huangjian123
kapitan
Pridružen/-a: 16.11. 2018, 09:04
Prispevkov: 73
|
 Objavljeno: 27 Dec 2018 02:46 Naslov sporočila: Arizona Cardinals T-Shirt |
 |
|
Don’t panic: Preaching patience after Week 1 of the Wilks era “We need to fire Wilks AND Keim.”“I’m done with Bradford put in Rosen.”“Mike McCoy needs to be fired.”Maybe the only thing more concerning than the Cardinals’ performance on the field yesterday was the RotB comment section. Sure www.cardinalscheapstore.com , most of it was probably just frustrated fans blowing off steam—and Cardinals fans definitely had reason to be frustrated—but there was a lot of this kind of sentiment before the game was even over. I haven’t seen an overreaction this bad since Veronica Corningstone told Ron Burgundy that he had bad hair.Now, no one blames Cardinals fans for, ahem, seeing red after yesterday’s game. We all know the numbers by now. Outgained 429 yards to 213, 30 first downs to 14. Time of possession 38 minutes to 22. One third down conversion. Only 37 yards rushing for David Johnson. A 4.5 YPA for Sam Bradford. To say nothing of the 24-6 final score. Yeah, it wasn’t a pretty start for the Steve Wilks era.But I’m here to tell Cardinals fans to not panic. I never thought it would be me—the guy who predicted the team to go 7-9, and saw a potential 5-11 season—but here we are. So, while there’s definitely reason to be concerned about the Cardinals after yesterday’s debacle of a season opener, it’s not time to panic. Here are a few reasons why. (All stats courtesy of ESPN.)Nothing That Happened Was SurprisingPerhaps the three biggest issues yesterday—shaky passing game, leaky run defense, and penalties—were also issues in the preseason. While it’s concerning that Wilks and his staff weren’t able to do more to address these known issues, at least no new problems surfaced. It might be time to panic if, say, Larry Fitzgerald looked old and slow instead of the lone bright spot in the passing game. Or if Chandler Jones and the pass rush struggled to generate pressure. Or if Patrick Peterson and Co. were beat over the top by Washington’s mediocre WRs. But none of that happened. What we thought would be strengths are strengths, and what we thought would be weaknesses are weaknesses. We can work with that.There Were Bright SpotsYou might have to squint a bit, sure, but it wasn’t all doom and gloom. As mentioned above, the pass rush was as advertised—the Redbirds generated 3 sacks and 8 QB hits in a game where the opponent really didn’t have to pass a lot. That should continue to be a strength. Washington WRs only had 8 catches (on 13 targets) 65 yards. Yes, that’s partially a function of Washington not needing to throw to them much (we were victimized by their RBs/TEs), but it’s still encouraging. The running game averaged 4.5 YPC—again, small sample size due to the game script, but we’ll take it. And special teams looked vastly improved. Andy Lee might’ve been our MVP yesterday (52.6 yards per punt, with 3 inside the 20) and rookie WR Christian Kirk had a nice long punt return, continuing his solid preseason play as PR. The game could’ve been even worse if it’s wasn’t for these areas.It’s Just One GameIt’s obvious, but that doesn’t make it not true. Week 1 was bad, yes, but it’s just one game out of 16. We wouldn’t be having the same kind of hyperbolic reactions if this were, say, Week 4 or Week 11 or any other week. For context, here are some teams who all lost in Week 1 last season: New England Arizona Cardinals T-Shirt , Tennessee, New Orleans, San Diego, Seattle鈥?oh, and Arizona. What do all those teams have in common? They all finished .500 or better, and the first three even made the playoffs. There’s plenty of season left to go—94%, to be exact. So let’s maybe hold off on talks of firings or benchings for now?It’ll Get Better (Mostly Because It Has To)Let’s face it—this was about as bad a debut as anyone could have imagined. But we’re not going to go down 21-0 in every game. Our non-Larry WRs aren’t going to catch only one pass per game (at least I hope not). Our defensive staff isn’t going to underestimate our opponent’s RBs every game (especially with Todd Gurley up next). Sam Bradford isn’t going to average 4.5 YPA every game. And, almost certainly, DJ isn’t going to touch the ball only 14 times every game. Yes, Wilks and his staff were badly outcoached yesterday, and we were badly outplayed on both sides of the ball, but this is not the new normal. I repeat: this is not the new normal. Wilks, Holcomb, McCoy, Bradford, and the rest will figure it out. It might not always translate to wins, but we will play better than this.Final Thoughts“I know this was a bad game but people need to calm down a bit.”“Relax, friends.”“Everyone calm down.”While it seemed like most Cardinals fans were ready to throw in the towel on the season, at least there were a few voices of reason out there in the RotB comments section. So I hope Cardinals Nation will follow their—and my—advice and don’t panic. It’s not time for that yet. And it won’t be even if we lose next week on the road against the Rams. Let’s give it a few weeks as this season—and this team—takes shape.So tell us, Cardinals fans, are you panicking already? Or are you like me and taking it a game at a time? Let’s all get through this together in the comments. MINNESOTA VIKINGS (14-4)OPEN CAMP: July 25 (rookies), July 28 (veterans), Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center, Eagan, MinnesotaLAST YEAR: Despite losing starting QB Sam Bradford after season opener and rookie RB Dalvin Cook in fourth game, both to knee injuries, Vikings rode backup QB Case Keenum and league-leading defense to second-most wins in franchise history. Beat Saints on last-second 61-yard TD pass from Keenum to WR Stefon Diggs in play dubbed "Minneapolis Miracle," before being trounced by Eagles in NFC championship game to miss chance of becoming NFL's first Super Bowl host to play in game.IMPORTANT ADDITIONS: Offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, QB Kirk Cousins, DT Sheldon Richardson Arizona Cardinals Hats , PK Daniel Carlson, CB/KR Mike Hughes, WR Kendall Wright, OG Tom Compton, QB Trevor Siemian, OT Brian O'Neill.IMPORTANT LOSSES: Keenum, Bradford, RB Jerick McKinnon, RG Joe Berger, WR Jarius Wright, DT Tom Johnson, DT Shamar Stephen, QB Teddy Bridgewater, OL Jeremiah Sirles.CAMP NEEDS: Cousins must continue to build chemistry with Diggs, WR Adam Thielen, TE Kyle Rudolph and rest of receivers, but even more important is establishment of healthy line in front of him. RT Rashod Hill will be in spotlight after taking most of first-team reps in spring practices while Mike Remmers moved to RG, and C Pat Elflein has catching up to do with Cousins on cadence and calls; Elflein was out of team drills all offseason in recovery from shoulder, ankle injuries. Cook looks to step back in as starting tailback 10 months after ACL surgery. First-round draft pick Hughes will have opportunity to earn jobs as primary KR and nickel CB.EXPECTATIONS: As high as ever, with fully guaranteed contract for Cousins and under-radar signing of Richardson to supplement one of league's most stacked rosters. With Diggs, DE Danielle Hunter and LB Anthony Barr on expiring contracts and handful of defense's stars nearing, at, or over 30, time is now for team's first title. Repeating last year's record won't be easy, with questions remaining on offensive line, where Berger's retirement created opening, and stiffer schedule that includes road trips to face Rams, Eagles, Patriots and Seahawks.
_________________
huangjian123 |
|
Pogosta vprašanja
Išči
Seznam članov
Skupine uporabnikov
RSS Feed
Registriraj se
Tvoj profil
Zasebna sporočila
Prijava
