SB Nation - LaRod Stephens-Howling

LaRod Stephens-Howling A Potential Key Part To Cardinals 2012 Running Game With Williams, Wells Recovering From Surgery

Jess Root — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:01:00 -0000

On Tuesday, Arizona Cardinals running back Beanie Wells tweeted that he was undergoing surgery. It was later confirmed that he had arthroscopic surgery on his knee, performed by Dr. James Andrews. It is not expected to sideline him significantly and he should not miss any offseason work.

2011 second-round draft pick Ryan Williams, another running back is also recovering from knee surgery that he had months ago. He lost his rookie season to an injury he suffered in the preseason. He is completely confident he will return and become the special player he believes he will be, but he will not likely be part of minicamp. He is, though, on track to be fully recovered and ready to go when the team goes to training camp.

With the team's top two running backs entering the 2012 season with surgically repaired knees -- Williams with a serious injury and Wells with his second knee surgery since coming to the NFL -- Cardinals fans ought to have at least some concern about the running game in 2012, as injuries, no matter how minor they may seem, can be unpredictable.

This is where another back on the team comes in. Enter the diminutive LaRod Stephens-Howling. At 5-7, 185 lbs, he potentially could be the Cardinals' saving grace should Wells or Williams come back less effective or have issues again with their knees.

LSH, or "Hyphen," as many fans call him, was a seventh-round pick by the Cardinals. He was drafted for his ability to return kicks and his special teams play in general. In 2010, he was the team's most exciting player.

However, he has never been considered to be a back that could play every down. In fact, because of his role in the return game and in kick and punt coverage, he does not get a lot of offensive snaps. At best, he has been considered a situational back or scat-back in the mold of Darren Sproles.

In 2011, he made less of an impact in the return game, as moving kickoffs to the 35-yard line diminished greatly the impact of kick returners. He did, though, make big contributions on offense with limited snaps. His 52-yard touchdown reception in overtime to give the Cardinals a win was one of the most exciting plays of the season. He also had a 73-yard touchdown reception earlier in the season.

But what he did in Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks hopefully opened the eyes of the coaching staff and fans. With Wells sitting out the final game of the season, LSH carried the ball 21 times for 93 yards against a very good run defense. He was taken off of the kick return team to do so, but his impact was made. He had a 39-yard run in the first half and had carries of eight and seven yards in overtime to put the team in chip shot field goal range for Jay Feely to end the game.

What is significant about his play in the running game is that he was used as an every down back and he was effective. Yes, 39 of his 93 yards came on one play, but 16 of his carries were inside the tackles and seven of those carries went for at least four yards. More importantly, when the game was on the line in overtime and the team needed to run the ball inside for better field goal position, he was successful at it.

There is a large number of fans who believe that he is underutilized on offense. Before Week 17, he carried the ball 22 times, just one more than he got against Seattle.

It was only one game, but maybe instead of being considered a Darren Sproles-lite, perhaps we should start seeing him closer to a Maurice Jones-Drew-lite (lite and 'light,' as MJD outweighs LSH by 20 lbs with the same body height).

If both Beanie and Ryan Williams were to go down again, most would think that the Cardinals running game would be shot. We should change that line of thinking. In a small seventh-round kick returner, the Cardinals might just have a third back on their team capable of being a feature back.

After years of looking for one feature back, who would have ever thought that the Cards actually could have three?

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LaRod Stephens-Howling Game-Winning Ironic Screen Play Touchdown (VIDEO)

Seth Pollack — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 02:44:20 -0000

Arizona Cardinals fans know what LaRod Stephens-Howling can do. As coach Ken Whisenhunt said, great things sometimes come in small packages and "The Hyphen" once again used his speed to break a big play.

In this case, the 52-yard touchdown play that won the game for the Arizona Cardinals in overtime was a combination of many factors and in the end was a "total team effort" as they like to say.

The play call from offensive coordinator Mike Miller was a designed screen to take advantage of the pressure he anticipated from the Dallas Cowboys. Stephens-Howling read the pressure correctly and Kolb was able elude the rush and hold the ball long enough for him to get open.

From there, a combination of great down field blocking by FB Anthony Sherman on the inside and WR Andre Roberts on the outside opened a lane for the speedy back. Even offensive lineman Daryn College threw a block 40 yards from the line of scrimmage.

"I saw guys blocking. I saw red jerseys and they were working hard for me to get there and I definitely appreciate that," Stephens-Howling said about the play.

WR Larry Fitzgerald, who was also throwing blocks on the play, mentioned the irony of the Cardinals winning the game on a screen play.

"We always joke around about the screen game not being as good as we want it to be. When we needed it most, we were able to get it done," Fitzgerald said.

Cardinals fans will appreciate the irony of a screen pass winning the game given the team's notorious history with that play. Here's the video of the touchdown.

2011 Pro Bowl Rosters: A Story Of Reputation Over Performance

Jess Root — Wed, 29 Dec 2010 18:09:21 -0000

The 2011 Pro Bowl features a lot of familiar faces. There is the usual Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Adrian Peterson, Julius Peppers, and Drew Brees. There are new faces like Arian Foster, Jamaal Charles and DeSean Jackson. There is also the comeback story of Michael Vick. Naturally, there are snubs and some picks that raise eyebrows.

Why does this happen? For one, there is fan voting. This makes it a popularity contest. The players also vote and so do the coaches. There are a lot of players in the league and you don't play every team, so you don't see everyone up close. You have to rely on film and talk. Because teams spend time watching film of teams and players they are actually going to have to play, the votes are left to what you hear about players -- their reputation.

Let's look at it here in Arizona. Adrian Wilson is a Pro Bowl starter. His stat line is solid. He has 115 tackles, two interceptions, two sacks and a blocked field goal. But we all in the AZ know the whole story. He has been a shell of himself. He is getting caught out of position and torched in coverage. He is a step slow on the blitz.

He was shocked about his selection, thinking it was a joke when his coach told him. He was snubbed other times, though, earlier in his career when he was deserving of the trip to Hawaii. Here is what Wilson said:

"To be honest, I am very shocked. Someone told me, ‘You always go in a year later than you're supposed to go, and you always get that one last one when you don't really deserve it.' I hope this isn't my last one and I understand that this hasn't been one of my greatest years."

Kerry Rhodes, on the other hand, had a great year, but is not even an alternate. Former Arizona Cardinal Antrel Rolle did make it and he has not had a great year with the Giants.

Wilson, over his career, has built up a reputation as a tough player, one who makes big plays. This would explain his being selected. If you look at Rhodes, he was somewhat of a pariah when he was part of the Jets last year. His toughness was questioned and he was considered more "Hollywood" than anything else. He played well this year, but that perception likely has not changed.

Rolle has the reputation of being a big play guy. He is tough and a hard worker. And he plays in the biggest market in the league.

Darrelle Revis is another case of reputation. He is perhaps the best cover corner in the league. He is his own "island," but this year has suffered through a hamstring injury. He does not have a single interception this year. He has made only 32 tackles and only defensed 10 passes (31 a year ago). His numbers this season just don't justify his being a Pro Bowler. His reputation does, though.

Perhaps there is no answer to this. When any type of voting happens, people get in who should not and players get snubbed who should get the trip to Hawaii. It's probably just a fact we have to accept.

For the Arizona Cardinals, it means that Rhodes and other deserving players like kicker Jay Feely and returner LaRod Stephens-Howling can expect to be considered a year from now if they can replicate the success they have had this year.

2010 NFC West: At Halfway Point, Cardinals Should Still Be Favorites

Jess Root — Wed, 10 Nov 2010 15:44:29 -0000

The past two seasons have spoiled us as Cardinal fans. I guess a couple of division titles and a Super Bowl appearance will do that. So this new thing of being other than in first place has people a little (a lot) grumpy. It's been so crazy that (I didn't hear this first hand) supposedly on one radio show it was intimated that Ken Whisenhunt is on the hot seat with ownership.

What? While there have been some eyebrow raising concerns with personnel (quarterback) moves and playcalling, among other things, there certainly should be no talk of Whisenhunt possibly losing his job. That's just sheer insanity.

Yes, the Cardinals appear to have taken a step back (most notably because their quarterback decided that he needed to spend his time struggling to do ballroom dancing instead of throwing touchdown passes). Yes, the Seahawks and the Rams have taken steps forward. But it is halfway through the season and Arizona is only one (yes, just one) game out of first place.

The division is anything but determined. After the jump, let's look at the chances that the Cardinals have of being crowned for a third consecutive year as NFC West champs.

To start, it would be best to get the scary stuff out of the way. There are obviously some glaring problems with the Cardinals. To start, looking at net points or Arizona's point differential, it is terrible. They have the worst differential in the division, a -68. It can be misleading, of course, but what it tells us is that when the team loses, it does so in action film exploding fashion -- it's big. Even San Francisco, at 2-6, has a differential of -41. The Cardinals are in the same company as some dismal teams. The 2-6 Broncos are at -69, the 1-7 Cowboys are at -71, and the winless Buffalo Bills are a -83. That's not good company to be in.

Offensively, the Cardinals rank 31 (yep, that would be out of 32 teams) in yards per game and 20 in points per game. It should be noted, though, that the team only ranks that high on points because of the defense and special teams, as they have scored eight touchdowns on returns (kickoff, fumbles, interceptions).

The running game is still ineffective, ranking 28 at just under 88 yards per game. That is nothing new. The running game has been the Cardinals' bugaboo for years now. The issue is that the passing game isn't what it was before with Warner flinging the ball around for a consistent 300 yards passing. This year, they are 31 in passing offense.

The team has also turned the ball over 24 times so far this season. In 2008, they had a total of 30 turnovers for the season and 36 for 2009. Defensively, things have not been great. The defense is 30 in yards allowed per game and 28 in scoring defense.

So both the offense AND defense have struggled, which would normally be a recipe for disaster, but remember, the team is 3-5 and a game out of first place.

The Cardinals should still be the favorites to win the NFC West. Why?

The talent:

The Cardinals are still, on paper, the most talented team. No one has a clear edge at quarterback. We know about the Cardinals' issues, but San Francisco is not better at the position. Matt Hasselbeck is better, but has not been consistently healthy for years and is inconsistent. Sam Bradford, as good as he will probably be, is still only a rookie. Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston are still the best receiving tandem in the division. Arizona has the most potential playmakers on defense, with Darnell Dockett, Calais Campbell, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Adrian Wilson and Kerry Rhodes. Jay Feely is as good a kicker in the game as there is, and LaRod Stephens-Howling has become an elite kick returner.

The coaching:

Despite the questions and concerns that this season has brought us, can anyone honestly say that Ken Whisenhunt isn't the best coach in the division? Mike Singletary is always just a step away from crazyland, Pete Carroll has yet to show his mettle as a professional head coach, and Steve Spagnoulo is the same guy that led the 1-15 Rams just a season ago.

The schedule:

So far, the NFC West teams have proven to be solid at home (ok, the 49ers haven't been solid at all, except maybe in the skull), but terrible on the road. The division's combined road record is 2-14. This is good news for Arizona. The Cardinals have five home games remaining. San Francisco and Seattle have four left and St. Louis only has three remaining.

That home-field advantage has been key for division games. With the exception of the Cardinals' opening week victory over the Rams, all other division games have gone to the home team. If we assume that trend continues, that nets the Cardinals three more wins (bringing the season total to six), the 49ers three (taking them to four), Seattle two (a total of six), and the Rams one (that gives them five).

That leaves the other games on the schedule. The Cardinals face the 2-6 Broncos and the 1-7 Tony Romo-less Cowboys at home and the 1-7 Carolina Panthers and 5-3 KC Chiefs on the road. Those, at least on paper, should be three more victories, bringing Arizona to nine on the season. Even slipping up in one of the games they should win gets them to eight wins.

Seattle has home games against the Chiefs, Panthers, and Falcons and road games against the Saints and Tampa Bay. Only in the Panthers game would Seahawks be favored right now. They would be lucky to get to eight wins.

St. Louis will host the Falcons and Chiefs and will visit New Orleans and Denver. They will be lucky to go 2-2. That is only seven wins for the year.

San Francisco will host Tampa Bay and visit Green Bay and San Diego. Winning even one game of those three would be an accomplishment, and that would only get them to five for their season total.

If you allow for a Cardinals' slipup, Arizona and Seattle finish 8-8. The Rams go 7-9 and the 49ers go 5-11. Who is the division winner? The Cardinals, because of the win in St. Louis. They would have the better division record, having gone 4-2, while Seattle will have gone 3-3.

To the playoffs the Red Birds go, for the third year in a row.

But here's the thing -- this weekend's game against Seattle is the test. If the Cardinals win, they are on track. If they lose, things get messy.

Even with the recent losses to Tampa Bay and Minnesota, there is reason to feel at least okay inside for the Cardinals. Tampa Bay is a quality team and Arizona was right there. Minnesota is still a very talented team and will (in my opinion) be in the thick of things in their division when all is said and done this season, and it took some Brett Favre magic (and an interception return fumble out the back of the end zone) to pull out a victory.

All of this is happening without good (or even solid) offensive play.

So, while it has been hard, Cardinals fans, breathe. Relax. Sit down and watch some football. It is still premature to say that these are "the same old Cardinals." What we should see and be talking about are the "same Cardinals" -- the NFC West Champion Arizona Cardinals.

Beanie Wells Knee Injury Gives LaRod Stephens-Howling A Chance To Fly For Cardinals

Seth Pollack — Fri, 05 Nov 2010 19:46:49 -0000

Arizona Cardinals' former rookie Beanie Wells is once again limited this week from practice due to swelling in his right knee. It would seem this time coach Ken Whisenhunt isn't bluffing (although do we ever really know?) as Wells has said that the problem is an allergic reaction to a lubricant injected into the previously surgically repaired knee.

No word if the lubricant is a British Petroleum product and any speculation of such would be irresponsible on our part.

The latest report from the Cardinals is that Beanie Wells did practice on Friday and is expected to play on Sunday. But should that not be the case, or should he simply not run well, or should he fumble the ball (which, as Tim Hightower will tell you, is an offense that will get you benched), then the Cardinals have another option to consider in the form of speedy LaRod Stephens-Howling.

LSH, or simply "The Hyphen," if you please, has put up very impressive numbers this year for a Cardinals team that is looking in every nook and cranny to find good news. Stephens-Howling has carried the ball only 13 times from scrimmage this season, but his 7.2 yards per carry average is the best on the team. Beanie Wells is only averaging 3.4 per run and Tim Hightower is at 5.6 per non-fumbled rush.

LSH gives the Cardinals' rushing attack -- not sure you can call it an attack when it's only used about 40 percent of the time -- a different look. While Hightower and Wells are powerful straight-ahead runners, LaRod is more of a speedy "catch him if you can" type back.

Stephens-Howling has proved this time and again returning kicks, where he leads the NFL in total yards per return with 862. Of course, the Cardinals have given up so many points that he's also had two more attempts than the number two man on the list, C.J. Spiller, who's racked up 763 yards.

Even if Wells if healthy enough to play, it's time to give LSH some more rush attempts from scrimmage and, of course, it's far past time that Whisenhunt keeps relying on his horrible quarterbacks to throw the ball so much. There's worse things in football than three-and-outs, as the four interceptions last Sunday proved.