Revenge Of The Birds

Okeafor out for St Louis Game.

2009-11-20T20:12:08Z

Okeafor out for St Louis Game.

Outside linebacker Chike Okeafor has been battling a back injury the past few weeks had not practiced at all this week. Most of the players that were on the injury list at least got some practice in and are expected to play.

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

2009-11-20T18:08:13Z

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

A Breakout Game for Beanie Wells is on the Horizon

2009-11-20T10:00:11Z

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

How will rookie Beanie Wells react after his 2 touchdown game against the Seahawks last week? The Rams are up next as Wells could eclipse the 100 yard mark for the first time in his career.

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With Sunday's game approaching, rookie running back Beanie Wells has yet to have a "breakout game" if you will. Last week he scored two touchdowns, but was limited to 85 yards. The good news is that Wells did this against an 11th ranked Seahawk rush defense, and the upcoming Rams are presently yielding 142.3 rushing yards per game, which accounts for 28th in the league.

Handing off the ball to Beanie and Tim Hightower(I still have love for him) will be one key to the Cardinals winning the game on Sunday. In their past two games, which have both been victories, Ken Whisenhunt has shown a tendency to open the game with Hightower, and close it with Wells. Should the Cardinals take the same approach on Sunday, Wells may get even more opportunities against a vulnerable defense. The Rams have allowed 13 rushing touchdowns this season, which is 29th in the league, and give up a 4.5 YPA average which is 24th in the league.

The credit for Wells averaging 78.5 rushing yards in his last two games should obviously go to the offensive line, but much of the credit should go to Ken Whisenhunt for giving the rookie more chances with the football. He could have limited Wells for much of the season for fumbling the football 5* times in his first five games, but instead allowed Beanie to show that can can carry the rock without putting it on the ground. In his first four games of the season Wells touched(carries and catches) the ball 23 times. In the last five games, Wells has touched the Ball 69 times.

The Cardinals will certainly need to establish an early lead to start running effectively on Sunday, but that's not a stretch considering how much the Rams have struggled this season. If you look at his yards-per-carry average(4.6), Wells would need to carry the ball 22 times to eclipse the 100 yard mark. Could this be the breakout game of Beanie Wells rookie season? What would it take for Wells to have a dominant game?

Arizona Cardinals defensive end Darnell Dockett is facing more backlash from an elbow that was...

2009-11-19T22:22:35Z

Arizona Cardinals defensive end Darnell Dockett is facing more backlash from an elbow that was pressed into Matt Hasselbeck's throat on Sunday. Tim Hasselbeck, Matt's brother who was also a quarterback in the league(For the Cardinals in 2007) had this to say:

"Let me tell you something, that was a dirty, cheap shot move by Darnell Dockett," Tim Hasselbeck told 710ESPN Seattle. "I don't care what he wants to say now. I've been on teams with good guys, and I've been on teams with bad guys -- bad guy. And, what he did was flat-out dirty and I hope the league fines him, and I hope they fine him heavily, because I think he deserves it."

A poll of 99 NFL players done a month ago by Sporting News asked who they thought the top 5 dirtiest players were. In order they went, 1. Richie Incognito, 2. Hines Ward, 3. Kevin Mawae, 4. Harvey Dahl, 5. Darnell Dockett. So far the league has yet to issue a fine Dockett's way.

Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams: Know Thy Enemy Edition

2009-11-19T17:30:11Z

More photos » by Tom Gannam - AP

5 days ago: St. Louis Rams running back Steven Jackson celebrates his two-yard touchdown run during the second quarter of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints, Sunday, Nov. 15, 2009, in St. Louis. (AP Photo/Tom Gannam)

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For the St. Louis Rams, they have had a very rough past few seasons. They have managed to win just 6 games out of their last 41, currently making them one of the worst teams in the NFL. Part of this is because of the youth movement that has been brought upon their roster. No longer are the days of Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, and Marshall Faulk tearing up the field. Those jobs now belong to running back Steven Jackson and wide receiver Donnie Avery. Avery, a second year player, still has a lot to prove at his position but Jackson is just starting to hit his prime.

Jackson was drafted in the first round six years ago to come in and start the process of replacing Marshall Faulk, who was at the end of his career. In Faulk's final season he would mentor Jackson and try to mold him into a quality running back in the NFL. Faulk did that job very well as Jackson turned into one of the more prolific running backs in the NFL. Since becoming the starter he has had four straight seasons of 1,000 rushing yards and 250 receiving yards and is well on his way to making that five straight barring some sort of injury. Even though he has had a nice career thus far, it has been a different story against the Arizona Cardinals.

Against Arizona, Jackson has not been as good as he has been against some of the other teams. In eight games against them he has rushed for just 442 yards on 125 carries (3.5 yards per carry) and 1 touchdown. In the passing game he has received 164 yards on 22 catches and 1 touchdown. That's an average of just 55.3 yards rushing and 20.5 yards receiving in each game. Those are not very good numbers considering he is their most dangerous weapon on offense.

Arizona as a team has shut down Jackson most of the time but the player to look out for is inside linebacker Gerald Hayes. Hayes is expected to be back from a back injury that has forced him to miss two games these past two weeks, which is bad news for Jackson as he owned him in their last meeting. In the last game, Hayes helped hold Jackson to a total of 66 yards on 22 touches (3 yards per touch) and he forced 2 fumbles (both recovered by Arizona). This will undoubtedly be the match up to watch for in this game. Can Hayes and the rest of the Arizona defense continue to stop Jackson on Sunday?

Arizona Cardinals vs. St. Louis Rams: Injury Report

2009-11-19T14:20:40Z

More photos » by Nam Y. Huh - AP

Arizona Cardinals ~~wide receiver~~ special teams ace Sean Morey continues to deal the after effects of a concussion. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

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As the season wears on the Arizona Cardinals injury report seems to get longer and longer and this week is no exception. In all there were 13 players listed on the report with four DNP's, eight limited particpations and a single player who was listed but participated fully. Duece Lutui is officially on the report because he missed practice but it wasn't injury related so we can assume that he'll be back at practice today. Joining him on the DNP list are Bryant McFadden (ankle), Chike Okeafor (back) and Michael Adams (hamstring). On the limited side were Steve Breaston (knee), Karlos Dansby (shoulder), Mike Gandy (pelvis), Gerald Hayes (back), Kenny Iwebema (knee), Sean Morey (head), Ben Patrick (knee) and Adrian Wilson (groin). Reggie Wells continues to be on the report with a broken thumb but he's yet to miss any practice or game time because of the injury.

Needless to say that's quite a bit of talent standing on the sidelines, especially on the defensive side of the ball. Five of the eleven starters missed at least some of practice yesterday, including three of our four linebackers, so hopefully this was just a day where Ken Whisenhunt took it easy on some veterans. It's good to see Hayes back in practice, even if just on a limited basis, and there is some hope that he'll be ready to go by Sunday. Okeafor is a guy we'll have to continue to monitor as his back continues to give him problems. He's missed two games already this season and he's one of the more consistent pass rusher. If he's unable to go then his OLB spot will again be filled by a combination of Bertrand Berry and rookie Will Davis.

The Rams injury list isn't nearly as long but there are some key names.

Did Not Practice:

G Richie Incognito (foot)
DE Chris Long (knee)

Limited Participation:

C.J. Ah You (knee)
DE James Hall (back)
DE Leonard Little (knee)
DT Clifton Ryan (toe)

Who Would You Take From the St. Louis Rams?

2009-11-19T10:00:11Z

More photos » by John Raoux - AP

The combination of Beanie Wells and Steven Jackson would be frightening for opposing defenses.

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Seriously guys. In preparation for our meeting on Sunday, I thought I'd get the conversation going with a popular topic, in which we select the player(s) that we would want from the team we're playing that week. This week just happens to be the struggling 1-8 Rams, who are experiencing yet another losing season. There are some bright spots however, in players among their current roster. As the headline states, who would you take from the Rams? It can be a young or older player, a starter or a back up, etc. You can also take their current contract status into consideration, as if we were actually signing the player. Also look at who may be leaving our team after this season. Here are some of my picks.

Steven Jackson: Jackson would likely be the pick for any team, and that's because he's not only the best player on the Rams, but possibly one of the best players in the league. Before you say we already have Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower, listen to this. He's currently 3rd in the league with 915 rushing yards, and is averaging 4.8 yards per carry. Add in his 231 receiving yards, and Jackson alone counts for 42% of the St. Louis offense. That boy can play some football. He can play left, he can play right, don't make no difference. He can block, tackle, score the touch down, snap the ball, and kick the extra point. Hell, the boy will fill up the Gatorade cooler, walk the dog, and paint your back porch. I'm telling ya, the boy can plain outplay football. OOHH! And he can pass! (Okay, I took that last part from the movie Friday Night Lights, but it's true.)

Oshiomogho Atogwe: Atogwe is currently one of the premiere free safeties in the league, capable of dropping in coverage or defending the run. He's a play-maker on the ball, and is a threat whenever he's on the field. He's currently 2nd on the team in tackles with 58, has 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, and 2 interceptions - and did I mention he's a safety? With the possibility of Antrel Rolle not extending his contract next season, Atogwe would certainly be a solid, if not better replacement.

Jason Smith: Now before anyone crucifies me for making this pick, let me say that with our situation at offensive tackle, a rookie might be an improvement. He was very touted heading into the 2009 draft, which is one reason the Rams selected him 2nd overall. He's very fast for a tackle, and has a tremendous upside. If Gandy doesn't get resigned next year, Smith would shore up a position that we wouldn't have to worry about for years.

Other notables: James Laurinaitis(1st on team with 60 tackles), Ron Bartell(young play-making cornerback), Leonard Little(Old but leads team with 5 sacks), Donnie Avery(fast receiver that would compliment current receivers nicely)

That's who I would want, what would your picks be from the Rams and why?

Dolphins fan reflects on meeting Pat Tillman

2009-11-19T00:58:15Z

Dolphins fan reflects on meeting Pat Tillman

I was looking around the blogs on here and I saw this. Thought I might as well post this as a late Veterans Day reflection of a great man who died too soon.

Where the Arizona Cardinals Stand in the NFC Pro Bowl Balloting

2009-11-18T20:23:28Z

More photos » by Tim Larsen - AP

Only four players in the entire league have received more votes for the Pro Bowl than Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald and the only question that remains is how many of his teammates will accompany him? (AP Photo/Tim Larsen)

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The NFL has released it's first update on the fan voting for the Pro Bowl and the Arizona Cardinals have quite a few guys in the top five at their respective positions. As we all know the fans don't get the final say but it's nice way to judge the popularity and/or of players on a national level. We've started a segment here campaigning for some deserving Cardinals (check out Dockett's, Warner's and Fitz's story) and we've got more to come but for now we all need to go vote, early and often.

Larry Fitzgerald: Only four players in the entire league have received more votes than Fitz (Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, Adrian Peterson and Brett Favre) and it's a safe bet he'll be a starter again this year.
Adrian Wilson: Wilson is the leading vote getter among NFC strong safeties and has almost twice as many votes as the next best, Roman Harper. Again, I think it's safe to assume he'll be starting his second consecutive PB.

Antrel Rolle: Rolle, who's been getting better and better as the season progresses, is actually second among NFC free safeties, but the leading FS (Darren Sharper) has nearly six times as many votes. Still though if Rolle can hang in there and earn his first trip to the Pro Bowl, it would help his case for a new contract a great deal.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie: DRC is currenty fourth among NFC cornerbacks but he's going up against some household names in Asante Samuel, Antoine Winfield and Charles Woodson. It would take a really impressive run by DRC to move up the ladder but if he stays in the top five he'll have a chance to go once guys start dropping out for injuries and/or personal reasons.

Darnell Dockett: Nine-0 is also fourth among defensive tackles behind the Williams-Wall (Kevin Williams and Pat Williams) and Albert Haynesworth. Those are some big names to replace but only Kevin Williams stats are noticably better than Dockett's and DD has been getting stronger as the season wears on.

Of the guys who don't rank in the top five at the respective position but should still recieve some consideration are Kurt Warner, Karlos Dansby, Anquan Boldin and Ben Graham. If Warner can stay hot he should be able to jump guys like Matt Ryan, Eli Manning and Aaron Rodgers (all of whom are in the top five) and it would help if the Cardinals keep winning as well. Dansby, even though he's having another good year hasn't had as many big plays as he had last year and he won't make it in without making some game-changing plays. He needs to rack up some sacks and picks in the second half to even receive consideration, but he has that ability. Boldin's case is pretty simple, if he can stay healthy and on the field he'll get into the mix, but he desperately needs to add to his TD total (which currently stands at one). Graham is more than deserving but he's really got no chance.

Arizona Cardinals Power Rankings Round Up: Week 10

2009-11-18T18:27:21Z

After another win on the season, the Cardinals improved their record to 6-3. With a win this week against the Rams, they could be looking at a top 5 spot in most power rankings. Last week they averaged a 10.9. This week their average power ranking is 8.4 - a slight improvement but the doubters are still out there.

ESPN - 7th

Halfway to a 10-6 record thanks to four victories in four games away from University of Phoenix Stadium.

Yahoo - 7th

Is Beanie Wells becoming a big-time back – and, if so, how scary could this offense be come January?

NFL - 8th

Pro Football Weekly - 9th

Who can figure this team out?

CBS - 10th

The division title is theirs unless they have a disaster. Now they have to work on playing better at home because they will have a home playoff game.

FOX - 11th

Kurt Warner and the gang are temporarily off Power Rankings Probation after finally putting together consecutive wins, albeit over 4-5 Chicago and 3-6 Seattle. While still hoping for more consistency from the Cards, they can be 8-3 if they handle their business against the Rams and improving Titans — potentially setting up a Week 12 shootout against Brett Favre in Minnesota.

What If Sports - 12th

Sporting News - 8th

Looking like a more complete team than the one that advanced to Super Bowl 44.

Sports Illustrated - 7th

This is as high as the Cardinals have climbed all season, but I'm still not completely sold on them. Maybe it's because they're the clear class of their division and they know it, but the Cardinals still look like the kind of team that believes it can flip the switch and start winning almost any time it pleases. Down 14-0 at home to Seattle in the second quarter, Arizona hit the gas and scored 31 of the game's final 37 points in the 31-20 win. But the trick is to play four quarters with that same intensity, and not rope-a-dope its way through the game's first 20 minutes.

Walter Football - 7th

The Cardinals are a really dangerous team. Their defense looks better than last year's version, Kurt Warner is healthy again and Wells gives them an added dimension that they didn't have last season. As long as Arizona doesn't have to play in terrible weather, they're going to be a tough out come playoff time.

Yahoo Team Ranker - 7th

Arizona Cardinals Fly Around the NFC West and Is It Too Early to Talk Playoffs?

2009-11-18T18:15:09Z

More photos » by Matt York - AP

Arizona Cardinals head coach Ken Whisenhunt loudly proclaims to everyone that if they don't think the Cardinals are playoff bound, then they can go sit in a corner. (AP Photo/Matt York)

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The NFC West went 2-2 over week 10 with wins by the Cardinals and 49ers. The Cardinals are the only team over the .500 mark (6-3) with San Fran currently sitting at 4-5 in second place and the Seahawks (3-6) and Rams (1-8) round out the division. The Niners and Hawks both travel to NFC North opponents this week (Packers and Vikings respectively) while the Cards and Rams will meet for the first time this season.

San Francisco 49ers: The Niners are coming off an uninspiring Thursday night win over the Bears that saw them turn five Jay Cutler picks into just ten points, but a win is a win and it ended a four game losing streak. While a 4-5 record might not inspire a great deal of confidence, the Niners fans aren't giving up on the playoffs just yet. As crazy at that may sound with games remaining against the Packers, Cardinals and Eagles, all of whom are ahead of them in the playoff picture, you could say that they still control their own destiny. Even tougher for the Niners fans to watch right now is the resurgance of the Carolina Panthers, who've won four of their last six after starting 0-3, and with three upcoming games against teams with a combined 9-18 record, that first round pick could get pushed down much further than Niners' fans were hoping. One interesting segment over at Niners' Nation worth checking out is an 'approval rating' on both Mike Singletary and Jimmy Raye (OC). Interestingly enough nearly 90% "approve" of the job being done by Singletary but Raye's "approval" rating is just under 40%.

After the jump we'll look at the Seahawks and Rams, and take a quick look at a premature NFC playoff picture.....

Seattle Seahawks: Obviously Hawks' fans aren't in the best of moods this week after seeing their team squander a two touchdown lead and basically end any hope of competing for anything more than a high draft pick this season. Even though they saw some promising things from thier team, the guys over at Field Gulls are now shifty their focus to key players in the Hawks future and next year's draft. One of the guys they'll focus on over the rest of the season is defensive tackle Brandon Mebane (part I and II) and they're also taking a glance at California's defensive end/tackle Tyson Alualu. The Hawks also made a small roster move yesterday releasing Devin Moore from their practice squad and signing Xavier Omon to take his place.

St. Louis Rams: Despite losing their eighth game of the season the Rams played their best football of the season on Sunday, narrowly losing to the undefeated Saints 28-23. One thing that gives Rams' fans some hope is that this was a game that they coulda/shoulda won, if not for a handful of mistakes, but I'm sure we all know how slipperly that slope can become. The Rams still have more questions than answers right now but hope isn't necessarily a bad thing (unless you ask Red). Right now they're wondering what a better backup running back might mean to the team, whether or not they should be looking at wide recievers in the draft and perhaps most importantly, whether or not their beloved team is disheartened or dangerous. They also made a roster move, placing Keenan Burton on injured reserve and signing Jordan Kent to the active roster.

Ok, so it's probably too early to be talking playoffs but call me an optimist. After so many years of talking prematurely about who we should be taking in the draft, I'm enjoying the flip of of November and December discussion. With that being said, here's what the picture looks like.....

Division Winners:

Wild Card Race:

On Life Support:

Chicago Bears (4-5)
Carolina Panthers (4-5)
San Francisco 49ers (4-5)

I'll leave playoff picture at that for now. Eventually we'll break it down further by looking at each team's upcoming schedule but now it's too much to digest at one time. I will say that the Cardinals remaining schedule is much more managable than the Cowboys so moving into the third seed doesn't seem like a difficult move but moving into the second seed is a much tougher proposition. For the Cards to catch the Vikings you'd have to consider their matchup, at UoP, in three weeks a 'must win' game for the home team.

Arizona Cardinal of the Week: Week 10

2009-11-18T15:29:46Z

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Poll

Who is the Cardinal of the Week?

Former Arizona Cardinal Lance Long a starter in Kansas City?

2009-11-18T07:38:12Z

I just read that due to Dwayne Bowe's four game suspension, Lance Long and Chris Chambers are going to be the starters at wide receiver this week for the Kansas City Chiefs. It seems that Lance taking the job over in Kansas City with Haley was a great move for his career. Now let's see what he can do with it. He had 74 yards against the Jaguars two weeks ago, but quickly came back to Earth last week versus the Raiders. But that was with Bowe still active.

I think this is awesome for Lance. I hope he does well. Did the Cardinals do the right thing with cutting Long?

Dick Jauron Becomes First Head Coach to get Fired this Season

2009-11-17T20:10:35Z

Dick Jauron Becomes First Head Coach to get Fired this Season

Jauron never lead his team to a winning season in the 3 and a half season he was head coach. His final record with the Bills was 24-33. This will most likely be his last head coaching job as he also failed as head coach of the Chicago Bears from 1999-2003 and as the interim coach of the Detroit Lions in 2005.

*Update*

According to NFL Network's Jason La Canfora, Defensive coordinator Perry Fewell will be the interim head coach for the team.

Grading the Defense: Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks

2009-11-17T17:30:11Z

More photos » by Paul Connors - AP

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

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

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

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

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

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

Honor Roll:

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

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

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

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

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

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

Poll

How would you grade the Arizona Cardinals defense?

Vote for Beanie Wells for Rookie of the Week Again

2009-11-17T17:00:33Z

Vote for Beanie Wells for Rookie of the Week Again

Wells has been nominated for rookie of the week at NFL.com again for his 85 yard, 2 touchdown performance on Sunday. His competition isn't very stiff, so he should have a better chance of winning this week.

An Angry Beanie Wells Progressed as the Game Continued

2009-11-17T10:00:11Z

More photos » by Ross Franklin - AP

Arizona Cardinals' Beanie Wells (26) heads down the sideline for a long run.

Browse more photos »

The start of the Cardinals/Seahawks game saw an offense sputter in the first quarter and trail heading into halftime. They were down 17-10, and just blew a potential touchdown because of a Mike Gandy penalty. Wells didn't see much action in the first half due to the Cardinals playing catch-up. After a successful opening drive to the third quarter however, the Cardinals marched into Seattle territory, where there was a key play that may have changed the game.

~ From azcardinals.com

"That was terrible," Beanie said after the game, the smile back on his face. "That’s was the first time I lost my composure like that playing football since I was about 8 years old."

A post-play skirmish between Beanie and Seahawks safety Deon Grantescalated into some swings from both sides, the last of which was Wells’ hand whacking Grant’s facemask right in front of the referee. At the time, it looked like it would cost the Cards, who were trailing, 17-10, and would have had a first down at the Seattle 4-yard line.

Beanie could have been the goat. But four plays later, it was Wells bouncing outside a tightly compacted line on fourth-and-1 for a 10-yard touchdown. He finished it with an angry spike of the ball.

1st	1st	Tot	2nd	2nd	2nd	2nd	Tot	3rd	3rd	3rd	3rd	Tot	4th	4th	4th	4th	4th	4th	Tot
-4	4	0	0	9*	4	3	16	6	0	10	6*	22	7	13	29	2	3	0	54

* = Holding Penalty

If Beanie can continue to turn it on when he's on the field and play angry, he gives the Cardinals an added dimension they severely lacked last season. He's a workhorse, and only showing a small fraction of what he's capable of. In the first five games of the season, Wells averaged 24.8 rushing yards per game with 0 touchdowns. In the last four games, Wells is averaging 67.75 rushing yards, and has scored 3 touchdowns. The Cardinals do appear to be using Wells more, and as the chart shows, they're giving him more carries once the lead has been established. What are your thoughts on the Cardinals running back situation? Should Beanie Wells be the starting running back?

RotB Pick'em: Week 10 Results & Week 11 Picks

2009-11-17T07:05:31Z

Congratulations to Cuckoo for Coco Puffs and Tim V who correctly predicted all but a single game to share the Week Won Point. The Cowboys', Steelers', and Patriots' ruined many of our weeks, some more so than others and the standings reflect that...and the fact that "Rabbit Season" is over. Once again, all the picks for the upcoming week need to be posted before the Thursday kick-off...you're welcome to adjust your picks later for the Sunday games as long as it's before that game's kick-off.

This is an elimination week for boogatt66, Phil7178, and thereallacardsfan; with only two weeks on the books they'll need to pick every week through the end of the season to qualify for the Pick'em League Championship prize swag. It's too late to jump into the mix as nine weeks of picks are required to qualify. There is always next year (and preseason).

Overall Standings Through Week 10 (Part II)

Username	Correct	Wrong	%	Weeks Picked	Week Won Pts
SenSurround	24	8	.750	4	0
Phil71778	12	4	.750	2	0.06
Bezekira	46	18	.719	8	0.26
Drullin'OverDaCards	23	9	.719	4	0
TBru	51	21	.708	9	0.2
Cuckoo for Coco Puffs	55	25	.688	10	0.5
card-deville	49	23	.681	9	0.56
b0rdrline	54	26	.675	10	0.56
robloosli	54	26	.675	10	0.18
blank_38	27	13	.675	5	1.2
CARDSxFAN32	43	21	.672	8	0.2
Tim V	48	24	.667	9	0.5
sc464	32	16	.667	6	0.06
Giannaros	16	8	.667	3	0.06
hevchv	53	27	.663	10	1.12
bclairao	53	27	.663	10	0.26
KDean75	37	19	.661	7	0.06
Carddan	47	25	.653	9	0
StuckinColorado	52	28	.650	10	1.32
Desert_Bird_Watcher	36	20	.643	7	0.12

Overall Standings Through Week 10 (Part II)

Username	Correct	Wrong	%	Weeks Picked	Week Won Pts
Travis23	41	23	.641	8	0.06
Hibernian	46	26	.639	9	0.2
Andrew602	46	26	.639	9	0.06
Pyromnc	51	29	.638	10	0
azcardswinez	50	30	.625	10	0.18
JoeCB1991	50	30	.625	10	0.06
jallred350	50	30	.625	10	0
CARDstuckinVA	10	6	.625	2	0
Irishcardinal	44	28	.611	9	0.12
wongy	39	25	.609	8	0.32
Chg91	39	25	.609	8	0.06
RottPhiler	29	19	.604	6	0.12
CardsIrish, Hawkwind	48	32	.600	10	0
kj197728	47	33	.588	10	1
AJ Birdwatcher	42	30	.583	9	0.2
don f	14	10	.583	3	0
Red Reign	46	34	.575	10	0.06
boogatt66	9	7	.563	2	0
Thomaldo	44	36	.550	10	0.26
thereallacardsfan	8	8	.500	2	0

Week 11 Pick'em Selected Games

Away	Home	Day/Time (ET)	Network	DirecTV
MIA	CAR	Thu, 8.20 PM	NFLN	212
SF	GB	Sun, 1 PM	FOX	709
CLE	DET	Sun, 1 PM	CBS	705
ATL	NYG	Sun, 1 PM	FOX	711
ARI	STL	Sun, 4:05 PM	FOX	713
SD	DEN	Sun, 4:15 PM	CBS	714
PHI	CHI	Sun, 8:20 PM	NBC
TEN	HOU	Mon, 8:30 PM	ESPN	206

ROTB Survival Pick'em: Week 10 Results and Week 11 Picks

2009-11-16T23:15:38Z

Week 10 is over and another member gets added to the ever-growing dead list(sorry bcloirao). This week it gets tougher and there aren't many favorable match ups. Shall we see a winner soon? It's getting down to the nitty-gritty with only four members still alive. The stats and this upcoming week's schedule after the jump...

Who's Alive

Who's Dead

Travis23(10) - BAL,MIN,CIN,PIT,DAL,NYG, IND, SD, ATL, NO manphibian(10) - NO, MIN, WA, PIT, NYG,BAL, IND, DAL, ATL, AZ SenSurround(10) - SEA, WA, CHI, GB, PHI, DAL, IND, SD, NE, MIN

KDean75(9) - NO, WA, SF, PHI, BAL, NE, SD, SEA, MIN

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, bcloirao

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	13	13	0
5	Vikings	12	12	0
6	Texans	11	2	9(23%)
7	Giants	11	11	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	7	3	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	2	1	1(2%)
26	Jaguars	1	1	0
27	Browns	1	1	0
28	Chiefs	1	0	1(2%)
29	Bills	1	1	0

Week 11

Thu, Nov 19	Time(ET)	TV
Miami at Carolina	8:20 PM	NFL
Sun, Nov 22	Time(ET)	TV
Washington at Dallas	1:00 PM	FOX
Cleveland at Detroit	1:00 PM	CBS
San Francisco at Green Bay	1:00 PM	FOX
Pittsburgh at Kansas City	1:00 PM	CBS
Atlanta at NY Giants	1:00 PM	FOX
New Orleans at Tampa Bay	1:00 PM	FOX
Buffalo at Jacksonville	1:00 PM	CBS
Indianapolis at Baltimore	1:00 PM	CBS
Seattle at Minnesota	1:00 PM	FOX
Arizona at St. Louis	4:05 PM	FOX
NY Jets at New England	4:15 PM	CBS
Cincinnati at Oakland	4:15 PM	CBS
San Diego at Denver	4:15 PM	CBS
Philadelphia at Chicago	8:20 PM	NBC
Tennessee at Houston(Monday)	8:30 PM	ESPN

Grading the Offense: Cardinals vs Seahawks

2009-11-16T19:16:04Z

More photos » by Matt York - AP

Kurt Warner can breathe now. He finally played a dominant game at home and led the Cardinals to their 5th win out of the last 6 games.

Browse more photos »

After falling behind 14-0 early in the game, the Cardinals found themselves in a similar position they've been in before at home. This time around, the offense was able to pull itself together and win with a balanced attack. They remained patient and composed and in the end, they put up 31 points and ended the Seahawks hope of an upset. Overall you could say that everyone did their job on offense, and only few mistakes were committed. Let's breakdown the offense after yesterday's performance.

Kurt Warner: Warner started slow, but eventually came through and continued his success through the air. He put the ball where it needed to be, and kept it away from the Seahawks. Warner has struggled at home up until this point, and getting back to winning in front of the home crowd was very important. He also put together another 300 yard game, and added two touchdowns to put his career total at 200. Next week the Cardinals are on the road, a place where Warner has been lights out this season.

Running Backs: Beanie Wells had by far, his best game as a Cardinal and it seems we've only seen a preview of his game. Wells was given the majority of the carries yesterday and used them to the utmost. He ran hard and gave the Cardinals a balanced attack for a second week in a row. Wells also had two key touchdowns, at times when the Cardinals desperately needed a score. Tim Hightower once again provided the dirty work, blocking for Warner the times he was in the game, and also catching and running the ball.

Wide Receivers: Today may have been the most complete game from the receivers that we've seen in a while. Warner distributed the ball fairly evenly to each of them, with Larry Fitzgerald and Steve Breaston scoring and Anquan Boldin receiving over 100 yards. Each receiver possesses their own unique skill set, and with each of them healthy and on the field at the same time, no defense can stop them.

Offensive line: Aside from some penalties, this may have been the best game we've seen from the offensive line. First and foremost, they protected Warner. When he gets time in the pocket he can pick a defense apart, and by holding the Seahawks to zero sacks they did just that. They also opened generous holes for Beanie Wells and Tim Hightower, which led to the Cardinals winning the game. Mike Gandy's penalty killed the potential touchdown before halftime and luckily it didn't have an effect on the game.

My Offensive Grade: A

Another "A" performance for the offense and the Cardinals have now scored 72 points in their last two games. They also became a more balanced offense and this may be what we get from them for the remainder of the season. What are your thoughts on the offense?

Poll

Revenge Of The Birds

Okeafor out for St Louis Game.

Okeafor out for St Louis Game.

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Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams: Know Thy Enemy Edition

Arizona Cardinals vs. St. Louis Rams: Injury Report

Who Would You Take From the St. Louis Rams?

Dolphins fan reflects on meeting Pat Tillman

Dolphins fan reflects on meeting Pat Tillman

Where the Arizona Cardinals Stand in the NFC Pro Bowl Balloting

Arizona Cardinals Power Rankings Round Up: Week 10

Arizona Cardinals Fly Around the NFC West and Is It Too Early to Talk Playoffs?

Arizona Cardinal of the Week: Week 10

Who is the Cardinal of the Week?

Former Arizona Cardinal Lance Long a starter in Kansas City?

Dick Jauron Becomes First Head Coach to get Fired this Season

Dick Jauron Becomes First Head Coach to get Fired this Season

Grading the Defense: Arizona Cardinals vs. Seattle Seahawks

How would you grade the Arizona Cardinals defense?

Vote for Beanie Wells for Rookie of the Week Again

Vote for Beanie Wells for Rookie of the Week Again

An Angry Beanie Wells Progressed as the Game Continued

RotB Pick'em: Week 10 Results & Week 11 Picks

ROTB Survival Pick'em: Week 10 Results and Week 11 Picks

Grading the Offense: Cardinals vs Seahawks

My Offensive Grade: A

How would you grade the Arizona Cardinals offense?