SB Nation - Clark Haggans

Next Day Notes: Cardinals Beat Lions 31-24 After Sloppy Second Half

Pyromnc — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:00:42 -0000

After a tough loss to the San Francisco 49ers, the Arizona Cardinals were looking to rebound against the Detroit Lions. Everything indicated that happened when the Cardinals took an early 17-0 lead going into the half. Coming out of the half was a different story. Detroit came out and scored 17 unanswered points in the third quarter. The Cardinals pulled it together in the fourth quarter however, by putting up 14 points. The Cardinals were supposed to use this game to make a statement. They did - the Cardinals play down to the competition they face.

The Good

Beanie Wells had quite possibly, his best game since becoming a pro. He recorded his first 100 yard rushing game by putting up 110 yards on 17 carries (a 6.5 yard per carry average). He also tacked on a pivotal 18 yard touchdown in the 4th quarter that would get the Cardinals back into the game. Beanie is clearly the best back on the team, and it's evident coach Whisenhunt is aware as Wells had 17 carries compared to Tim Hightower's 6. Wells also recorded a 13 yard catch in the game.

Anquan Boldin got his usual catches in the game - plowing over defenders and making vintage Boldin runs. Q's last catch was a touchdown that only he could've pulled off, forcing his way into the end zone. This catch would be the deciding touchdown in the game, giving the Cards the win. Boldin continues to play hard this season and has definitely been a big reason the Cardinals have won nine games this year.

The Cardinals Special Teams is one of the best units in the league right now. That didn't change in Sunday's game. Punter Ben Graham pinned the opposition three more times inside the 20 yard line, adding to his league-leading total of 37. He also averaged 45.4 yards per punt on his seven punts. LaRod Stephens-Howling also had another impressive game, averaging 23 yards per kick return and playing very well on coverage. He helped recover a fumble on a Lions muffed punt in the first half. Newly signed kicker Mike Nugent also chimed in with a 48 yard field goal and hit each of the extra points. The Cardinals defense and offense should take some notes from special teams, as they have been the only unit to play consistently well week in and week out.

The Eh

The Defense played well enough to win despite allowing over 100 yards rushing to a back up running back. They began the first half shutting out the Lions but sadly, they couldn't keep up the effort in the second half, as they allowed 24 points. Part of the problem can be attributed to the offenses sloppy play with turnovers, as the defense has less time to rest and less field position to defend. Despite allowing 24 points they were able to make the Lions make mistakes, with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie intercepting two passes. Adrian Wilson also got one step closer to his 20/20 goal by splitting a sack with Clark Haggans. Overall the defense played well enough to win the game, but a consistently good effort for an entire four quarters is something that is needed as the playoffs draw closer.

The Bad

Kurt Warner had a decent game but not the type of game we have been accustomed to seeing from him. The good from him was his two touchdowns and 233 passing yards, but he had problems turning the ball over for the second game in a row, throwing an interception and losing a fumble. He now has 5 turnovers in his last 2 games, and the Cardinals should be lucky they played a bad team like the Lions, who weren't able to take advantage.

The Ugly

Turnovers have been awful for the Cardinals at times this year. They had a six turnover game against the Panthers earlier this year, then 10 in their last two games. Last week Stephens-Howling, Hightower, Wells, Boldin, and Warner couldn't hang onto the ball, and this week it was Warner and Steve Breaston. The Cardinals had issues turning the ball over late last season, but were able to clean up their act in the playoffs. If they want to make a serious run this year, they'll need to do the same.

Despite some erratic play they did manage to win and also got an early Christmas present from the Eagles as they beat the 49ers, allowing the Cardinals to clinch the division. Now should the Cardinals try and win their next two games to hope for better playoff seeding? Or should they rest some of the starters like Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald so they are fresh for the playoffs?

The Saturday Sim: Cardinals-Rams

Andrew602 — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:23:04 -0000

Doh!

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We're at another Saturday Sim, in a simulation between the Arizona Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams, and let me tell you, pay attention to this one. It was a very close game and the Cardinals had their way of disappointing here. I couldn't post last week guys because I didn't have time. It takes some time out of your Friday night to watch a fake football game ; ). Anyways, before I break down the simulation, for those of you who aren't familiar with this, I simulate a game between the Cardinals and their opponent for that given week on the popular game known as Madden. I set it for All Madden difficulty, 8 minute quarters, with a 15 second run off. Then I post the results here. Let's see how the game went.

First Quarter

-The Rams receive the ball and begin running. On the second run of the game, Adrian Wilson forces a fumble and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie scoops it up to return it 42 yards for the touchdown. Cardinals lead 7-0.

- The Rams run more but eventually punt to the Cardinals. The Cards offense struggles to start the quarter and face several three and outs. The Rams march down the field with Steven Jackson leading the way. The Cardinals can't stop the run. At the 1 yard line, Samkon Gado runs in the touchdown to tie the game at 7. Key holding penalties on Mike Gandy and Levi Brown end several drives for the Cardinals. Game tied 7-7.

Second Quarter

- The Rams start the second quarter by bringing a lot of pressure, and the Cardinals are forced to punt. On the Rams next drive, they keep the running game going, but are stopped and settle for a 56 yard field goal. Rams lead 10-7.

- The Cardinals are stopped on their next drive because of another holding call, which is hurting them at this point. The Rams get the ball back and are setting up the pass by running. The Cardinals sniff out several runs and the Rams settle for another field goal. 13-7 Rams lead.

- The Cardinals get the ball back with under 2 minutes remaining in the half. They run the hurry up, and Anquan Boldin catches a big sideline pass that takes them down to the 6 yard line. Early Doucet and Jason Wright drop two passes in the end zone and the Cardinals settle for a field goal. Rams lead 13-10 at end of half.

Third Quarter

-The Cardinals get the ball at the half and immediately start passing a lot. Steve Breaston is getting a lot of looks on the drive but Anquan catches a big 36 yard pass that takes the Cardinals into the red zone. Beanie Wells carries a defender 5 yards on his back, something I've never seen before in Madden!! Reggie Wells gets called for the hold which pushes them back and the Cardinals settle for a field goal. Game tied 13-13.

- The Cardinals stop the Rams next few drives by stacking the box to stopping Steven Jackson. Clark Haggans is having a good day, registering 7 tackles all on Jackson. The Cardinals stall on the final drive of the quarter and punt to the Rams.

Fourth Quarter

- The fourth quarter is the same, as the Cardinals continue to stop the run. When the Rams are forced to pass, Adrian Wilson picks off Marc Bulger. The Cardinals can't take advantage of the turnover, and Ben Graham booms a punt to the Rams 4 yard line. The Rams get away from their goal line, but Bulger throws another pick, this time to Karlos Dansby. In the red zone, Beanie Wells second effort pays off and he runs the ball in 5 yards. Cardinals lead 20-13.

- Here's where the game goes down hill with less then two minutes left. The Cardinals stop the Rams who punt back to the Cards. The Cardinals try to run the clock out, but go nowhere. Beanie Wells fumbles, but recovers the ball himself. Wright gets a carry, who doesn't get the first down, but a face mask on the Rams gives the Cardinals the first down. Game over right? No. Wells gets the ball again and fumbles again!! The Rams recover with 46 seconds left. Jackson catches a wide open pass and takes it to the Cards 10 yard line. The Cardinals force a 4th and inches, and the Rams pass the ball!! Samkon Gado is wide open and runs it in for the touchdown!! Game tied 20-20.

- The Cardinals get the ball back with 26 second left. Warner finds Breaston for 20 yards, then Anthony Becht wide open over the middle another 23 yards. The Cardinals call timeout at the rams 28 yard line. The Cardinals go for the win but Rackers hits off the upright!! Overtime. Game tied 20-20.

Overtime

- The Cardinals get the ball and march down into Rams territory. And just like before, Beanie Wells fumbles the ball away! Ken Whisenhunt is screaming on the sideline and why shouldn't he be? Put in Tim Hightower! The Rams get into Cards territory, but are stopped. The Rams go for the win which would be a 59 yard field goal. It has the distance, but hits the upright!! Cards ball.

- The Cardinals don't run this time, throwing to Larry Fitzgerald for 2 key first downs. In Rams territory, they are stopped and go for a long field goal. What a surprise, wide right!!! The Rams get the ball and get back into Cards territory. Going for the stop, in Cardinal-fashion, Mike Karney is wide open and streaks down the field for a 40 yard touchdown with Antrel Rolle chasing him. Rams win the game 26-20. Wow.

The Stats

	Cardinals	Rams
Total	308	290
Pass	265	207
Rush	53	83
Turnovers	2	3
Third Down	4-12(33%)	3-10(30%)
TOP	23:18	17:44

	comp/att	Yards	TD	INT	Rate
Warner	24/34(70%)	261	0	0	92.9
Bulger	14/22(63%)	207	2	2	86.7

	Att	Yards	Avg	TD/Fumble
Wells	18	50	2.7	1/3
Jackson	26	85	3.2	0/1

	Rec	Yards	Avg	TD
Fitzgerald	4	49	12.2	0
Boldin	4	65	16.2	0
Breaston	4	58	14.5	0
McMichael	5	43	8.6	0
Jackson	2	53	26.5	0
Karney	1	40	40.0	1

Final Thought -

It had to be the craziest game I've ever watched on Madden and if this happens in real life, I'll likely end up in the hospital. The Cardinals made the comeback in the second half and had the game locked up. Beanie Wells 3 fumbles killed the game, along with Neil Rackers inability to kick a game-winner. The Cardinals also finished with 8 penalties for 85 yards. I doubt this will happen on Sunday but it's interesting that Madden made it a very close game. What are your thoughts on the sim?

Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams: 5 Keys to Success

Andrew602 — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 18:08:13 -0000

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

Having linebacker Gerald Hayes back from injury will be key for the Cardinals run defense to contain Steven Jackson.

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When the Arizona Cardinals take the field at the Edward Jones Dome to face the division rival St. Louis Rams, a 6-3 record and the possibility of going 3-1 in the division will be on the line. After nearly blowing another home game to the lowly Seattle Seahawks last week, the Cardinals know that they can't take any opponent for granted, no matter how bad their season has been. So far this year, the Cardinals haven't fell asleep on the road, starting 4-0. Let's take a look at the keys to the game.

1. Slow Steven Jackson: We all know that the Rams best player is running back Steven Jackson. He's currently third in the NFL with 915 rushing yards and has played even better the last few weeks. The one area the Cardinals have struggled at the last 3 weeks has been defending the run. They allowed a whopping 270 rushing yards to the Panthers, and 140 yards to the Seahawks - however, both games were at home. One important stat to take notice of, is that Jackson has only 2 rushing touchdowns on the year. He may get his usual yardage, but if the Cardinals can keep him out of the end zone they'll have a better chance of winning the game.

2. Get rid of them penalties!: The Cardinals committed 11 penalties against the Seahawks last week, for 136 yards, which was 12.3 yards per penalty. As we all know, penalties are drive-killers/momentum-killers. Ken Whisenhunt was on top of his team midway through last season, as the team cut down on committing them. This season is different, and the Cardinals will need to play smarter on Sunday, and for the remainder of the season.

3. Go for the kill: It may sound cliche, but the Cardinals typically keep games a lot closer then they should. Facing a team like the Rams is like corning an animal in desperation - they'll do anything they can to stay alive. The Cardinals need to keep their foot on the neck(not the elbow) and not let the Rams back into this game. And as a note for Ken Whisenhunt, please don't put Matt Leinart in unless the game is completely out of reach.

4. Solid play from secondary: The defensive backs have each had their issues this year, whether it be DRC early in the season, Wilson against Greg Olsen, or Bryant McFadden last week. On Sunday, they need to establish some consistency and not give up the big play. The Rams could use the same game plan the Seahawks used, and attack McFadden. He'll need to get back to what he does best, which is being a physical corner, and know where the ball is at all times. The Rams have burners at receiver, so the Cardinals must be ready.

5. Balance on offense: In the last two wins the Cardinals have relied heavily on their offense to win the games. Part of that has been possible because of the new found rushing attack. They've had over 100 yards rushing two straight games for the first time this year. The name "wear and tear", given to Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower by linebacker Clark Haggans has some meaning. Hightower opens the game and wears out the defense with his relentlessness, pass blocking, and receiving, while Wells comes in the game to tear through the defense as he did last week. With a running game in tact, the Cardinals can air it out to their receivers much more effectively.

If the Cardinals can make these keys to the game possible, they should win on Sunday against a weaker Rams squad. Winning Sunday will also keep them further away from the San Francisco 49ers, who play on the road as well against the Green Bay Packers. What are your keys to the game and why?

Arizona Cardinal of the Week: Week 10

Andrew602 — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:29:46 -0000

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

about 1 month ago: Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells scores a touchdown as Seattle Seahawks safety Jordan Babineaux defends during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in Glendale, Ariz. The Cardinals won 31-20. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

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The Arizona Cardinals started Sunday's game sporting a 1-3 record at home, a place where they heavily relied on a home field advantage the last two seasons. They all knew how important a win at home would be, for the team and the fans. Two Seahawk scores later and the Cardinals were already down 14-0 in the first half. At that point, most would have figured the Cardinals already had lost. Instead, they battled back and overcame their division rival to win with the final score 31-20. Here's the list of nominees for Cardinal of the week.

Beanie Wells: After an impressive performance against the Chicago Bears the week before, there were set expectations for the rookie heading into this game. Beanie surpassed them, and is showing why the Cardinals drafted him at 31st overall. Wells also performed well under pressure, scoring two touchdowns that essentially gave the Cardinals the win.

Kurt Warner: Warner tacked on another 300 yard game to his career total, and also added 2 more touchdowns to give him 200 for his career as well. The most important stat has to be ball security, in which Warner didn't turn the ball over once and wasn't sacked once. If we see this play from Kurt the remainder of the season, the Cardinals shouldn't have anymore problems winning at home.

Anquan Boldin: Anquan blasted head coach Ken Whisenhunt the week before, declaring that nobody was "man enough" to tell him he'd been deactivated. He responded by catching 8 passes for 105 yards on Sunday. Many of the catches came at critical times, and Boldin would've had a touchdown had he not been stopped short of the goal line in the first quarter.

Antrel Rolle: The Cardinals may have the best safety combination in the league, with Rolle at free safety and Wilson at strong. Rolle has been very dependable this year, not allowing any big plays, and also making interceptions when the Cardinals needed them. He's also turned into a capable tackler, leading the team with 9 on Sunday.

Clark Haggans: Statistically Haggans is having the best season of his career since the 2006 season when he had 9 total sacks. He registered two sacks in the win on Sunday, and leads the team with 4.5. Haggans also had 6 tackles in the win.

Nominating players for Cardinal of the week is always easy after another win, so let's hope the trend continues. As always, if you feel somebody should be added, just drop a comment below. Who did you vote for and why?

Poll

Who is the Cardinal of the Week?

Kurt Warner - 29/38 340 yards, 2 TDs, 120.5

43 votes

Beanie Wells - 16 carries, 85 yards, 2 TDs

98 votes

Anquan Boldin - 8 catches, 105 yards, 13.1 avg

18 votes

Antrel Rolle - 9 tackles, 1 INT, 2 PD

10 votes

Clark Haggans - 6 tackles, 2 sacks, 3 QB hits

18 votes

187 votes | Poll has closed

Grading the Defense: Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks

Hawkwind — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 17:30:11 -0000

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

Arizona Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson does his best Superman impersonation while intercepting a shuffle pass from Seattle Seahawks quarterback Matt Hasselbeck during the final minutes of the Cardinals' 31-20 win. (AP Photo/Paul Connors)

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In what's becoming a bit of a trend, the Arizona Cardinals defense had some up and down moments throughout their game against the Seattle Seahawks. On the upside, they allowed just only 20 points but on the downside they gave up 472 yards of total offense to a unit that was averaging less than 340 yards per game. The defense also harrassed and sacked Matt Hasselbeck four times but allowed relatively unknown Justin Forsett to rush for over 120 yards. All in all thought the bottom line is that their effort was good enough to win and they made some very important plays when they needed to perserve the lead.

Rush Defense: What else can you really say? Forsett, a seventh round pick from a year ago with 20 career carries coming into the game, basically ripped up the Cardinals front seven from start to finish. In total he carried the ball 17 times, with six of those rushes going for at least ten yards. Since the Hawks didn't trail by two scores until the the latter half of the 4th quarter, they were able to keep the running game a factor for most of the game. In addition to Forsett's yardage the Hawks got another 41 yards on a combined seven carries from Julius Jones (who suffered a terrible injury), Louis Rankin and Matt Hasselbeck. In total they racked up 164 yards on the ground on 24 carries (a gaudy 6.8 ypc average) while only losing yards on two of those carries. The Cardinals rush defense has fallen to eighth in the league and with Stephen Jackson, Chris Johnson and Adrian Peterson coming in the next three weeks, they'll need a much better effort to stay inside the top ten.

Pass Defense: This might be a hard stance to defend but I think the Cardinals pass defense was at least decent on Sunday. Sure, Hasselbeck threw for over 300 yards but he also only completed 50% of his passes, threw more picks than touchdowns and had a QB rating under 60. Digging a little bit deeper, 84 of his 315 passing yards on the day came on two mistakes by Bryant McFadden, but more on that later. Most of Hasselbeck's game was limited to short passes, as evidence by his yard per attempt number of 6.1, and the pressure that the front seven was able to apply certainly had an influence on his performance. The overall yardage number is tough to ignore but considering that it took 52 pass attempts to barely break 300 yards, I'd still consider it a decent performance by the secondary.

McFadden's Tough Day: If there was one guy who had a tough day on Sunday, it was Bryant McFadden. He not only was personally responsible for the Hawks two biggest offensive plays but he also accounted for three penalties totaling 51 yards. The first big play allowed, a 53 yard pass to T.J. Houshmandzadeh, was simply a case of McFadden never finding the ball. By the time he turned his head to locate the ball, it was in Housh's hands and McFadden had to grab a handful of facemask to get him to the ground. It total the play moved the Hawks from their own one yard line to the Cardinals' 31 and they would score thier first touchdown five plays later. His next big mistake was a bit less obvious but head coach Ken Whisenhunt confirmed it yesterday during his press conference. On the Seahawks second touchdown the Cardinals secondary was in a "three deep" defense and it was McFadden's job to cover anyone who went deep on his side. Somehow though he overlooked John Carlson streaking down the seam and the pass ended up going for a 31 yard touchdown. Blown coverages are going to happen at every level of football but this combined with a couple more poor plays really highlighted a bad day at the office for McFadden.

Pinning the Seahawks Deep: One thing that I think has gotten overlooked so far is where the Seahawks had to start most of their drives and once you see this you may look at their yardage totals a bit differently. The Hawks had 13 drives in this game and their average starting field position was their own 19, but even that doesn't tell the whole story. Four of those 13 drives started inside the Hawks' five yard line, including back to back drives that started at their own one yard line, and nine of the 13 drives started at or inside their own 20. Pinning them that deep is a testament to not only Ben Graham and the Cardinals special team coverage units, but also the Cardinals offense. When the offense doesn't turn the ball over they take a tremendous amount of pressure off this defense and making an opposing offense drive the length of the field really helps the "bend but don't break" philosophy.

Honor Roll:

Will Davis: We haven't talked much about him even though there's a large segment of the Cardinal-fandom that lists OLB as our biggest need heading into next years draft, but Davis is playing really well. Officially he had just one tackle but if watch the tape he's starting to show up more and more. With Chike Okeafor sidelined with an injury, Davis was splitting time with Bertand Berry and he was able to pressure Hasselbeck a couple of times and looks fairly comfortable in his role at outside linebacker. All in all not a bad rookie season for our sixth round pick.

Clark Haggans: Perhaps the games's defensive MVP, Haggans registered two sacks and six total tackles. We didn't expect a great deal from him but so far he leads the team in sacks and is on pace for his best season since 2006.

Antrel Rolle: Somebody must be whispering in Rolle's ear about the possibility of big dollars in his future because Rolle is finally turning into a bona-fide playmaker. He once again led the team in tackles and his pick of Hasselbeck in the fourth quarter was the first of two nails in the Hawks' coffin.

Karlos Dansby and Darnell Dockett: I almost didn't want to list these guys considering that the Seahawks ran all over the Cardinals front seven but Dansby and Nine-0 were instumental in the pressuring of Hasselbeck. Dansby carried the load without Gerald Hayes in the lineup and finished with eight tackles and half a sack. Dockett registered half a sack as well and finished with six tackles of his own.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Considering the defense was missing two starters, I still look at this as a positive game for them as a whole. There are some aspects that can certainly be improved upon but overall I think this kind of effort/outcome gives this team a chance to win more often than not. Thoughts?

Poll

How would you grade the Arizona Cardinals defense?

A

5 votes

B

111 votes

C

136 votes

D

8 votes

F

9 votes

269 votes | Poll has closed

Grading the Defense: Arizona Cardinals vs. Chicago Bears

Hawkwind — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:00:54 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

about 1 month ago: Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett, bottom left, sacks Chicago Bears quarterback Jay Cutler (6) in the second quarter of an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009. In the background is the Cardinals' Gabe Watson (98). (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

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Coming off a disappointing loss against the Carolina Panthers, Kurt Warner wasn't the only Arizona Cardinals' player with something to prove this past weekend. The Cardinals' defense, namely the front seven, had some serious questions to answer after allowing the Panthers to run rough shot over them just seven days prior. Standing in their way would be a Chicago Bears team that was undefeated at home and one of the league's more complete running backs in Matt Forte. Needless to say the Cardinals defense had their work cut out for them and here's a breakdown of how they performed.

Overall Defensive Performance: Depending on how you look at it the Cardinals defense was anywhere from very good to very marginal. From the "very good" department, the defense only allowed two drives of 45 yards or longer but the two "very bad" drives were both 90+ yards and resulted in touchdowns. From the "very good" file, with roughly one minute left in the third quarter the defense had allowed just 200 yards on the Bears' first seven drives, 90 of which came on their opening drive, but the Bears also racked up another 180 yards on their final four drives (including a 93 yard TD drive). One thing is pretty clear, the defense either started to fail or relaxed in the fourth quarter resulting in most of their overall numbers looking very average. it is worth mentioning however that portions of the fourth quarter were played with backups like Will Davis and Kenny Iwebema. By the time the game was over the Bears' offense had racked up 417 yards from scrimmage (averaging 6.6 yards per snap) and had scored 21 points.

Rush Defense: It's pretty fair to say that the Bears' abandoned their run game early in the game considering that they played at least 3/4 of the game from a two touchdown deficit. For the game they attempted just 12 rushes, although they did average 5.8 yards per carry. Forte led the way with 33 yards on five carries while (the other) Adrian Peterson and Jay Cutler added another 40 yards on the ground with their five combined carries. Their running game simply never had a chance to get on track and was limited to draw plays out of shotgun for most of the game, a scenerio the Cardinals are quite familar with.

Pass Defense: Normally when a team gets behind early they are forced to air it out for the rest of the game and that was certainly the case for the Bears. Cutler set season highs in completions (29), attempts (47), yards (369) and touchdowns (3) and posted a very respectable 98.6 QB rating. Most of his completions were a result of their short passing game where YAC receivers like Devin Hester and Johny Knox could excel, although two of his most successful deep balls were to tight end Greg Olsen. The Cardinals registered four sacks but more importantly they continously pressured and knocked down Cutler. Pressure from guys like Darnell Dockett, Calais Campbell, Chike Okeafor and Clark Haggans were a big reason why the Bears were limited to short passes for most of the day.

Honor Roll:

Karlos Dansby and Ali Highsmith: Thanks to a back injury that prevented Gerald Hayes from suiting up, Highsmith got his first start as a pro and the defense didn't seem to miss a beat. There were times that he got pushed around but his energy and athleticism also made him an asset once the Bears turned pass-happy. Dansby did what he normally does, leading the team in tackles despite the Bears lack of a running game.

Darnell Dockett and Calais Campbell: There may be better 3-4 defensive ends in this league but the way DD and CC are playing right now, I don't know that I'd trade them for any other pair. Dockett was his normal disruptive force and his second sack of the season. Campbell, regardless of what the boxscore says, recorded at least half a sack, if not a full sack (the sack that was awarded to Okeafor). One thing that really stands out about Campbell though is that he never gives up on a play. At least once a game it seems like he'll make a tackle ten yards down field while a back tries to wiggle through the secondary.

Matt Ware: We haven't talked much about Ware this season but if you me, that's a good thing. Ware has stepped into Aaron Francisco's role and has been a moster upgrade. He's not a great cover safety but he does alot of things well and so far the Cardinals are using him in a way that allows him to succeed. He registered his first career pick late in the fourth quarter.

Will Davis: Welcome to the NFL rook! Davis recorded his first career sack and don't look now but he's starting to get a couple of snaps a week with the defensive unit. He's already proving that he has the athletic ability to play in this league and his relentless motor and ability to get off blocks led to his fourth quarter sack on Cutler.

Overall Defensive Grade: C+

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Overall the Cardinals defensive effort can classified as good with plenty of room for improvement. One thing that will stick with me for a while is how dejected Jay Cutler looked after he continually got hit by the Arizona Cardinals. Very rarely do you visibly see a player quit, especially a quarterback, but he was very close on Sunday. As the game wore on he got up slower and slower as the hits kept coming and quaterbacks in the future will recognize that on tape. The Cardinals feel like they're building something special here and there were glimpses of that on Sunday. What's you're grade for the defense?

Poll

How would you grade the Cardinals defensive effort on Sunday?

A

20 votes

B

119 votes

C

61 votes

D

4 votes

F

2 votes

206 votes | Poll has closed

Grading The Defense: Cardinals vs Seahawks

Andrew602 — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 21:19:23 -0000

Before we completely move on to our next game, let's take a look at the job the defense did this past Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. It quite possibly was the best game the defense has had in a long time, and while they've had their ups and downs, now's the time that we dish out the grade. Limiting Matt Hasselbeck throughout the game is a feat upon itself, but completely limiting the Seahawks as a whole deserves much more credit. The Cardinals held Hasselbeck to a 34% completion percentage and 32.5 QB rating. The Cardinals also didn't allow a third down conversion, which brought their season average to 3rd overall. Against the pass, they held top receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh to 4 catches for 34 yards. Finally, by holding the Seahawks to 14 rushing yards, they continued thier number one spot, allowing only 59.6 rushing yards per game. Key contributors after the jump...

	First Downs	3rd Downs	Total Yards	Pass Yards	Rush Yards	Total Plays	Yards Per Play	TO	TOP
Seahawks Offense	7	0-11	128	114	14	46	3.1	2	17:10

Key Contributors:

Calais Campbell - Campbell was already nominated for Cardinal of the week, and now makes the list for his impressive performance against the Seahawks. He took advantage of an injured line, and bullied his way into the back field to disrupt Hasselbeck. Campbell only had one sack, but should've received credit for the forced fumble as well. Campbell had a QB hit and had two tackles for a loss also. His only error was not blocking a field goal. ; )

Adrian Wilson - Wilson takes pride in his defense and was upset at their 32nd ranked pass defense heading into this game. He only had 4 tackles but it was enough to lead the team. Wilson also hit Hasselbeck twice and was in his face at other times. At one point, Wilson easily threw 2nd year tight end, John Carlson out of the way, to tackle the running back.

Clark Haggans - Through out the game Haggans was speaking his mind, letting fellow Cardinals know how pumped up he was. He brought down Hasselbeck once for a sack, and was also at the end of several tackles during the game. The linebackers also redeemed themselves by not giving up the short pass and allowing the Seahawks to get back into the game.

Cardinals Defensive Grade: A+

The Cardinals will need another performance like this on Sunday night, when they play a well-balanced New York Giants club. Pressure on Eli Manning and stopping the run will be key for the win. Why did you grade the Cardinals defense the way you did?

Poll

How would you grade the Cardinals defensive effort on Sunday?

A+

140 votes

A

60 votes

B

16 votes

C

2 votes

218 votes | Poll has closed

49ers-Cardinals: A Q&A with Revenge of the Birds

Fooch — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 15:17:47 -0000

As some of you may have noticed during the preseason we mixed in some Q&As with opposing bloggers. The best way to find out about an opposing team is to check in with one of their bloggers. Fortunately SB Nation has NFL bloggers covering every single team. So, for the 2009 season we'll have a Q&A every single week.

For this week, we welcome cgolden from Revenge of the Birds. He's already posted a FanPost answering your questions, but I wanted to get some specific answers out to the front page. Enjoy.

Fooch: Obviously a team's preseason record should be taken with a huge grain of salt (see last season's 4-0 Lions). At the same time, struggles in the preseason tend to raise concerns among the fanbase. The Cardinals finished 0-4 with the worst point differential in the NFL. How are the fans taking it and do you have any idea why the team struggled?

CG: Well the reaction has been pretty mixed so far despite the poor play by the Cardinals. I've said it a million times that I couldn't care less what the final score of preseason game is but the poor, sloppy play by the first team offense and defense is something that concerns quite a few fans, including myself. Cardinals players and coaches have thrown a couple of excuses out there such as a lack of game planning for opponents and the inability to muster the same fire and passion that they showed during the playoffs. The game planning is pretty much a given, although every team could also use that excuse, but the lack of fire and passion is somewhat concerning. Several of the players have hinted that they just could get their heads wrapped around going full bore for a preseason game after tasting playoff success. I'd also expect that the injuries at the receiver position (Boldin, Breaston and Doucet have all missed time) have also played a significant role in the lack of offensive production.

Fooch: Along the same lines (and feel free to combine these questions together if you want), is there concern of a Super Bowl hangover that often afflicts the loser of the big game?

CG: Concern probably depends on who you ask but the idea of the Super Bowl loser being the only team that falters is a bit of an overblown theory, in my opinion. One thing that rarely mentioned is that since the 2002 Super Bowl, the winner has also failed to make the playoffs the following season three times (in seven years). In my mind there are two main concerns for the Cardinals as they enter 2009, the first being health. The Cardinals were fortunate that they sustained very few injuries last year and they didn't have to send a single starter to the injured reserve the entire season. Injuries have a way of playing back into the law of averages so we'll see if the team can be as fortunate as they were last year. The second concern for them is that they have to decide whether they are the team that faltered down the stretch in 2008 or the team that ran through the NFC playoffs en route to the Super Bowl.

After the jump we check in with cgolden on Kurt Warner, the Cardinals rushing game, their 2009 defense and potential break-out players...

Fooch: Are the Cardinals (and their fans) confident riding the arm of Kurt Warner in spite of his age? Would Leinart be ready to take over if Warner went down with an injury?

CG: Confident....yes. How confident is probably the better question. Old man Warner had hip surgery in the off season (funny picture) and as recently as the second preseason game he was still walking gingerly and noticeably uncomfortable. He's said that he actually feels better moving around instead of standing still or slowly walking but his hip has gotten quite a bit of press as he's stumbled to a 47.4 QB rating in the preseason. One thing that I think we're all still confident about is that Warner can still get the job done at a Pro Bowl level and once his receivers and the game plan are installed, I think we'll see him return to form. If he were to get injured, I feel that Matt Leinart is quite capable of leading this team to wins. The offense might lean a little more on the running game but Leinart is looking more and more like a capable NFL quarterback every time he steps on the field.

Fooch: What can we expect from the Cardinals rushing attack now that Edgerrin James is out of the picture? According to Football Outsiders, the Arizona rushing game finished 28th in the NFL. Can Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower rectify that?

CG: Wow 28th? I've been touting them as the league's worst rushing attack for seven months now. In all honesty though, the Cardinals rushing attack was putrid last season and they can only go one direction this season. The addition of Beanie and subtraction of Edge means that we've gained potential and lost production. Some might consider that a wash but I give a slight edge (pun intended) to Beanie being an upgrade. That combined with the new slim and trim Tim Hightower has some thinking that the Cardinals could actually move the ball on the ground somewhat effectively this season. Just to put a cherry on top the weakest link in the Cards offensive line, Lyle Sendlien, also had off season shoulder surgery and has looked much stronger this preseason despite facing mammoth nose tackles Casey Hampton, Jamal Williams and B.J. Raji.

Fooch: The defense wasn't exactly stellar in 2008. What kind of changes can we expect in 2009?

CG: Changes?!? You want changes?!? We've got plenty of changes for you, including the front seven finally scraping the Clancy Pendergast "hybrid" look and committing to a more traditional 3-4 front. The defense as a whole will have three new starters, Clark Haggans (OLB), Calais Campbell (DE) and free agent signee Bryant McFadden (CB) and a much more aggressive style of play. The new defensive coordinator (whom you guys are very familiar with) Bill Davis has said that he'll incorporate a much more extensive blitz package than Pendergast ever carried. That of course will put some pressure on the secondary but there are hopes that the secondary, which allowed the most passing TD's last season, will be much improved. McFadden is a clear upgrade over Roderick Hood and DRC should continue to grown with every game. Both cornerbacks have good size and are a perfect compliment to each other considering that DRC is the uber-athletic burner and McFadden is the physical run stopper. The Cardinals also hope that Antrel Rolle settles into the free safety spot this year along with third round pick Rashad Johnson and that the duo can limit opposing offenses from breaking off big plays.

Fooch: Aside from Beanie Wells, who do you think is a good candidate to be a young break-out player in 2009 for the Cardinals?

CG: To be honest, I don't think Beanie is going to have the kind of breakout season that some expect, but that's not because he doesn't have the ability. I think that Hightower is going to hold onto the starting job longer than most expect and that carries will be split very evenly by the end of the season. I wouldn't be terribly surprised if neither back approached 1,000 yards but combined they had some where close to 1,600. A guy who is a legitimate breakout candidate though is Calais Campbell. Defensive ends in a 3-4 don't traditionally rack up stats but Campbell has shown some outstanding ability for a second year player in the preseason against the run and as a pass rusher. I wouldn't be surprised if he racked up a handful of sacks and close to 50 tackles (both very good numbers for a 3-4 DE).

NFC West Breakdown: Arizona Cardinals

Pyromnc — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 23:00:17 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

3 months ago: Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells (26) breaks a tackle against Green Bay Packers safety Nick Collins on his way to a touchdown in the second quarter of an NFL preseason game Friday, Aug. 28, 2009 in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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Key Additions: TE Dominique Byrd (Rams), LB Reggie Walker (Undrafted FA), TE Anthony Becht (Rams), RB Jason Wright (Browns), DB Bryant McFadden (Steelers).

Key Losses: RB Edgerrin James (Seahawks), DE Antonio Smith (Texans), RB J.J. Arrington (Broncos, now FA), FB Terrelle Smith (Lions), LB Monty Beisel (Chiefs), TE Leonard Pope (Cut), S Aaron Francisco (Cut), LB Victor Hobson (Cut), FB Tim Castille (Cut).

Draft: RB Chris Wells (1st), DE/LB Cody Brown (2nd), S Rashad Johnson (3rd), CB Greg Toler (4th), OT Herman Johnson (5th), DE/LB Will Davis (6th), RB LaRod Stephens-Howling (7th), OG Trevor Canfield (7th).

In 2008 the Arizona Cardinals shocked the world by winning their division, dominating in the playoffs, and coming within 2 minutes of winning the Super Bowl. Despite doubters who thought that the Cardinals were not a legitimate playoff team, the Red Birds put together three playoff victories and were within two minutes of winning Super Bowl 43. The same doubters are now describing last season, and especially last January, as a "fluke" or claiming that the Cardinals will be another team to fall victim to the dreaded "Super Bowl curse." These are the type of comments that the team thrived on in the playoffs and they hope they can use it to their advantage this season.

After the Super Bowl loss there were some key areas that the Cards hoped to address this off season that plagued them throughout the year last year. Anquan Boldin, Darnell Dockett (or Nine-0), Karlos Dansby, Adrian Wilson, and Kurt Warner all wanted or needed new contracts. They took care of three of those five mentioned, Warner got a two year deal, Dansby was franchised, and Wilson got a five year deal. Q and Nine-0 were told they won't talk contract until they are in the final year of their deals. Other areas of need were upgrading were the rushing attack, the secondary, and special teams. They added to each group by drafting RB Beanie Wells, signing Jason Wright (a beast on special teams), and signing DB Bryant McFadden. They hope that these new additions will upgrade their respective units.

The 2008 offense that dominated so much returns with just a few changes this season and more experience. The team lost their most productive RB in a long time by cutting Edge and replacing him with Wells. Wells was a monster tail back for Ohio State and he hopes to have the same success in the NFL. So far though he has been injured but from the two games he has played in he has shown enough that Cardinals fans are already asking for him to start the opener against the Niners. That starting job will go to Tim Hightower who has lost body fat and put on more muscle to prove that he can be a reliable back in this league. This unit also replaced RB J.J. Arrington, our 3rd down back and kick returner, with Hyphen (Howling) whom they hope can be just as elusive and fast as JJ was on kick returns.

The rest of the offense is virtually the same with the exception of Anthony Becht, who was added to the tight ends mix, and receiver Lance Long. The starting 5 on the OL return and should be better having another year under Russ Grimm and backups like Brandon Keith and Elton Brown. Keith looking especially promising and could be a future starter. All in all this offense still has all the potential to look just as good as last year and if they all stay healthy they should be among the best again.

The defensive unit is loaded with talent, just like the offense, but their problem is actually doing their job every week on a consistent basis. One week the can get constant pressure on a QB, no matter how good the OL is, and they win the turnover battle. The next week they won't do either of those and allow several touchdowns. The problem is that they are already showing these problems again in preseason play, playing very well in the first two games and than doing the opposite in the last two. There is no doubt that if this team wants to continue the success they had last year the defense will have to perform as they did in January. They can't make stupid mistakes and they need to play hard every down, which some players have a hard time doing unless on a national stage game that puts them in the spotlight (Darnell Dockett).

The strength of this team on defense has to be the secondary with Adrian Wilson and Antrel Rolle manning the safety positions and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and newly acquired Byrant McFadden manning the corners. Although they have struggled in preseason this unit is considered by many to be one of the top secondaries in the league, something they were far from last season.

The weakest part of the defense has to be the front seven (LB and DL). They lack a whole lot of depth at these positions, which we need since Clark Haggans, Bertrand Berry, and Chike Okeafor are all over 30. Calais Campbell is trying to replace Antonio Smith, who was very important to this team in the playoffs. They have Gerald Hayes and Karlos Dansby at ILB but if one of them goes down we don't have a whole lot behind them to step in with udrafted rookie Reggie Walker and 2nd year player Ali Highsmith. The DT position doesn't have much depth either with Gabe Watson coming off of knee surgery, Bryan Robinson being over 30, and Alan Branch still not doing what the first pick in the 2nd round is supposed to be doing. Definitely tons of questions on the defense but still lots of promise if they can stay healthy and play hard.

This is definitely going to be an interesting year for the Cards coming off a season in which they had so much success. They will have an up hill battle again this season though as everyone thinks they are a one year wonder and will fall back into oblivion again this year. If the Cards want to prove those naysayers wrong they are going to have to be consistent on offense, consistent defense, and stay healthy. It's certainly shaping up to be an interesting year as the Cards look to "Shock the World" again.

Record for 2009: 10-6
Record Vs the NFC West: 5-1

Poll

Who Wins the NFC West this Season?

San Francisco 49ers

21 votes

St. Louis Rams

6 votes

Seattle Seahawks

32 votes

Arizona Cardinals

280 votes

339 votes | Poll has closed

53 Man Roster Predictions After the Arizona Cardinals Shutout Loss to the Broncos

Hawkwind — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 14:49:49 -0000

by David Zalubowski - AP

Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt will have harder time cutting 22 players today than he did finding an offensive play that would work this preseason. (AP Photo/ David Zalubowski)

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Truth be told we won't dwell on another lackluster effort in the preseason. The Arizona Cardinals finished the preseason without a win but that doesn't even begin to tell the story of how ugly the past three and a half weeks have been. To give you a quick taste of how the past four games have gone, the Cardinals have been outscored 71-16 in the first half, Cardinals' quarterbacks have combined to throw twice as many interceptions as touchdowns (9 to 4) and the Cardinals' defenders have forced just one turnover. In conclusion this Cardinals team has looked like the one that played in December of 2008 instead of the team that took the field in January of 2009. Just for the record, historically teams that finish the preseason winless, also struggle in the regular season. Going back to 1989, 35 teams have finished the preseason without a win and 31 of those teams failed to make the playoff. To make matters worse, 21 of them finished with a losing record.

But we said we weren't going to dwell so we're moving on to the news that should come down today. Tomorrow is the deadline to cut down the rosters to 53 players, but most expect Ken Whisenhunt to break the news in an afternoon press conference. With that in mind, here's ROTB's last shot at nailing down the 53 man roster.

QB (3): Kurt Warner, Matt Leinart, Brian St. Pierre - Tyler Palko played his way out of any shot of making the roster with a poor performance last night. BSP hasn't shown much this preseason but Whiz is familiar enough with his abilities for him to stick.
RB (4): Tim Hightower, Chris Wells, Jason Wright, LaRod Stephens-Howling - No one did much to either help or hurt their case for a roster spot last night.
FB (1): Dan Kreider - After the recent discussion about Kreider vs. Tim Castille, I kept a close eye on both players last night. To be honest neither did much to impress me and at this point I think Whiz would chose a veteran that he's familiar with over a younger player.
WR (6): Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Steve Breaston, Jerheme Urban, Early Doucet and Sean Morey - I, like most Cardinals fans I suspect, have been pulling for Lance Long but he's played a great deal in the past two preseason games and he hasn't done much with his opportunity (2 catches for 21 yards). I think it's fair to say that he's not ready and I'd be wiling to risk cutting him. The Chiefs may or may not claim him before we can stash him on the practice squad but he can't help this team right now.

TE (3): Stephen Spach, Anthony Becht and Dominique Byrd - Truth to be told, I still don't know what we have at this position but I'm confident that Leonard Pope will be cut. He was the last tight end to take the field last night and that says enough about his future. I went back and forth on Byrd but his versatility in the H-back role won me over. The interesting thing about this spot is who gets released after week four when Ben Patrick comes back.

OL (9): Mike Gandy, Reggie Wells, Lyle Sendlein, Deuce Lutui, Levi Brown, Herman Johnson, Brandon Keith and Elton Brown and Melvin Fowler - It's overkill keeping so many offensive lineman and I went back and forth on Elton Brown but his ability to play LT made the difference. Oliver Ross is a possibility but he just didn't impress me during the preseason. Elton Brown wasn't all that impressive either but at least this coaching staff has seen him step in at LT and play decently.

DL (6): Darnell Dockett, Calais Campbell, Bryan Robinson, Kenny Iwebema, Gabe Watson and Alan Branch - No real surprises here. Branch hasn't done much to warrant a spot but neither has anyone behind him. At least he can line up at DE now as well as DT, although his effectiveness remains about the same. Keilen Dykes doesn't make the cut but hopefully they can keep him on the practice squad thanks to another leg injury that cost him nearly the entire preseason.
LB (8): Karlos Dansby, Gerald Hayes, Clark Haggans, Chike Okeafor, Will Davis, Victor Hobson, Reggie Walker and Ali Highsmith - Bertrand Berry is the surprise cut on the roster after pulling a disappearing act during the preseason that would make David Copperfield jealous. Considering that the backups consist of two rookies, one sophomore UDFA and a guy that was signed off the streets before the regular season finale last year, I fully expect the Cardinals to scour the waiver wire for a veteran linebacker (inside or out).
CB (5): Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Bryant McFadden, Ralph Brown, Greg Toler and Michael Adams - I don't know what to make of this unit but these are the top five guys. DRC has struggled mightily the past two games, McFadden can't even get on the field and Brown is looking awful old and slow. Toler and Adams are two guys that we should all hope spend much more time on special teams than the regular defense.
S (5): Adrian Wilson, Antrel Rolle, Rashad Johnson, Aaron Francisco and Matt Ware - Basically this is the same unit as last year, plus a third round pick. Francisco is still Francisco although Ware has caught my eye several times this preseason.
Specialists (3): Neil Rackers, Ben Graham and Mike Leach - No surprises.

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To be honest, when I first wrote all this down I ended up with 54 players and after scouring the two deep I ended up cutting a veteran, Bertrand Berry. I'm not sure why but I keep getting the feeling that some of the veterans who've been around this team throughout all of the bad times cause some apathy in the locker room sometimes that lead to performances like we've seen the past couple of weeks. Berry's absence over the course of OTA's and his indifferent excuse once training camp started is just a microcosm of how this team has played over the course of the preseason. Maybe it's a knee jerk reaction on my part for thinking that someone's head has to roll but so be it. Thoughts? Who makes your 53?