Author: Anthony Stalter (Page 718 of 1503)

      Without Haley’s playcalling, Cardinals’ offense fails in crunch time

      September 13, 2009 /

      The Cardinals raised their 2008 NFC Championship banner on Sunday before their game against the 49ers, and then promptly saw their potent offense neutralized in a disappointing 20-16 loss.

      Arizona quarterback Kurt Warner threw for 288 yards and a touchdown, but he also finished with two interceptions and failed to get receiver Anquan Boldin (who had just two receptions for 19 yards) involved in the passing game. Warner did hook up with Larry Fitzgerald six times for 71 yards and a touchdown, but San Fran did an outstanding job mostly limiting the veteran signal caller to underneath passes and dump offs (which is why running back Tim Hightower racked up 121 yards on 12 receptions). Cornerbacks Nate Clements and Dre’ Bly did an outstanding job blanketing Fitzgerald and Boldin all game.

      The 49ers’ offense struggled to get into a rhythm for most of the day. But quarterback Shaun Hill delivered when it mattered most by leading San Fran on a 15-play, 80-yard drive, which was capped off by a 3-yard touchdown reception by Frank Gore.

      While it certainly isn’t panic time for Arizona considering this is only the first week, it must be worrisome for head coach Ken Whisenhunt that he lost playcaller Todd Haley this offseason and the Cardinals only mustered 16 points. Arizona’s offense wasn’t anemic by any means, but it’s interesting that when they absolutely needed to march down the field and score in the fourth quarter, they couldn’t muster more than one first down in each of their final three drives.

      NFL

      Cowboys minus T.O. = Perfect Harmony

      September 13, 2009 /

      …or at least that formula worked for the first week of the 2009 season, as the Cowboys defeated the Bucs 34-21 in Tampa on Sunday.

      Dallas had concerns about the chemistry between quarterback Tony Romo and receiver Roy Williams entering the season. After releasing Terrell Owens in the offseason, the Cowboys were praying that Romo and Williams (whom the team acquired from Detroit in exchange for a first round pick last season) would develop a connection.

      The Cowboys’ fears about the tandem were quelled early in the game on Sunday when Romo connected with Williams twice for 20 yards during a nine-play, 31-yard dive that ended with a Nick Folk 51-yard field goal. Romo also found Williams on a beautiful 66-yard touchdown pass early in the second half to give Dallas a 20-7 lead.

      On the day, Romo finished with 353 yards on 16 of 27 passing and three touchdowns, while Williams caught three passes for 86 yards and a TD. Patrick Crayton had a productive day as well, as he hauled in four passes for 135 yards and also caught an 80-yard touchdown pass from Romo early in the fourth.

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      NFL

      Brees will challenge for the MVP all season

      September 13, 2009 /

      Drew Brees and the Saints’ offense is already in midseason form, which is a scary thought for teams in the NFC South.

      Brees completed 26 of 34 passes for 358 yards and threw six touchdowns in New Orleans’ 45-27 win over the Lions on Sunday. The Saints racked up 515 total yards of offense and was 9 of 13 on third down conversations.

      Granted, it’s important to keep in mind that the Saints were playing against a Lions defense that is severely lacking talent and clearly hasn’t had the chance to grasp the new scheme implemented by first-year head coach Jim Schwartz.

      But for a moment, set aside whom the Saints were playing; Brees looked like a surgeon slicing through Detroit’s pass defense and threw passes to eight different receivers. Jeremy Shockey (2 TDs), Devery Henderson (5 rec., 103 yards, 1 TD), Marques Colston (3 rec., 30 yards, 1 TD) and Robert Meachem (2 rec., 38 yards, 1 TD) all had productive days.

      Although they gave up 27 points, the Saints’ defensive performance was encouraging. They limited the Lions’ offense to 231 total yards and forced three turnovers. Darren Sharper, who was acquired in free agency this offseason, had two interceptions.

      The dark cloud for the Saints was their special teams. Reggie Bush muffled two punts, the punt coverage unit surrendered a big return and kicker John Carney had a 34-yard field goal attempt blocked. Even with how potent the offense is New Orleans can’t have these kinds of miscues on special teams.

      Matthew Stafford had a rough debut, completing just 16 of 37 pass attempts for 205 yards and three interceptions. That said, he developed good chemistry with receiver Calvin Johnson (the pair hooked up on a nice 64-yard completion on a crossing route) and he did score a touchdown on a one-yard run in the third quarter. All in all, Stafford looked like a rookie making his first career start on the road.

      NFL

      Dolphins make crucial mistakes in loss to impressive Falcons

      September 13, 2009 /

      In 2008, Tony Sparano’s Dolphins did all the little things right. They took care of the football, they didn’t beat themselves and they didn’t self-destruct. Thanks to those things, Miami was able to win the AFC East and make an improbable playoff run under a first year head coach in Sparano and an underrated, yet limited quarterback in Chad Pennington.

      But in a 19-7 loss to the Falcons on Sunday, the Dolphins did the opposite. They turned the ball over, they shot themselves in the foot with costly penalties and they didn’t do the little things right offensively.

      The Dolphins turned the ball over four times on Sunday (as opposed to the Falcons, who didn’t turn the ball over once) and committed four penalties, one of which cost them a touchdown. They were also just 4 of 11 on third downs, which is staggering given that Atlanta’s defense struggled mightily in getting off the field on third downs in preseason.

      Speaking of Atlanta’s defense, the unit was fast, aggressive and tenacious today. The Dolphins made plenty of stupid mistakes of their own, but the Falcons’ defense deserves credit for harassing Pennington (who was sacked four times and never looked comfortable in the pocket) and delivering bone-crushing hits whenever Miami’s players got their hands on the ball. For such a young, inexperienced unit, Atlanta’s defense was awfully impressive.

      Head coach Mike Smith has to be pleased with the overall effort he got from his defense on Sunday. Even though Matt Ryan threw for 229 yards and two touchdowns and six different receivers caught passes (including Tony Gonzalez, who made an incredible catch in the first half and also caught a touchdown pass), the Falcons’ offense wasn’t as sharp as it could be. They’re going to start clicking eventually and if Atlanta can get the same defensive effort this season as it did today, then the Falcons go from being a playoff contender to a Super Bowl contender.

      NFL

      Stokley’s circus catch gives Broncos last-second win over Bengals

      September 13, 2009 /

      For 59 minutes and 32 seconds, the Broncos and Bengals played the most boring game of Week 1. Then Cincinnati cornerback Leon Hall forgot that batting the ball straight up in the air is a horrible idea.

      Check out this crazy touchdown by Brandon Stokley to give Denver an improbable 12-7 victory over the Bengals on Sunday:

      At first, I disagreed with the commentator who said that Hall could have intercepted Kyle Orton’s horrid pass. It looked like he jumped at his highest point and while falling backwards, he tried to knock the ball down and instead batted it straight up.

      But upon further review, Hall could have picked off the pass had he positioned his body better when the ball was in the air. Or at the very least, he should have been able to knock the ball down instead of doing his best impression of a volleyball setter by batting the football up.

      Either way, this was a heartbreaking loss for the Bengals. They didn’t play a clean game, but they should have had this win locked up after Cedric Benson scored on a one-yard touchdown run with 38 seconds remaining. Plus, on the play before Stokley’s circus catch, Cincinnati had intercepted Orton but the defender couldn’t stay in bounds while he was coming down with the football. The Bengals had several opportunities to start the 2009 season 1-0 but they fell victim to a fluke play.

      It was a cheap win, but Josh McDaniels will take it after all the crap he went through (some of it he created himself) this summer with Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall.

      NFL, Video

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