SB Nation - Edgerrin James

3 Reasons Why Tim Hightower Should Not Be The Arizona Cardinals Starting Running Back

Andrew602 — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 10:00:21 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

Tim Hightower was originally drafted out of the 5th round last year with the expectations that he could one day be the Arizona Cardinals starting running back. The rookie made a name for himself early and eventually took over for the now-departed Edgerrin James. He was undeniably the best and most significant draft choice of 2008 and was a large part of last year's post season run.

This year has been an entirely different story. At one end of the spectrum you might say he's improved because he's already rushed for 139 yards more then last year and has increased his average from 2.9 to 4.4 yards per carry. He's became a reliable back in the receiving game and has also had a knack for picking up blitzes. After all of his improvements however, Tim Hightower should not be the starting running back for the Arizona Cardinals and here's why.

1. Five fumbles on the year. That number may not alarm some but when you narrow it down, he's fumbled the ball 4% of the time this season. That roughly means for every 24.5 carries he gets, there's a chance we'll see Timmy put the ball on the ground. What's really made matters worse is that all [4] of the fumbles that were lost were in the 1st half of games. Anytime that happens it greatly diminishes the Cardinals offensive momentum. If you want to compare the two backs, Beanie Wells has 4 fumbles on the year but at a 2% fumble rate, and for every 34 carries there's a chance we'll see Beanie fumble the ball.

2. Hightower doesn't bring break away speed/explosiveness to the offense. As we all know, Tim Hightower tends to show hesitation in the back field before making a cut. We've seen it many times last year and flashes of the same tendency this year. He has greatly improved that problem but the Cardinals offensive line is not one that opens an ample amount of time for the backs. When Hightower broke a 50 yard run against the Rams, it was clear that he didn't have the top end speed to make it to the end zone. Unfortunately, Hightower may never have the ability to take it to the next level like Wells. In only 139 rushing attempts, Wells already has 3 touchdowns of 10+ yards - Hightower has zero.

3. Tim Hightower fits the offense better as a 3rd down back. Most 3rd down backs need to excel at blocking and pass-catching, for the obvious throwing situations that come on 3rd down. If we look at his strengths, we already know that Hightower has become a very capable blocker and his 53 receptions (he's 17 away from the single-season reception record for a Cardinals halfback) show that he can certainly catch the ball. Hightower would also fit the description as the closing back with the change of pace he brings to the offense. His relentless style is one that would fit better with tiring the opposing defense in the 4th quarter.

When I say Tim Hightower should not be the starting running back, it's because Beanie Wells brings more explosiveness at the start of the game. I love Hightower just as much as the next Cardinal fan but I do feel that he's not quite ready to be the full time back. He's proved that he can get better in just one season, and if he keeps his work ethic strong and makes a committment he will have a good career in the NFL. If anyone wants to make a case for Hightower I'd love to hear it, because right now I believe Beanie Wells brings something to the table that Hightower just does not.

KSK's Christmas Ape sends us a lovely holiday card

BigBlueShoe — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 16:45:23 -0000

Washington DC; land of KSK's writers, politicians, and monuments that look like giant penises. Image: via freedom.greatnet.us

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Word of warning: This post is a tad juvenille in humor and nature. So, if you are not interested in reading about dick jokes, Kissing Suzy Kolber, or images of a blogger masturbating on a horse, I suggest reading mgrex03's excellent stat breakdown instead. For everyone else...

One of my favorite writers at Kissing Suzy Kolber is Christmas Ape, aka Michael Tunison. Michael founded KSK and wrote a hilarious book called The Football Fan's Manifesto (nice gift idea for those of you with family and friends who like beer pong, strippers with fresh stitches in their face, and watching the classic flick Real Genius naked with a bowl of jello in their lap).

Over the years, Michael has systematically attacked and destroyed just about every sacred football tradition you could ever think of. Along the way, he also managed to get his ass fired from the Washington Post, after revealing to his then-employer that he was indeed the co-founder of the now-infamous KSK. Michael is funny, witty, and has an impressive talent for taking a giant, steaming, chunky crap on the things we all know and love.

And when he does this, we thank him for it because it makes us laugh our 400 pound, cheeseburger and Natty Light infused asses off.

Recently, Michael and I have had a little back and forth. He stupidly bought into the false story that the Colts piped in crowd noise against the Patriots in 2007 (I'm assuming Michael owes Ed Werder a favor, and the usual "Will you sit on my mustache?" payment Werder expects for such favors simply wasn't enough). I called him a schmuck because of the false claims, which has now grown into an affectionate term I apply to all writers on the Internet who talk football. Michael didn't like being called the term schmuck. So, he lashed out again, making a lot of funny but silly claims about the Colts 2008.

Then, just recently, Michael decided to create a new "character" in line with Drew Magary's hilarious Tommy from Quinzee satires. This new character is Derek from Muncie (I'd have suggested DeWayne, but Derek works). Derek is fat, lazy, self-important, self-righteous, and likes to hear himself talk.

I can only assume Michael modeled the character after himself, as all Pittsburgh Steelers fans seem to fit the bill of a "Derek from Muncie." The only difference is Derek doesn't seem to have a 12-inch yellow ~~dildo~~ vibrating pleasure device shoved up his anus, as most Steelers fans are known to have. But, we won't kill Michael too much if he doesn't model every great character after himself.

Anyway, the post was funny, and we here at Stampede Blue (per verbal "we," as shake n bake was too busy stealing Michael's old job at the Washington Post to care about what Michael has to say about Colts fans) decided to shoot back by playfully making infected dick jokes at the expense of Dan Snyder and taking shots at anyone who insults the great city of Indianapolis, especially when the insulting party hails from the hairy taint so often written about in the fine political blogs that litter the Internets: Washington DC.

DC just happens to be the home of Michael and Drew. This, of course, explains why they hate life, Jesus, authority, black people, and movies that do not have at least one close-up shot of Harvey Keitel's penis.

However, in our little "war of words" between KSK and Stampede Blue, I've always viewed it as tongue-in-cheek (or, perhaps so Michael can better visualize my meaning, tongue-in-Werder-Stash). KSK is funny. I am not. When KSK bashes my team, my favorite head coach, my QB, my mother, whatever... I use the opportunity to write articles that feature jokes about syphilis. It's my opportunity to write funny, even if I'm the only one laughing at my funny.

Recently, Michael has assumed that my rants back at him and KSK are indeed serious. In a new article, Michael's tone has changed a bit. He seems just a little pissed off that some silly little Colts blogger DARED to shoot back with some humor (or, lack thereof) of his own. When one of his readers called out Michael on his silly anger on the subject, asking him "So you made fun of them, but they aren’t allowed rebuttal?" Michael's response was a bit... well, assholish. I mean, more assholish than usual for Michael:

Did I make fun of Stampede Blue in the first post? If they wanted to rant about/respond to the Colts fan post, they could have done so in the comments. Besides, the point is this the third time they’ve taken some random thing I wrote about their team way too seriously.

Well, first off, um.... yeah, Mike. You did make fun of Stampede Blue in your first post. This is a Colts blog, which is run, written on, and read by... (wait for it...) COLTS FANS! So, when you insult Tony Dungy, make false claims about piped in crowd noise, call us an "extra virulent strain of retardery,"and call the great city of Indianapolis "The Land of Sh*t," I'm pretty certain that doing all this just about insults and makes fun of every corner and square inch of Stampede Blue, an Indianapolis Colts blog.

After most of these lovely and well-written insults, we've responded in kind. And, if I do say so myself, I think our responses have been pretty good, especially when you consider that we are just a bunch of dumb Hoosiers who love to screw farm animals and smoke crank with our 10-year-old nieces. I mean, other than KSK, where else am I going to receive the treatment I personally dish out to Peter King, Bob Kravitz, and the entire NFL Network studio? Don't get me wrong. I love writing articles about injured players, the press ignoring an undefeated football team, and trying to constantly fend off people who get upset with me when I call them out.

But when else do I get the chance to cut loose and write an article that is the equivalent to a fart joke?

Why Michael would get all pissy about us responding to his insults, I don't know. I figured he wanted such a response. And because these KSK-thrown insults are so well crafted and funny, I figure that a featured article on my site is the best forum to respond. I mean, no offense Michael (OK, yeah, there is offense here, but you're a man and you can take it), but your commenting system at KSK sucks donkey nads and your site looks like Sal Paolantonio's rectum (don't ask me how I know that; long night, lots of Patron; I vaguely remember someone looking like Vince Young there). Your content is great at KSK and you guys are mini-geniuses (because full-fledged geniuses have bigger penises and don't live in friggin Washington DC), but commenting on your site is like trying to jack-off in a wind tunnel.

Meanwhile, our commenting system here at Stampede Blue is, of course, magnificent! Yet, despite our clear technological advantage, I have yet to see Michael, Drew, or anyone else from KSK comment here. If they have, they've done so anonymously.

I guess my whole point in this rant is that I like KSK, and if Michael or any of them over there have taken me seriously in my responses to the KSK insults (which are indeed directed at me and other Colts fans), I humbly apologize. I figured that if you could sling dick (jokes), you could take a few back at you.

If Michael feels that the only true way to respond to his greatness is to comment on his own site using his crappy commenting tools that are circa 2006 (back when Edgerrin James was a high priced free agent and Jason Campbell was considered someone with "potential"), then my counter is that Michael get off that high horse he is masturbating on and realize that that there are other asshats in the world (me) who get and truly appreciate his humor and who also enjoy dishing right back at him.

As always, cheers (aka, go f*#k yourself) Kissing Suzy Kolber. Please continue to insult us. Just please don't get all pissy when we insult you back.

Special thank to this KSK commenter for accurately "getting" what I'm about. At least there is one of you out there. And no, shake n bake did not steal Michael's old job. That was a joke, even though I'm the only one who thinks it is funny.

[UPDATE]: Christmas Ape kinda acts like a douche in his response to this post. It's still cool, I guess. Maybe next time he'll pick a fight with someone who doesn't bite back.

The Rise and Fall of Tim Ruskell: The Steve Hutchinson Saga

John Morgan — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 01:24:51 -0000

More photos » by Tom Olmscheid - AP

Tim Ruskell wanted Steve Hutchinson, but John Abraham and Julian Peterson too. Attempting to sign all three, he was caught with his hand in the pickle jar.

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Shaun Alexander and Steve Hutchinson were free agents. Both were 28. Hutch had completed his five-year rookie contract, and, if re-signed, his cap cost could double. Alexander was already expensive. The Seahawks had franchised him in 2004. Seattle could have signed both players, and attempted to, but would have tied up much of their available cap. Tim Ruskell was aggressively targeting Julian Peterson and John Abraham. He wanted Hutch, but he wanted to improve the Seahawks too. Signing Alexander tied up $5.9 million against the cap.

Hutch expected offensive tackle money. The market for guards was soft. Hutchinson was the fifth highest paid offensive guard in 2005, but cost only $3.5 million against the cap. Even Larry Allen, the league's highest paid guard, only cost $6.5 million. Only three guards total cost more than $5 million against the cap.

Running backs were much more expensive. Eight cost more than five million against the cap in 2005, and Edgerrin James cost over $9 million. The league perceived running back to be a premium position, on par with wide receiver, offensive tackle and cornerback. If Seattle put the franchise tag on Hutchinson, his salary would reflect the salaries of all offensive linemen and not just guards. The Lions placed the tag on Jeff Backus in 2006. His base salary was $6.98 million. If Seattle franchised Hutchinson, it would have had $25 million in cap room dedicated to Hutch, Alexander, Walter Jones and Matt Hasselbeck.

Ruskell did something he has done many times since: Let the market to set a player's value. Placing the transition tag on Hutchinson allowed him to negotiate with other teams and Seattle the right to match. It avoided guaranteeing Hutchinson $6.98 million, and, in Ruskell's eyes, enabled negotiations towards a long-term contract. Ruskell was willing to spend big to retain his Pro Bowl guard. His hope was he wouldn't have to. His hope was that he could sign Hutchinson, but structure his contract so that Seattle could still sign Peterson, Abraham or both.

Early March, and shortly after the league ratified a new collective bargaining agreement, Minnesota offered Hutchinson the largest contract in league history for an offensive guard. It was a bold move made audacious by a now notorious poison pill clause. The clause stipulated that if Hutchinson was not his team's highest paid offensive lineman at any time after the first year, that his entire contract was guaranteed.

If Seattle wanted to match Minnesota's offer, it would not only need to match the Vikings unprecedented offer, it would be forced to guarantee Hutchinson's entire salary. Peyton Manning was the league's most expensive player and his contract guaranteed only $34.5 million. Matching Minnesota meant guaranteeing Hutchinson a staggering $49 million. Hutch would cost $13 million against the cap in 2006, forcing Seattle to forget Peterson and Abraham. Ruskell, supported by Paul Tagliabue and the NFL, contested the poison-pill clause, even restructured Walter Jones contract, but arbiter Stephen Burbank ruled in the Vikings favor. Seattle would either ruin their cap or let Hutchinson walk.

The deadline passed midnight of March 20, 2006, and Steve Hutchinson became a Minnesota Viking. Tim Ruskell fell on the wrong side of history. He attempted to make his Super Bowl losing team a Super Bowl winner. Instead, he lost an irreplaceable piece, alienated his coach, and began the Seahawks slow burn towards rebuilding.

Knowshon Moreno & The Tiki Barber Slip 'N Slide Index

TJ Johnson — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 16:30:11 -0000

More photos » by Jack Dempsey - AP

22 days ago: Denver Broncos running back Knowshon Moreno, right, runs before a tackle by New York Giants safety Michael Johnson, left, during the first quarter of an NFL football game in Denver, Thursday, Nov. 26, 2009. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey)

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Is Knowshon Moreno prone to fumbling?

This is a question I've been asked many times in the last several weeks. Given that the Broncos invested the 12th overall pick in this year's draft on Moreno, it's an important question. Moreno--barring injury--is going to be this franchise's primary running back for several years to come. You want this guy dropping jockstraps and jaws, not footballs.

So where does Moreno stack up? Does he fumble more than the league average? More than other rookies? More than other great Broncos running backs?

We can answer all of these questions with a handy little contraption called the Tiki Barber Slip 'N Slide Index.

Tiki Barber, for those that may not remember, was known as a fine running back for the New York Giants until his early retirement after the 2006 season. But he was also known for a few other things. First, he liked to criticize his former teammates and coaches--Eli Manning, specifically. Second, the Giants won the Super Bowl the year after he left. Third, and most important for our purposes, Barber was well-known for having trouble holding onto the football. In fact, his problems were so severe that during one 4-year stretch between 2000-2003, Barber put the ball on the ground 35 times. He was truly the Slip 'N Slide of NFL running backs. So this Index is named in honor of him.

The Tiki Barber Slip 'N Slide Index is simply the number of fumbles as a percentage of total carries. It's quite easy to follow. However, there are two things you´ll want to know about this index. First, we use Fumbles as opposed to Fumbles Lost, because it's a better predictor of a tendency towards fumbling, since recovering fumbles is almost completely random. And second, we are presenting the stat as a ratio instead of a number so that we can compare running backs with more carries to running backs with less. Just as it's silly to say one quarterback has more touchdowns than another because they have more attempts, it's both incorrect and insidious to suggest another running back fumbles more often if they have more carries. Thus, the stat has to be a ratio.

Let's walk through a simple example using the man himself, Tiki Barber:

Career Carries: 2,217

Career Fumbles: 53

Career Fumbles Lost: 22

Tiki Barber Slip 'N Slide Index: 2.39% (53/2,217)

Frequency: Every 42 carries

So Barber fumbled the ball in his career 2.39% of the time, or on average, every 42 times he carried the ball. This may not seem like a lot, but it really is, as we will soon see. Lucky for Barber, he fixed his fumbling problem late in his career. During the bad four-year stretch mentioned earlier, this ratio was a whopping 3.64%. This was every 27 carries.

Now we can perform the same calculation with Knowshon Moreno. Keep in mind that this is a relatively small sample size, but it's not so small that we can't compare it to other running backs. Again, this is the reason for the ratio. Here is the up-to-date statistics for Moreno through Week 12.

Total Carries: 161

Total Fumbles: 4

Fumbles Lost: 4

Tiki Barber Slip 'N Slide Index: 2.48%

Frequency of Fumbles: 40 carries

League Averages

One way to judge Moreno is to compare him to the rest of the league. Here are the league averages over the last two seasons, along with 2009 (through Week 11). I restricted my analysis to those players with a minimum of 100 carries.

The League Index varies between 1.16% and 1.39%. Given Moreno´s Index of 2.48%, we can reasonably conclude he´s turning the ball over more often than he should be--when judged against the league.

Rookie Averages

But don't all rookies struggle with the learning curve of the NFL? The kinds of carries that they get in space during their college careers simply don't exist in the NFL. Therefore, wouldn't it make sense that running backs fumble more often during their rookie season?

We can answer that question as well. Here are the Indexes for the rookie seasons of running backs with at least 100 carries from 2004 until 2009 (excluding Moreno,of course) :

It appears that, on average, rookie running backs tend to fumble at the same rate as the rest of the running backs in the league. Certainly, there are some interesting rookie exceptions like Darren McFadden, Adrian Peterson, and Beanie Wells, but most rookies seem to do a decent job. From this list, we can maintain with confidence that Moreno has been fumbling at a rate higher than the average rookie. However, there certainly have been rookies who have fumbled more in the past several years.

Lessons from Davis, Portis, and The Marine

Despite Moreno's numbers, one shouldn't be overly concerned. That's because we are probably judging him a little too early. His current number of carries (161) averages out to approximately 14.6 carries per game. If he keeps up this pace, he'll have 234 total carries for the season. If he doesn't fumble during this time, his Index will drop from 2.48% to 1.71%. Even if Moreno fumbles once during this stretch, the Index will drop to 2.14%. Neither is perfect, but manageable.

But more important than this is what we can learn from former successful Broncos running backs of the recent past. Here are the TBSNS Indexes of the rookie seasons of Terrell Davis, Clinton Portis, and Mike Anderson when compared to their entire careers.

For all three, their fumble stats tended to drop as they continued through their careers. In fact, these Broncos greats aren't uncommon. I found the same trend with others like Marshall Faulk, Edgerrin James, Brian Westbrook, Jamal Lewis, and Fred Taylor. After their rookie seasons, they tended to fumble less often, eventually fumbling at rates closer to the league averages we've seen.

So if we looked at Terrell Davis during his rookie year, we might say he had a tendency to fumble more often than he should. But by the end of his career, there was no such worry. The same was true of Clinton Portis. Mike Anderson didn't fumble as often as Davis and Portis, but the trend was still there.

In other words, Moreno has time to regress to the mean. Or better.

And, like Barber, he's got coaching. In Barber's case, Tom Coughlin taught him to hold the ball with his arm higher and tighter in a curl position. This made his arm stronger and his fumbles disappeared almost overnight. For Moreno, things aren't nearly as dramatic (he had no fumbling history in college), but if a problem does develop, it can be fixed by Bobby Turner and Josh McDaniels.

We all saw the other night against New York how special a runner Moreno can be (for a fine analysis of Moreno's yards/carry and comparisons to other backs, check out legendarywalton's excellent post here). A runner like this doesn't come around every year. And Russ Hochstein's knee won't be waiting for him after every goal-line run.

Go Broncos!!

Colts extend contract for Bill Polian; name his son Chris Polian as General Manager

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 15:03:38 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

4 months ago: Indianapolis Colts head coach Jim Caldwell, right, and team president Bill Polian chat as they watch practice during the NFL team's football training camp in Terre Haute, Ind., Tuesday, Aug. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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For twelve NFL seasons, Bill Polian has managed all Colts front office duties, and it has been this tour in Indy that has cemented Polian's status as a sure Hall of Famer. While he made his reputation with the great Buffalo Bills team he helped forged in the 1980s and 1990s, along with building a tremendous NFL expansion team with the Carolina Panthers in 1995, Polian's greatest NFL accomplishment was taking the woeful Indianapolis Colts and transform them into an NFL powerhouse. Polian is considered one of the best NFL Draft evaluators ever, selecting greats like Peyton Manning, Edgerrin James, Dwight Freeney, and Bob Sanders over lesser (but more popular names) like Ryan Leaf, Ricky Williams, and Wendall Bryant.

Yesterday, the Colts took steps to make certain Bill Polian sticks around a little longer, and when he finally does retire, another Polian will step up and take his place:

The contracts of team president Bill Polian and son Chris have been extended "through the 2012 season and beyond,'' Irsay said Thursday afternoon.

Chris Polian's new deal doesn't alter his daily responsibilities. But after serving as vice president of football operations four seasons, he's now general manager and will assume the day-to-day operation of the franchise whenever his father steps down.

This move makes clear that Chris Polian will not be interviewed when new GM jobs open up with other teams. Remember, the Atlanta Falcons wanted Chris Polian a few years ago, but Chris declined their offer to stay in Indy. Atlanta settled on former Patriots college scout director Thomas Dimitroff, and have seemingly done well for themselves.

This news means that we can expect at least three more seasons of Bill Polian in the draft room. A nice thought for Colts fans, indeed.

Tip to Blueisgood

Texans Promote Arian Foster, Place Nading On Waivers

Mike Kerns — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:32:48 -0000

Larry Johnson? No. Edgerrin James? Negative. But it was clear the coaching staff is frustrated by the abysmal running game so far this season. Therefore, the team h as promoted undrafted free agent signee Arian Foster from their practice squad. To make room for him, the team has placed DE Jesse Nading on waivers.

Thoughts?

Meet Xavier Omon

John Morgan — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:18:48 -0000

More photos » by David Richard - AP

Bison Xavier Omon powers through two Oil Derrick tacklers.

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Xavier Omon tore up Division II college football. In four seasons, he led the Bearcats to four national title games, losing all four. Omon wasn't a player I tracked, but from my brief viewing, he has good footwork, good power, good decisiveness, a good first and second gear, and no third gear to speak of. That sounds like the running back I expected Edgerrin James to be.

Decide for yourself:

ROTB Mid-Season Awards

Andrew602 — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 16:29:22 -0000

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

about 1 month ago: Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald (11) scores on a reception in front of Chicago Bears cornerback Charles Tillman (33) in the second quarter of an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

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We're now eight weeks into the season and it's about that time to dish out the ROTB mid-season awards. The Cardinals have had an up and down season and have had their problems with consistency, but regardless of all that they're first in the NFC West with a 5-3 record. The offense has failed to live up to last year's expectations, but after last weeks crushing defeat over the Chicago bears, there's new hope for this unit. The defense on the other had, has more then exceeded expectations and they are rolling with Bill Davis at defensive coordinator. The Cardinals are an ever-improving team with playoffs in their sights, but for now let's see who wins ROTB mid-season awards.

Best Offensive Player: Larry Fitzgerald

Should this really be a surprise? Fitzgerald may be having a disappointing year to some after the bar was set a mile high in the playoffs last year, but Larry has remained composed and professional through it all. After a slow start to the season, Fitzgerald has quietly climbed back into the ranks of the top 5 receiving stats, and continues to perform week in and week out. Another hurdle that Larry has made is beating the so-called "Madden Curse". Most players that have appeared on the cover of the popular game in the last few years have received a significant injury. Perhaps that could go to Troy Polamalu, who also appeared on the cover with Fitzgerald, and who was injured in week 1.
2009 Stats - 56 Receptions, 632 Yards, 11.3 Average, 7 Touchdowns

Best Defensive Player: Darnell Dockett

Darnell Dockett is one of the leaders on defense, and his constant disruption of the opponents offensive line won't always show on the records, but the effort that Nine O puts forth on every play makes a significant difference on defense. Dockett can play the run and get in the backfield like the best of them, and hasn't had a problem making himself a household name. When he hasn't been on the field, it's obvious that opposing teams can move the ball much easier. Dockett is one of the most important keys on the defense.
2009 Stats - 26 Tackles, 2 Sacks, 7 Tackles for a loss

Most Improved Player: Tim Hightower

Tim Hightower has followed up a fairly average rookie season with an improved sophomore year. At times, Hightower doesn't even look like he's in his second year, and often appears to be an 8 year veteran. His pass blocking has greatly improved, but more importantly are his receiving skills. Hightower is currently second on the team with 40 receptions and has been dependable if Warner is unable find an open receiver. It's obvious that Hightower was able to learn more from Edgerrin James then we thought, and it's showed so far this year.
2009 Stats - 283 Rushing yards, 5 Touchdowns, 40 Catches, 307 Yards

Biggest Surprise: Calais Campbell

I don't want to say it's a surprise, but nobody knew what Campbell would do this season. After Antonio Smith left via free agency, second year man Calais Campbell was left to fill his roster spot. He's greatly surpassed what was expected, and has been a force at defensive end so far this year. He's already second on the team with three sacks, and currently has two blocked field goals. Campell's relentless and athletic football skills are something that Cardinals fans will look forward to for a long time.
2009 Stats - 28 Tackles, 3 Sacks, 4 Passes defended, 2 Blocked kicks

Biggest Disappointment: Anquan Boldin

After coming off a pro bowl year and entering his 7th season as a Cardinal, Boldin stated himself that he would turn it on and have his best season yet. Anything but that has happened as he's statistically projected to have his worst season since he's been in Arizona. He's also been dealing with injuries, which have caused him to be at less then 100% the majority of the season. Perhaps the biggest disappointment has been when Anquan lashed out on coach Whisenhunt this past week, saying he wasn't "man enough" to tell him he'd been deactivated. I hope I'm wrong and he proves otherwise, but right now 2009 has been a disappointment for Boldin.
2009 Stats - 35 Receptions, 404 Yards, 11.5 Average, 1 Touchdown

Best Rookie: Beanie Wells

With Cody Brown lost for the year, the only other significant rookies this year have been Greg Toler and LaRod Stephens-Howling, who primarily play on special teams. Wells finally came on three weeks ago against the New York Giants when he scored his first touchdown. He brings explosive play to the offense, and his down-field running compliments the Cardinals pass attack perfectly. Wells hasn't started a game yet, but may take over duties by the end of the season.
2009 Stats - 310 Rushing yards, 4.4 Average, 1 TD

That's it for the mid-season awards. Naming an MVP right now was too difficult for me, so I'll open the poll to see who the ROTB community wants. I think it may be easier once the season is over to see where this team is headed, but who knows. One thing I can say is that it's much easier to hand out awards when the Cardinals are 5-3 and currently in 1st place in the division. Who are you award winners and why?

Poll

Who is the Arizona Cardinals MVP after 8 games?

Kurt Warner

69 votes

Larry Fitzgerald

29 votes

Adrian Wilson

17 votes

Darnell Dockett

24 votes

Other

14 votes

153 votes | Poll has closed

Edgerrin James Messes with the Wrong Fullback

John Morgan — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 01:39:19 -0000

More photos » by Darron Cummings - AP

Farewell, guy. We knew you less well than you knew the system.

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One final note before I excuse myself this blustery Friday evening. I will post notes for the third and fourth quarter tomorrow.

I wonder sometimes when a player is cut - what was the play that put them over the edge? What did Edgerrin James do that ended his Seahawks career? He had struggled since joining Seattle and his performance at Dallas didn't seem out line with his season average. We had waited for James to get up to speed and he hadn't, but what back could excel behind Seattle's piecemeal line?

So it was with some amusement that I watched Justin Griffith raise his hands into the air and then clearly point "inside" where James had cut, and then "outside" where James was supposed to cut.

It was the first play of Seattle's second drive of the quarter. The defense had slowed Dallas enough to keep Seattle in it and the Seahawks were on their own 44. Great field position. Seattle's consistent strong middle push was beginning to translate into yards. Julius Jones had run for 19 in four rushes to start the half. An additional five and a first resulted from an obvious Jay Ratliff hold. Seattle broke in a two wide receiver, I formation with a tight end on the right. Snap.

Keith Brooking rushes into the backfield and Griffith engages him and extends so Brooking is at arm's length to the right. This isn't smashmouth football. Griffith does not Mack Strong Brooking, he shields and turns. James cuts in and into Brooking and is tackled after one. Griffith's gesticulations follow.

Now maybe that wasn't the play that did James in, but I would guess it was. He picked up a blitz ably later in the drive and rushed for five and three in his final two attempts. James messed up the read and made Griffith look bad and nobody messes with Greg Knapp's fullback.

Pawns in the Greg Knapp Offense

John Morgan — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:48:31 -0000

More photos » by Donna McWilliam - AP

After the tricks had failed, Matt Hasselbeck and Deion Branch proved talent alone can still win.

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Seattle started the drive with Edgerrin James in the backfield. He stumbled for one yard and then wasted the concerted push-left of the offensive line punctuated by a clean and well timed trap block by Rob Sims. It's moments like this you realize an offensive line creates opportunities, but the back must be able to cash in.

The Seahawks converted the first when John Carlson cut across the hash marks and found a soft spot in Dallas' zone. Seattle burned its next snap with a failed SeaCat attempt. It's part of the low-probability, high-reward attack that Greg Knapp has brought to Seattle.

It's a system that is not run through the quarterback, like the simple offense Peyton Manning has thrived in, that is not run through the rush game, like the proposed Seneca Wallace offense, but that is run through Knapp himself. With second and ten and Dallas up by two scores, Knapp read an overload-left blitz and split Carlson wide left. Dallas shuffled its players, and the secondary ran around, but at the snap, Carlson was wide open. Hasselbeck took a single-step drop, turned and tossed into the outstretched hands of Anthony Spencer. What defined both plays for me was there was no read, no progression or options, just an attack on a perceived weakness.

Hasselbeck hit Nate Burleson in the hands and Burleson stumbled through the catch, received for 36, but was free to the end zone. It was a great pass.

Seattle then ran, and as before, details stopped the start of a good play. Ray Willis dropped as if to pass block, and when James attempted to run behind right guard, Willis wasn't in position to maintain the hole. Willis needed to drive block and instead sagged as if to shadow.

Knapp attempted mate with a knight. He motioned Justin Griffith wide right, but Dallas held its 3-4 look and left Griffith uncovered. At the snap, Spencer, the left outside linebacker, rushed into the backfield and James abbreviated the play action and cut blocked him. The left inside linebacker buzzed into the right flat and the safety closed over top, but Griffith was free between them, yards from the end zone. Hasselbeck threw a perfect pass towards the pylon and Griffith threw his hands up and stumbled absently as if unaware where to go. Knapp had an interesting theory, but defenses ignore fullbacks for a reason. Maybe if it is was Stanley Havili or Leonard Weaver split wide it would have worked.

The drive ended on a beautiful pass and an equally beautiful catch by Deion Branch. Branch ran a skinny post and jumped and turned just as the pass hit him in the numbers. It was basic football decided by talent and execution. The style that defines the Colts offense; a style Knapp may have abandoned after years of JaMarcus Russell and Michael Vick.