Thoughts are formulating, suspicions mounting and the cognitive worm begins to turn on the hook of Super Bowl 48. The grey matter is starting to produce smoky synapse whose genesis illuminated the well of my soul. Although I am a huge fan of Peyton Manning and respect him greatly, the onus is on Manning and […]
Championship weekend is over and although the deposed have been vanquished to the land of nothingness, the victors are fresh in our minds — alive in our collective cognition. And the inevitable happens without hesitation or reservation for what was; the narrative immediately focuses on what will be: Who will win Super Bowl 48? There […]
You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to pick a winner in the AFC Championship Game, but it wouldn’t hurt. Tom Brady and Peyton Manning have met 14 times over the years and have lit up scoreboards. Both these quarterbacks are prototypical, quintessential paragons of the position. Every franchise has scoured the country, signed draft […]
Drew Brees did not play well in the Saints’ loss to the Seattle Seahawks over the weekend. This is not an indictment; Brees is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. And that’s part of the problem. We’re not used to seeing Brees struggle to complete passes. We’re not used to seeing Brees throw […]
The Cardinals have a good chance to win in Seattle…if they play a near perfect game. Arizona is a good football team but playing a near perfect game on the road, even for a great team, is not common. There will always be mistakes made in games because the principles competing are human beings. Players […]
There’s a reason why the Arizona Cardinals are 0-3 in the division and 6-1 against all others: The line of scrimmage. The NFC West will expose you if you struggle to run the ball or stop the run. The division also has some of the best pass rushers in the game who collectively force many […]
Carson Palmer is resilient. Palmer’s difficulties have been well documented this season. He has struggled to get the ball to Larry Fitzgerald and has thrown 15 interceptions, the only starting QB to throw an interception in every game this season. Interceptions early have been standard operating procedure for Palmer and so has fourth quarter touchdown […]
The Houston Texans lost to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday night, 27-24. Their record now stands at 2-6 and their playoff hopes are quickly fading. Unfortunately, the Texans lost more than just a football game. They lost their head coach in the process and any hopes of salvaging a season gone awry. Gary Kubiak went […]
Many coaches fall into the trap of their system, their philosophy, their belief about the style of football they wish to play and see any deviation from that dogma as capitulation. That’s why I was so impressed with B.A. on Sunday. He morphed into Vince Lombardi. The Cardinals started the game by throwing the ball […]
The onus for beating the Atlanta Falcons is on Carson Palmer and the Arizona Cardinals offense. Palmer and co. must play better in order for the Cardinals to even their record at 4-4. The offense must possess the ball, move the chains, convert third downs, take time off the clock and, most of all, score […]
There are some that believe the Arizona State Sun Devils’ victory over the Washington Huskies last weekend was the most impressive of Todd Graham’s time at ASU. I wouldn’t disagree with that sentiment but would add Colorado to that statement. Yes, Colorado. It’s easy to get a team’s attention and prepare them when they know […]
David Freese did it again for the St. Louis Cardinals in Game 5 of the NLDS. This time it was the Pittsburgh Pirates that were victimized. Even though Adam Wainwright was the story of Game 5, little did he know that David Freese’s 2-run bomb in the 2nd inning would prove to be the coup […]
Carson Palmer’s interceptions are cause for concern but not panic. After all, the Cards are 3-2 on the season and that will always be the bottom line for a team in transition. Are you winning games? The Cardinals never promised Carson Palmer they were going to build their franchise around him for years to come. […]
Defense was the word in Tampa and although the Buccaneers started a rookie quarterback Todd Bowles’ unit did what they should have done to an offense that had been struggling: dominate. The Bucs scored 10 points, turned it over 3 times, and RB Doug Martin averaged 1.7 yards/carry. Defense is why the Cards were able […]
One of the more interesting stories of the 2013 NFL season is Arizona Cardinals safety/cornerback/badger Tyrann Mathieu. I continue to be amazed at this rookie’s football acumen and ability to make plays on the field. In the first week of the season he made one of the best plays a player could make, punching the […]
Carson Palmer did not play well in New Orleans. Although he has only played three games for the Cards, this was his worst showing. Palmer completed just over 50 percent of his passes, threw for only 187 yards and two picks. And the offense responded to his performance in kind. Big Red scored only seven […]
I hated to see Patrick Corbin get lit up against the Dodgers on Tuesday. Here’s a guy that appears to be the ace of the Arizona Diamondbacks’ staff going into 2014. And you want to see guys that are cornerstone players finish strong and play well against division rivals. Unfortunately, the Diamondbacks ace has not […]
I’m so impressed with Tyrann Mathieu. I’m not alone. Cardinals fans, players, coaches and members of the front office have been raving about Honey Badger since training camp opened. But he did it again. His tackle on Nate Burleson on fourth down to clinch Big Red’s first victory of the 2013 season showed his playmaking […]
The read option has created a buzz in the NFL and it is all the rage, changing the game as we know it. But some wonder whether or not it is fatally flawed, a tragedy of sacrificial talent subjected to the whimsical ways of powers, rulers and authorities. With under seven minutes to go in […]
The Cardinals played so well in certain areas and so poorly in others, but in the end couldn’t make enough plays to beat the Rams in Bruce Arians’ debut. Although they will be at home this week against the Lions, the struggles of St. Louis and the prowess of Detroit are a combination to be […]
Bob Golic once described playing nose guard in the National Football League like being a fire hydrant in the middle of a dog kennel. You’re the object of unwanted attention and treated with indignation and scorn; and it stinks. Cards 1-Technique, Dan Williams, can empathize. Dumpster Dan has been in the middle of the maelstrom […]
We’re going to find out what kind of team the Cardinals have and the prospects for the season early. They play the Rams in St. Louis this Sunday. I do not mean to say that should the following go awry the season is lost, even though I discovered there is a 75 percent mathematical chance […]
The news on Jonathan Cooper is both sobering and surprising. On one hand, losing your best offensive lineman when there is a premium on improving your offensive line seems to be a disaster; on the other hand, the news of his successful operation and possible return in 2013 was encouraging. The Cardinals think he might […]
Bruce Arians is not very happy with the Cardinals’ offense in the red zone. Missed opportunities are not the way a football team wins games, and there is no better example of a missed opportunity than having possession of the football inside the opponent’s 20-yard line and not scoring a TD. But the preseason is […]
