Tag: Arizona Cardinals (Page 50 of 51)

      NFL Week 2: 5 Things to Watch

      September 14, 2008 /

      Matt Cassel1. Matt Cassel’s performance. There’s been a lot of positive talk coming out of New England this week about how Cassel can more than hold his own replacing Tom Brady, who is out for the year with a knee injury. Watch for Jets’ head coach Eric Mangini to use different defensive fronts on Sunday in efforts to confuse Cassel and properly welcome him into the NFL. It’ll be interesting to see if Pats’ head coach Bill Belichick changes his offensive approach (i.e. relying on the run more and playing conservative), or if he’ll keep things the same now that Cassel is under center.

      2. How Michael Turner, Matt Forte and Thomas Jones will fair against tougher defenses. All three of these backs were highly productive in Week 1, but they also faced suspect run defenses. This week, Turner takes on the Bucs, Forte faces the Panthers and Jones goes against the Patriots – all tough challenges. Which back(s) can be as productive as he was last week?

      3. How the Chargers, Colts, Vikings, Jaguars, Seahawks and Browns fair. At the very least, all six of these teams were expected to make a run at the playoffs this year, if not the Super bowl in the cases of the Vikings, Colts and Jaguars. The Colts and Vikes square off in Minnesota, so one of those teams will still be winless on Monday. And the Chargers (Broncos), Jaguars (Bills) and Browns (Steelers) all have tough matchups this week, so one if not all of them could wind up 0-2 as well. The Seahawks catch a break by hosting the lowly 49ers, but even that game isn’t a guarantee with how banged up the Seattle offense is.

      Jake Delhomme4. How the Bears, Panthers, Bills, Falcons, Broncos and Cardinals play. The reverse of No. 3; none of these six teams were supposed to do much this season, but all had impressive Week 1 performances. The Bears and Panthers play in Carolina, while the Bills (Jaguars), Falcons (Bucs) and Broncos (Chargers) all have tougher tests this week than they did last Sunday. Only the Cardinals have it easy with the Dolphins, who didn’t play that bad last week against the Jets.

      5. Is the Bengals’ offense that bad? Last week Cincinnati put on one of the worst offensive performances of some time. Things don’t get easier this week, as Tennessee rolls into town after sacking Jaguars’ quarterback David Garrard seven times and completely stuffing Jacksonville’s potent running game. We could see a repeat performance of last week if Chris Perry and the running game can’t get going to help keep the Titans’ defense honest.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      15 Overreactions from Week 1 in the NFL

      September 8, 2008 /

      New England PatriotsEvery fan of every team does it to some degree after Week 1. Overreact, that is. Either their favorite team won big in their first game and is now a sure bet to reach the Super Bowl, or they lost and are the worst team in the NFL.

      It’s fun to overreact and, better yet, it’s part of being a fan. When your favorite team is projected to go 2-14 and finish dead last in their respective division, it’s fun to play the “that idiot at the Scores Report has no idea what he’s talking about” card after winning Week 1. And when your team is on the losing end of a big upset, it’s almost therapeutic to go overboard in shredding them to pieces.

      Below are 15 overreactions from the first week in the NFL. Some of these overreactions might prove to be true by the end of the season, while some might not even hold water after Week 2. They’re also premature, over the top, and in some cases ridiculous. But I guarantee that some football fans are thinking these exact thoughts a day after their team’s first game.

      1. Without Tom Brady, the New England Patriots won’t even make the playoffs. Teams will use Matt Cassel’s inexperience against him and the Pats will unravel with a below average secondary.

      2. Now that Tom Brady is likely done for the season, the Jets will win the AFC East. Brett Favre has made New York a legitimate playoff contender and Thomas Jones will have a bounce back season running behind an improved offensive line. And one of the big things that has hampered the team in the past, the run defense, has obviously been fixed after shutting down Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown on Sunday.

      Drew Brees3. Last year was just a hiccup – the Saints are Super Bowl contenders again. Drew Brees torched a good Tampa defense on Sunday for 343 yards and Reggie Bush is almost unstoppable coming out of the backfield in the passing game. What defense is going to stop New Orleans’ offense?

      4. The key to Jacksonville’s success on offense is balance and without the threat of a running game, David Garrard falters. More teams will stack the box like Tennessee did Sunday in efforts to take away the run. Once that happens, the Jags will be exposed offensively and will continue to struggle against better defensive teams. They’re still obviously a playoff contender, but people need to relax on all the Super Bowl talk.

      5. The 2007 Cleveland Browns were a fluke. The defensive upgrades the Browns made this offseason won’t have much of an impact and coordinators will figure out ways to hold Cleveland’s offense in check like Dallas did Sunday.

      6. Donovan McNabb is a MVP candidate again. Forget the Eagles’ limitations at wide receiver – McNabb will overcome that with help from dynamic runner Brian Westbrook. Just keep him upright and McNabb will lead Philly back to the playoffs.

      7. The balance of power in the NFC West has shifted from the Seahawks to the Cardinals. Without a running game, Seattle’s offense is unbalanced and the Bills proved Sunday that the Hawks’ defense is overrated. Kurt Warner still has game, Edgerrin James is running like he did three years ago and the Arizona defense is finally starting to come together.

      8. The Colts have to be concerned with Peyton Manning’s health. Physically he might be okay, but his timing is off and it doesn’t help that Jeff Saturday will continue to miss games with a knee injury. And after Matt Forte gashed them for 123 yards on Sunday night, the run defense is once again a major concern as well.

      Brandon Jacobs9. The Giants are going to be just fine. Brandon Jacobs is running like a freight train, Eli Manning looked great in the first half Thursday night and the defense looked just fine without Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora.

      10. The Bengals are toast. The defense has improved, but Rudi Johnson was the backbone of the offense three years ago when they made the playoffs and now that he’s gone, the rest of the unit will struggle. It also doesn’t help that this is the most dysfunctional team in the NFL.

      11. Matt Ryan will run away with the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Award and defy history by succeeding as a first year starting quarterback. He has already won his teammates over with his leadership and he’s well above the NFL learning curve as a first year player. Teamed with Michael Turner, Roddy White and a young, improving defense, the Falcons will be one of the surprises in the NFC.

      12. The Detroit Lions have the worst defense in the NFL. Their front seven can’t stop the run, the secondary is overmatched and outside of DE Dewayne White and LB Ernie Sims, the entire unit is void of talent. The offense can be explosive, but it won’t matter if the defense yields 30 points a game.

      Willie Parker13. Forget all the concerns about the Steelers’ offensive line. It’s fine and once again Pittsburgh is the team to beat in the AFC North.

      14. Despite high expectations coming into the year, the Texans are still a year away from competing for the playoffs. The offensive line still needs work, the team is lacking a true threat at running back and the young defense needs time to develop.

      15. Now that the Bears have a running back and a quarterback that doesn’t make mistakes, they’ll lean on their defense and special teams like they did in their Super Bowl season two years ago. The thrashing of the Colts Sunday night was just a beginning of things to come for Chicago this season.

      As previously noted, some of these observations might pan out by seasons end. It’s only a matter of time before we find out.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      NFL Week 1 Recap

      September 7, 2008 /

      Below are snippets of all the Week 1 action in the NFL. For more analysis and discussion on each game, click on the links provided.

      New England Patriots– Tom Brady was knocked out of the Patriots’ 17-10 win over the Chiefs. It’s unclear at this point the severity of Brady’s injury, and whether or not he’ll be able to play next week.

      – Michael Turner rushed for 220 yards and Matt Ryan won his NFL debut as the Falcons crushed the Lions 34-21.

      – The Bills won their home opener 34-10 over Seattle, holding the Seahawks to only 85 yards on the ground.

      – The Titans intercepted Jaguars’ quarterback David Garrard twice and sacked him seven times in their 17-10 victory. Quarterback Vince Young left the game with a sprained left knee.

      – Brett Favre won his Jets’ debut as New York beat the Dolphins 20-14. Thomas Jones also rushed for 101 yards.

      – The Saints rallied to beat NFC South rival Tampa Bay 24-20. Drew Brees threw for 343 yards and three touchdowns.

      – The Eagles blasted the Rams 38-3 as Donovan McNabb threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns. Philly’s defense held St. Louis to only 166 total yards.

      – The Steelers built a 35-3 lead on their way to a 38-17 rout of the Texans. Willie Parker bounced back from a season ending knee injury last year, rushing for 138 yards.

      – Joe Flacco won his NFL debut as the Ravens topped the Bengals 17-10. Cincinnati failed to score an offensive touchdown as Carson Palmer was held to under 100 yards passing.

      Marion Barber– Tony Romo picked apart the Browns’ secondary for 320 yards and a touchdown in the Cowboys’ 28-10 win. Marion Barber and rookie Felix Jones also combined for 142 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

      – Jake Delhomme found Dante Rosario on a 14-yard touchdown pass as timed expired in the Panthers’ 26-24 win over the Chargers. LaDainian Tomlinson rushed for 97 yards, but Carolina kept him out of the end zone.

      – Kurt Warner passed for 197 yards and a touchdown as the Cardinals topped the 49ers 23-13. Anquan Boldin caught eight passes for 82 yards.

      – The Bears spoiled the opening of Lucas Oil Stadium, dominating the Colts 29-13 on Sunday Night Football. Rookie running back Matt Forte rushed for 123 yards and a touchdown.

      – In the Thursday Night Game, the defending Super Bowl champion Giants beat division rival Washington 16-7. Brandon Jacobs rushed for 116 yards on 21 carries.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Fantasy Fallout, Week 1: Sunday’s Day Games

      September 7, 2008 /

      Here are some fantasy observations from Sunday’s games. I indicated the games I actually watched with an asterisk.

      Lions 21 @ Falcons 34
      Holy Michael Turner, Batman! The Falcons’ prized free agent rushed for 220 yards on 22 carries and scored twice. Turner owners should be pleased, but keep your expectations in check – he was playing against the Lions…Matt Ryan had a decent day, but only threw 13 passes since Atlanta was so far ahead. He did connect with Michael Jenkins for a long TD early in the game…Roddy White had only two catches, but made them count for 54 yards. This was kind of a disappointing day considering the opponent…Jerious Norwood turned 16 touches into 99 yards and a score…Jon Kitna got off to a slow start but finished with 262 yards, two TD and a pick. Expect Kitna’s second half numbers to outweigh his first half numbers as the Lions will be throwing more late in games as they try to catch up…Calvin Johnson (7-107) had a nice day and Roy Williams (3-47-1) got off to a slow start but finally scored in the second half…Kevin Smith turned 20 touches into 80 yards and a TD. Not a bad day for the rookie…Rudi Johnson only had three carries, so it looks like Smith is the main guy for now.

      Bengals 10 @ Ravens 17
      Willis McGahee was active, but didn’t have a carry in the game. Ray Rice turned 22 touches into 83 yards, which included three catches for 19 yards…Joe Flacco finished with decent numbers (129 passing yards, 1 rush TD) and Mark Clayton (3-21) had a 42-yard rush TD on a reverse…The Bengals offense was brutal. Carson Palmer threw for only 99 yards and a pick…T.J. Houshmandzadeh (3-44) and Chad Ocho Cinco (1-22) were both quiet, and Chris Perry turned 19 touches into just 42 yards…With all the firepower they have on that offense, there’s no reason they should be putting up such poor numbers.

      Seahawks 10 @ Bills 34
      Well, the first part of my DTBC picks turned out pretty well. Week 1 belonged to the BUF DT, and they didn’t disappoint, posting a return TD, five sacks, a pick and a forced fumble…Marshawn Lynch had 21 touches for 91 yards and a score and Lee Evans (4-102) had a nice game as well…Trent Edwards (215 yards, 1 TD) was solid if unspectacular…Matt Hasselbeck struggled to 17 of 41 from the field for 190 yards, one TD and one INT…Nate Burleson (5-60-1) and rookie TE John Carlson (4-52) were the only receivers of note. Carlson is worth a look in deep PPR leagues, and Burleson left with a knee injury…Seattle’s running game was kind of a mess Julius Jones got 13 carries compared to Maurice Morris’ six. Neither player scored…Seattle’s defense registered only one sack and failed to force a turnover.

      Jets 20 @ Dolphins 14*
      Brett Favre’s debut (194 passing yards, 2 TD) was a good one…I thought Jericho Cotchery would have a few more catches, but he posted 3-80-1 in a solid day’s work…Laveranues Coles (1-5) was a non-factor coming off an injury…Thanks to Jets beat writer Rich Cimini (who said that Thomas Jones looks “a half step slower” this year) for scaring everyone off of TJ. Jones looked great, turning 25 touches into 105 yards and a score. It looks like the improved offensive line and the arrival of Favre will give him a boost…Chad Pennignton (251 passing yards, 2 TD, 1 INT) was good in his debut…Anthony Fasano (8-84-1) was the star in the Miami passing game and will be a hot pickup this week in most leagues…Ricky Williams turned 14 touches into 39 yards while Ronnie Brown had nine touches for 51 yards. This looks like a RBBC until further notice. Both backs are good, so there’s no reason why the Dolphins shouldn’t split the work…Ted Ginn (2-17) was a disappointment.

      Chiefs 10 @ Patriots 17
      Uh-oh, Tom Brady left the game with a knee injury and didn’t return. Depending on its severity, Matt Cassel (152 passing yards, 1 TD), will be a hot pickup this week…Laurence Maroney owners have to be frustrated. After a solid second half of 2007, he garnered just 10 carries and 51 yards. What’s worse, Sammy Morris played more snaps and had more touches (15), yards (87) and also scored a TD…Randy Moss (6-116-1) and Wes Welker (6-51) picked up where they left off…Brodie Croyle got knocked out of the game with a shoulder contusion. Damon Huard went 8/12 for 118 yards, one TD and one INT in relief…It looks like Dwayne Bowe (5-49-1) will avoid a sophomore slump…Tony Gonzalez (6-55) does what he does…Larry Johnson turned 23 carries into 86 yards, but failed to score.

      Bucs 20 @ Saints 24*
      If Jessica Simpson is bad news for Tony Romo, Kim Kardashian is the opposite for Reggie Bush. With Big Booty in attendance, Bush posted 163 total yards, caught eight passes and scored a TD…Drew Brees (343 passing yards, 3 TD, 1 INT) had a huge day, but Marques Colston (3-26) was quiet…In addition to Bush and Colston, Brees spread the ball around to Jeremy Shockey (6-54), David Patten (1-39-1) and Devery Henderson (1-84-1)…Pierre Thomas has taken over Deuce McAllister’s role as the change-of-pace back to Bush. Thomas had 12 touches for 63 yards…Earnest Graham got just 13 touches, but turned them into 118 yards…Warrick Dunn had 10 touches for 65 yards…Joey Galloway (6-56) looked okay after not playing in the preseason, while Ike Hilliard (6-45-1) seemed to be the second option for Jeff Garcia (221 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) in the passing game…The Bucs defense scored on an interception return TD, while the Saints defense looked better than it did in 2007.

      Rams 3 @ Eagles 38
      If he plays a full season, Donovan McNabb is a virtual lock to finish as a top five QB, and he got off to a great start today, throwing for 361 yards and three TD…Brian Westbrook picked up where he left off in 2007, turning 21 touches into 92 yards and two scores…The Eagles had three wideouts go over the century mark: rookie DeSean Jackson (6-106), Greg Lewis (5-104) and Hank Baskett (2-102-1). With Reggie Brown and Kevin Curtis out with injuries, the Eagles’ WR corps will be fluid week-to-week…The Rams didn’t come to play. Marc Bulger (158 passing yards, 0 TD), Steven Jackson (17 touches, 74 yards) and Torry Holt (1-9) all had subpar games.

      Texans 17, Steelers 38
      I wasn’t high on Willie Parker heading into the season, and after his 25-carry, 138-yard, three-TD performance, I have some egg on my face…Rashard Mendenhall carried the ball just 10 times for 28 yards, so Parker is still “The Man” until further notice…Ben Roethlisberger (137 passing yards, 2 TD) had a solid if unspectacular game, and Hines Ward (6-76-2) had a better game than Santonio Holmes (2-19), who was drafted two or three rounds earlier…Matt Schaub got off to slow start, but finished with 202 passing yards, one pass TD and one rush TD. The TD pass was to Kevin Walter (3-41-1), but Andre Johnson (10-112) was the Texans’ best passing threat…Heath Miller (3-26) and Owen Daniels (3-33) weren’t much of a factor…It looks like Steve Slaton (16 touches, 49 yards) is going to get most of the work in Houston’s running game. Ahman Green carried the ball five times for 28 yards and had four catches for three yards.

      Jaguars 10 @ Tennessee 17
      Chris Johnson said that his goal is to be Rookie of the Year, and he’s off to a great start after turning 18 touches into 127 yards and a TD against a pretty good Jacksonville defense…LenDale White pitched in with 40 yards and a score on 15 carries…Vince Young had 110 yards passing, one TD and two picks, and rushed just one time for four yards. The Titans need to free him up for some scrambles because he isn’t a pure pocket passer…Bo Scaife (6-105), not Alge Crumpler, was Young’s weapon of choice in the passing game…David Garrard had 215 passing yards and a TD, but threw two interceptions…The Jacksonville running game never got going – Fred Taylor (10 touches, 27 yards) and Maurice Jones-Drew (9 touches, 50 yards) both struggled, which means that the Titans’ defense is probably the real deal…Believe it or not, Matt Jones (6-80) was the only Jacksonville wideout of note.

      Cowboys 28 @ Browns 10*
      The Dallas offense looked terrific. Tony Romo (320 passing yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), Marion Barber (19 touches, 101 yards, 2 TD), Terrell Owens (5-87-1), Jason Witten (6-96) and Patrick Crayton (6-82) all looked great…Barber left the game with “bad ribs” and Felix Jones came in to carry the ball nine times for 62 yards and a score…The Browns struggled, but it wasn’t Derek Anderson’s fault. He only had 114 yards and a TD, but Braylon Edwards (2-14) dropped at least four passes including a potential score…Kellen Winslow (5-47-1) was his normal solid self…Jamal Lewis turned 14 touches into 76 yards, but the Browns fell behind so he wasn’t that involved late in the game.

      Panthers 26 @ Chargers 24
      In his first game in a long time, Jake Delhomme looked pretty sharp, posting 247 yards and a score in the best finish of the day…Donte Rosario (who is listed as a TE, but looks more like a WR) led the Panthers with seven catches for 96 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown in the back of the endzone. If he’s a TE in your league, he’s worth a pickup…Muhsin Muhammad (6-56) and D.J. Hackett (5-48) had decent games…DeAngelo Williams (19 touches, 90 yards) led the way in the backfield, while rookie Jonathan Stewart (10 carries, 53 yards, no catches) played second fiddle…Phillip Rivers (217 passing yards, 3 TD) had a huge game connecting with Antonio Gates (4-61-1), Chris Chambers (1-44-1) and Vincent Jackson (3-47-1) for his three scores…LaDainian Tomlinson had a relatively quiet game, turning 25 touches into 112 yards without a score.

      Cardinals 23 @ 49ers 13
      Kurt Warner had a nice game (197 passing yards, 1 TD) throwing to Anquan Boldin (8-82) and Larry Fitzgerald (3-31-1)…Edgerrin James had 100 yards rushing, but Tim Hightower vultured a TD…The 49ers wisely featured Frank Gore, who turned 18 touches into 151 yards and a score. It looks like those fears that Martz would ignore his best player were unfounded, at least for the first week…The Cards were able to contain Mike Martz’s high-octane passing attack as Vernon Davis (3-51) and Bryant Johnson (3-48) were the only San Francisco receivers to join Gore with at least three catches…The J.T. O’Sullivan era got off to a rough start (195 passing yards, 1 INT).

      That’s it for now. Check back later tonight for observations about the Colts/Bears game. I’ll also post an update Monday night for the Packers/Vikings and Broncos/Raiders games.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

      Kurt Warner, not Matt Leinart to start for Cardinals?

      August 24, 2008 /

      ESPN.com is stating that the Arizona Cardinals will name veteran Kurt Warner over Matt Leinart as their starting quarterback for Week 1.

      Leinart had three interceptions in the first half and completed just 4 of 12 passes for 24 yards. His passer rating was 2.8. The Cardinals won the game 24-0.

      The source said Leinart’s training-camp performance has been uneven, and the Cardinals are concerned about his arm strength and consistency.

      After the game, coach Ken Whisenhunt said Leinart was still in the running for the Cardinals’ starting job.

      “I know Matt’s down because he didn’t play as well as he would have liked,” Whisenhunt said. “This competition, being pushed by Kurt, has made Matt tougher. It’s one of the things you have to be as a quarterback.”

      This is a good move by Whisenhunt. Yes the Cardinals used a high draft pick on Matt Leinart. Yes he’s supposed to be the future. Yes he eventually has to get experience. But the bottom line is that Whisenhunt is trying to establish a philosophy in Arizona that you have to earn you way onto the field, regardless of how much money you make or how high you were drafted.

      Now, do I think Warner will hang on to the job? No. He looked absolutely disastrous when he lost the job two years ago and I doubt he’ll look better this year, but maybe this will light a fire under Leinart’s ass.

      Fantasy Football, NFL

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