goose and Moose---that Kolb in Philly was used to keying deep first and under routes second---yet here in Arizona is all under under under with a rare deep throw.
In Washington Kolb threw deep once---it was a 70 yard TD to Fitz.
In Seattle it was once to Fitz in the first half.
Yesterday---only twice---the deep catch by Fitz and the Rolle interception.
In the last three games, Kolb has not thrown deep to any other WR.
Again if this doesn't change---this offense will continue to sputter, especially in key spots where DBs can cherry pick to their delight.
On both defense and offense the Cardinals hand the ballgames over too easily---it's as if they always deep down expect to lose versus a solid opponent---and that's a culture that needs to change---and yet with the way this team is coached (if there aren't major changes in practicing late half situations and suddenly being aggressive)---as passive as they are on both sides of the ball late in halfs---this culture won't change anytime soon.
The thing is---it's not only WHY this happened it is HOW this happened. How many times have we seen the Cardinal defense go into a complete and utter shell late in halfs, especially with the game on the line?
Ken Whisenhunt claimed that he didn't watch the tape of the Super Bowl---which makes a good deal of sense in that here Whisenhunt's Cardinals are three years later and they look even worse than ever---
There still is no edge pressure whatsoever---in fact, just as in the Super Bowl the edge rushers not only are getting stopped in their tracks 15 feet into their rushes, they stop even trying.
The DBs are nowhere near the receivers either.
When a team rushes 4...defenses can play sticky man to man on the 5 eligible receivers and protect deep with 2 safeties.
How is it, that in a game of this magnitude---after such a Herculean effort for 55 minutes that the DBs are nowhere near the receivers? How is it that there is no pressure whatsoever on the QB?
Why are the players and coaches gift-wrapping these games?
Here are some of the problems:
1. Not only is Joey Porter looking especially weak in his pass rush this year---weakest ever for him---what exacerbates the situation is the coaches again are playing him all game long. When the game is on the line---he's shot and has no chance.
2. Same with Haggans on the other side. He's gassed.
3. Same with Dockett and Campbell---they are gassed.
4. If you can't get pressure with 4 gassed players, what are the next best choices? Sub packages---and full-tilt blitzes.
What full-tilt blitzes do is they force the defense to be aggressive...both in the rush and in the coverage. Seems to be a better option than lining up like sitting ducks.
5. On the game winning TD to Hicks---did you notice who the deep safety was to that side? Yup. You got it. Adrian Wilson. Can you believe it? It's like playing LT Levi Brown on an island versus Osi Umenyioura. Again, can you believe it?
When Eli Manning saw Wilson to Hick's side---the play was a given. It was a no brainer---all Hicks had to do was get a step ahead of Peterson---who did like most Cardinal CBs do---he quit on the play. Egregious on his part, rookie or no. He wasn't that beat to where he couldn't make a play. He made little effort to stay with Hicks.
To make matters worse---the game winning TD to Hicks was basically the same play that Kolb tried to Fitz that Rolle came over the top an intercepted. Ironically, Rolle never showed over the top cover ability as a Cardinal. Like Wilson, his interceptions were always in the intermediate range.
Seems there is a little more coaching and use of common sense on the other team, isn't there?
Then---on the last offensive drive---which was going reasonably well until the screen pass---here are the reasons why---as open as the play seemed to be that call was first of all unnecessary and second of all just plain stupid:
1. It is 2nd and 1. There's well over a minute left on the clock and the team is a mere 10 yards from the red zone. The Giants' right side hasn't been able to stop Beanie Wells all day. For as shaky a pass protector that Levi Brown is---he is an absolute beast in the running game.
2. If you are going to pass in that situation---it should not be out of a shotgun---it should be off of play action. The fact that the Cardinals were in the shotgun told the Giants to play pass first---which they obviously did.
3. You DON'T call a screen there because: (a) the Cardinals under Ken Whisenhunt have NEVER run the screen properly; (b) Beanie Wells is just as likely to drop the pass as he is to catch it; (c) Kevin Kolb is too antsy to run the play the way it's supposed to run---ironically of all the time it would have paid for Kolb to drift backward, this was the one, and yet he stood there like the Statue of Liberty.
This week's SCREEN PASS was last week's HITCH pass---two plays in critical situations that the Cardinals NEVER run well, both of which helped to cost the Cardinals the games.
Speaking of Kolb, I will get this out now---have you ever seen an NFL QB run backwards as often as he does? Half the time it is totally unnecessary---and some of the time it results in drive killers---as in getting sacked or called for intentional downing.
What I loved about Warner was---he treated every play as brand new---even after he got sacked. It's called maintaining your poise and proper footwork.
Kolb has neither: poise nor footwork.
And this has got to change.
if somehow you think the Cardinals can win having their QB flushing out early all the time---you are mistaken. The Cardinals are losing these games for a reason and this one of the major ones.
4. Then, of course, it's the 4th and 1 and not using the timeout. Same as in the first half, which was awful then and even more awful with all the marbles on the line. And---everyone in the stadium knew exactly what the play was.
The Giants showed how a defense closes out a game---they rush the QB and they apply tight coverage. There is no other way. Except for what we repeatedly see from the Cardinals.
The pass plays---last week there were bunch routes out of trips, where two defenders could cover three receivers. This week there were spread 5 man hook passes---do you realize how hard that is for a QB to read, especially versus 4-5 defenders?
The point of the day was made by Goose and Moose---that Kolb in Philly was used to keying deep first and under routes second---yet here in Arizona is all under under under with a rare deep throw.
In Washington Kolb threw deep once---it was a 70 yard TD to Fitz.
In Seattle it was once to Fitz in the first half.
Yesterday---only twice---the deep catch by Fitz and the Rolle interception.
In the last three games, Kolb has not thrown deep to any other WR.
Again if this doesn't change---this offense will continue to sputter, especially in key spots where DBs can cherry pick to their delight.
On both defense and offense the Cardinals hand the ballgames over too easily---it's as if they always deep down expect to lose versus a solid opponent---and that's a culture that needs to change---and yet with the way this team is coached (if there aren't major changes in practicing late half situations and suddenly being aggressive)---as passive as they are on both sides of the ball late in halfs---this culture won't change anytime soon.
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