So I went into the weekend expecting trouble. Certainly, I always hope for a win, but I expected Rattay to start, and I expected him to play well for what he can given his limited exposure to the offense.
And while Warner was able to play the whole game, he was clearly degraded from normal Kurt. Sure, I wish either of those interceptions could come back and make the difference. And I wish that penalty had not hit so hard to allow the Redskins to keep driving to a score. And I wish Q had just thrown the ball a little higher. And I wish the field goal attempt had been just a bit to the right.
But I have a good feeling about the rest of this year. First, there's the week to heal followed by the Bucs who are having an off year. Detroit is doing well, but the game is in Glendale. I like our chances. Cincinnati, San Francisco, Cleveland: the toughest test would be Cleveland, but again, we get that one at home. Seattle on the road is a tough spot, but finishing with New Orleans, Atlanta and St. Louis is certainly advantageous.
An 11-5 finish is very realistic. I'm sleeping well for the next two weeks.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Okay, I Can Take This
Sure, the Redskins look better on paper.
They have a quarterback who's been with the team more than 10 days, they have a team with a winning record, they're playing at home.
Okay, this week has me worried.
I'm a very positive person. If you check my picks on ESPN.com's Pigskin Pickem', you'll see that I've picked Arizona to win this week, and I don't even get the nine point spread to help me. Sadly, that confidence does not mean I'm willing to put actual money down on them.
But I'm okay with this because the schedule is workable from here on out, and next week brings a bye to get some of the team healed a bit more. Bromo please!
They have a quarterback who's been with the team more than 10 days, they have a team with a winning record, they're playing at home.
Okay, this week has me worried.
I'm a very positive person. If you check my picks on ESPN.com's Pigskin Pickem', you'll see that I've picked Arizona to win this week, and I don't even get the nine point spread to help me. Sadly, that confidence does not mean I'm willing to put actual money down on them.
But I'm okay with this because the schedule is workable from here on out, and next week brings a bye to get some of the team healed a bit more. Bromo please!
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Still In First Place
It was just last week when I joked to a friend that Oakland was in first place in their division with a .500 record.
Hey! The Cardinals are in first place.
It was also just last week that I complained about gamblers having no respect for this team, and I stand by that comment. Kurt Warner going down on the second drive Sunday made a huge difference in the outcome of that game. Still, it was a bitter pill to take, and this Sunday's game against Washington won't make life any easier.
So here we are, going against a team that stayed right with a strong performing Green Bay team on the road, we're on the road where we often play below expectations, this all has me worrying about a disaster.
Warner keeps saying he intends to play, but I'd rather he take another week off than rush himself back before he's ready. Frankly, if it wasn't for Kurt rushing himself back too soon while with the Rams, I suspect he never would have left that team. Anquan Boldin is making like he'll be returning to the lineup this week as well, but I'm pessimistic about that too.
No, this is a week when the defense needs to step up and play as well as they did against Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Will it happen? I sure hope so. I'm hoping to avoid talking about a losing record for some time to come.
Hey! The Cardinals are in first place.
It was also just last week that I complained about gamblers having no respect for this team, and I stand by that comment. Kurt Warner going down on the second drive Sunday made a huge difference in the outcome of that game. Still, it was a bitter pill to take, and this Sunday's game against Washington won't make life any easier.
So here we are, going against a team that stayed right with a strong performing Green Bay team on the road, we're on the road where we often play below expectations, this all has me worrying about a disaster.
Warner keeps saying he intends to play, but I'd rather he take another week off than rush himself back before he's ready. Frankly, if it wasn't for Kurt rushing himself back too soon while with the Rams, I suspect he never would have left that team. Anquan Boldin is making like he'll be returning to the lineup this week as well, but I'm pessimistic about that too.
No, this is a week when the defense needs to step up and play as well as they did against Pittsburgh and Baltimore. Will it happen? I sure hope so. I'm hoping to avoid talking about a losing record for some time to come.
Friday, October 12, 2007
And The Respect Just Keeps On Coming...
...or does it?
First a note about last week's game. I committed a "Cardinal" sin by not watching the game as it happened. Instead of being at a television or stadium to watch the football game, I went off to Talladega for a NASCAR race. Okay, I'm not even a NASCAR fan, but my brother is, and I just wanted to see what all the hubbub is about. I can safely tell you that now, I can say I've done it, and I just don't need to do it again. I plan to write more about my trip, but that will be on my personal page over at http://lloydians-space.spaces.live.com/. No, I haven't written it yet, but it's a great story. Stay tuned.
But one part of the story involves going to the race and seeing a big yawner of an event punctuated by regular checks of the mobile web on my phone to see who was winning the Arizona/St. Louis game. Yes, while everyone around me was enthralled with a 30 car conga line, I was keeping up with the drive from the Fox Sports web site. I watched when I returned home, but knowing many of the details, the game lost a little in translation.
So, getting to the current situation, my two pennies on the Leinart situation: well, we always wanted Matt to have a season of observing and learning, and now that's not a choice: it's a requirement. Leinart is the future, Warner is the present, and I see good things for this team. Go Cards!
And that leads, of course, to the game with Carolina, a team that has been blessed with major problems at quarterback, the likes of which I would not wish on any team. When Leinart went down, the media reported that Tim Rattay and Vinnie Testaverde were being invited for a look. The local media (and fans like me) were nearly unanimous in saying we don't want to go older (Vinnie's a great quarterback, but he's older than I am, and that's not easy for an NFL player to say). As it turns out, Vinnie never even flew into town. Instead he signed with this week's opponent, and bizarre as it may be, he may even start on Sunday. I don't care how good he is, there is no way he can master a new offense in five days.
So the Cardinals are at home, their opponent has major questions at the quarterback position, and Arizona has been playing quite well lately. So why does the latest line say 4.5 points? Go ahead, football pundits, dismiss this team. Tell us how bad we are in January.
First a note about last week's game. I committed a "Cardinal" sin by not watching the game as it happened. Instead of being at a television or stadium to watch the football game, I went off to Talladega for a NASCAR race. Okay, I'm not even a NASCAR fan, but my brother is, and I just wanted to see what all the hubbub is about. I can safely tell you that now, I can say I've done it, and I just don't need to do it again. I plan to write more about my trip, but that will be on my personal page over at http://lloydians-space.spaces.live.com/. No, I haven't written it yet, but it's a great story. Stay tuned.
But one part of the story involves going to the race and seeing a big yawner of an event punctuated by regular checks of the mobile web on my phone to see who was winning the Arizona/St. Louis game. Yes, while everyone around me was enthralled with a 30 car conga line, I was keeping up with the drive from the Fox Sports web site. I watched when I returned home, but knowing many of the details, the game lost a little in translation.
So, getting to the current situation, my two pennies on the Leinart situation: well, we always wanted Matt to have a season of observing and learning, and now that's not a choice: it's a requirement. Leinart is the future, Warner is the present, and I see good things for this team. Go Cards!
And that leads, of course, to the game with Carolina, a team that has been blessed with major problems at quarterback, the likes of which I would not wish on any team. When Leinart went down, the media reported that Tim Rattay and Vinnie Testaverde were being invited for a look. The local media (and fans like me) were nearly unanimous in saying we don't want to go older (Vinnie's a great quarterback, but he's older than I am, and that's not easy for an NFL player to say). As it turns out, Vinnie never even flew into town. Instead he signed with this week's opponent, and bizarre as it may be, he may even start on Sunday. I don't care how good he is, there is no way he can master a new offense in five days.
So the Cardinals are at home, their opponent has major questions at the quarterback position, and Arizona has been playing quite well lately. So why does the latest line say 4.5 points? Go ahead, football pundits, dismiss this team. Tell us how bad we are in January.
Wednesday, October 03, 2007
Oh, What a Traitor I Am
There is no sport I love more than football. There is no sport I love as much as football. I think if I were to rank the spectator sports, it would be football, baseball a distant second, basketball in third, hockey in fourth.
You'll notice that nowhere in that list was NASCAR. I have only watched a NASCAR race from start to finish once. Sure, I listen when they get mentioned on SportsCenter, but otherwise, I just don't care. It is in that environment that I now reveal that I'm getting on a plane Friday morning for a flight to Atlanta, and I'll be attending the two races this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. I'm expanding my horizons.
But back to the important sport. The Cardinals travel to St. Louis to face the Rams on Sunday. You know, this is the third year that Kurt Warner has been with the team, and the Cards have been making this trip even longer, but never have I seen so much activity on the Rams bulletin boards suggesting that Arizona might actually be able to count the date as a home game. The city seems to love Warner, and amazingly, there still seem to be some Cardinals fans nearly 20 years after they last played there. Couple that with a Rams team that is beat up (I'm attributing the Frerotte start to Bulger's injury, and there's the missing Jackson), not stopping anyone, and no longer selling out their stadium.
I'm nervous, though, about Vegas finally jumping on the bandwagon. Arizona is a 3.5 point favorite on the road. I'm not saying I won't bet on them, but it was so fun when the team flew under the radar. There are still plenty of people who think beating Pittsburgh was a fluke and that the two quarterback system is a joke (I'm looking at you, Deion), but this is a team that's finally winning when they should. The only hurdle to overcome is overwhelming an opponent.
Here's hoping for an overwhelming win.
By the way, if you're a NASCAR fan, look for the huge person wearing the Boldin jersey in Alabama.
Go Cards! Oh, and go Diamondbacks!
You'll notice that nowhere in that list was NASCAR. I have only watched a NASCAR race from start to finish once. Sure, I listen when they get mentioned on SportsCenter, but otherwise, I just don't care. It is in that environment that I now reveal that I'm getting on a plane Friday morning for a flight to Atlanta, and I'll be attending the two races this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. I'm expanding my horizons.
But back to the important sport. The Cardinals travel to St. Louis to face the Rams on Sunday. You know, this is the third year that Kurt Warner has been with the team, and the Cards have been making this trip even longer, but never have I seen so much activity on the Rams bulletin boards suggesting that Arizona might actually be able to count the date as a home game. The city seems to love Warner, and amazingly, there still seem to be some Cardinals fans nearly 20 years after they last played there. Couple that with a Rams team that is beat up (I'm attributing the Frerotte start to Bulger's injury, and there's the missing Jackson), not stopping anyone, and no longer selling out their stadium.
I'm nervous, though, about Vegas finally jumping on the bandwagon. Arizona is a 3.5 point favorite on the road. I'm not saying I won't bet on them, but it was so fun when the team flew under the radar. There are still plenty of people who think beating Pittsburgh was a fluke and that the two quarterback system is a joke (I'm looking at you, Deion), but this is a team that's finally winning when they should. The only hurdle to overcome is overwhelming an opponent.
Here's hoping for an overwhelming win.
By the way, if you're a NASCAR fan, look for the huge person wearing the Boldin jersey in Alabama.
Go Cards! Oh, and go Diamondbacks!
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