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Call me biased.
After all, I am the Arizona Cardinals featured columnist here on B/R.
But even you fans out there must admit it gets a little tiring to see the Cardinals given so little credit.
True, I’ve played this up in the past months, and I’ve gone on record saying Arizona doesn’t mind being ignored either.
But honest to goodness in a weak division, Arizona should be given a fighting chance.
Not the case.
On B/R, I’ve seen numerous articles saying the Cardinals will fall terribly this year.
I’ve even seen one article that said they’ll go 5-11.
5-11? Really?
Admit it. This is a difficult task to tackle.
Pun intended.
All of you out there that are true Arizona Cardinals fans know that we are not known for our defense (even that one year where Buddy Ryan was the coach and we actually had a decent defense).
Now, don’t get me wrong. We’ve had our share of star players – Aeneas Williams, Adrian Wilson, and Darnell Dockett to name a few.
But just as many, Simeon Rice comes to mind, have left and done much better elsewhere.
Despite all of the Arizona Cardinals defensive woes, however, they have had some great defensive performances.
I was amazed by the amount of reads my last article has received. It was just an article about inside linebackers. I would never have expected such a great response…especially since my top quarterbacks article only got like 1,035 or so. Look at me being a prima donna complain about 1,000 reads!
But, anyway, I would like to thank all of you guys for reading my articles. I would like to thank Bleacher Report staff for allowing my first article to reach the Steelers front page. Without that I may not have written again, and I would not have made this my career path. I thank you guys.
I would also like to thank them for putting my article on the front page of the whole friggin’ website! I was so amazed when that happened. I was more amazed and excited about that than when I was on the Steelers part of USA Today. Thank you all so much.
Lastly, I would like to thank the Steelers community for supporting me in my quest to be a writer. Most of all, Nick Signorelli. You gave me some of the tips and tricks that have helped me succeed as a writer on this website, and I thank you sincerely for it.
Okay guys! Now that I have gotten all of the thank yous out of the way, we can get this show on the road!
The Cardinals haven’t always had decent drafts. Trust me on that one.
In fact, since the move to the desert, they’ve had some really bad drafts. But the Birds have found a few draft gems, like Pat Tillman for example, in the 7th round with the 226th selection in 1998.
So what are arguably the top 5 drafts for the Cards since being in the desert?
I’ll tell you one that isn’t. 2002 when they selected…oh never mind. Let’s get to the good stuff.
Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals
This is the third game of the Wild Card round featuring a pair of teams that closed their 2009 seasons playing each other. Green Bay crushed the Cardinals 33-7 in Arizona, though the Cardinals did pull out several of their players early on.
What To Watch From The Packers
The Packers took awhile to get the ground game going this season, but the offensive line jelled together and running back Ryan Grant ran for 1,253 yards and scored 11 times. Though Pro Bowl quarterback Aaron Rodgers got much of the press, Grant has been an underrated and valued player. He could make the difference Sunday.
What Green Bay gives Rodgers is an assortment of weapons to throw the ball to. Eight different players have over 20 receptions. Greg Jennings and Donald Driver start at wide receiver and have 70 and 68 receptions, respectively. Tight end Jermichael Finley pitched in with 55 catches. They will keep Arizona’s secondary busy all day.
The defense is led by a good secondary, featuring cornerback Charles Woodson and free safety Nick Collins. Both are Pro Bowlers; Woodson shares the league lead of nine interceptions, and Collins has six himself. Their abilities have allowed rookie outside linebacker Clay Matthews III lead the team with 10 sacks and go to the Pro Bowl.
What To Watch From The Cardinals
Arizona did get 793 rushing yards from rookie running back Beanie Wells and 598 more from Tim Hightower, but they prefer to throw the football most often. Quarterback Kurt Warner has Pro Bowl wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald to go to, but it is questionable whether fellow wide receiver Anquan Boldin will be healthy enough to be effective. Boldin is dealing with sprains in his left ankle and knee. Steve Breaston will slide into the starting lineup if he can’t play.
The defense may also be in trouble because their Pro Bowl cornerback, Dominique Rogers-Cromartie, is nursing a knee injury. They will need him at full speed to cover the excellent Packers receivers. Pro Bowl strong safety Adrian Wilson will then be able to concentrate just on Finley, giving Arizona more defensive versatility.
Arizona relies on their defensive linemen to give them the bulk of their pass rush, so that their linebackers can drop back into pass coverage. Pro Bowl defensive tackle Darnell Dockett shares the team lead of seven sacks with defensive end Calais Campbell. Their other starting defensive end, Bertrand Berry, has six sacks.
If this group can harass Rodgers behind an offensive line that has struggled at times, it may lead to a Cardinals victory.
Quarterback: Even
Running Back: Even
Receivers: Even
Offensive Line: Even
Defensive Line: Even
Linebacker: Slight Edge Packers
Secondary: Edge Packers
Special Teams: Even
Coaching: Slight Edge Cardinals
The Cardinals are trying to defend their NFC Championship, and face a team that mirrors them in many ways. Both teams have injuries at key spots, as well as quarterbacks who love to get the ball in the air often. The teams both have inconsistent running games, and the difference in this game may be decided by who grounds out the most positive plays.
Cardinals 37, Packers 35
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