Week 3 2022: Heroes and Goats

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

I didn't know that draft ranking qualified or disqualified a player for hero or goat status. Good to know. Also, calling Matthew Stafford "a geriatric QB" is a bit of an exaggeration, don't you think?

Well whatever the old man should be called he certainly punked collins.

 

[DVontel]

They held the Rams to a half of a point less than their season average for points, largely due to two dropped TDs and a goal line fumble

This.

“I don’t want to hear slander about the defense” yea, only reason it wasn’t another typical McVay ass-whooping was because of what you said right here. It wasn’t what our defense did right, it was what their offense did wrong.

 

[Garthshort]

No love for Hollywood?

Since, he had less than 15 catches (but came close) he was kept off the Goat list. We are trying to be objective, after all.

 

[cardncubfan]

The 2022 Arizona Cardinals are boring. Extremely boring. Their running game lacks pop. Their passing game lacks explosion despite investing heavily in skill position players through the draft, free agency and trades.

The defense lacks an attitude or identity. The to best players are safeties, but they can't make plays like some of their competitors because they're constantly having to cover the backside for limited cornerbacks and linebackers. The defensive line lacks any character outside of J.J. Watt (who everyone understands is a ticking clock before he makes a trip to IR so we're enjoying him while it lasts). Every game seems like the first game they've played together.

It was clear this past offseason that the organization's intent was to just try and run it back with the same group of players, hope the 10-2 start was not a mirage, and load manage our way through the first half of the year to prevent a collapse. The result has been that we carried the collapse from the end of last season into the new year. No one cares; everyone's expecting someone else to come to the rescue.

Kyler Murray is averaging 5.6 yards per passing attempt this season. James Conner is averaging 3.0 yards per carry and on pace for six touchdowns after scoring 18 last year. We can't win a game at home.

Yikes.

Heroes
Budda Baker, S - Eight tackles and a forced fumble is pretty nice work. Baker is so slippery and truly an evolutionary Adrian Wilson in the backfield. It would be good to see him liberated to do more by stronger secondary play.

Will Hernandez, RG - The one thing that you can respect Kliff for is his commitment to pace. The Cards played 83 offensive snaps, and Will Hernandez participated in every one of them while also holding Aaron Donald largely in check.

Vance Joseph, DC - The Arizona Defense held the Rams to their season average in points. In the second quarter the defense held the ramps to three consecutive three-and-outs. This happened while Jace Whittaker was playing 94% of the defensive snaps and Isaiah Simmons played one more snap than Ben Niemann. In unrelated news, Dennis Gardeck can be released at the start of the 2023 league year to save a little over $2.4 million on the salary cap.

Goats
Zaven Collins, ILB - Has shown real Kevin Minter traits as he's been integrated into the defense. I've said it many times -- elite inside linebackers showcase their skills almost immediately when they move up to the next level. Maybe Zaven can continue on in Minter's footsteps. It's not his fault that Keim drafted him where he did. But there's little evidence that anyone on the defense looks to him.

Kliff Kingsbury, HC - I don't mind Kliff's press conferences, TBH. He takes the responsibility on himself, doesn't point the finger, doesn't push blame anywhere. It's true that they have to get better. But he's starting to act like he doesn't belong here, and that's a big problem. If Kyler didn't respect him when he had a little swagger, he might actively undermine him when he looks this shook.

Kyler Murray, QB - Athletes who truly want to pursue greatness spend each offseason adding something new to their game. You hear this in basketball all the time. It was obvious last year that this offense needed to get better at situational football and not looking panicked in the two-minute offense. This week, Kyler didn't look panicked, he looked like he wasn't much interested in the final outcome. Someone posted a tweet that said that there isn't a quarterback that looks less interested in winning than Kyler Murray. Couldn't agree more.

I noticed something like this myself. It seemed to me Kyler & Kliff were at odds about something. They definitely weren't moving around as fast as they should have been towards the end of the game when they needed to score in a hurry.

 

[Shane]

I noticed something like this myself. It seemed to me Kyler & Kliff were at odds about something. They definitely weren't moving around as fast as they should have been towards the end of the game when they needed to score in a hurry.

They’re supposed to be professionals in a game that matters… Get the hell over it and play the game with a sense of urgency…

 

[Cheesebeef]

There’s supposed to be professionals in a game that matters… Get the hell over it and play the game with a sense of urgency…

And this wasn’t even close to the first time we’ve seen this awful time management, down at the end of games or half.

 

[GatorAZ]

Idk what I’m missing that everyone seems to be seeing with Collins. He doesn’t look explosive or physical to me. Maybe we’ve set the standards so low that making a basic play or two constitutes growth. He looks like a borderline day two pick.

 

[GoldGloveschmidt]

Watch this play and then tell me Vance Joseph is a hero.

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Yes, that's Leki Fotu that you see on the edge as Cooper Kupp flies by. Vance Joseph is beyond incompetent - it truly seems like he is just doing the craziest **** possible to try to get fired.

Sean McVay saw that front and knew exactly how to beat it. Candy from a baby. When is the last time our coaching did something like that?

Our players don't stand a chance.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Idk what I’m missing that everyone seems to be seeing with Collins. He doesn’t look explosive or physical to me. Maybe we’ve set the standards so low that making a basic play or two constitutes growth. He looks like a borderline day two pick.

This is definitely what’s going on. He got juked by a moving statue, giving up a HUGE 3rd down… then, got blown up by a small WR with a freaking mullet to finish that same drive for a TD.

 

[Jetstream Green]

Put Justin Pugh on the tail of that goat too, and I would agree

 

[Dayman]

Idk what I’m missing that everyone seems to be seeing with Collins. He doesn’t look explosive or physical to me. Maybe we’ve set the standards so low that making a basic play or two constitutes growth. He looks like a borderline day two pick.

I'm with you.

For a player who is supposed to be so physical, he lowers his shoulder when he takes on blocks way too often. He was also trucked so bad by a WR that Kliff had to give an injury update on him today. That's just embarrassing.

 

[Minski]

Sorry buddy, I don’t agree with your goats and heroes, or at least the reasons.

Goats.
VJ - Can’t utilise talent. His stupid scheme or the highway.
Kliff - Not for the couple of the overly cute play calls, but for crappy practice strategy and days off.
Ertz - Drop city.
D as a whole - Learn to tackle, seriously annoying now. Diving at a call carrier with your shoulder and not wrapping won’t work and will get you injured. Just dumb.
Oline - Trash in pass blocking and no consistent push on running plays.
Isabella - He’s toast, you don’t quit on a go route when you are hanging onto the roster by your finger tips.

Heroes.
None apart from maybe Hollywood & Prater for doing their jobs the most effectively on the team.

Kyler didn’t ball out but he wasn’t the reason we lost. Players not looking for the ball and drops are momentum killers. Plus he gets flushed out the pocket because there isn’t one. He does need to run more and not be so hesitant with decisions.

 

[MadCardDisease]

Hard to argue with this week's Hero's and Goats.

The only other guy that I might consider for a Hero is Byron Murphy. Dude has played extremely well the last two games. He basically has shut down Kupp and Adams who are two of the best in the game.

 

[football karma]

hard to bag on Vance when the Rams scored 20 points, especially when 3 of them were gifted by bad special teams. Had you told me prior to the game that the D would hold the Rams to 20 points, i would have felt very confident of a win.

 

[TJ]

For those bagging on Vance this game: him and his defense did more than enough for innovative Kliff and transcendent Kyler to outscore the Rams.

 

[Totally_Red]

Sorry buddy, I don’t agree with your goats and heroes, or at least the reasons.

Goats.
VJ - Can’t utilise talent. His stupid scheme or the highway.
Kliff - Not for the couple of the overly cute play calls, but for crappy practice strategy and days off.
Ertz - Drop city.
D as a whole - Learn to tackle, seriously annoying now. Diving at a call carrier with your shoulder and not wrapping won’t work and will get you injured. Just dumb.
Oline - Trash in pass blocking and no consistent push on running plays.
Isabella - He’s toast, you don’t quit on a go route when you are hanging onto the roster by your finger tips.

Heroes.
None apart from maybe Hollywood & Prater for doing their jobs the most effectively on the team.

Kyler didn’t ball out but he wasn’t the reason we lost. Players not looking for the ball and drops are momentum killers. Plus he gets flushed out the pocket because there isn’t one. He does need to run more and not be so hesitant with decisions.

The Cardinals bad tackling is frustrating. It is made worse because the Rams and Niners are two of the top five tackling defenses in the league.

 

[DVontel]

Lets not act like Vance & the defense is absolve of any blame.

Stafford barely overthrew a wide open Kupp for a TD. I actually think he did twice if I remember correctly.

It’s not like the defense went out there & completely shut them down in every phrase like the 49ers seem to do every time they play the Rams.

The defense got killed by screens every single time they called them. They always get killed by screens against McVay. Defending screens seems like it has been a low point ever since Vance got here.

“The defense did all they can”, no, the Rams’ offense did all they could to help the Cardinals’ defense by missing throws Stafford usually hits.

 

[kerouac9]

Lets not act like Vance & the defense is absolve of any blame.

Stafford barely overthrew a wide open Kupp for a TD. I actually think he did twice if I remember correctly.

It’s not like the defense went out there & completely shut them down in every phrase like the 49ers seem to do every time they play the Rams.

The defense got killed by screens every single time they called them. They always get killed by screens against McVay. Defending screens seems like it has been a low point ever since Vance got here.

“The defense did all they can”, no, the Rams’ offense did all they could to help the Cardinals’ defense by missing throws Stafford usually hits.

This is the kind of thing that happens when two average-ish teams play each other. The winner is usually the team that steps on its own shlong the least.

Overthrows and drops happen to every team in every game. Not every team forces a fumble on the goal line or holds an opponent to this drive chart:

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If you allow two touchdowns at home and you paid your QB a quarter-billion dollars, you should probably be close enough to win the game.

The problem is that these scoring drives are all grouped in the first quarter and then Kyler and the rest of the offense goes into its shell because they feel like they have to score 10 points on every drive.

 

[slanidrac16]

Sorry buddy, I don’t agree with your goats and heroes, or at least the reasons.

Goats.
VJ - Can’t utilise talent. His stupid scheme or the highway.
Kliff - Not for the couple of the overly cute play calls, but for crappy practice strategy and days off.
Ertz - Drop city.
D as a whole - Learn to tackle, seriously annoying now. Diving at a call carrier with your shoulder and not wrapping won’t work and will get you injured. Just dumb.
Oline - Trash in pass blocking and no consistent push on running plays.
Isabella - He’s toast, you don’t quit on a go route when you are hanging onto the roster by your finger tips.

Heroes.
None apart from maybe Hollywood & Prater for doing their jobs the most effectively on the team.

Kyler didn’t ball out but he wasn’t the reason we lost. Players not looking for the ball and drops are momentum killers. Plus he gets flushed out the pocket because there isn’t one. He does need to run more and not be so hesitant with decisions.

You gotta add Dortch

 

[football karma]

a random thing that might as well go here:

for 2020 and the 2021 good stretch -- Kyler was outstanding on deep balls.

i feel like over the last part of 2021 and this year: he hasnt hit one.

He has been close, and had some odd stuff happen -- AJ Green steps out of bounds (in a league where it seems even ordinary WRs have become so good at that) on one, Andy Isabella just stops running, etc

dont know if this is law of averages catching up, or, something else

 

[Minski]

You gotta add Dortch

Yeah sorry that is my bad. Dortch is an absolute hero. The guy has been awesome. I think I was too focused on the goats

 

[Ouchie-Z-Clown]

Idk what I’m missing that everyone seems to be seeing with Collins. He doesn’t look explosive or physical to me. Maybe we’ve set the standards so low that making a basic play or two constitutes growth. He looks like a borderline day two pick.

Agree. He’s been pedestrian at best. At BEST.