SB Nation User Blog: najmsh

Arizona Cardinals Fly Around the NFC West and NFC Playoff Preview

najmsh — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 20:24:04 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

7 days ago: San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Michael Crabtree (15) reacts after making a catch in front of Arizona Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett (90) in the second quarter of an NFL football game in San Francisco, Monday, Dec. 14, 2009. The 49ers won 24-9. (AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez)

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The Arizona Cardinals played one of their worst games of the year. In a game that featured 7 turnovers and 11 penalties, the Cardinals did just what every sports analyst in the country said they wouldn’t do: let up against the San Francisco 49ers. The most incredible stat of the game is the 5 fumbles lost by the Cardinals. To put that into perspective, the 49ers only have 4 fumbles all year. Losing five fumbles is inexcusable, but it takes an incredible amount of bad luck to do so. Let’s just scratch this game up to a combination of bad luck, the Cardinals taking their opponent too lightly, and a 49er team that matches up very well with the Cardinals and always plays them tough.

San Francisco 49ers: As schizophrenic as the Cardinals are, the 49ers are even more so. After losing in heart breaking fashion to Seattle, a team which lost by 27 points to the Houston Texans this past week, the 49ers physically dominated the Cardinals and outplayed them in all aspects of the game. The Niners were able to keep very slim playoff hopes alive (more on that later) while sweeping a division rival. Life is suddenly good at Niners Nation and Mike Singletary’s approval rating is through the roof. Although I’ve avoided every sports site but Revenge of the Birds since Monday night, I do know the Niners are playing the Philadelphia Eagles this weekend. The Eagles are coming off a big win against the Giants and are essentially playing a trap game. Their offense is very dependent on the big play (WR DeSean Jackson has 8 TDs of over 50 yards this season, tied for the NFL record) and the Niners defense is very good at taking away the big play. The Eagles opened the game as 6 point favorites.

Seattle Seahawks: News from the Seattle region this week had more to do with the offseason than this season. Former coach Mike Holmgren, credited for bringing the only success to the thirty-year-old franchise, is being touted by many for the vacant GM job. Holmgren spent much of the week in Cleveland meeting with owner Randy Lerner and other Cleveland Browns officials. Holmgren reportedly wants to be the "czar" of football wherever he goes (similar to Bill Parcells’ job in Miami) and says he wants to make a decision before Christmas, putting some pressure on the Seattle front office. Many Seahawk fans are clamoring for Holmgren to be hired, but others are not so sure. CEO Tod Leiweke has already stated that the Seahawks are "not going to join [the new GM], they’re going to join us" a message which would seem to rule out Holmgren’s idea of being a football czar. On the field, Seattle suffered a humiliating 34-7 loss to the Houston Texans this week. Saying this season has been a disappointment for the Seahawks would be an understatement. Matt Hasselbeck’s injury woes have continued, first round pick Aaron Curry is not playing like the elite linebacker he was supposed to be, and many analysts are wondering if Jim Mora Jr. might be out of a job after one year. The Seahawks face Tampa Bay at home this week.

Note: According to our friends at Field Gulls, the Cleveland Browns have reportedly offered Mike Holmgren the "Football Czar" job he wants. ESPN's John Clayton is reporting the Seahawks want to go in a different direction.

St. Louis Rams: The Rams injury woes are just getting worse and worse. Thursday’s practice has been reportedly canceled due to a swine flu outbreak among the Rams’ personnel. The Rams have kept quiet about who on the team has swine flu, but QB Kyle Boller (filling in for the injured Marc Bulger) and Center Jason Brown missed practice Wednesday because of illness. The Rams were forced to start 3^rd string QB Keith Null against the Titans this week in a replay of one of the most epic Superbowls ever played. Safe to say that this past week’s game was not as exciting. Although the Rams have had terrible injury problems this year, they waived guard Richie Incognito this week. Incognito has had many on the field problems and was named the NFL’s dirtiest player in a Sporting News poll. His problems stemmed all the way back to college where he left Nebraska for the University of Oregon after being suspended by the Nebraska coaching staff before the 2004 season. Incognito was quickly claimed off waivers by the Buffalo Bills, prompting current Bill’s LB Kawika Mitchell to tweet, "BIGGEST DISSAPOINTMENT THIS YR. THE GUYS A BUM." The Rams are coming off a 47-7 loss to the Titans and are taking on the Houston Texans this week.

The NFC Playoff Race:

Division Leaders:

New Orleans Saints (13-0) – (DAL, TB, @CAR)

Minnesota Vikings (11-2) – (@CAR, @CHI, NYG)

Philadelphia Eagles (9-4) – (SF, DEN, @DAL)

Arizona Cardinals (8-5) – (@DET, STL, GB)

Wild Card:

Green Bay Packers (9-4) – (@PIT, SEA, @ARI)

Dallas Cowboys (8-5) – (@NO, @WAS, PHI)

In the Hunt:

New York Giants (7-6) – (@WAS, CAR, @MIN)

San Francisco 49ers (6-7) – (@PHI, DET, @STL)

The #1 and #2 spot: New Orleans and Minnesota have clinched playoff spots. A New Orleans win against Dallas this week will clinch the number 1 seed for NO. Minnesota will most likely win the NFC North and have the number 2 spot.

The #3 and #4 spot: The Eagles and Cardinals are battling for the #3 spot. If the Eagles win out, they are guaranteed the 3 spot. If they lose to either SF or Dallas and Cardinals win out, the Cardinals and Eagles would have the same record, the same NFC record, and the Eagles would win the tiebreaker based on win-loss percentage against common opponents (4-1 vs. 2-3). In order for the Cardinals to get the #3 spot, the Eagles would have to lose 2 of their next 3 games and the Cardinals would have to win out. The Cowboys can also win the #3 spot, but I’m going to discount them based on their December history.

Wild Card: This is very tricky so stay with me. The Packers are in a very good position for the first wild card spot, with 2 wins guaranteeing them that spot (this is assuming the Cowboys do not go 3-0 to finish the season). In all likelihood, either the Giants or the Cowboys will occupy the final Wild Card spot. If the Cowboys and Giants finish 9-7, and the Niners finish 8-8 or worse, the Giants would go to the playoffs based on head to head wins (this is true if the Giants and Cowboys finish 10-6 or better also). If however, the Giants, Cowboys and Niners all finish 9-7, then the final spot is based on conference record. If the Packers lose their next 3 games and also finish 9-7, it could be possible that the 49ers and the Cardinals face each other in the Wild Card Round.

NFC West: The Cardinals can lose the NFC West title, but it would have to be a huge collapse. The magic number is 2: 2 wins, 2 losses by the Niners, or a combination of wins and Niners losses will seal the NFC West for the Cardinals. The Cardinals have to lose to either the Detroit Lions or the St. Louis Rams and also lose to the Green Bay Packers. Even in this case however, the Niners will have to win out, including a tough game at Philadelphia this week. The Niners also face Detroit and St. Louis to finish up the season.

In all likelihood, the Cardinals will face the Packers in the Wild Card Round while the Eagles will face the Giants or the Cowboys. However, we won’t really know until after week 17, so get ready for a crazy race in the NFC.

Arizona Cardinals Fly Around the NFC West

najmsh — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:59:54 -0000

More photos » by Matt York - AP

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kurt Warner (13) is hurried by San Francisco 49ers defensive end Justin Smith during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 13, 2009.

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After a very intense (but fulfilling) week 13, the Arizona Cardinals find themselves atop the NFC West, a three game lead with four left to play. Maybe it was the confidence of our friends over at Niners Nation or maybe it was a product of the damage done to Cardinals fans’ psyches over the years, but many expected the Cardinals and the Niners to fight for first place in the division during the upcoming Monday Night Game. Thankfully, that is not the case.

San Francisco 49ers: The Niners are coming off one of their worst losses of the year (from a morale standpoint). Coach Mike Singletary came into the season wanting to instill a team mentality and a sense of toughness, and he was initially very successful in doing so. The Niners started 3-1, and came within a Brett Favre Hail Mary of being undefeated after 4 weeks (with 3 division wins), but it went downhill from there. Starting with a drubbing by Atlanta, the Niners went through a 4 game losing streak and ultimately lost 6 of their next 8 games. They are now tied with Seattle for second place in the division, and barring a Cardinals collapse, are out of the playoffs. There is a little optimism now, as many of the Niners faithful are confident that Alex Smith is the quarterback of the future. However, Mike Singletary and the much maligned Jimmy Raye need to find a way to make Smith successful while also incorporating Frank Gore into the offense (Gore has averaged only 10 carries/game over the last three games). The Niners play at home against the Cardinals this week, a game where the Cards are favored by 3.

Seattle Seahawks: It was a very up and down week for the Seattle Seahawks. Long time GM Tim Ruskell resigned from his post, inviting in a plethora of Mike Holmgren rumors. Ruskell inherited a loaded team and added a few Seahawk mainstays, including Lofa Tatupu and Leroy Hill, but much of his reign was marked with draft busts and bad trades. The team itself is coming off a close win against the 49ers and is tied for second place in the division at 5-7. The Seahawks are unexpectedly rebuilding in a year where many thought they would challenge the Cardinals for the division. On the bright side, they have two first round draft picks and if Mike Holmgren decides to come back as general manager, they could rebound quickly. Seattle is travelling to Reliant Stadium this week to take on the most schizophrenic team in the league, the Houston Texans.

St. Louis Rams: Injuries, injuries, injuries. After Sunday’s game against the Bears, the Rams had to put safety Oshimogho Atogwe on injured reserve, joining starting cornerbacks Bradley Fletcher and Ron Bartell. The Rams placed the franchise tag on Atogwe during the offseason and are shelling out close to $6 million for his services this year. They now have a big decision to make about his future with the team. The Rams are essentially headed for another top five pick, with problems at every offensive position except running back. St. Louis is travelling to Tennessee this week to take on the Tennessee Chris Johnsons, who are coming off their first loss since Vince Young was named the starting quarterback.

Division Leaders:

New Orleans Saints* (12-0) – (@ATL, DAL, TB, @CAR)

Minnesota Vikings (10-2) – (CIN, @CAR, @CHI, NYG)

Arizona Cardinals (8-4) – (@SF, @DET, STL, GB)

Dallas Cowboys (8-4) – (SD, @NO, @WAS, PHI) (I’m pretty sure the schedule makers were laughing uncontrollably while making Dallas’ December schedule)

Wild Card:

Philadelphia Eagles (8-4) – (@NYG, SF, DEN, @DAL)

Green Bay Packers (8-4) – (@CHI, @PIT, SEA, @ARI)

In the Hunt:

New York Giants (7-5) – (PHI, @WAS, CAR, @MIN)

what if...

najmsh — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 07:03:54 -0000

just read bill simmons article on the sonics leaving. got me to thinking...

if clay bennet can come in and take a seattle team that got a new arena in 1995, spent 41 years in seattle, won a championship there, and is the 14th biggest market in the us... i mean what if sarver took the suns to las vegas when stern finally allows it?

i've been watching the suns for 13 years and they've made me cry twice (both for regular season games i really don't remember. the joys of being a kid). i think i would just break down and cry for an hour if this happened.

Poll

what would you do if sarver took the suns out of phoenix?

boycott the nba

5 votes

take a crap on sarvers lawn

5 votes

follow the las vegas suns

5 votes

pretend the sun devils were the suns and continue to wear suns gear to their games

1 votes

just sit down and cry

4 votes

20 votes | Poll has closed