Bleacher Report - Arizona Cardinals

Cardinals Brace for Rams' Steven Jackson

Chris Farmer — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 21:01:28 -0500

In this weekend's game between Arizona and St. Louis, the focal point for the Cardinals will be containing Steven Jackson, who has averaged five yards per carry while topping 130 yards in each of his last three games, and is only 85 yards shy of going over 1,000 for the fifth straight season.

If they can do that, stopping the Rams' passing game should be fairly easy.

St. Louis has lost two of its top three receivers to IR and is now down to practice squad warriors, outside of second-year wideout Donnie Avery. Marc Bulger and Kyle Boller have combined for only seven touchdown passes in nine games.

Although Arizona is still ranked in the Top 10 against the run, it has stumbled as of late. Against Carolina the Cardinals were gashed for 270 yards and then bled out another 164 to a weak Seattle rushing attack.

The Cardinals could be bolstered by the return of Gerald Hayes , the veteran linebacker who is one of their best run stuffers, but is listed as questionable to play after missing the last two games. He was able to participate in full on Thursday, however, and appears ready to suit up on Sunday.

Kurt Warner has enjoyed great success returning to the Edward Jones Dome as a Cardinal, with a 104.5 passer rating and the continued backing from the fans in St. Louis, where he is a walking legend.

Can he do it again? With the way the Arizona running game has performed lately, he may not need to.

St. Louis is 28th against the run and Arizona has amassed 304 yards on the ground the last two games—not bad for a team averaging only 84 yards per game on the season. While starter Tim Hightower is playing well, with five rushing touchdowns and a second-best 45 receptions, it is rookie Beanie Wells who is garnering most of the attention.

Beanie has displayed a wealth of physical gifts en route to a 4.6 yards per carry average and 14 runs of 10 yards or more. His stiff arm is so lethal the NFL competition committee is looking into having it banned. Okay, not really.

Still, the rest of the league has been served notice that Beanie Wells is about to go off .

It should be noted that despite its horrible record St. Louis is 1-1 in its last two games, getting the team's first win before the bye week and then losing by only five points to an undefeated Saints team, one of if not the best team in the league this season.

In this week's matchup the Rams have nothing to lose, and a divisional foe for whom to bring out their A-game. This game will be hard fought, so don't be surprised if the Rams manage to pull off the upset.

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Cardinals Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin Recognized Again for Charity Work

Scott Z Brady — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:31:09 -0500

Cardinals QB Kurt Warner was named USA Today Weekends Most Caring Athlete for 2009 .

Warner is notorious in the Valley, St Louis, and Florida for his charitable contributions, something he and his wife of 12 years, Brenda, have always been heavily involved in together. His "First Things First Foundation " is his most visible contribution, but they quietly do many things on their own, and as a family, as well.

From the USA Weekend story:

"This Christmas, the Warners and their seven kids will stuff more than 50 stockings with gift cards, coloring books and sunglasses, a family tradition. The whole group will personally deliver them to Sunshine Acres in greater Phoenix, a non-profit that takes in needy children. They've arranged to have 10 tons of snow delivered. "'These kids have never seen snow,'" Warner says. "'So we're going to have a snowball fight and show them what Christmas is all about!'"

How cool is that?

And not to be outdone, Cards WR Anquan Boldin was recognized this week for his charitable giving too. Boldin, who has made more headlines giving Cards brass an earfull than giving back to the community, far and away does more of the latter. It's just not as controversial, so it doesn't get the media play.

Not only has Q set up his AnquanQ81foundation , but he gives his time and money to needy kids all over America, and especially in Arizona and his hometown of Pahokee, Florida.

“Whether you want to be or not, you are a role model. For me, I can only embrace that" Boldin says in a great article from the NFL Players association .

He has his annual Q-Fest, along with Anquan Boldin Foundation Q81 Scholarship Fund, provides scholarships to under privileged kids, and he also has a Dental Care Program, offers high school grants, and runs youth football leagues through his foundation. The football field at his hometown HS is now named after Q, too!

All players give back in some way, but these guys stand out, and prove that we've been dealt some pretty darn good Cards here in the Valley.

tags: Kurt Warner Anquan Boldin Arizona Cardinals NFL National Football League

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Breaking Through: Will Matt Leinart Ever Be What We Thought?

Jack M — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:36:09 -0500

The Arizona Cardinals are sitting pretty good this year with a 6-3 record that puts them atop the NFC West.

Kurt Warner has led the Cardinals to the fifth-ranked passing offense with 2,515 passing yards halfway through this 2009 season.

Yep, things seem to be flying high in Arizona at the moment, but what about the future?

Remember Matt Leinart...Heisman-winning quarterback with USC? No. 11 overall pick in the 2006 Draft? Of course you do. Well, it is pretty obvious that things didn't quite turn out as planned for Mr. Leinart, but here's some hope for all you Cardinals fans: There's still a chance!

Yes, things didn't work out at first, but that is not necessarily his fault. He suffered greatly from a running game that was near the bottom of the league. You can actually look at his numbers and see that in his first 11 starts, he did better than many NFL quarterbacks that made it big.

In Eli Manning's first season as a starter, he threw for a much worse completion percentage than Leinart did, with a 48.2 completion percentage as opposed to Leinart's 56.8 percent.

In 1998, Peyton Manning had a worse touchdown to interception ratio then Leinart did.

In Donovan McNabb's rookie season, he only averaged 4.4 yards per attempt. On the other side, Leinart averaged 6.8 yards per attempt, which almost mirrors the accomplished NFL quarterbacks Drew Brees and Tom Brady.

These statistics and a gut feeling have led me to a bold prediction: Matt Leinart will be a Pro Bowl quarterback in the next five years. Once Warner retires, expect the former Heisman-winning quarterback to explode and be an elite quarterback for the rest of his career.

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Kurt Warner: Arizona Cardinals Are (Finally) Claiming Him As One of Their Own

Tom Highway — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 16:59:31 -0500

This week, the Arizona Cardinals' front office Web site is running with the theme that Kurt Warner has now played more games as a Cardinal than as a Ram. The general idea is that now he's finally a "real" Cardinal.

For those who have followed the Cardinal franchise, this theme is curious. Until only recently, the Bidwill family seemed intent on not claiming Warner as one of their own at all.

Were it not for the foresight of current head coach Ken Whisenhunt, Warner would likely have been run off the roster long ago by the Bidwills to clear the way for their prized first-round draft pick: the chronically-immature, under-skilled and oft-injured Matt Leinart.

However, if the Bidwills were sincere today in their newly-developed wish to cement Warner's place in Cardinal football history, they should have begun earlier.

Perhaps even last year would have been an opportune time to start.

Kurt's legacy as a Cardinal would have been even more firmly solidified had he been awarded the NFL MVP last season, which he deserved more than any other player in the league. Instead, the award went to Peyton Manning.

The award is based upon regular season performance, and Warner bested Manning in almost every quarterback category. And it's difficult to argue that any player was more valuable to his team last season than Kurt Warner.

The injustice was made even more obvious once the postseason got underway. Manning lost his first playoff game. He's lost in the Colts' opening round six times now. Warner, meanwhile, elevated his game, tied Joe Montana's single-postseason touchdown record and led the Cardinals to their first-ever Super Bowl.

Here is a summary of their respective 2008 regular season statistics:

Kurt Warner
4,583 yards, 401-of-598, 67.1 percent, 7.7 YPA, 30 TDs, 14 INTs, 96.9 rating.

Peyton Manning
4,002 yards, 371-of-555, 66.8 percent, 7.2 YPA, 27 TDs, 12 INTs, 95.0 rating.

Why did Manning receive the 2008 MVP? Well, he won it—in large part—because his team actively lobbied for him to receive it.

The Bidwills, on the other hand, directed their Web site shill, Darren Urban, to actually write that Warner didn't deserve it in the middle of the 2008 season.

Was this strategy calculated based on Warner's becoming a free agent after the 2008 season? Did the Bidwills instruct their lackey to downplay Warner as an MVP to drive down his looming contract asking-price?

Based on the track record of the miserly Bidwills and the undistinguished history of their in-house propagandists, the answer is clearly Yes .

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Beanie Wells, Cardinals Romp and Rolle Over Seahawks, 31-20

Scott Z Brady — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 18:47:29 -0500

The Cardinals cruised over another hurdle Sunday afternoon in Glendale, and in doing so, took another baby step toward true credibility.

The "lose at home after a big road win" semi-trend they started to develop was wiped out by a resilient, confident comeback home win over a feisty Seattle Seahawks team.

The ‘Hawks came out from the get-go, playing with confidence and pride and taking a 14-point second quarter lead. But Kurt Warner teamed up with wide receiver Anquan Boldin and a suddenly solid running game jump started the Cardinals in the second half. The Big Red actually came home after a big road win to take care of business.

Things started out as they have before in the big barrel cactus in Glendale. After trading punts, Seattle struck first. They went a long way to get there, too.

It appeared to me and the rest of the Cardinal faithful that Boldin scored on a disputed call at the goal line that could have changed the complexion of the game.

The Cards got great field position when safety Micheal Adams downed a Ben Graham punt at the 1-yard line. After the defense once again stopped the Seahawks on three straight downs, the Cardinals got the ball back near midfield.

A long pass interference call against Seattle’s Josh Wilson, who was trying to cover Larry Fitzgerald, gave the Cards a first and goal at the 8-yard line. After RB Beanie Wells picked up four yards, Warner looked Boldin's way, but CB Marcus Trufant appeared to pick it off in the endzone.

Coach Whisenhunt must have heard me screaming "CHALLENGE IT!" from my premium seats just behind the Cardinals bench, and the red flag came out. The call was reversed and ruled incomplete. Warner went back to Boldin on the next pass; it looked like a touchdown, but was called a stop at the 1 yard line.

Again, I began to screaming “CHALLENGE IT!” But alas it fell on deaf ears.

OK, I admit my screaming among 63,000 others likely wasn’t heard either time, but why quibble?

Seattle stuffed Tim Hightower on 4th-and-goal from the 2-foot line, and the Cards turned the ball over on downs. The Seahawks then collected 68 yards on a reception/facemask penalty combo and three plays later, they had a 7-zip lead as the 1st quarter ended.

It got uglier, too.

Sensing an opportunity, ‘Hawks QB Matt Hassleback went no huddle and tried to build on the lead as well as deflate the increasingly noisy faithful. But the first of LB Clark Haggin's two sacks ended that drive.

Still, Warner and the Cards couldn't get on track.

Another three-and-out forced by the confident Seattle D brought a smattering of boos from the increasingly spoiled fans. Hassleback then led another drive that ended up in a TD, giving the visitors a 14-0 lead midway through the 2nd quarter.

This smattering of boos turned into a smothering, and the crowd let the team know its displeasure with its Jekyll and Hyde performance. It was like they were booing the guys that stole the Cardinals' red-on-red uniforms, hoping that team that started out a week ago in Chicago with four TDs to open the game would come streaming out of the tunnel in their skivvies, ready to take them back.

This band of misfits had three punts and a turnover on downs to start the game. This CAN'T be the same team...can it?

But Warner and company started to heat up. Another pass interference call set up a Warner to WR Steve Breaston TD connection, narrowing the margin to 14-7. There was LIFE! You could almost feel Warner getting his groove back.

To their credit, Seattle didn’t slow down. Hassleback again moved the ball down the field with apparent ease, but the Cards D stiffened, holding them to three points with about a minute to go in the half.

Warner then went to work again, completing five straight passes that took the ball from the Cards' 20 to Seattle’s 3-yard line before Warner spiked it to stop the clock with 16 seconds left in the half. The Cards didn't score a touchdown however, as LT Mike Gandy was called for a hold, and they settled for a Neil Rackers field goal to make it 17-10 at the half.

The Big Red and RB Wells came out swinging in the second half.

The suddenly red-hot Warner again completed five straight passes, as the Cards opened the half with a 13-play TD drive that took almost seven minutes off the clock.

Normally it would be potentially devastating when your team gets down to the opponent's 4-yard line, and a personal foul is called. That's exactly what happened when Wells got into a little smackdown with CB Deon Grant. This moved the ball back to the 19-yard line.

Being the rookie he is, Wells forgot (or never knew) the retaliation rule. It’s not written anywhere, of course. But it’s fairly common knowledge throughout the league that it's the second guy who retaliates after absorbing a punch, kick, or other indiscretion, that gets the hanky.

Warner then immediately went back to a motivated Wells, and it paid off.

The rookie took a pass for nine yards, then juked right on 3rd-and-1 from the 10 and took it in for the score untouched. The faithful exploded and the Cardinals secured their first lead of the day.

It was only the beginning.

Seattle tried to make it a see-saw affair, taking the ball from their own 7-yard line down to the Cards' 1-yard line. But the Cards defense would have none of it.

After two incomplete passes and a tackle for a loss, the best the ‘Hawks could muster was a field goal.

Warner, still focusing on getting/keeping Boldin involved, hit him for 10 yards on first down. Two plays later, he hit Q again over the middle and 37 yards later, Boldin was dragged down from behind by a horse-collar tackle at Seattle’s 13 yard line.

The next play was the kind that could make a grown Cardinals fan weep with joy.

Cardinals fans rarely see a strong, ambitious runner, or even a strong, ambitious running play. Wells took the ball at the 15, and plowed forward, leaving LB David Hawethorne in his wake. Then he hit Deon Grant, who bounced off him at the 4 and put Wells in a spiral that didn’t end until his churning, spinning, power push crushed Jason Babineuax in the endzone.

It was (sniff) a thing of beauty!

It also gave the Cardinals all the cushion they needed to complete the sweep of the former division bullies.

Sure, the never-say-die Hassleback and his team didn’t quit. But an Antrel Rolle interception with 3:42 left put the dagger in the comeback attempt, and safety Adrian Wilson’s heads-up, diving pick of a Hassleback shovel pass sealed the deal.

When it was over, the faithful were thrilled. They felt the weighty burden of yet another hurdle crossed. Warner ended the day with his 50th career 300-plus yard passing game (he had 340), and his two TD passes (Fitzgerald collected the second one in the 4th quarter) pushed him over 200 for his Hall of Fame career.

Boldin didn't score, but looked sharp and strong in putting together his first 100 yard receiving day of the year. Wells averaged over five yards per carry in picking up 85 yards to go with his second and third NFL touchdown, and Tim Hightower added another 37 yards. That gave the Cards two straight games where they collected over 120 yards on the ground.

Their 3rd down efficiency was weak (2-12), and getting down early wasn’t pretty. But this was just what the Cards, and the faithful, needed. A solid, come-from-behind win against a decent division team out for revenge.

As fellow scribe Chris Farmer says, next week's game is what's known in these parts as a ‘trap’ game against St Louis (who barely lost to the 8-0 Saints). There are no "gimmes" in the NFL, all records aside.

Let's hope this team keeps the ball rolling as they prove not only to the faithful that they’re a legitimate championship caliber team, but to themselves.

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Arizona Cardinals' Rookie Sensation Beanie Wells Is About To Go Off

Chris Farmer — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:31:18 -0500

We've been waiting, and the moment has come. Beanie Wells has arrived.

Wells is establishing himself not only as the most talented running back the Cardinals have seen since the long gone days of Hall of Fame nominee Ottis "O.J." Anderson, but also the final piece of their elaborate puzzle which could make Arizona a true contender for another Super Bowl run this year and beyond.

Against the Seahawks in a game that saw Arizona struggle early, it was Wells who gave them the extra notch of MVP-esque intensity and determined running that sparked the team to victory.

In three out of the last four games, Wells has been given at least 13 carries and has capitalized with at least 67 yards rushing. Yesterday, he added his second and third touchdowns of his young career.

More impressive than stats alone are the lethal stiff arms, the combination of explosiveness and power, and the ability to break off long, game-changing runs, an element sorely missing from the Arizona attack for eons. In seven out of nine games to date, Wells has had at least one run of 14 yards or more in limited action.

That limited action is the beta version that is about to go live. One of these games, some poor, unsuspecting opponent is going to get gashed by one of the best pure young runners in the game today.

Beanie Wells is about to go off.

Tim Hightower is still the starter and has demonstrated great value to the team that will not diminish in spite of Wells, yet there is no denying the superiority of Beanie's physical gifts. When you watch Wells run the ball, it is easy to envision comparisons to greats from yesteryear—Jerome Bettis, even Earl Campbell comes to mind.

He is not on their level yet, but he is coming around. For some, the wait for Wells to reach professional prominence has been longer than for others.

Flashback to April 25, 2009. Wells dropped to No. 31 in the 2009 NFL draft because he was tagged "injury prone" while playing at Ohio State. Though he did suffer through ankle , wrist, thumb, foot, toe, hamstring, and concussion injuries during his three-year collegiate career, he only missed three games in all.

No matter—running backs Knowshon Moreno and Donald Brown were both selected ahead of Beanie because of it.

Nonetheless, the Cardinals faithful and most fantasy pundits salivated over Wells , assuming that he could immediately , single-handily turn around a struggling Arizona rushing attack by usurping Hightower's spot in the starting lineup.

Not so fast, I tried to tell everybody . Hightower is not going anywhere and has some solid skills himself. Yet, now I have no choice but to admit that Beanie is a star in the making.

Yep, Beanie Wells has arrived, and he is about to go off.

This article also appears on NFLTouchdown.com

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Too Early Draft Preview: Arizona Cardinals Edition

Seth Cox — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:22:58 -0500

Nine games into the season and the Arizona Cardinals fans are usually researching who they will be picking in the top 10 of the draft. Well for the second consecutive year the Cardinals and their fans are looking more forward to January than they are to April. That being said, it is never too early to start looking at possible draft picks for the 2010 NFL season, especially when the future of the team does not hinge on the pick. The Cardinals have shown great improvement in their drafting over the last couple of years, and they will look to continue that trend this year. So here is an early look at some players that may fit into the Cardinals 2010 draft plans.

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Arizona Cardinals Reiterate Alpha Dog Status In NFC West

Chris Farmer — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 22:19:56 -0500

Arizona took Seattle's best shot, bounced off the mat and reiterated their alpha dog status in the NFC West with a 31-20 pillar victory. With the win the Cardinals sit firmly entrenched as the team to beat in the division, now with a 6-3 record and a season sweep of the Seahawks.

Below are some of my postgame observations.

Two unheralded defenders having solid seasons are Clark Haggans and Bryan Robinson. B-Rob registered a sack and a pass deflection and Haggans delivered two sacks to become the team's leader with 4.5 on the season. I don't know if Arizona could have pulled off this win without them.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie had another fine game, breaking up three passes and darn near intercepting two.

Antrel Rolle is making less mistakes this year and more plays. He recorded another interception to bring his team-leading season total to four, and could have had another if it weren't for Deon Butler's poking one out of his arms in the end zone. Rolle led the team with nine tackles—all solo.

As great a game as Kurt Warner ended up having after a shaky start, as did Larry Fitzgerald, Anquan Boldin, Steve Breaston, and Tim Hightower, the game ball has to go to Beanie Wells.
For a second game in a row he had at least 13 carries and 72 yards, and this time he added his second and third touchdowns of his young career. It was his intensity and determined running that gave the Cardinals a lift when they needed it most. As noted countless times before , if Wells and rushing attack continues to grow at this rate, you can expect Arizona to contend for the NFC crown once more.

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Arizona Cardinals Face Another Week, Another Hurdle

Scott Z Brady — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:23:25 -0500

When you’ve produced decades of sub-par play before the faithful, it’ll take a while to build true credibility. That’s even more true in the most fair-weather city in America, where people the world over visit, vacation, or move here, seemingly just to espouse their fair-weatherness.

Loyalty is another matter, as witnessed by the sudden outbreak of Cardinals fan-dom over the past year. It’s the essence of true fair-weatherness. Of course, there is surface loyalty, and true loyalty.

But there is only one credibility.

I have no numbers to back this up, but I doubt it a stretch to say that the locals bought/wear more Cardinals related gear in the past year than the previous decade put together. No major statistical analysis here. I base this on what I see around town.

All over the valley...in fact, all over the country, people were stuffing their Bears, Cowboys, and Patriots gear in the back of their closet, opting for Cardinals red last January. “At least for a while” they justified to themselves.

I don’t speak meteorological here, but as sure as the nations fairest weather resides here in the Valley of the Sun once October arrives, so do the fairest weather fans. If the Cardinals started the season at 3-5, or worse, you can bet that many wearing Cardinal red in September would be digging in their closet for their "second favorite" team's jerseys at 2-6.

Super Bowl, Schmuper Bowl.

Don't get me wrong. The Cardinals improbable Super Bowl run helped build the true fan base too, as its now "cool" to wear Cardinals gear to school. Few things build true support for local gridiron games and teams than the local youngin’s becoming fans.

But credibility, while related, is a different matter. And the Cardinals had and have a tough road to hoe as far as building credibility following eons of futility. Their quest is far from over.

You see, not only did the Cardinals “Super” run breed insta-fans, and build on the areas reputation of fair-weatherness. It breeds expectations, especially from those long suffering loyalists.

When the Cardinals went down to Dallas that fateful January Saturday in 1999 and stuck the final dagger in 'The Dynasty’ by beating the favored Cowboys 20-7 before succumbing to the Minnesota Vikings, the 'even a blind squirell finds an occasional nut’ theory, often following a yawn, was the local reaction.

But this post-playoff season is different. The Cardinals actually retained their talent, and gave the faithful something to believe in. They have jumped hurdles never before jumped, and didn’t fall on their collective faces when they landed on the other side.

Now the Big Red has but a few hurdles to conquer, but they are the highest. They also go as hand-in-hand as bacon 'n eggs or PB and J. One is consistency. The other is maintaining that support they’ve built.

In the past few weeks, they have cruised over some rather large hurdles (winning on the road, beating decent teams on the road, even the apparent birth if an actual running game threat), but whacked their shins on others (Carolina, disappointing home losses, inability to win the games they 'should’ win with relative ease, and weekly blackout restriction extensions).

So this week, they play a healthier Seattle team, likely pissed off at the drubbing they absorbed a month ago, and at home where no one seems to fear to tread.

Having smacked down these same Seahawks but few weeks prior, the temptation is there to expect a similar beat-down this week in Glendale. But don’t count on it.

Baby steps.

This franchise, over a decade of ineptitude in their wake, isn’t going to fly over every hurdle they’ve created for themselves. Or for their fans. Fans old and new, while excited and full of justified expectations, must remember where were even one short season ago.

This clearly isn’t the "same old Cardinals," but they still haven’t provided a few things necessary to ensure those "second favorite team" jerseys will be on a table at your next garage sale. Those things that will keep the kiddies wearing Cardinal red, even if or inevitably when things don’t go well.

Consistency.

And a championship ring.

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