Welcome to the Roundtable Preview of tomorrow's NFL matchup between the Arizona Cardinals and the New York Jets. Weighing in with pregame commentary are Jets' Community Leader Angel Navedo and Cardinals' Community Leader Tom Highway.
Both teams are coming off disappointing losses in Week Three. How will your team be looking to rebound on Sunday afternoon?
AN: For the Jets, the focus has to be on chemistry and continuing to simplify the offense. The Jets spend too much time in the early parts of the game feeling out their opponents before executing their own gameplan.
The problem is that once they've felt out their opponent, they've already allowed them to develop a rhythm.
Offensively, the Jets need to revert back to the pitch-and-catch style that worked well in the second half against San Diego.
TH: The Cardinals have placed a premium on keeping their winning record intact. Deciding to spend the past 10 days on the East Coast to eliminate the fatigue of travel was smart. Will this make a difference? We’ll soon know.
But the crucial question for the Cardinals is: Will the team develop, and accept its offensive identity?
Does coach Ken Whisenhunt have the flexibility to put aside his unsuccessful “run-to-set-up-the-pass” philosophy in favor of a “pass-to-set-up-the-run” attack?
This season, the Cardinals are ranked seventh in number of rushing attempts, yet are ranked 29th in yards-per-attempt.
In other words, they’re stubbornly emphasizing something that simply isn’t working.
What are the feelings like in the hometown so far? Are the teams exceeding/meeting expectations from the fans this season?
AN: The New York Jets are the butt of the joke right now. An expensive offseason capped off with a trade for one of the greatest quarterbacks in the NFL set expectations beyond realistic measures. All of that is coming back to bite the fans as they cope with the growing pains.
It's difficult in New York, though. This is a Giants' town, and fresh off a Super Bowl victory, and 3-0 start, the Jets aren't what the city revolves around. Especially not now with baseball season drawing to a close, and the city bidding farewell to two monuments in Yankee and Shea Stadiums.
TH: The hometown support of the Cardinals has been lukewarm thus far.
Owner Bill Bidwill’s management of the club has drawn deserved skepticism based upon an entire lifetime of, for lack of a better word, “cheapness.” The result has been a city filled with potential fans that are wondering whether a playoff-caliber club is anywhere in their near future.
I believe that this team may be it, but most Arizonans seem to be reserving judgment. It doesn’t help that the Bidwills dumbed down expectations in the offseason when they were pressuring Whisenhunt to “ride or die” with the inferior Matt Leinart at QB.
Can the Jets stop Warner and his receivers?
TH: If Warner gets into a rhythm with his receivers, then I don't think they can. Neither Boldin nor Fitzgerald has elite speed to gain wide separation, but both have size and excellent hands.
AN: I would think New York would try and follow Washington's blueprint from Week Three, but I'm sure that's something Whisenhunt and friends are working on this week. Regardless, New York will need to have safety support over the top.
TH: Fans who have never before watched them in action will see balls threaded into very tight spaces.
"Q" and "Fitz" use their size, positioning, and leverage to reel it in. It’s a unique approach, but effective. But with such a heavy reliance upon accuracy, timing, and trust between Warner and the receivers, it’s important that Whisenhunt not allow them to get cold. He needs to keep feeding them a steady diet of passing plays so they don’t lose their rhythm.
AN:
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