My Cardinals scouting report

[Beast Mode]

So .. not sure how many of you really follow the Cardinals during the season, maybe you paid a little extra attention to them this year since they were your biggest threat to HFA and now your lone obstacle to a trip to Santa Clara.. but I figured since I'm a Seahawks fan and get to see these guys 2x a year + various division games they play.. I'd give you guys a rundown of what to look for on Sunday!  (Not as though Ron Rivera will need my advice, but.. you know)

Cardinals Offense:

First things first, I think that given your injuries in the secondary.. where Arizona can really give Carolina some problems will be with their offense.  I think that while Russell Wilson does great things when he scrambles like his head is cut off, that a team like Carolina is almost better off facing that type of QB at the moment than a guy that can stand in the pocket and read/react to a blitz and target the weak links on the back end of your defense.  Carolina's front 7 is the best in football, but outside of Josh Norman.. there are some holes back there as I am sure you are well aware of.  Arizona loves to spread you out and use their speed to stretch a defense out vertically.  Then when they get you concerned about that vertical presence with John Brown and Michael Floyd, they will slice you up underneath with Larry Fitzgerald.  Arians is using Fitzgerald just like he used Hines Ward in his later stages as a player, and Fitzgerald hasn't aged a damn bit.  Just ask Green Bay that after the 4th quarter and OT on Saturday. 

Arizona will use rookie RB David Johnson for the most part, with Andre Ellington spelling him for a few plays here and there.  Since Johnson is a dangerous threat in the passing game, he stays out there a lot on 3rd downs.  I don't foresee Johnson doing much running the ball against a stout front 7, but he may make an impact in the passing game .. especially if the pressure from your front 7 + blitzes get to Palmer consistently forcing him to use Johnson as a check down. 

If the field conditions don't improve in six days (doubt that will happen) I think this absolutely helps out your defense.. as it will nullify some of their speed in the passing game. 

Another thing to look for when you play on Sunday is Bruce Arians is one cocky SOB.  This works against him as much as it works for him.  He's cut from the same cloth as Pete Carroll.. and even though Pete got a fake punt over on you guys, he also did the terrible thing of passing on a FG late.. and the clock management was utterly awful.  I don't expect the clock management gaffes to happen to Arizona, but in a close game or if you guys build an early lead.. look for Arians to try something out of the ordinary or even gamble on a 4th down attempt in a spot most coaches wouldn't.  His ego almost backfired miserably against the Packers as he threw the ball on 2nd and 9 late in the game Saturday giving Aaron Rodgers 40 more seconds to work with.  He's done that type of thing his entire time in Arizona.. again.. because he's pretty damn cocky.  

In a championship game, that can be a big deal. 

Cardinals Defense:

Unlike the Seahawks defense which basically runs only a handful of plays and coverages, the Cardinals will line up in a bunch of different looks and bring the heat over and over and over.  I expect Patrick Peterson to line up over Ted Ginn for much of the game.. as he has the speed to hang with Ginn and the size to make it difficult to beat him over the top, but the Cardinals aggression leaves them ripe for huge chunk plays in the passing game.  Deone Buchanan will be a very important part of the game on Sunday for the Cardinals, he's a strong safety that Arians deploys like a LB.. so I imagine Deone will have a big part in slowing down Greg Olsen and helping stop the running game of the Panthers.  The Cardinals secondary outside of Peterson is very average at best.. especially without Tyrann Mathieu at CB/S.  The Cardinals losing Mathieu would be like the Seahawks losing Earl Thomas.. Honey Badger did a LOT for this defense.  Especially given how frequently the team blitzes.  Honey Badger would be very Polamalu like in being deployed on blitzes or baiting QB's into throwing to where they think he is about to blitz from.. and he was just such a game changer back there for the Cardinals secondary.  The issue I see from Carolina's perspective is will they have a WR that can make the Cardinals pay?  Philly Brown and Devin Funchess will be asked to do a lot on Sunday for this very reason.  I think Jerricho Cotchery can be really big on Sunday as well, especially to get those 4-6 yard grabs for first downs. 

That said.. you guys are 16-1, so it's not like the league has suddenly gone "wow, Cam's not working with a lot of weapons here!" ... very clearly you guys are doing a lot of things right.  I think if you can get Stewart going in the running game just like you did on Sunday that the Cardinals are in trouble on defense.  If they bottle up the run and make you guys a bit one dimensional, thats where things can get a little interesting. 

Cardinals Special Teams:

Not a whole lot to write home about here.  Chandler Catanzaro played at Clemson, so I'm sure he's familiar with the kicking conditions in the Carolinas.. hes pretty steady kicking FG's but has missed a lot of PAT's.  Their punting game is average.  Their kick coverage unit though got ripped apart by the Seahawks ST unit.  A lot of that could be because of Tyler Lockett, but they just simply were not good covering kicks and punts.  That could be big in a closer game, especially with a guy like Ginn who is still dangerous enough returning punts to where he can swing some field position. 

Conclusion:

On paper this should be a really good game, the Cardinals and Panthers are the clear cream of the crop in the NFC this year so I expect a close, high scoring game.  I think ultimately the team that's won 16 of 17 games this season and has the league MVP will prevail.  I'm taking Carolina by a touchdown, 34-27. 

 

[heelinfine]

I would have pied you even if you had picked the Cards. Thanks for taking the time for such an in depth and informative break down. 

[w280sax]

Thanks for this.  Hope you stay around.  I agree that our secondary against their wrs is the biggest concern...we absolutely have to get pressure with the front 7 and make carson uncomfortable.  We need to take advantage of their coverage like you said.  A big ginn return could turn the game.

[IGSaint]

Nice post. You're one of the few decent Seahawk fans. 

[FootballMaestro]

Thanks Beastmode.

Very good write up, and we appreciate your perspective.

You are one of the absolute best visitors on the site (see I didn't want to potentially insult you saying "Seattle fans"). LOL

I'm not even gonna follow up or comment on anything you said. Cause after watching Palmer the past few games, who knows what to expect (though we hope he's still nervous and jittery). LOL

[heelinfine]

In your experience watching Palmer, how well does he handle pressure? Specifically inside pressure?

[2jakefansinva]

nice write up..........tried to pie ya and it won't let me.

[Wyank]

Nice write up.  I do feel like their offense matches up well with our defense.  Getting pressure with the front 4 will be huge in this game on d and being able to pound the rock on O.

[jackson113]

Hustlers are too busy still talking about the Seahawks.

[CLTPanther]

Good write up and glad to see you come back to show some respect. You guys have a lot of annoying fans, but you seem to be legit.. look forward to our rivalry for the next decade

[Beast Mode]

2 minutes ago, heelinfine said:

In your experience watching Palmer, how well does he handle pressure? Specifically inside pressure?

He's not Brady or Rodgers back there.. but he can make you pay too.  That said, if you get to him and make him feel the heat.. even if you don't sack him.. he does have a tendency to rush his throw and make a mistake.  Against the Packers he did this a few times.. one of them would have probably lost the game if Sam Shields didn't drop it. 

The interior pressure is definitely key though.  If you rush from the outside and let him step up in the pocket.. he can definitely do some damage.

Palmer is a lot like a really good pitcher in baseball.. if you let him get settled in, he can rip a defense apart.  But if you rattle him early, he's going to make some mistakes. 

[Wyank]

1 minute ago, CLTPanther said:

Good write up and glad to see you come back to show some respect. You guys have a lot of annoying fans, but you seem to be legit.. look forward to our rivalry for the next decade

If we win the SB, we'll have a lot of dumbass fans annoying other fan bases too.

[frash.exe]

Quality post

I had thought a bit about whether it was better to face Palmer with the 18 starting WRs Arizona has or Rodgers with no WRs. All due respect to Palmer, he cannot improvise under pressure like A-Rod or Russell Wilson. It's one of the most frustrating things about trying to defend those two guys. I think if the protection breaks down consistently, the Panthers can force Palmer into making mistakes. If they can't, ...ugh. Then we're going to have to rely on a big day by the offense, and try to limit Palmer's time taking snaps, otherwise it's going to be like Kurt Warner taking whatever he wants in the 2008 divisional all over again. And if our run defense suddenly sucks on Sunday, it's going to be a long game. Arizona's not an ideal matchup right now, especially when we're depleted at corner.

[heelinfine]

1 minute ago, Beast Mode said:

He's not Brady or Rodgers back there.. but he can make you pay too.  That said, if you get to him and make him feel the heat.. even if you don't sack him.. he does have a tendency to rush his throw and make a mistake.  Against the Packers he did this a few times.. one of them would have probably lost the game if Sam Shields didn't drop it. 

The interior pressure is definitely key though.  If you rush from the outside and let him step up in the pocket.. he can definitely do some damage.

Palmer is a lot like a really good pitcher in baseball.. if you let him get settled in, he can rip a defense apart.  But if you rattle him early, he's going to make some mistakes. 

Im hopeful that Short will be able to do some damage and rattle Palmer.