My Cardinals scouting report

[w280sax]

1 minute ago, Wyank said:

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

Im sure we already do.  All fanbases do.

[w280sax]

1 minute ago, frash.exe said:

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. And if our run defense suddenly sucks on Sunday, it's going to be a long game.

I have a lot more confidence in the run defense.  Its odd but id rather they not get 1 dimensional like seattle had to due to the score.

[t96]

I like you man, you've been cool. Hope you stick around here. I think the Hawks are better than the Cardinals on both sides of the ball and on special teams so I'm more confident about this game going into it than I was going into yesterday.

 

Obviously the Cardinals receivers are probably the best in the league but their o-line isn't as good as the Hawks' has been recently, especially on the interior where KK will wreak havoc. Biggest thing though is I think Wilson is significantly better than Palmer in every aspect of QB play. Before yesterday I thought Wilson had been overhyped in the 2nd half of the year and it was because he played poor defenses that he put up those numbers. And he then he was terrible in the 1st half and I was loving it but the way he played the 2nd half was unbelievable. Granted, our cornerbacks outside of Josh aren't good but Wilson shook off the first half and damn near brought his team to the first ever win from being down 31-0 at half. Gonna be a great decade plus of Wilson and Cam battles going forward, replacing the Peyton/Brady battles of the past 15 or so years. I watched the Packers game on Saturday and what I saw from Palmer reminded me of Jake Delhomme back against the Cards. He was beyond terrible the entire game, and got as lucky as Wilson did against the Pack last year in the playoffs. Had 2 picks, 1 in the endzone but should have had 5 picks with 3 more in the endzone that Packers players dropped. That go ahead touchdown in the fourth was even luckier than Brady's 1st down to win the game. Wilson was able to put up 24 points against us in the 2nd half and now everyone thinks the Cardinals offense will dominate us but I don't think that's reasonable. Wilson is elite at extending plays and making big time passes. Palmer is not and will get crushed by KK and our speed rushers off the edge. And they have no running game (I like David Johnson but their o-line is poor so he won't have a lot of running room) or tight end to worry about so our backers can help out with their receivers.
 

As for the Cards' defense against our O I don't think they'll be able to stop us. Hawks run D is elite and hadn't allowed a 100 yard rusher all season. Running behind Kalil, Turner and Norwell, Stew will run all over the Cards' D. And I don't think they'll be able to stop Cam. They had huge issues against Russ running on them and I think Ginn, Philly and Funch and Cotch can do enough to put up points rather consistently against them.

 

Special teams... Panthers have been inconsistent in this regard all year, but for the most part bottled up Lockett who is a legitimate beast. He had that return to the 50 after half plus the penalty which helped spark the comeback attempt but other than that the coverage was perfect. Not sure how great the Cards' special teams is but I do know Peterson is nowhere near as good as Lockett so I'm pretty confident against them.

 

Should be a great game and this is the matchup I was wanting all along and I think it'll be close despite my last paragraphs basically saying how the Panthers will dominate, but I think Cam over Palmer will be the difference.

[FootballMaestro]

15 minutes 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. 

Do you feel the other secondary members can be picked on, and even Peterson if Ginn can run by him?

Of course, with the Ginn thing; you would just need it to happen once or twice (run by Peterson), and not expect it the entire game. 

And of course, Ginnn would have to eventually catch it (but I'm just asking about the run bye). LOL

[FootballMaestro]

4 minutes ago, frash.exe said:

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.

I think Beastmode's also saying, the fact that Palmer doesn't run around like RW can hurt the Panthers as well, because he can hit the open receivers on the blitz, instead of running around after his first read/quick throws taken away as Wilson does sometimes?

Of course, the Panthers defense seems to have more problems with mobile QB's, as scatback or cut back runners. So I hear ya.

[Ace_Aladdin]

28 minutes ago, Beast Mode said:

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. 

 

Good writeup but  I disagree with your arugment about Palmer and Wilson, Its wilson abillity to scramble and extend plays that opend up holes in the secondary. Wilson should have been sacked more but escaped as always. Our DL will have a better chance of getting to Palmer and our LBs will be able to drop back in coverage more. We will win by 2 TDs 

[GRWatcher]

Thanks, @Beast Mode. When considering the teams we've played this season, I think the Cardinals are most like Atlanta but much better. A QB with good pocket presence & fast, good WR's. A speedy defense which disguises well. It's gonna' be a tough, hard fought game. They play Seattle twice a year so they may think they will be ready for Cam & the option but that opens up a whole lot of our playbook too. How well their offense does, IMO, will depend on their o-line & keeping Palmer clean. We will miss Allen if he doesn't play; he may not have many sacks but he is very disruptive. It'll be a war in the trenches.

[Beast Mode]

7 minutes ago, FootballMaestro said:

Do you feel the other secondary members can be picked on, and even Peterson if Ginn can run by him?

Of course, with the Ginn thing; you would just need it to happen once or twice, and not expect it the entire game.   Of course, he has to eventually catch it. LOL

Kind of hard to say honestly.  I think Cotchery will get open underneath, but Funchess and Brown are enigmas.  I will say this though.. Justin Bethel and Jerraud Powers were utterly abused the last two games for Arizona.  Wilson threw at Peterson once (had him beat too, just overshot Lockett in the end zone) and threw at Powers/Bethel for all the other throws that didn't go to a TE.  Rodgers was shredding those guys too with the Packers 5th and 6th string WR's. I don't think Funchess or Brown will be confused for Odell Beckham any time soon, but these corners aren't very good outside of Peterson.  That's a big reason why Arizona is so aggressive blitzing a QB.. they try to mask those issues with pressure. 

 

3 minutes ago, FootballMaestro said:

I think Beastmode's also saying, the fact that Palmer doesn't run around like RW can hurt the Panthers as well, because he can hit the open receivers on the blitz, instead of running around after his first read/quick throws taken away as Wilson does sometimes?

Of course, the Panthers defense seems to have more problems with mobile QB's, as scatback or cut back runners. So I hear ya.

Bingo.  I think Wilson ran himself into sacks yesterday, one of them was a crippling play cause it happened right after the fake punt and set up a 3rd down and Raleigh on the next play.  Palmer obviously won't extend a play like Wilson can, but I think he handles a blitz slightly better than Wilson does. 

[cbarrier90]

Obviously Palmer being in changes things considerably, but by and large roster wise these are carbon copies of the teams that met in the Wild Card game last year. The difference is this year, both teams are healthy.

Should be a great game. Yes, Arizona put an unceremonious end to the Delhomme Era, but I find it difficult to find anything to hate about them.

Complete team, well run organization, plays sound football, in a transient, non-traditional market. Alot like us.

[frash.exe]

3 minutes ago, FootballMaestro said:

I think Beastmode's also saying, the fact that Palmer doesn't run around like RW can hurt the Panthers as well, because he can hit the open receivers on the blitz, instead of running around after his first read/quick throws taken away as Wilson does sometimes?

Of course, the Panthers defense seems to have more problems with mobile QB's, as scatback or cut back runners. So I hear ya.

I know. I'd be much more comfortable if we still had Benwikere and Tillman. Thanks to that fuging Atlanta blowout where 9 guys went down with injuries, as well as the fact that Tillman's body simply fell apart, our only option is to create pressure to force turnovers. I don't think we're going to see any coverage sacks for the rest of the season. Who the fug are we putting Norman on? Fitzgerald? I guess it makes sense but then I feel like we're going to give up some bombs to John Brown.

[beastson]

Appreciate this.

[FootballMaestro]

13 minutes ago, frash.exe said:

I know. I'd be much more comfortable if we still had Benwikere and Tillman. Thanks to that fuging Atlanta blowout where 9 guys went down with injuries, as well as the fact that Tillman's body simply fell apart, our only option is to create pressure to force turnovers. I don't think we're going to see any coverage sacks for the rest of the season. Who the fug are we putting Norman on? Fitzgerald? I guess it makes sense but then I feel like we're going to give up some bombs to John Brown.

Well, let's just hope the Panthers get consistent pressure up the middle!?

[w280sax]

14 minutes ago, frash.exe said:

I know. I'd be much more comfortable if we still had Benwikere and Tillman. Thanks to that fuging Atlanta blowout where 9 guys went down with injuries, as well as the fact that Tillman's body simply fell apart, our only option is to create pressure to force turnovers. I don't think we're going to see any coverage sacks for the rest of the season. Who the fug are we putting Norman on? Fitzgerald? I guess it makes sense but then I feel like we're going to give up some bombs to John Brown.

Fitz plays the slot most of the time.  I cant imagine norman will cover him since he hasnt covered the slot all year.  Most people think norman will cover floyd and finnegan will cover fitz.  I hope finnegan has help because that is not the matchup we want.

[PhillyB]

nice contribution.