What Cardinals Fans Are Saying

[Krangthebrain]

The Cardinals currently have one of the better rated defenses in the league. I don't need to pull out all the stats to demonstrate this (Football Outsiders has the Cardinals 3rd ranked based on DVOA right now). I think the rating can be partially attributed to the teams the Cardinals have faced thus far. I'm going to talk about our personnel from my view.

The Cardinals defensive line is deep and one of the better 3-4 defensive lines in the league. Obviously the Cardinals defensive line doesn't come close to the Rams greatness, but the Cardinals defensive line aren't slouches. Calais Campbell isn't filling the stat sheet so far, but he often starts out the year this way, and he should be a matchup concern against the young Rams offensive line.

Frostee Rucker is one of the most underrated defensive lineman in the league; he is disruptive and always seems to make plays when games are on the line. Cory Redding is salty vet who is physical. Rodney Gunter is a talented small school rookie who flashes big play ability. Josh Mauro is a good rotation guy, who has Campbell-like qualities (big, quick, occupies a lot of space). Overall I think the Cardinals win the match up of Cardinals defensive line vs. Rams offensive line.

The Cardinals LB corps is a dumpster fire P) at least when you consider the traditional strength of a 3-4 is in it's LB crew. Alex Okafor is the sack guy, but he is king of the coverage sack and lacks the quick twitch skills that you want from a top pass rusher. He primarily wins with the bull rush. Lamar Woodley is the other starter, and while he brings the crafty veteran skills, his physical tools have declined and he is a shell of his former self.

Markus Golden, a Mizzou guy that you all should be familiar with, is getting more snaps and has shown the ability in limited snaps to disrupt the passer, but he hasn't shown the ability to finish yet. The Cardinals ILBs are awful; losing Daryl Washington has been a big blow to this team. Deone Bucannon primarily lines up at ILB because the team lacks talent here, and Bucannon has Kam Chancellor-like qualities.

Kevin Minter a former 2nd round pick is more of a downhill run stuffer and he has looked decent in this role, but he is exposed in pass coverage. Overall I think our LBs aren't getting enough pass rush, and Foles might have some success exploiting matchups of receivers vs. ILBs.

The Cardinals have probably the best secondary in the NFL not named the Legion of Boom, and if they keep up the current trend, I think the Cardinals secondary is better. Patrick Peterson has been hit or miss for most of his career, but he is having a great year so far. He was diagnosed with diabetes last year and he was struggling because of it. He has lost weight, regained some of this quickness and has never looked better. Whoever is matched up one-on-one against Peterson shouldn't expect a big day.

Tyrann Mathieu is a dynamic player. He plays outside corner, slot corner, safety, you name it. And of all the players I routinely watch at all levels of football, I think he is the best pure football player I see. He has an uncanny understanding of angles and is a film nut. He makes plays in all phases of the game. The most underrated player in the Cardinals secondary is probably Jerraud Powers. He is the real leader of the group, and while he's not an elite physical talent like Peterson, his technique is generally sound and he is capable of shutting down #2 receivers while making plays on the ball.

Rashad Johnson is quarterback of the defense, and according to Nick Saban, is one of the smartest football players he ever coached. You'll see Johnson make smart plays, but occasionally get beat by bigger or faster players. Justin Bethel is our top special teamer, but according to Arians AND Patrick Peterson, is the best player physically in the secondary. Don't be surprised to see a lot of different looks with back up safety Tony Jefferson and back up safety Chris Clemons as well. I think the Cardinals shut down the Rams wide receivers when matched up against the Cardinals secondary.

My next post, I'll predict how the game plays out.

 

[Krangthebrain]

We don't use insulting childish labels to describe our team here. You sure as freak won't be doing it either.

Ok.

 

[Memento]

Am I now? I have no idea who you are, nor do I care. It seems I struck a nerve with you....

As far as how I see the Rams. I do this so you can see my (our?) perception, not what the reality actually is:

Obviously the Rams have a great defensive line. Aaron Donald was a guy I liked a lot coming out, and I argued that the Cardinals should've taken Robert Quinn the year we took Peterson. Brockers, Fairley, and the rest of the Rams defensive line are very solid. The problem with using so many high picks is that it's unsustainable long term for the Rams to try and lock up all those players. (Not a problem. Fairley's a one year rental. Hayes and Sims are only signed for one year as well, and Long could very well take a paycut. We'll definitely re-sign Brockers and Donald.)

The LB corps is good, but I suspect Ogletree is a hair overrated. Good, not great player. Laurinaitis is solid, but not spectacular. (And yet he leads the league in tackles, gets sacks, and is very fast. Also include Mark Barron. You know the name. You'll be seeing him.)

From reading Rams forums, I think Rams fans overrate the Rams secondary. Jenkins would be the Cardinals 4th corner behind Peterson, Powers (highly underrated player), and Mathieu. The rest of the Rams secondary is ho-hum, and I think they can be exposed if teams can hold up against the onslaught of the Rams d-line. (Agreed on Jenkins, but not on T.J. McDonald. McDonald's turned into one of the better strong safeties. Lamarcus Joyner is another name to watch..)

As far as offense goes, Foles is a limited player. He doesn't have big time arm strength and isn't very mobile. He's not a bad player, but he isn't a top 15 QB. I think you can win with Foles if the supporting cast is good enough, but I don't think Foles makes the Rams a better team. He's a QB who will only take a team as far as the talent on the OL, RB, and WR/TE is.

From reading comments on this board, I think the fans here overrate your RB talent. I wanted Gurley for the Cardinals, but I don't expect him to be good any time soon considering the time required to recover from his ACL tear. If the Rams thought he would improve their chances of winning now, Gurley was a terrible pick. I'm not saying I dislike Gurley, I'm just saying I don't think he will have a big time rookie year. Tre Mason is a nice complimentary player, but he is not a starting RB. (Cunningham is in as well. We'll probably split carries. I agree that Gurley needs time to get his legs under him, but he's a great player for our system.)

The Rams WR corps is a dumpster fire. I would argue the Rams have one of the worst WR corps in the NFL. Britt is a decent player, but not a top WR. Givens has been good for stretches but he is inconsistent (I had him on my fantasy team). Brian Quick? I remember when Fisher tried to say he was better than Michael Floyd. Tavon Austin is a nice player, but the problem is he needs to be moved around and "protected" and I don't think the Rams have the other weapons to allow Austin to be the game breaker that he could be. (You're forgetting Stedman Bailey. Very good third down receiver. Austin has had moments where he could've had touchdowns if Foles threw a better ball. A healthy Quick is a dominant force. Also, if you ever call our team a dumpster fire again, you'll probably be banned. This isn't a Cardinals forum.)

The Rams offensive line is not good. Robinson is shading closer to bust category, and I didn't expect that, I really like him coming out of Auburn. I'm not too familiar with Jamon Brown, but from I've read on Rams sites, it sounds like he is rounding into shape. Saffold is a decent player, but offensive lines require more than one or two decent players to be good. Rob Havenstein? Nearly every Wisconsin offensive lineman who has come out in the past decade or two has been terrible in the NFL despite the schools reputation. (Totally false. Fredrick, Wagner, Urbik, Zietler, and Joe fucking Thomas. As for Robinson, he was always going to be a long-term prospect, but I still love his potential, and I can't call him a bust yet.)

The real problem with the Rams is coaching though; how many years does Jeff Fisher need? How many more high picks? How many more press conferences where he talks about how the Rams could easily be 3-0 right now. Honestly, as a fan of a divisional opponent, I hope the Rams continue to be hoodwinked by this guy. Fisher is not a good head coach. He's good for 8-8, 7-9, or 6-10 every year. The Titans figured this out and moved on, and the Titans were in a weaker overall division than what the Rams are.

I'll post my view of the Cardinals next....

My responses to yours are in parentheses.

 

[Krangthebrain]

I see this game playing out like this:

On offense, the Cardinals aren't going to find too much success running the ball. I think they average in the high 3s (3.6-3.) per carry, but most of those yards coming on a few big runs (15-30 yard runs). I think the Rams defensive line gets 2-3 sacks, and disrupts Palmer enough that the Cardinals don't maintain their ridiculous offensive pace. I think Fitzgerald has a big day exploiting the seams in the defense and John Brown catches a deep ball.

I don't think the Rams offense has much success. The Cardinals are #1 at stopping the run and allow only 16 points a game. The Rams wide receivers won't be able to get open and I think the Cardinals get 3-4 coverage sacks rushing the slow footed Nick Foles. I think Foles throws 2 interceptions.

Final Score: Cardinals 23 - Rams 10.

 

[Krangthebrain]

My responses to yours are in parentheses.

Hmmm....I have to rethink the Wisconsin comment based on the past 3-4 drafts....you are spot on here. If you go back to before Joe Thomas, Wisconsin lineman had this reputation that didn't match their actual pro performance.

 

[FrantikRam]

Am I now? I have no idea who you are, nor do I care. It seems I struck a nerve with you....

As far as how I see the Rams. I do this so you can see my (our?) perception, not what the reality actually is:

Obviously the Rams have a great defensive line. Aaron Donald was a guy I liked a lot coming out, and I argued that the Cardinals should've taken Robert Quinn the year we took Peterson. Brockers, Fairley, and the rest of the Rams defensive line are very solid. The problem with using so many high picks is that it's unsustainable long term for the Rams to try and lock up all those players.

The LB corps is good, but I suspect Ogletree is a hair overrated. Good, not great player. Laurinaitis is solid, but not spectacular.

From reading Rams forums, I think Rams fans overrate the Rams secondary. Jenkins would be the Cardinals 4th corner behind Peterson, Powers (highly underrated player), and Mathieu. The rest of the Rams secondary is ho-hum, and I think they can be exposed if teams can hold up against the onslaught of the Rams d-line.

As far as offense goes, Foles is a limited player. He doesn't have big time arm strength and isn't very mobile. He's not a bad player, but he isn't a top 15 QB. I think you can win with Foles if the supporting cast is good enough, but I don't think Foles makes the Rams a better team. He's a QB who will only take a team as far as the talent on the OL, RB, and WR/TE is.

From reading comments on this board, I think the fans here overrate your RB talent. I wanted Gurley for the Cardinals, but I don't expect him to be good any time soon considering the time required to recover from his ACL tear. If the Rams thought he would improve their chances of winning now, Gurley was a terrible pick. I'm not saying I dislike Gurley, I'm just saying I don't think he will have a big time rookie year. Tre Mason is a nice complimentary player, but he is not a starting RB.

The Rams WR corps is a dumpster fire. I would argue the Rams have one of the worst WR corps in the NFL. Britt is a decent player, but not a top WR. Givens has been good for stretches but he is inconsistent (I had him on my fantasy team). Brian Quick? I remember when Fisher tried to say he was better than Michael Floyd. Tavon Austin is a nice player, but the problem is he needs to be moved around and "protected" and I don't think the Rams have the other weapons to allow Austin to be the game breaker that he could be.

The Rams offensive line is not good. Robinson is shading closer to bust category, and I didn't expect that, I really like him coming out of Auburn. I'm not too familiar with Jamon Brown, but from I've read on Rams sites, it sounds like he is rounding into shape. Saffold is a decent player, but offensive lines require more than one or two decent players to be good. Rob Havenstein? Nearly every Wisconsin offensive lineman who has come out in the past decade or two has been terrible in the NFL despite the schools reputation.

The real problem with the Rams is coaching though; how many years does Jeff Fisher need? How many more high picks? How many more press conferences where he talks about how the Rams could easily be 3-0 right now. Honestly, as a fan of a divisional opponent, I hope the Rams continue to be hoodwinked by this guy. Fisher is not a good head coach. He's good for 8-8, 7-9, or 6-10 every year. The Titans figured this out and moved on, and the Titans were in a weaker overall division than what the Rams are.

I'll post my view of the Cardinals next....

First, you nailed the defensive line and LBs - JL is a tad overrated. Ogletree is having his best year thus far.

I think you're flat out wrong about the secondary. Jenkins would be your 2nd best CB. Mathieu has shown to be a playmaker, but no more so than Jenkins (6 defensive TDs in first three seasons). Otherwise, how often does Mathieu line up against a teams #1 WR?? Jenkins does it in every game. Trumaine Johnson is very underrated. McDonald is an above average safety. Overall the Rams have superior talent on defense to the Cardinals, but the Cardinals have had more overall success.

Tre Mason is capable of being a starting RB. He showed that last year. In a vacuum, I'd take him over every Cardinals back....Ellington is the one who is not capable of being a starting RB. Gurley was drafted for the future, not for this year.

The WRs are not that bad. They're in the bottom half of the league, but not one of the worst.

The offensive line has played bad - but then again, there's a lot of inexperience and we knew this is how it would be. Their potential is sky high, and Robinson has not even played a full season's worth of games yet..WAY too early to declare him a bust.


How many years does Fisher need?? There are Rams fans that look to his record and say "wow, maybe he is just average". But I'll tell you what...let's look at the foundations that Arians vs. Fisher inherited:

Cardinals were in the playoffs with the coach before Arians (Whisenhunt). Despite Cardinals fans' incredible dislike for the man, he led the team to the playoffs in 2008 and 2009. 2010-2012 the Cardinals slowly spiraled downward. Arians inherited a talented defense and promptly traded for Carson Palmer. Has Arians done a good job? Yes. How many other coaches would coach the Cardinals to double digit wins the last two years with those players in place and the schedule they faced? I believe a few could have done it.

On the flip side, the Rams were coached to incompetence over and over and over. Hadn't had an 8-8 season since 2006. It takes a little while to undo the longest stretch of incompetence in NFL history.

It's tough enough to stomach Seahawk fans and their idiotic hatred for Jeff Fisher....but I have a MUCH harder time dealing with it from Cardinal fans - Arians has never coached a team to the superbowl. Fisher has. Yep, Fisher has coached for a long time. But he also coached the Titans to some really good years. And saying he did it in a weaker division is a bit ignorant considering he had to do it against the best QB of all time, in his prime. The offenses in the NFC West are like special Olympics compared to the Colts in the early to mid 2000s. And don't forget, he coached the Titans before the realignment. So when he made it to the superbowl in 1999, the Titans were in the same division as the Jaguars (14-2 that year), Ravens (won the superbowl the following season), and Steelers.

We're frustrated because we think we should be better. I can't see us beating the Cardinals on Sunday, but your team has had the most favorable schedule in the NFL thus far. 3 of 4 games at home, and none of those teams made the playoffs last year. I doubt any team has had it this easy.

 

[DVontel]

First, you nailed the defensive line and LBs - JL is a tad overrated. Ogletree is having his best year thus far.

I think you're flat out wrong about the secondary. Jenkins would be your 2nd best CB. Mathieu has shown to be a playmaker, but no more so than Jenkins (6 defensive TDs in first three seasons). Otherwise, how often does Mathieu line up against a teams #1 WR?? Jenkins does it in every game. Trumaine Johnson is very underrated. McDonald is an above average safety. Overall the Rams have superior talent on defense to the Cardinals, but the Cardinals have had more overall success.

Tre Mason is capable of being a starting RB. He showed that last year. In a vacuum, I'd take him over every Cardinals back....Ellington is the one who is not capable of being a starting RB. Gurley was drafted for the future, not for this year.

The WRs are not that bad. They're in the bottom half of the league, but not one of the worst.

The offensive line has played bad - but then again, there's a lot of inexperience and we knew this is how it would be. Their potential is sky high, and Robinson has not even played a full season's worth of games yet..WAY too early to declare him a bust.


How many years does Fisher need?? There are Rams fans that look to his record and say "wow, maybe he is just average". But I'll tell you what...let's look at the foundations that Arians vs. Fisher inherited:

Cardinals were in the playoffs with the coach before Arians (Whisenhunt). Despite Cardinals fans' incredible dislike for the man, he led the team to the playoffs in 2008 and 2009. 2010-2012 the Cardinals slowly spiraled downward. Arians inherited a talented defense and promptly traded for Carson Palmer. Has Arians done a good job? Yes. How many other coaches would coach the Cardinals to double digit wins the last two years with those players in place and the schedule they faced? I believe a few could have done it.

On the flip side, the Rams were coached to incompetence over and over and over. Hadn't had an 8-8 season since 2006. It takes a little while to undo the longest stretch of incompetence in NFL history.

It's tough enough to stomach Seahawk fans and their idiotic hatred for Jeff Fisher....but I have a MUCH harder time dealing with it from Cardinal fans - Arians has never coached a team to the superbowl. Fisher has. Yep, Fisher has coached for a long time. But he also coached the Titans to some really good years. And saying he did it in a weaker division is a bit ignorant considering he had to do it against the best QB of all time, in his prime. The offenses in the NFC West are like special Olympics compared to the Colts in the early to mid 2000s. And don't forget, he coached the Titans before the realignment. So when he made it to the superbowl in 1999, the Titans were in the same division as the Jaguars (14-2 that year), Ravens (won the superbowl the following season), and Steelers.

We're frustrated because we think we should be better. I can't see us beating the Cardinals on Sunday, but your team has had the most favorable schedule in the NFL thus far. 3 of 4 games at home, and none of those teams made the playoffs last year. I doubt any team has had it this easy.

I like McDonald. I think he's very solid player & probably the most underrated safety in the league, actually I think it's kind of insult of you calling him just an above-average safety when he's better than that, lol, but I strongly disagree disagree with Janoris being the 2nd best CB on on our team. I'm not even sure if he's the 2nd best CB on his own team with a healthy Gaines cause by the looks by most on this forum, they would rather extend Trumaine rather than Janoris. Janoris is known for being a gambler, he likes to go for splash plays, sometimes he splashes, but sometimes he misses, & probably misses more than splashes nowadays due to what I've seen dating back to last season & reading this board. Is it because of his mental aspect?

And I don't understand, how can we not have not superior talent on defense(I'm not denying nor agreeing) if we have had more overall success? Are you saying we just been overachieving? Cause of Scheme?

 

[FrantikRam]

I like McDonald. I think he's very solid player & probably the most underrated safety in the league, actually I think it's kind of insult of you calling him just an above-average safety when he's better than that, lol, but I strongly disagree disagree with Janoris being the 2nd best CB on on our team. I'm not even sure if he's the 2nd best CB on his own team with a healthy Gaines cause by the looks by most on this forum, they would rather extend Trumaine rather than Janoris. Janoris is known for being a gambler, he likes to go for splash plays, sometimes he splashes, but sometimes he misses, & probably misses more than splashes nowadays due to what I've seen dating back to last season & reading this board. Is it because of his mental aspect?

He's actually a junkie...takes notes on all the WRs he's going to cover. Lots of people see the big plays we've given up and automatically blame Jenkins if he's trailing on the play. But in a lot of these scenarios, we as fans will never know who was at fault. What I do know is that there have been quite a few games where QBs don't even throw his way....this year against the Seahawks. And while Antonio Brown caught 11 for 108, that's the worst game he's had this season. I'm sure he would have gotten some more if Ben didn't go down, but our defense was starting to slow them down even before Ben got hurt. Jenkins is the best CB on this team and he's definitely better than Powers. I think Jenkins gets a bad rap but he's a good player.

 

[DVontel]

He's actually a junkie...takes notes on all the WRs he's going to cover. Lots of people see the big plays we've given up and automatically blame Jenkins if he's trailing on the play. But in a lot of these scenarios, we as fans will never know who was at fault. What I do know is that there have been quite a few games where QBs don't even throw his way....this year against the Seahawks. And while Antonio Brown caught 11 for 108, that's the worst game he's had this season. I'm sure he would have gotten some more if Ben didn't go down, but our defense was starting to slow them down even before Ben got hurt. Jenkins is the best CB on this team and he's definitely better than Powers. I think Jenkins gets a bad rap but he's a good player.

I disagree with both of these statements, but I definitely respect your opinion.

Can you also answer the bottom part? I edited it at the last minute so I know you didn't see it.

 

[Krangthebrain]

He's actually a junkie...takes notes on all the WRs he's going to cover. Lots of people see the big plays we've given up and automatically blame Jenkins if he's trailing on the play. But in a lot of these scenarios, we as fans will never know who was at fault. What I do know is that there have been quite a few games where QBs don't even throw his way....this year against the Seahawks. And while Antonio Brown caught 11 for 108, that's the worst game he's had this season. I'm sure he would have gotten some more if Ben didn't go down, but our defense was starting to slow them down even before Ben got hurt. Jenkins is the best CB on this team and he's definitely better than Powers. I think Jenkins gets a bad rap but he's a good player.

I wouldn't call it a positive to shutdown Seahawks receivers...in fact I expect even middling CBs to do that.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/player/22201/jerraud-powers vs.
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/player/29550/janoris-jenkins

Football outsiders agrees with the argument that Powers is in fact better rated than Jenkins.

Not saying Jenkins is a bad player, but he's not a top CB. If he were my top CB, I would be worried playing against good receivers..

 

[FrantikRam]

I like McDonald. I think he's very solid player & probably the most underrated safety in the league, actually I think it's kind of insult of you calling him just an above-average safety when he's better than that, lol, but I strongly disagree disagree with Janoris being the 2nd best CB on on our team. I'm not even sure if he's the 2nd best CB on his own team with a healthy Gaines cause by the looks by most on this forum, they would rather extend Trumaine rather than Janoris. Janoris is known for being a gambler, he likes to go for splash plays, sometimes he splashes, but sometimes he misses, & probably misses more than splashes nowadays due to what I've seen dating back to last season & reading this board. Is it because of his mental aspect?

And I don't understand, how can we not have not superior talent on defense(I'm not denying nor agreeing) if we have had more overall success? Are you saying we just been overachieving? Cause of Scheme?

Yep no problem. This is obviously my opinion, and it's not one that the average Cardinal fan would agree with.

For me, there are too many variables that can determine the outcome of a game that have nothing to do with talent....officiating, home field advantage, injuries...

And a major variable for seasons: the schedule.

This season is hard to pit our defenses against each other because we haven't played a common opponent. We've both played two home games and one road game against a bad team. Obviously the Cardinals are a better overall team than the Rams. But, defensively, I'd rather have our defense. Dating back to last year, the Cards defense has been good at not allowing points. But fairly bad at allowing yards.

If you look up who has the number one overall defense in the NFL, the default metric is yards. IMO that is accurate because it tells you who wins on a given play - not just in the redzone. The Rams defense I believe is better at yielding less yards. When you factor in that the Cardinals offense is vastly superior to the Rams, it makes a difference. The defense can play a bit looser, defensive calls will be different, and the defense doesn't feel like it has to win a game.

Having said all that, the average fan would tell you the Cardinals defense has had more overall success - better team record, better at not allowing points, and better at forcing turn overs. But I'd take the Rams personnel all day.

 

[jrry32]

I wouldn't call it a positive to shutdown Seahawks receivers...in fact I expect even middling CBs to do that.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/player/22201/jerraud-powers vs.
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/player/29550/janoris-jenkins

Football outsiders agrees with the argument that Powers is in fact better rated than Jenkins.

Not saying Jenkins is a bad player, but he's not a top CB. If he were my top CB, I would be worried playing against good receivers..

Jerraud Powers? Generally, you want to establish credibility on a new board before you start saying batshit crazy things.

 

[FrantikRam]

I wouldn't call it a positive to shutdown Seahawks receivers...in fact I expect even middling CBs to do that.

http://www.footballoutsiders.com/player/22201/jerraud-powers vs.
http://www.footballoutsiders.com/player/29550/janoris-jenkins

Football outsiders agrees with the argument that Powers is in fact better rated than Jenkins.

Not saying Jenkins is a bad player, but he's not a top CB. If he were my top CB, I would be worried playing against good receivers..

That doesn't mean much to me...they play in different schemes with different players around them. If coaches had to pick, I'm pretty confident Jenkins would be picked ahead of Powers. And I'm not worried playing against good receivers with Jenkins out there. CB is the toughest position to play, and there have been people that have said Patrick Peterson has been overrated. It's not a position a lot of people agree on.

 

[jrry32]

Rob Havenstein? Nearly every Wisconsin offensive lineman who has come out in the past decade or two has been terrible in the NFL despite the schools reputation.

From 2005 to 2014, there were 10 Wisconsin OLs drafted. Here they are:
http://pfref.com/tiny/UJvdA

By my count, you have three busts in Moffitt, Carimi, and Konz. You have a future HOFer in Joe Thomas. You have one of the best Centers in the NFL in Travis Frederick. You have a very good starting OG in Kevin Zeitler. You have a decent starting RT in Ricky Wagner. Then you have three guys (Buenning, Nagy, and Urbik) that performed about as you'd expect from a guy drafted where they were.

So this is a very inaccurate statement.

 

[Krangthebrain]

That doesn't mean much to me...they play in different schemes with different players around them. If coaches had to pick, I'm pretty confident Jenkins would be picked ahead of Powers. And I'm not worried playing against good receivers with Jenkins out there. CB is the toughest position to play, and there have been people that have said Patrick Peterson has been overrated. It's not a position a lot of people agree on.

Peterson has been overrated. He shuts down Dez Bryant but then gets schooled by Julio Jones. He makes the Pro Bowl based on name recognition. The frustrating thing about Peterson is the fact that he shuts down top guys, and then next week goes out and gets schooled by Michael Crabtree. He's a great player who hasn't realized his greatness yet.

I think quite a few of our fans are confident Peterson has turned a corner; he lost 20 lbs in the offseason and has his diabetes under control. Last season his diabetes seemed to play a major role in his sometimes lethargic player.

This year teams aren't really throwing on Peterson at all.

 

[jrry32]

That doesn't mean much to me...they play in different schemes with different players around them. If coaches had to pick, I'm pretty confident Jenkins would be picked ahead of Powers. And I'm not worried playing against good receivers with Jenkins out there. CB is the toughest position to play, and there have been people that have said Patrick Peterson has been overrated. It's not a position a lot of people agree on.

Patrick Peterson is a great CB (he's finally playing up to potential after being very inconsistent in the past). Tyrann Mathieu is a great player. No doubt. Powers is an average CB. No doubt in my mind Janoris Jenkins would get taken over him. This is like somebody taking Randall Cobb over A.J. Green.

 

[DVontel]

Patrick Peterson is a great CB (he's finally playing up to potential after being very inconsistent in the past). Tyrann Mathieu is a great player. No doubt. Powers is an average CB. No doubt in my mind Janoris Jenkins would get taken over him. This is like somebody taking Randall Cobb over A.J. Green.

What is your opinion on Janoris? I see him catch a lot of heat here. More so than Trumaine(who I think him & Gaines are better from watching Rams' games.

 

[jrry32]

What is your opinion on Janoris? I see him catch a lot of heat here. More so than Trumaine(who I think him & Gaines are better from watching Rams' games.

Aggressive player that gambles too much but has tremendous talent. #1 caliber ability but needs to play smarter. But has been hindered by poor safety play behind him leaving him holding the bag multiple times when others made mistakes.(although, he's made plenty of his own...such as the Brandon Lloyd TD last year)

 

[Krangthebrain]

From 2005 to 2014, there were 10 Wisconsin OLs drafted. Here they are:
http://pfref.com/tiny/UJvdA

By my count, you have three busts in Moffitt, Carimi, and Konz. You have a future HOFer in Joe Thomas. You have one of the best Centers in the NFL in Travis Frederick. You have a very good starting OG in Kevin Zeitler. You have a decent starting RT in Ricky Wagner. Then you have three guys (Buenning, Nagy, and Urbik) that performed about as you'd expect from a guy drafted where they were.

So this is a very inaccurate statement.

I admitted as much earlier; The Badgers used to be vastly overrated, but as you have pointed out, that is clearly not the case anymore.

 

[jrry32]

I see this game playing out like this:

On offense, the Cardinals aren't going to find too much success running the ball. I think they average in the high 3s (3.6-3.) per carry, but most of those yards coming on a few big runs (15-30 yard runs). I think the Rams defensive line gets 2-3 sacks, and disrupts Palmer enough that the Cardinals don't maintain their ridiculous offensive pace. I think Fitzgerald has a big day exploiting the seams in the defense and John Brown catches a deep ball.

I don't think the Rams offense has much success. The Cardinals are #1 at stopping the run and allow only 16 points a game. The Rams wide receivers won't be able to get open and I think the Cardinals get 3-4 coverage sacks rushing the slow footed Nick Foles. I think Foles throws 2 interceptions.

Final Score: Cardinals 23 - Rams 10.

I think you have a misconception of the Rams defense. It's possible that all of this happens but Gregg Williams's scheme is specifically aimed at stopping teams from throwing the ball down the field. You have to earn points with quick passes in the 0-10 yard range. Fitzgerald will probably have a big day. But it'll be attacking zone coverage on short routes. My guess would be something like 7 catches for 80 yards and a TD. Because he's Fitzgerald. Wouldn't surprise me if he had like 10 catches for 105 yards and a TD.

But I'm not expecting Palmer to throw all over us. If you guys are going to have offensive success, you have to run the ball effectively. If you do that, your offense will have a big day because it opens up the big plays and neutralizes the pass rush to an extent. But if you can't establish a run game, it's going to put you in unfavorable downs against a defense that feasts on that.

I know Arians loves taking his shots but Williams is going to make you earn every yard. If you want points, it's going to mean being patient with long drives. If you try to force the ball down the field, it's going to get your offense into trouble.

As for the Rams offense? Who knows what they'll do. Foles is inconsistent. Our OL has been completely ineffective at zone blocking (competent in pass pro) but our coaches keep using it. Our WRs/TEs dropped passes left and right last week. And our HBs are still rounding into shape. Tavon Austin has been about the only guy who has actually shown up as a threat in each game. The question is if Todd Gurley can get it going this week. Personally, I think we should run more power blocking based plays because that's what Gurley is used to. It'll let him get into a comfort zone. But if he can run the ball effectively, it'll make a huge difference as he has the speed to take one the distance. Mason and Cunningham both should be serviceable. Mason might be more or less than that. Depends on the blocking up-front.

 

[Cardncub]

Nice new board we have here.. cardams on demand

Don't you ever work anymore?

 

[Krangthebrain]

I think you have a misconception of the Rams defense. It's possible that all of this happens but Gregg Williams's scheme is specifically aimed at stopping teams from throwing the ball down the field. You have to earn points with quick passes in the 0-10 yard range. Fitzgerald will probably have a big day. But it'll be attacking zone coverage on short routes. My guess would be something like 7 catches for 80 yards and a TD. Because he's Fitzgerald. Wouldn't surprise me if he had like 10 catches for 105 yards and a TD.

But I'm not expecting Palmer to throw all over us. If you guys are going to have offensive success, you have to run the ball effectively. If you do that, your offense will have a big day because it opens up the big plays and neutralizes the pass rush to an extent. But if you can't establish a run game, it's going to put you in unfavorable downs against a defense that feasts on that.

I know Arians loves taking his shots but Williams is going to make you earn every yard. If you want points, it's going to mean being patient with long drives. If you try to force the ball down the field, it's going to get your offense into trouble.

As for the Rams offense? Who knows what they'll do. Foles is inconsistent. Our OL has been completely ineffective at zone blocking (competent in pass pro) but our coaches keep using it. Our WRs/TEs dropped passes left and right last week. And our HBs are still rounding into shape. Tavon Austin has been about the only guy who has actually shown up as a threat in each game. The question is if Todd Gurley can get it going this week. Personally, I think we should run more power blocking based plays because that's what Gurley is used to. It'll let him get into a comfort zone. But if he can run the ball effectively, it'll make a huge difference as he has the speed to take one the distance. Mason and Cunningham both should be serviceable. Mason might be more or less than that. Depends on the blocking up-front.

Nice breakdown, appreciate your analysis.

Part of the reasoning for Arians to take the deep shots is to open up the middle of the field and open up the run game. If the Rams try to bring 8 in the box, watch out for John Brown, Mike Floyd, and Jaron Brown on deeper routes.

This is the Cardinals first test; we've beaten the bad teams the way a good team should.

 

[jrry32]

Nice breakdown, appreciate your analysis.

Part of the reasoning for Arians to take the deep shots is to open up the middle of the field and open up the run game. If the Rams try to bring 8 in the box, watch out for John Brown, Mike Floyd, and Jaron Brown on deeper routes.

This is the Cardinals first test; we've beaten the bad teams the way a good team should.

The Rams will bring 8 in the box.(Williams loves the big nickel with both Barron and McDonald in the box) But the thing is that they can get away with it because they play soft coverage outside and have their CBs play over the top of the WRs. Which makes it difficult to take those deep shots because you have to let the route develop.

You mind telling Jeff Fisher that good teams are supposed to beat bad teams? I think he believes that good teams only beat their division rivals.