While some fans I know are already speculating about next year’s draft, it is not yet time to abandon hope for this season, especially since we are only 1 game back in the NFC West.  Five of our last 8 games are at home, including our only two games in the second half against teams with winning records.  The first of those two games comes this weekend against Detroit, which has the best record of any of our remaining opponents.  This is not a “must win” game, but rather a “must not get Warner injured” game, and a “must get the offense back on track” game.

Getting Back on Track

Against Detroit, I am looking to see that we don’t beat ourselves.  Execution and discipline will be the primary things to look for to see if the Cards are getting back on track or not.  That means hanging on to the ball on offense, and eliminating bone head penalties that lose field position and extend the opponents’ drives.

The Cardinals offense was completely stifled by Tampa Bay last week, especially in the running game.  Detroit runs a similar “Cover 2” style defense that allowed less than 50 yards rushing in their last game.  Warner’s decision making will be key to getting back on track, since our success in this game will depend on his ability to get the ball out quickly, and perhaps more importantly, to the right guys, i.e. Boldin and Fitzgerald.  On that note it now may be time to give Breaston a chance to be our number three wide-out.  

The Cover 2 style defense will put pressure on Warner, but it leaves only 2 men in deep coverage.  To get our offense rolling, Warner needs to deliver the ball quickly to Boldin and Fitz on 8 to 15 yard routes.  Alone out there with the Detroit deep defenders, Boldin can muscle for extra yardage and Fitzgerald or a speedy Breaston or will also have a chance to make big plays deep.  If the Cards can generate some big runs after the catch, the defense will be forced to scale back on the up front pressure, which will open up our running game and underneath routes.

Don’t Give up

We are in the prime season for tailgating this weekend.  Sunday’s forecast is a high of 78 degrees, partly cloudy.  You live here for a reason right?  So wake up Sunday morning, fill up your cooler, pack-up your grill, paint your face, put on your Larry Centers jersey, head down to the best stadium in the league, cheer your head off, and send these Lions fans back to reality and Ohio with a sad look on their faces!!!

Well, we beat a division opponent on the road, which is huge.  It was not a pretty game, but we made plays when we needed to make them.

The Good

It is often said that the weakness of this team is the corner situation.  Although Gus Frerotte was able to complete a bunch of passes, Rod Hood and Eric Green were able to make some big plays to keep the game close in the first half and pull away in the second half. 

The offensive line played admirably through a rash of injuries.  Lyle Sendlein was forced to play LG when Reggie Wells moved to RT to fill in for Elton Brown.  Edge was able to keep their defense honest, and Warner was able to get the ball to Fitz for some big plays.

It is often said that the Cardinals have a culture of losing and that the calls always seem to go against us.  After watching both of the TDs in the first half, I’ve gotta say that the winds may be changing.

The Bad

The defense was getting carved up on a regular basis by a career journayman QB (Frerotte) and a rookie RB who was a FULLBACK in college (Leonard).  If we did not force those turnovers, we would have lost the game, and it did not need to be that close.

It seems as if the offense was focused on Fitz and James and not much else.  If we play a more talented defense, we will have to spread it around more.

Mike Barr continues to be inconsistent.  He followed up a career long punt with a shank.

The Ugly

A bad blitz pick-up in the first half caused a violent hit on Leinart, forcing him from the game.  Looks like he’ll be out for an extended period of time.  If that happens with Warner in the game, who’s next?  Vinny?

The Cards pulled one out at home this weekend against the Steelers.  It was a great game and it was loud in there!  The Cardinals fans stepped it up, as there were a lot of Steeler faithful at the stadium.

The Good

The offense seemed to get jumpstarted when Warner came in.  We started to move the ball with Edge and through the air.  When Leinart came back in the 4th quarter, we were able to hold on to that momentum and score again.  It seemed like the two quarterback system worked well, despite what Leinart said after the game (More on that later). 

The defense played their best game of the year, holding Willie Parker to 1.9 yards per rush.  Ben Roethlisberger played decent, but the two picks were crucial.  There was a quote by Gerald Hayes after the game that stated that they knew what was coming a lot of the time, which means that they were very well prepared.

The special teams were great at home for the second time this year.  The Steelers got nothing in the return game, whereas the Cardinals got their first punt return for a TD since 1993.

The Bad

Elton Brown looked lost at times at Right Tackle, and the Steelers ends frequently got by him.  Without Boldin, Fitz caught 11 passes, but it seemed like the QBs were not looking much elsewhere. 

Eric Green got beat bad by Santonio Holmes a couple of times, leading to touchdowns.  He was looking in the backfield trying to read Roethlisberger’s eyes, and lost the receiver.  These guys are too good for that.

The Ugly

The bad snap over Warner’s head gave the Steelers the ball at our 4 yard line.  Lucky for us, we’ve got Adrian Wilson back there to get us the ball back.

I appreciate the business-like approach by Coach Whiz and the staff, but don’t believe for a second that this is treated like just another game.  This is Whisenhunt and Grimm’s chance to show the Steelers brass that they made a mistake by not choosing one of them to be head coach, and a chance to make a statement by competing against one of the best teams in the league.  This is also the biggest home game of the season, and there will be a large contingent of Steelers fans at the stadium.  It is up to us, the fans, to show that it is a HOME game for the Cardinals!

There were several interesting items of note to come from the Cards Week 3 loss to the Ravens.

The Good:

First off, Warner was awesome.  He made the right reads and got the ball quickly to his playmakers, as evidenced by Boldin’s huge game.  The offensive line played decent, even with Elton Brown in for much of the game at right tackle.  Second, it was encouraging that the Cardinals had enough in them to make a run at a good Ravens team on the road when down by 17 at half.  It shows that this group has a lot of heart.

The Bad:

There was a lot of it in this game.  Leinart looked worse than he ever had before, making poor decisions on top of poor throws.  It is disheartening that he has not progressed more than this is 1+ years.  I don’t know if it is work ethic, or just  a poor grasp of the offense, but something needs to change.  The running game was average, with Edge running for 30 yards on 9 carries after the big 27 yarder in the first quarter.  Unfortunately, the Cardinals were forced to abandon the running game after getting so far behind.

The worst part of this game was the step back on defense.  The Cardinals could not tackle anyone.  Dansby, Green, Wilson, and Gerald Hayes all missed easy tackles, and the Ravens could not be stopped in the first half.

The special teams also allowed Yamon Figurs to return a punt 75 yards for a touchdown before half-time, and then we could not take advantage of good field position to score at the end of the first half.

The Ugly:

The defense let KYLE BOLLER pick them apart in completing 8 straight passes to set up the game winning field goal.  KYLE BOLLER!

Arizona Cardinals at Baltimore Ravens

M and T Bank Stadium, Baltimore Maryland

September 23, 2007;   10:00 am MST

TV: FOX Regional Coverage, Announcers: Thom Brennaman and Tim Hasselbeck

The Cardinals are coming off a big win against Seattle and need a win in Baltimore to assure a .500 record through the first 4 games, a goal which would put the Cardinals in good position for a successful season since the schedule eases considerably later in the season.  The Ravens, after 6 turnovers in their Monday night opener, rebounded with an ugly win against the Jets last Sunday.

Cardinals on Offense

Obviously, the Ravens rely on their stout defense to win ballgames, and the Cardinals will have their hands full.  There were a couple of trends through the first two games that are encouraging, however.  The Ravens gave up several big plays through the vertical passing game against the Bengals, and they allowed a green quarterback to pick them apart in the second half against the Jets.  If the Cardinals can avoid the turnover, gain enough yards through the running game to keep them honest, and make 3 big plays downfield in the passing game, it may be enough to win.

The Cardinals on Defense

Ravens quarterback Steve McNair missed last week with a groin injury, but is expected to be back.  He is an injury waiting to happen, however, so we’ll see how it pans out.  The Ravens wideouts don’t scare anyone, although Derrick Mason is a quality possession receiver.  Most big plays in the passing game go to TE Todd Heap, one of the best in the game.  The running game is led by Willis McGahee, and he is yet to break out this season.  He has 174 yards on 45 carries, a 3.9 yard average.  With the Cardinals success against Frank Gore and Shaun Alexander, the defense should have high hopes of containing the Ravens back.

 Check back for a final injury report before the game.

Slow news day today, as the Cardinals have Tuesdays off before they begin preparing for the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday.  The Cardinals are on the road in a morning game this week, and as such, there are several out there who will be trekking to a local watering hole to watch the Cardinals and the rest of the games.  This is a brief review of places in the Valley that I would personally reccommend.

Catch 22 Sports Bar and Grill - 32nd Street and Union Hills

www.catch22phx.com

Located in Nortrh Phoenix, this place has TVs everywhere and a good beer selection.  The big selling point of this place is the food.  Much better than your standard pub fare.  They also have a breakfast selection on Saturday and Sunday starting at 9:00am.

Hazelwoods 1st Place Sports Grill - 36th Street and Indian School

www.hazelwoodsfirstplace.com

Bare bones sports bar, but has a lot of TVs, and cheap beer.  25oz beer of the day for $3.50.

Arena Sports Grill - 64th Street and Bell

www.arenasportsgrillscottsdale.com

This large bar offers a good breakfast buffet on weekends.  For a treat head out to Arena on a Saturday afternoon for a Nebraska Football game.  Last season they were at capacity and had to turn people away for one game.  The spirit is amazing. 

Jilly’s American Grill - 2 locations, Scottsdale and Chandler

www.jillyschandler.com, www.scottsdalejillys.com

These sports bars are a little classier.  They offer spacious digs and a decent breakfast buffet with omelet bar.  Go to the Scottsdale location on Sundays to see Roc and Manuch and play the “Kickoff Challenge.”  Lots of fun 

Zipp’s Sports Grill - 6 East Side Locations

www.zipps-sportscafe.com

Great breakfast menu and $12 buckets of Coors Light Longnecks. 

McDuffy’s Sports Bar and Restaurant - 83rd Ave, South of Bell, Peoria

www.mcduffys.com

Probably the best sports bar on the westside, McDuffy’s is large and has lots of TVs.  For those who like to place a wager on the ponies, McDuffy’s also has OTB.  They open at 9:00am on Sunday, and offer a large variety of food.

There are obviously an endless supply of sports bars in this town, and don’t want to exclude any place, but I have personally inspected the above places.  Where ever you go, remember that you are a Cardinals fan and represent as such.  Don’t let the places in our town be taken over by loud and annoying Raiders, Cowboys, Steelers fans, et al.  Protect the Nest!

The Cardinals finally reversed their luck and made some plays to win the game, beating Seattle 23-20 at U of P Stadium. 

The Good:

The offensive line was unlike any line I’ve seen in Cardinals uniforms before.  They were blowing off the ball and getting James 3-4 yards past the line of scrimmage before he even got touched.  Terelle Smith as a lead blocker is also helping Edge.  Leinart had sufficient time to throw the ball as well, and he was able to get the ball downfield better in this game. 

Obviously the defense made some big plays, the most important being the fumble recovery in the waning minutes of the game.  The special teams were solid, Breaston had a couple of nice returns, and Sean Morey’s blocked punt in the first quarter set up the opening field goal.

The Bad:

The Cardinals were leading 17-0 and let the Seahawks score 20 unanswered to take the lead at the beginning of the 4th quarter.  The aggressive schemes of the defensive front got predictable and Hasselback was able to pick apart our secondary. 

The Ugly:

On 4th and 1 from the 16 yard line, the Seahawks handed the ball to Alexander, which everyone in the stadium saw coming, and the defense allowed him to score.  We have got to be able to make it more difficult than that to score.

All in all, a good performance in all three phases of the game, and it was nice to see the Cardinals utilize Leonard Pope and let him showcase his unique skill set. 

On my way to the game and wanted to get a quick injury report in.  For the home team Cardinals, looks like C Al Johnson and DTs Alan Branch and Ross Kolozdiej are out, and WR Bryant Johnson is quesitonable with a tweaked hamstring.  For the Seahawks, WR DJ Hackett is out, and RB Maurice Morris is doubtful.  All in all, no earth-shattering news there.  Go Cardinals!

Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks, 1:05pm

University of Phoenix Stadium, FOX Regional TV

This week’s game is huge for the Cardinals, as we want to avoid going 0-2 in the division and falling 2 full games back of the Seahawks.  The Seahawks are coming off a win against the lowly Buccanneers, and are tied with the 49ers, who play at St. Louis this Sunday.

Cardinals on Offense

Obviously, the Cardinals need more production out of the passing game.  Leinart will need to distribute the ball to the wideouts a little more and take advantage of suspect cornerbacks for Seattle.  Looks like Lyle Sendlein will get the start at center, and will have to make sure the young right side of the line (Lutui, Brown) get all the calls.  The Cardinals hopefully will continue to rush the ball well.  The Seahawks play a base 4-3, and place a lot of responsibility on the safeties and linebaker Lofa Tutupu.  Look for the Cardinals to run from a lot of formations, and try creative ways to get Boldin and Fitzgerald involved early.

Cardinals on Defense

Stopping the Seahawks comes down to stopping Shaun Alexander, who has owned the Cardinals in recent years.  The Seahawks also have a lot of receivers, and like to spread the ball around.  Number one wideout Deion Branch did not catch a pass last week, and I would not expect that to continue.  The Cardinals will need to play several corners, as Seattle likes 3 and 4 receiver sets, so Antrel Rolle will need to be ready. 

Look for injury reports and predictions as the week progresses.