What Must The Arizona Cardinals Learn From Their Week One Win at St. Louis.
Rejoice Card's fans. Chalk one up in the W Column, The Arizona Cardinals are now 1-0-0 following their 17-13 defeat of the St Louis Rams.
It was a hard fought, old fashioned divisional battle, with lots happening on both sides of the ball which provided a lot to think about.
Certainly 1-0 is better than 0-1, a very real possibility at times throughout the game.
However, it was a game which Arizona were expected to dominate, against a hapless Rams team who only managed to go 1-15 in 2009.
And a game where Arizona were matched, at times outplayed by this same team.
If the Cardinals are to once again be crowned NFC West Champions, what must they take away from this game?
Derek Anderson Needs To Return to His Pro-Bowl Form, and Looks Like He Can.
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Let's be clear, like many Cards fans, I had already written off Anderson as a bust for 2010. Indeed, during pre-season I even argued that Matt Leinart was the better option.
Boy was I wrong. Anderson completed 22 of 41 passes, for just three shy of three-hundred yards, with one TD and no interceptions. While he was ready to demonstrate his massive arm, those who had previously questioned his accuracy and touch were in for a very pleasant surprise.ย
Yes, a 53.7 completion percentage is not very good, but the thing is, Larry Fitzgerald and Derek Anderson are clearly not in sync at all yet, and if you disregard the 15 attempts thrown his way, Anderson completed 76% of his passes thrown elsewhere. And those are stats I could learn to love.
He showed pin-point accuracy, especially when throwing towards Steve Breaston, and in spite of a few questionable calls into traffic, was generally able to put the ball only where his receivers could catch them.
But the thing that really won me over, was his attitude. He kept going, in spite of being physically man-handled, bumped and knocked about. He didn't let pressure get to him, and more often than not, was still able to make good decisions.
But more even than this, was that he showed us that he can be a smart quarterback. He completed passes to seven different players, didn't abandon his elite receiver, having faith in his abilities even though they weren't always "clicking" and gave Arizona every opportunity to win the game. Yes he has to continue to develop, but he is certainly well on his way.
He has already developed a rapport with Steve Breaston and looks like he will do the same with his other receivers.
Which brings us on to point two...
Steve Breaston Is Already an Elite Receiver: Like Anquan Boldin, Only Better.
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Many have predicted that Steve Breaston could become an elite wide receiver in the next few years.
News Flash: He already is.ย
In the few short games they have played together, Steve Breaston and Derek Anderson have already developed a great understanding with one another.ย
Breaston caught all 7 passes thrown his way for 132 yards, a career high.
Breaston was by far the team MVP on Sunday. He was just as brilliant when the ball was not coming his way blocking and drawing coverage away from others. He showed maturity and awareness far beyond his years or experience.
Breaston has always been a number three receiver at Arizona, and has shown great humility in this.
On Sunday, he was thrust into the number one position, and performed impeccably.
But numbers alone do not tell the whole story.
Breaston's biggest contribution will never show up on the stat sheet. A fumble forced at the Goal Line preventing a sure and certain touchdown. Breaston's composure was admirable. His goal was clear. Only stripping the ball would do, and that is what he did.
He was everywhere, and did everything that was asked of him, and much more besides.
Many would argue that his numbers would not have been as good had Fitzgerald been on better form, however, the stats suggest otherwise.
Anderson still Preferred throwing Fitz's way, Breaston just made the most of the opportunities he had.ย
Larry Fitzgerald And Derek Anderson Need To Work On Their Timing, Chemistry
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Before the game, Larry Fitzgerald described himself as 'only 70 to 75%' fit.
I'll take a 75% Fitz over most other players in the league, but although he was 75% fit, he looked little more than 20% prepared
In spite of fifteen balls thrown his way, Number 11 was only able to complete 3 catches, including it must be added, a game winning touchdown.
It would be easy to blame Derek Anderson's well known accuracy problems for the failing, but given his excellent completion percentages to other players, as much as I love Fitz, I have to feel it was more to do with him.
Larry Fitzgerald has made no secret of this, claiming before the game that he felt concerned by the lack of preparation he had with Anderson.
Prior to the game Fitzgerald had said;
"I would have loved to have taken every single snap if I could with the quarterback I'm going to be catching passes from on Sunday,You want to get that continuity and that cohesiveness down with that person. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do that yet."
This lack of chemistry certainly showed, and the Cardinals number one receiver didn't seem to be on the same page as his QB. He was constantly a step ahead of, or behind where Anderson expected him to be. He ran post's when Anderson threw out routes, it just wasn't quite what we have come to know.
By the time Fitz is back to 100% fitness, and has practiced a little more with Anderson, I am certain that this could be a potent and formidable partnership.
But it will take time.
Thankfully, Arizona now have a Running game to lean on as well.
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With Hightower, Wells and Stephens-Howling The Cards Have a Rushing Game to Fear
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It is a shame that Beanie Wells didn't start this game, not least of which for all of his fantasy owners, but it proved just how deep the Arizona running game is.
Tim Hightower, is a legitimate, power runner, and was able to grind out a respectable 54 yardsย and one touchdown,ย on his 13 carries, averaging 4.2 yard per carry.
LaRod Stephens-Howling achieved a very impressive 7 yards per carry average, carrying the ball 49 yards on 7 tries.
While none of these stats are ground breaking, they show one thing. Arizona can rely on their running game to get them first downs.
Hightower is, in my mind, a third down, change of pace sort of back, but is very good at that. He shows call security problems when he is leaned upon to carry too many balls, but when used sparingly, can really change the dynamics of a drive.
When Beanie Wells returns, he is likely to get the lion share of carries, but Stephens-Howling demonstrated what he needs to live up to. He was explosive running outside, leaving defenders in his wake. He had deceptive speed and elusiveness, and while none of his runs lead to huge gains, each one had the potential to become something spectacular.ย
The running game was somewhat stifled by Arizona's inability to convert their numerous chances into points and put daylight between themselves and the Rams, but when they do, all three Arizona backs have the potential to post monster numbers.ย
Arizona Can Dominate Defensively, But Need to Maintain Composure and Focus.
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It is no understatement to suggest that the Cardinals underesrtimated St. Louis.
Their game plan was clear from the start. Dominate, and humiliate the Rams rookie QB by giving him a taste of the NFL play book, on defence, and run all over St. Lois' hapless secondary on offence.
And for a while, it almost worked.ย
Arizona forced the rams to make bad calls, blocked field goals and caught interceptions, and while they could not capitalise on offence, until nearly the half, Arizona were well in control.
Then the Rams decided that they would no longer take it, and the Cards had no idea what to do.
Sam Bradford, who, by the way, is the real deal, and should look forward to a long career in the NFL, decided that he would no longer be pushed around, started to play like a Pro and lead the Rams on a fantastic touchdown drive to close the half.
Then the Cardinals seemed to fall apart.
They lost their composure and made rookie mistakes. They put the ball on the ground seven times throughout the game, and lost it on four of the fumbles. When they were able to hold on to the ball, they killed their own drives dead, giving up 10 penalties for 72 yards.
Max Komer was by far the worst culprit, looking inept wherever he played, and proving that he is no replacement for the excellent Early Doucet, who was injured on his second catch of the game.
However, Tim Hightower was responsible for two turnovers thanks to his fumbles, and Derek Anderson, who was otherwise very good, lost one of his two fumbles, which was caused solely by lack of attention.
And while you can argue that some of the penalties were harsh, and one of Hightower's fumbles appeared quite clearly to have been caused by the ground, it doesn't really matter. Arizona should have done better. They can do better.
Adrian Wilson caught two interceptions and blocked a field goal, and first year Cardinal Kerry Rhodes proved that he really is an upgrade at his position with an interception of his own. Greg Toller looked dominant as number 2 cornerback, providing a nice complement to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, and Darnell Dockett reminded us why he is paid ย the big dollars.
It is clear that Arizona have the weapons necessary to be dominant in the league. What remains to be seen, is whether they are able to use them without doing more damage to themselves than their opponents.ย
Arizona Are Still The Team to Beat In The NFC West.
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Many expected 2010 to be the year that San Francisco would return to their winning ways, overtaking Arizona as the NFC West Champions.
Most suspected that Arizona would finish second, returning to the mediocrity that plagued them throughout their history.
Only the most die-hard Seattle fans expected the Seahawks to leave the season with a winning record, and in spite of their off season improvements, everyone expected the Rams to remain firmly on the bottom of the NFC West.ย
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news Niners fans... This year isn't your year either.
The 49ers were trounced by a thoroughly average Seahawks team, and divisional games against the Rams and Cards will likely be just as difficult.
In many respects, the Cardinals and 49ers games were very similar. Dominant in the first half, but unable to capitalise, and facing pressure in the second, the results however couldn't be more different.
San Francisco were abysmal, in a way which is almost impossible to quantify. Arizona made mistakes, for sure, the cracks began to show, but they did not crumble. San Francisco on the other hand, fell apart in the most spectacular fashion.
Alex Smith looked lost, and does not appear to posses the maturity required to claw back victory from the jaws of defeat. Apparent stud receiver Michael Crabtree had a harder time even than Larry Fitzgerald, with timing and sync between the QB and WR so shot up that it already appears that a perhaps irreparable rift has formed between the two.
Vernon Davis, though a little better, did not look himself either, and caught only a fraction of the passes thrown his way.ย
And while I don't want to take too much away from Seattle, in spite of the scoreline, they still didn't play very well. They were very well contained in the first half, and teams with a bit more of a backbone than the 49ers would have continued to do so until the last seconds of the clock ticked off.
The Rams looked like, for the first time in a long time, they were playing with the belief that they can win. Sam Bradford has made a huge difference to this team, and they are going to be a tougher prospect than most expected, but going from 1-15 to divisional champions in a year is, unfortunately, a little beyond their grasp.
Let's be clear, it's still not a done deal for Arizona, and the road towards the playoffs will be more difficult than in previous years, but on the basis of Sunday's game, the Cards are much more likely to make it than the 49ers at this early point in the season.ย
I wouldn't be at all surprised if either the Rams or the Seahawks (or dare I say both) finish ahead of San Francisco this year.ย
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