SB Nation - Arizona Cardinals

Redskins' Coach Watch: Russ Grimm Might Be Our Guy

KevinE — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:51:07 -0000

The next Redskins head coach? Image via blogs.tampabay.com

In Part One, we reviewed Mike Holmgren's persona as the next Redskins' coach, which left me far from impressed. Continuing through the classified ads, the next stop is Russ Grimm, who currently holds the following titles with the Arizona Cardinals: Assistant Head Coach, Running Game Coordinator, and Offensive Line Coach. There is a lot to cover with the former Hog, so if you're at work and feel mother nature calling, print it out and take it to the can with you.

Moving on...I spoke with Charles, the Editor of the SB Nation Arizona Cardinals community, Revenge of the Birds (ROTB), regarding Russ Grimm's coaching and talent evaluation skills. After the jump, I reveal my Russ Grimm conversations with David Elfin of the Washington Times, Rich Tandler of Real Redskins, Mark Newgent of the Examiner, and Ben Folson of the Curly R, all who have a lot of knowledge from Grimm from his playing days with Washington and his coaching days in Washington during the Norv era. We had a nice debate with the outstanding concerns, and Mark adds a fantastic Grimm story from his playing days, but first, my chat with the Cardinals' media:

Hogs Haven: Russ Grimm is a fan favorite in DC being one of the original Hogs. As a coach, he has been a winner everywhere he's been (Steelers and Cards Super Bowl run last year). What stands out to you regarding his play-calling, relationship with players, motivations skills that would make him a good or bad candidate for a head coach? He seems to get overlooked as a head coach every year.

ROTB: It is fairly common knowledge that Grimm is well liked and very respected by his players, especially his offensive lineman. He has the knowledge and experience to back up everything that he's trying to teach his guys. He's never called plays (here or any stop in the past) and he's never been a true coordinator. He shares the co-coordinator title which means that he's involved in the development of a game plan throughout the week but his actual involvement during the game is somewhat of a mystery. As a head coach I would envision him as something in between a "players coach" and a "disciplinarian" and I would guess that he'd prefer somewhat of a run-first offense. Some say he's been passed over as a head coach but he's never been a true coordinator and normally the step before becoming a head coach.

Hogs Haven: Did Russ Grimm contribute at all to the draft class this year [for the Cards]? The Steelers obviously have a lot of success with their picks, although ironically not with their offensive line.

ROTB: As far as his prowess as a talent evaluator, your guess might be as good as mine. The only time I've ever heard or read of him "signing off" or "approving" of a draft pick was when they took Levi Brown in 2007. As the story goes, Grimm worked out Brown individually at Penn State's pro day and came away thinking that Brown was better than Joe Thomas. That evaluation looks awful foolish now but that was the Cardinals story after the draft so take it for what's it worth. Despite the drafting of Levi Brown the Cardinals offensive line has improved quite bit so maybe that's a testament to his ability to develop talent.

Hogs Haven: If you were Dan Snyder, would you have any hesitations making Russ Grimm your head coach?

Continue reading this post »

ROTB: That's a tough question. I honestly like Grimm and I think he could build a tough, run-based team that would turn into a winner. That being said, I wouldn't take him over Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden, Bill Cowher or Mike Holgrem so I'd consider him a fall back option at best. Just to throw a bit of curve ball at you though, if you're interested in Cowher it might not hurt to bring Grimm in as your offensive coordinator.

I don't think it's a coincidence that Grimm is successful everywhere he goes; however, Mangini and Charlie Weis have struggled once they were given full control. No one expects Russ Grimm to be the All-in-One savior though. Mike Tomlin and Mike Singletary both never had Offensive Coordinator or Defensive Coordinator roles in their careers. Why can't Grimm be in the same position as them where the new Redskins GM (not named Cerrato) works with Grimm to pick a good fit.

I emailed the Redskins elite for their opinions:

Mark Newgent (Examiner): As far as play calling experience goes, Grimm doesn't need to be the play-caller--the Ravens brought in Cam Cameron to call plays for Jim Harbaugh.

There's another aspect where I believe Grimm would have an enormous effect: discipline. The Redskins--even under Gibbs 2.0--have played really undisciplined football: stupid penalties, to poor tackling etc... Grimm would put an end to all that.

I remember going to training camp up in Carlisle in 1992, Grimm's first year as an assistant to Gibbs. Just prior to practice players were milling around the end zone catting and joking around. Out of nowhere a huge Ford Bronco--not the little one the big curb stomping mini-monster truck-- drives up right into the middle of end zone. Players scatter and stare. Grimm steps out of the driver's seat, pulls a wad of chewing tobacco from his mouth from his mouth chucks it to the ground and says "let's hit it." The players jumped to attention and got to practicing.

That's kind of gravitas Grimm has, and is sorely needed in Ashburn.

David Elfin (WaTimes): While Russ is a legitimate head coaching candidate in the league and a link to Washington's glory days, I would be surprised to see Dan Snyder hire a second straight coach who had never even been a coordinator. The caveat would be if Snyder's millions can lure another big-name coach like Mike Shanahan, Jon Gruden or Bill Cowher to the Redskins.

Ben Folsom (The Curly R): So in all this why did Russ Grimm's phone never ring: simple. Dan

Snyder knows Russ Grimm is eventually a loser for him. Russ is a sympathetic character for Redskins fans. No matter what happens, Dan will get the blame for failing and Russ will get credit for winning. Then one day when Dan has to fire Russ, then my friend Dan finds true bottom in the hearts of Redskins fans.

Russ will never coach for this team while Dan owns it, neither will any of Joe Gibbs' proteges, anyone that represents true Redskins football.

Rich Tandler (Real Redskins): While he was a player, he didn't seem to be the type who would become a coach. Primarily, that's because he enjoyed the night life. It wasn't unusual to see Grimm out until all hours around Georgetown, feeling no pain. I know, because I occasionally was in the same bars.

Even when he became a coach, he wasn't seen as a rising star. While some members of Norv's staff went on to become head coaches--Mike Martz, Cam Cameron, Mike Nolan--there never seemed to be any danger of losing Grimm to a promotion elsewhere.

When Norv was fired, there was no discussion of him becoming even the interim coach, much less the head coach. Evidently, he took much better to Cowher than he did to Norval. I have to wonder, though, why Rooney did not hire him when Cowher retired. It was a done deal and he pulled it back at the last minute. Certainly he
hit a home run with Tomlin but, still, I wonder why he didn't pull the trigger on Grimm.

Also, I wonder why Grimm isn't a full-fledged coordinator in his 18th year of coaching. He's had a better shot at it than Zorn in that he's been in the NFL the whole time while Zorn spent time at Utah State and Boise State.

So it seems the only outstanding concern is why did Russ Grimm get over-looked in Pittsburgh, and why did Cowher refer Chan Gailey over Wisenhunt and Grimm? This Steeler's blog listed some likely reasons, but with 3 qualified candidates in Grimm, Wisenhunt and Tomlin, perhaps the Rooney Rule was in full effect? Either way, I really believe Russ should be given a hard look.

Grimm's Coaching Resume:

Washington Redskins (1992-2000)

Tight end coach (from 1992 through 1996, and offensive line coach from 1997 through 2000, during which he was instrumental in the development of tackles Chris Samuels and Jon Jansen)
Pittsburgh Steelers (2000-2006)

Offensive line coach in September 2000. In 2004 he was promoted to Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Line.

Under Grimm guidance in 2005, the Super Bowl champion Steelers averaged nearly 140 yards rushing per game during the regular season to rank fifth in the NFL while also grinding out 181 rushing yards in their Super Bowl XL victory over the Seattle Seahawks.

In 2006 Steelers offensive line helped pave the way for running back Willie Parker to gain 1,494 yards and 13 touchdowns on 337 carries with 4.4 yard avg. and earn his first Pro Bowl selection. Pittsburgh offense finished the 2006 season with the 10th best rushing attack in the NFL, helping to give the Steelers the 7th ranked total offense in the league.
Arizona Cardinals (2007-present)

In 2007, Grimm was hired by the Arizona Cardinals to serve as their assistant head coach/offensive line coach. In Arizona, he serves under head coach Ken Whisenhunt who Grimm worked with under Bill Cowher in Pittsburgh. In his first season in Arizona, his offensive line allowed only 24 sacks, 6th best in the NFL and the fewest given up by the Cardinals since 1978 with 22. Grimm's offensive line also paved the way for running back Edgerrin James to rush for 1,222 yards, the fifth best total in team history. The Cardinals offense finished with the 5th best passing attack in the NFL and threw for a team record 32 touchdowns.

Thanks again to David, Mark, Ben, and Rich for their input. It is much appreciated.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Russ_Grimm,

Poll

Are you For or Against Russ Grimm as the next Redskins coach?

Guaranteed Victory? Why the F**k not?

Johnny Peel (DKSB) — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:50:04 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Seattle Seahawks' Nate Burleson has the 10th most receptions in the NFL after 8 games.

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"So, we're going on the road to play a football game. We're gonna win.

"I don't care what you say. People can print it in the paper, they can send it to the teams we're playing. But they know just like we know, we're going to win the game."

-Nate Burleson

With apologies to TJH, that's Seattle's best WR talking, and it's hard to see the downside of Nasty Nate putting himself out there like this. Conventional wisdom in cases such as this usually consists of shaking heads and clucking tongues, worried about giving the opposition "bulletin board" material. Burleson even prefaced his remarks by saying that he didn't want to create the mythical "BBM," but he just plowed ahead anyway. I say huzzah! What is the worst that can happen here?

The Seahawks were all quiet as mimes before the last dust-up with the Cards, and that ended up a 27-3 Ed Norton-on-Jared-Leto-in-Fight-Club beatdown. If Burleson's remarks geek up Arizona and they lay another pounding on the Hawks? Meh. That's what 95% of the football-attentive public expects anyway. We'll be sad, but I'm guessing most of you reading this expect to turn your attention to the 2010 draft next Monday.

But what if this gets even just Nate himself to raise his game? What if he takes a punt all the way back for six? Or goes 7 for 120 with 2 TDs? Or gets off to a hot start and opens things up for Housh, Branch, and Carlson? Even if it's just taking attention off TJH and putting it on himself, that would be a net positive as far as I'm concerned.

If the Seahawks actually win after Burleson's guarantee, this game will be the stuff of franchise legend. When #81 gave the Blue Man Group a spark, which grew into a 2nd-half playoff push (which we've seen before in 1979, 1990 and 1995) and maybe even another NFC West title.

So Matt Hasselbeck? Brag about how you're gonna torch their secondary for 300+ yards. Marcus Trufant? Tell Larry Fitzgerald that he looks like Zoidberg when he dangles his gloves from his facemask. Aaron Curry? Tell Beanie Wells that he's gonna be made the game's prison punk rookie this Sunday.... and so on.

Couldn't hurt.

More over at my home blog, Dave Krieg's Strike Beard

Why Check Down? Because It Works.

John Morgan — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 23:54:01 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Part of Matt Hasselbeck playing caretaker is Seattle's new defensive identity. Lawrence Jackson has developed into an above average pass rusher. Seattle has an above average pass rusher at almost ever position on its defense. Hasselbeck has come full circle. He is now the Seahawks Trent Dilfer. But who then is the Seahawks Matt Hasselbeck?

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Simple explanations are best and the simple explanation for Matt Hasselbeck's check down-fever was that Detroit was rushing the passer and dropping into medium and deep cover. The Lions were protecting an early 17 point lead. Their plan to attack the line and drop into deep cover is a typical response to an early lead. So Hasselbeck and Greg Knapp attacked them where they were exposed: between the linebackers and safeties.

He threw to T.J. Houshmandzadeh and Kevin Hobbs put a hat on the ball and forced a fumble. Max Unger was running towards the play and recovered. Unger was beat on his pass block and thus in excellent position to recover. It was a classic Big Play Babs maneuver.

In all, Seattle ran four play-action passes in seven pass plays. They all fit a single idea: draw the linebackers and wait for space between the linebackers and safeties. It worked. It also opened the run for the first time. Seattle ran play action four times, but ran only twice.

Justin Forsett attacked the middle on a simple run up the gut. Chris Spencer turned his man and from there it was Force against the second level. He ran for fourteen. It was the single longest play of the drive.

Julius Jones cashed in on an inside draw. Max Unger was run through and Jones had to bull and spin through a tackle in his own backfield. Specner and Rob Sims had fought back the defensive right and Jones cut left and into space for the touchdown.

A team uses the plays that work. I am sure the Seahawks will feature a similar playbook versus the attacking Arizona Cardinals. I did not consider Hasselbeck's showing a failure. It worked. However, in the big picture, this is the latest game in which Matt Hasselbeck seems unwilling to pass against modestly tight coverage. That coverage gets tighter this Sunday. Will Seattle design enough check downs to stay astride an explosive Cardinals offense?

Grading the Defense: Arizona Cardinals vs. Chicago Bears

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

More photos » by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

2 days 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?

Incognito out, Amendola in: Random Ramsdom, 11/10

VanRam — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 12:56:18 -0000

Feelin' kind of random today? Headlines are percolating as the St. Louis Rams gear up for a tough game against the New Orleans Saints this week, so let's shake off the bye week rust and jump right in.

RG Richie Incognito will be out. It's not official yet, but he's not practicing this week because of his foot injury. Adam Goldberg will start in his place. WR/KR Danny Amendola has recovered from his concussion and will play this week.

A couple of cornerbacks, Marcus Brown and Marquis Floyd, visited Rams Park yesterday. Neither has been inked yet, and S Anthony Smith's roster spot remains open. It seem like we could use the help at CB.

The NFL's schedule makers gave the 2-win Rams of '08 no breaks this year. New Orleans is the third undefeated team they'll face. That's the last, as of this week, elite team the Rams are scheduled to play, but 5-4 Houston comes to town in week 15 looking to keep their wild card shot alive. We've got two more games against the Cardinals as well.

New Orleans had a rough outing against the Panthers last week, having to fight their way back from a 14-point hole. Head coach Sean Payton doesn't seem ready to let that happen again.

Rams Gab takes a look at the New Orleans game this week.

Didn't get enough speculation with yesterday's Jason Campbell talk? How 'bout Tony Dungy suggesting Michael Vick for the Rams? His past aside, I'm going to give that a thumbs down based on Vick's stated desire to be a QB again. I want a guy who can run a passing game with more authority, sorry.

Donnie Avery, fantasy sleeper for week 10? Maybe. I'd feel a lot better about it if I knew Marc Bulger could throw.

Grading the Offense: Cardinals vs Bears

Andrew602 — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 10:00:17 -0000

by Charles Rex Arbogast - AP

2 days ago: Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Steve Breaston (15) is congratulated by teammate Larry Fitzgerald, right, after scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Chicago Bears in an NFL football game in Chicago, Sunday, Nov. 8, 2009. The Cardinals won 41-21. Walking away is the Bears' Hunter Hillenmeyer (92). (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast)

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In their most recent victory of the season, the Arizona Cardinals saw their best overall offensive performance. The offense was rolling through the first half, not punting the ball and racking up 31 points. Kurt Warner had his best game of the season, while the rushing game was the best it's been in a while. The Cardinals offense is built on explosive play, and that's something they showed on Sunday. It's also something they must continue to improve on throughout the season.

Kurt Warner - Kurt showed once again why nobody should doubt him. After having a terrible game at home against the Carolina Panthers, Warner was able to travel on the road and butcher the Bears secondary. He managed to only get sacked once, and didn't turn the ball over as well. Kurt Warner gets to face a Seahawks defense he carved up just a few weeks ago, possibly stringing back to back games with multiple touchdowns.

Running Backs - Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower both demonstrated that even though they are young, they can produce like veteran backs. They compliment each other, with Hightower handling 3rd down responsibilities, and Wells getting the big rushing plays. Neither ran for over 100 yards, but altogether managed to put 182 rushing yards on the Bears defense.

Wide Receivers - Larry Fitzgerald shouldn't be tweeting about Kurt Warner's age anymore, as Fitz has been targeted 72 times this year, only behind Andre Johnson, Steve Smith, and Reggie Wayne. On Sunday, Fitzgerald couldn't be contained by Charles Tillman, eventually leading to his two scores. Steve Breaston showed up and did exactly what we expected - played ball. Without Boldin, the Cardinals are 5-1, a number that wouldn't be possible without Steve Breaston. Early Doucet also performed well in place of Boldin.

Offensive Line - The Cardinals offensive line played the best game of the season, physically imposing their will on the Bears defensive line. The holes that were opened up were generous for the running backs, and Kurt Warner was only sacked once. Not only that, but Warner was rarely under pressure, and was given plenty of time to get rid of the ball.

My Offensive Grade: A

Scoring a season high in points and throwing five touchdown passes will generally give you praise, and that's exactly why I gave the Cardinals offense an A. They played all parts of the offense very well, didn't make any mistakes, and scored enough to put the game away early. What did you grade the offense and why?

Poll

How would you grade the Cardinals offensive effort on Sunday?

Bears Make Three Teams Not Ruling Out Larry Johnson

Joel Thorman — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 00:35:00 -0000

More photos » by Nam Y Huh - AP

3 months ago: Chicago Bears coach Lovie Smith talks to reporters Thursday, July 30, 2009, in Bourbonnais, Ill., where team members arrived for NFL football training camp. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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Chicago Bears head coach Lovie Smith said his team would take a look at Larry Johnson and has not ruled him out at this point.

"Any player that's available, we look at," said Smith via the Associated Press. "That's been our standard policy throughout. That'll be the case with Larry."

I know it's the standard policy, but if the Bears were using his off-the-field stuff as an automatic no, Smith would have said so.

The Bears are the third team to not rule out making a move with Larry Johnson. Texans head coach Gary Kubiak said he would take a look at LJ and Redskins head coach Jim Zorn said he would have to have a few conversations about that.

And, as we just noted, Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said he thought another team with a higher waiver claim would get LJ before the Pats even had a chance.

Reporting on SportsCenter, Adam Schefter said these six teams could take a gamble on LJ: 49ers, Seahawks, Cardinals, Patriots, Chargers and Colts.

He argues that LJ could help one of those teams in the stretch run.

The waiver wire claims (if any) should be in around 3:00 PM tomorrow afternoon.

Introduction to the Last Weekend of the Regular Season

John Morgan — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:15:43 -0000

More photos » by Elaine Thompson - AP

Seattle spotted Detroit 17 points in the first quarter. Matthew Stafford spotted Seattle 300 yards to build its comeback from.

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I will take on a little more breakneck, a little less detail-rich rundown of last Sunday's game. My goal is to be done by tomorrow.

Seattle flies to Arizona Bay this weekend to fight for its last gasping chance at the playoffs. Arizona is 5-3 and owns the tiebreaker against Seattle. If Seattle wins, it is a game behind and will have neutralized the Cardinals tiebreaker. If Seattle loses, it will be all but out of the race.

The 2006 Seahawks scrabbled their way into the playoffs. The 2009 Seahawks are a better team. The 2009 Arizona Cardinals are probably better than both. The 2006 Seahawks lost twice to the Alex Smith-led San Francisco 49ers. The 2009 Seahawks lost to the Shaun Hill-led 49ers, but could beat the Alex Smith-led 2009 49ers at home. The 2009 Arizona Cardinals were not able to. The 2009 Seahawks need only be better for a day to crawl back into this.

And around. Seattle may not be better than Arizona, but short of total mismatches like yesterday's, early breaks can decide a game between close-matched opponents. Seattle has snuck into the playoffs before and could do so this season. Arizona like Seattle is dependent on the health of their aged quarterback. The Cardinals are a Kurt Warner injury from probable collapse. Maybe Matt Leinart steps up, but we'll cross that bridge when he puts down the beer bong.

Seattle did not win convincingly against Detroit. It profited from an exceptionally bad showing from Matthew Stafford. As I mentioned in my post game, Stafford's picks alone account for at least 225 yard and as much 300. Interceptions are, in classic coach speak, mistakes. An interception reflects a mistake by the offense more so than it reflects an achievement by the defense.

That was obvious for anyone who watched yesterday's game. Stafford threw jump balls, and often threw jump balls that descended closer to a defender than a receiver. Seattle caught them. It pressured Stafford and forced poor down and distance, but of the many things Stafford could have done, he often chose the worst possible.

So Seattle roared back against a team it is categorically better than. But it won. And it is categorically better than the Detroit Lions. That, however hollow feeling at the time, is a hopeful reminder. Seattle is on the low end of average. The Arizona Cardinals are on the high end of average. Seattle might have a one in three chance of beating Arizona on the road.

Maybe the breaks fall Seattle's way this time. If Arizona spots Seattle 17 in the first like Seattle spotted Detroit, Seattle's young defense could swarm and attack and maybe even run away with it. It's the unit that will carry Seattle these final eight weeks. It's the unit that is young, growing into its own, that shows flashes that it could sustain once the talent and coaching coalesce.

The 2006 Seahawks were hanging on to the inexorable. The 2009 Seahawks are building off the eventual. The 2006 Seahawks were sad and fading. We didn't realize it then but most realize it now. Maybe we don't yet realize how good the 2009 Seahawks are becoming. Maybe it will be 2012 before we do. This weekend they fight for the relevance of 2009. The Seahawks are old but they are healthy. The Seahawks are young but they are desperate. Let's go kick the Cards in the mouth.

Arizona Cardinal of the Week: Week 9

Andrew602 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 19:16:49 -0000

After the Cardinals impressive win over the Chicago Bears yesterday, I can say with confidence that it's much easier to post the Cardinal of the week. Let me get back to the painful loss last week one more time to congratulate Tim Hightower for winning last week's COTW. Sunday, the Cardinals quite possibly played their best offensive game of the season, and there were many players that stepped up to lead their team to a 4-0 start on the road. It shouldn't be shocking that all the candidates are on offense, starting with the player that had a monster game.

Kurt Warner - Is this really a contest? Kurt Warner easily redeemed himself for his awful performance last week. He tied a franchise single game record with five touchdowns, and eventually led the Cardinals to 41 points on Sunday. If Warner can keep up this pace, the Cardinals shouldn't have a problem hanging with any teams in the league.

Larry Fitzgerald - We saw the Fitzgerald of last year on Sunday. Fitz caught two touchdowns in the win, and more importantly 123 receiving yards, a season high. Larry was at the end of several first downs, and appeared to be unstoppable at times lining up against Charles Tillman.

Steve Breaston - Breaston did a solid job starting next to Fitzgerald in the absense of Anquan Boldin. He had a good game and even caught a touchdown late to ice the game. Breaston also added 25 yards to the rushing total, and was dependable once again with punt return duties.

Tim Hightower - I thought about naming Beanie as well but when it came down to it, Tim has a wider variety of skills, and that has been the determining factor this season keeping him the starter. Hightower can catch out of the backfield, and is also an important piece in pass protection.

When it came down to it, nobody on the defense did enough to stand out. As a whole, they did get pressure on Jay Cutler and forced a turnover, but they also allowed 369 passing yards and almost let the game get close. As always, if you feel anybody should be added to the list, just drop a comment listing who and why. Who did you vote for?

Poll

Who is the Arizona Cardinal of the Week?

ROTB Survival Pick'Em: Week 9 Results, Week 10 Picks

Andrew602 — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 18:11:50 -0000

First let me start off by saying that the crop has become a little smaller when Tim V(who took a gamble) and Hevchv were eliminated this week. As the stat sheet shows, stay away from the Texans and Packers. They've both combined to eliminate 46% of the members(ouch!). As far as the current status of the league, we're now at the point that if any noobs do join, they won't be able to build a streak longer then any of the current members(in other words, don't join unless you play for fun). As far as this week's schedule, there are some favorable picks, especially for those of you who haven't picked the Saints yet. I also just noticed we finally have Thursday night football this week, which is great. Let's take a look at the damage.

Who's Alive

Who's Dead

Travis23(9) - BAL,MIN,CIN,PIT,DAL,NYG, IND, SD, ATL bcloirao(9) - SEA, WA, NYG, JAX, MIN, GB, PHI, CHI, ATL manphibian(9) - NO, MIN, WA, PITT, NYG,BAL, IND, DAL, ATL SenSurround(9) - SEA, WA, CHI, GB, PHI, DAL, IND, SD, NE

KDean75(8) - NO, WA, SF, PHI, BAL, NE, SD, SEA

Wongy, azsportsfan31, Bezekira, StuckinColorado, thereallacardsfan, Pyromnc, CARDSxFAN32, ar4gsw, Hawkwind, Hibernian, Desert_Bird_Watcher, Cuckoo for Coco Puffs, PhoenixChief, azcardswinez, AJBirdWatcher, superpsck, kj197728, Jallred350, CardsIrish, Rottphiler, TBru, Fitz Jizzle, Giannaros, sc464, Red Reign, Boogatt66, Andrew602, Drullin'OverDaCards, robloosli, Chg91, Carddan, b0rd3rline, TrojanZags, Thomaldo, Irishcardinal, CardstuckinVA, Tim V, Hevchv

The Stats

#	Teams	Times Picked	Players Saved	Players Lost
1	Ravens	15	15	0
2	Redskins	15	15	0
3	Packers	13	4	9(23%)
4	Saints	12	12	0
5	Giants	11	11	0
6	Texans	11	2	9(23%)
7	Vikings	10	10	0
8	Eagles	9	5	4(10%)
9	Chargers	9	9	0
10	Steelers	7	5	2(5%)
11	Seahawks	7	5	2(5%)
12	Cardinals	6	2	4(10%)
13	49ers	6	6	0
14	Jets	6	1	5(13%)
15	Colts	6	6	0
16	Cowboys	6	6	0
17	Patriots	5	5	0
18	Bengals	4	4	0
19	Falcons	4	4	0
20	Bears	3	3	0
21	Raiders	2	1	1(2%)
22	Titans	2	1	1(2%)
23	Lions	2	1	1(2%)
24	Panthers	2	2	0
25	Broncos	1	1	0
26	Jaguars	1	1	0
27	Browns	1	1	0
28	Chiefs	1	0	1(2%)
29	Bills	1	1	0

Week 10 Schedule

Thu, Nov 12	Time(ET)	TV
Chicago at San Francisco	8:20 PM	NFL
Sun, Nov 15	Time(ET)	TV
New Orleans at St. Louis	1:00 PM	FOX
Tampa Bay at Miami	1:00 PM	FOX
Detroit at Minnesota	1:00 PM	FOX
Jacksonville at NY Jets	1:00 PM	CBS
Buffalo at Tennessee	1:00 PM	CBS
Cincinnati at Pittsburgh	1:00 PM	CBS
Denver at Washington	1:00 PM	CBS
Atlanta at Carolina	1:00 PM	FOX
Kansas City at Oakland	4:05 PM	CBS
Seattle at Arizona	4:15 PM	FOX
Dallas at Green Bay	4:15 PM	FOX
Philadelphia at San Diego	4:15 PM	FOX
New England at Indianapolis	8:20 PM	NBC
Mon, Nov 16	Time(ET)	TV
Baltimore at Cleveland	8:30 PM	ESPN

Bye Week: NY Giants and Houston