A few early reflections after the Card game...

[Rams43]

I haven't yet rewatched the game, although I certainly will. Especially that second half!

These are just a few thoughts off the top of my head after a few hours of reflection.

In no particular order...

There was some serious synergy going on in that second half. Did Fisher feed everybody spinach, or what?

What a coming out party that second half was. Night and day difference from the first half. So many things just seemed to suddenly "click" into place, huh?

We have a QB, fellas. Foles is now seeing the open receivers so much better. I read somewhere that he now has 5 TD's to 1 int and a 96 QBR for the season. These are numbers that many of us hoped for and even expected after the trade was announced. And I think he's only gonna get better as he becomes more comfortable with his teammates and in this system. We can win with Foles, including possible playoff wins.

We also have a special RB, fellas. I think it was KBG that alluded to the fact that truly elite athletes just make it look easy when they do their thing. Remember Dickerson? He never looked like he was straining, just kinda gliding along. Yet the yards quickly piled up and it was seldom seen when he was brought down from behind. Well, I kinda saw a little of that in Gurley when he broke into the secondary. He seemed to be gliding but nobody was tackling him for great distances. One time he had a surprising 52 yard run and he made it look effortless. Not calling him ED just yet, mind you. But I do now think he could fall into that "special" category.

Britt and Quick had a quiet day, but Austin and Bailey MORE than made up for it. Lots for opposing DC's to worry about now, huh?

And our much maligned OL actually opened up some holes and did a pretty good job in pass pro. What a nice improvement. And against a quality well coached D, at that. We know that our OL will only get better and better. I think it's okay to exhale now.

Studly effort by the entire D. Hard for some of us to accept that bend but don't break philosophy with those big cushions. But they've certainly been ultimately effective against the Seahawks, Steelers, and Cards. Three top O's in the league. So I think I'll just stfu, lol.

Loss of Ogletree is gonna hurt. He was playing at a Pro Bowl level this year. Hope he can return for our playoff run. See what I did there?

Cook continues to disappoint. He needs to make a statement in these remaining 12 games. Otherwise, I could see them drafting his replacement in this next draft.

Jenkins is a feast or famine CB. He just is. He will always have us on an emotional roller coaster, I guess. Not quite sure if that's my cup of tea. Still undecided, I suppose. But those highs are really, really high. Lol.

If I were a receiver, I would probably have my head on a swivel while in our secondary. Our DB's all really bring the wood. Highlight reel wood.

Our ST bring it every game. We don't win this game, for example, without that opening KR strip fumble recovery. Just wanted to tip my hat to all those guys 'cause I think they get overshadowed by the attention to our D.

Now that Foles and Gurley have stepped up, not to mention Austin and Bailey, our opponents must now pick their poison on every single snap. Exactly what S&F envisioned when they drafted Gurley. That's some synergy in itself. I don't envy the job of opposing DC's.

Was Cigs creative and unpredictable enough for you? Especially in the second half (a notorious Schotty shortcoming). It's amazing how smart an OC looks when his players start executing as planned. Lol.

I suspect that the second half was merely a glimpse of what this O can become as they all gel together. That seemed as if someone switched the lights on for all units on the O at the same time. Not unlike when Lambert the Sheepish Lion roared in that Disney cartoon story. The look on that wolf's face was priceless.

All for now. Thoughts?

 

[Mister Sin]

Was it me, or did it seem easy for Gurley in the 2nd. He seemed like a cut above every player on the field. If we weren't just running the clock out, the man could have had 25 more yards and his 1st NFL td

 

[FrantikRam]

Good post.

I've always been a fan of Jenkins, and hope we can re-sign him and TruJo. My personal opinion is that there is a lot more feast than famine, but to each their own.

I understand the defensive concept, and we did just hold one of the best offenses to 1 TD, but...have to look at the fact that David Johnson dropped an open TD....and regardless of what our scheme is, Larry Fitzgerald was wide open on too many plays. We also didn't play the run very well, and at times couldn't pressure Palmer. In short, our defense played good enough to win, but are capable of playing better. Teams, especially good teams, don't often turn the ball over 3 times in a game. Or put another way, our defense made enough plays to win....but when they weren't making plays, they were getting gashed. We did get consistent pressure on Palmer, which I believe led to the two errant throws at the end of the game. I think I am most concerned about our run defense...but seeing so many open Cardinal receivers running around doesn't make me feel too warm and fuzzy about the Packers game...

On the flip side, our offense. Wow. Foles played a tremendous game, Tavon stepped up, Stedman made a great play, and obviously Todd Gurley is special. Oline deserves some credit too. Considering the personnel that the Cardinals have on offense and defense, I actually think our offense played a little better than our defense overall.

 

[Imperial]

Great post! I'd expound on your mention of Special Teams play. In years past, I would cringe at the thought of Peterson on a return. Yesterday, I was hoping he'd catch it, so I could watch our ST guys light him up!!!

 

[ramsince62]

Good post.

I've always been a fan of Jenkins, and hope we can re-sign him and TruJo. My personal opinion is that there is a lot more feast than famine, but to each their own.

I understand the defensive concept, and we did just hold one of the best offenses to 1 TD, but...have to look at the fact that David Johnson dropped an open TD....and regardless of what our scheme is, Larry Fitzgerald was wide open on too many plays. We also didn't play the run very well, and at times couldn't pressure Palmer. In short, our defense played good enough to win, but are capable of playing better. Teams, especially good teams, don't often turn the ball over 3 times in a game. Or put another way, our defense made enough plays to win....but when they weren't making plays, they were getting gashed. We did get consistent pressure on Palmer, which I believe led to the two errant throws at the end of the game. I think I am most concerned about our run defense...but seeing so many open Cardinal receivers running around doesn't make me feel too warm and fuzzy about the Packers game...

On the flip side, our offense. Wow. Foles played a tremendous game, Tavon stepped up, Stedman made a great play, and obviously Todd Gurley is special. Oline deserves some credit too. Considering the personnel that the Cardinals have on offense and defense, I actually think our offense played a little better than our defense overall.

I agree with your comments except that last sentence.

 

[JonRam99]

Gurley just seemed to glide past the Card's pursuers like a bull elk. #25 faceplanted himself trying to catch him.