Week 3 is the perfect opportunity for the Arizona Cardinals defense
Sep 21, 2011, 3:35 AM | Updated: Sep 23, 2011, 3:40 pm
This weekend bad meets worst.
I’m picking bad.
If there was ever a Sunday the Arizona Cardinals needed to
play a bad offense it would be this one.
Two weeks in a row they have struggled.
Cam Newton. Maybe that wasn’t a fluke. Ask anyone in Green
Bay not named Charles Woodson.
Rex Grossman. I wouldn’t say he torched them, but they
struggled. A lot of yards were given up — 291 passing is
a lot.
This Sunday in Week 3 of the regular season — and their
eighth week with defensive coordinator Ray Horton — the
Cardinals are going against the worst offense in the
league, the Seattle Seahawks offense.
The Cardinals are ranked 29th in total yards, fifth worst
in yards per play and they have given up 13 plays of 20 or
more yards. Numbers that surely keep Horton up at night.
This week while Horton is staring at the ceiling he’ll be
seeing numbers representing the worst offense in the NFL.
Offensively the Seahawks are last in yards per game, the
only team in the NFL averaging less than 200 after two
games. They are 31st in scoring, only behind the pathetic
Kansas City Chiefs. Third down conversion rate is 27%, bad
enough to be 27th in the league. As a team they are minus
three in turnovers.
Here’s guessing Horton wakes up salivating at the
opportunity his defense has.
Sunday in Seattle will mean more mentally than it will
physically for the Cardinals defense.
All week on tape they will see the Seahawks offense
struggle. There is no reason they won’t be going into the
game thinking they can stop them as well.
If Sunday comes and the Seahawks are moving the ball it’s
going to be damaging.
Week 3 or not, this defense needs a pick me up, something
positive to happen.
They need to be a reason — or at least a good part — the
Cardinals win a game.
I don’t see Horton changing his attitude or philosophy —
and he shouldn’t.
Blitz Tarvaris Jackson (or whoever is taking snaps for
them), stay aggressive and be all over the field.
As long as they are true to their assignments and
communicate they should be forcing punts all afternoon.
That will lead to a flight back to Arizona with a 2-1
record, 1-0 in the division and well on their way to the
goal of winning the NFC West.
Head coach Ken Whisenhunt couldn’t have said it better
when he was asked about the defense during training camp.
“Well, if we can stop somebody that will be a good start.”
That start needs to come this week.
