Tale of the offensive tape: ‘99 Rams v. ‘06 Cardinals

By Connor Byrne  |   Wednesday, June 21, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Arizona Cardinals
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Lately, the Arizona Cardinals' high-powered offense has gained much notoriety because of its vast amounts of firepower. The Cardinals' starting quarterback, Kurt Warner, a former league MVP with the St. Louis Rams, knows what it's like to have a great offense. In 1999, it was Warner who was at the forefront of the Rams' dominant, Super Bowl-winning offense. That season, the Rams shocked the football world, going 13-3 en route to their first and only championship.

Since Warner is in Arizona, many are beginning to make comparisons between the Cardinals' offense and the Rams' unit of seven years ago. Because comparisons are running rampant, it's an appropriate time to measure the two units up and see which one is the best.

Quarterback - As mentioned, the Rams had Warner during his heyday, while the Cardinals have the wily veteran now. Although today's 35-year-old version still has a great arm and a good head on his shoulders, the clear advantage goes to the Warner of yesteryear. During his breakout season, Warner threw for 4,353 yards and 41 touchdowns, leading St. Louis to the No. 1 offense in the game. Advantage: '99 Rams.

Running back - The Rams brought the game's best back to the table during their title season. That player was, of course, future Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk, who amassed an astounding 2,429 total yards and 87 receptions out of the backfield. The ex-San Diego State star gained over 1,300 yards on the ground, while totaling 12 touchdowns (seven rushing).

Meanwhile, the Cardinals bring Edgerrin James to the fore. It can certainly be argued that the 27-year-old James is the cream of the crop in today's NFL, but envisioning him putting up the type of yardage and making as many catches as Faulk did in '99 is nearly impossible. James will gain his 1,500+ yards as usual by ground, but he won't go for over 2,400 yards of total yardage. What gets lost is the fact that James is among the most adept pass-catchers from his position these days; however, he'll likely end up around the 50-60 mark. Advantage: '99 Rams.

Receivers - During their magical season, the Rams brought star Isaac Bruce, rookie Torry Holt, speedster Az Hakim and wily veteran Ricky Proehl as their primary wideouts. Bruce led the quartet with 77 receptions, 1,165 yards and 12 touchdowns. The rest combined for 121 catches and 14 regular season touchdowns. Certainly a solid group, but not as good as their counterpart, the Cardinals.

Last season, the Cardinals had the only wideout tandem in the game to each pull in over 100 receptions. Three-year pro Anquan Boldin had 102 and 1,402 yards, while two-year veteran Larry Fitzgerald bested his teammate with 103 and 1,409, respectively. To go along with those numbers, the duo combined for 17 touchdown catches. Arizona's No. 3 man, Bryant Johnson, had 40 receptions last season, making the Cardinals' top trio of targets easily the most productive in football, with a jaw-dropping 245 receptions.

In short, the Rams' foursome can't beat the Cardinals' triplets. Advantage: '06 Cardinals.

Tight ends - St. Louis ran a system which relied more on its receivers and running backs to catch passes, so the tight ends didn't get much action. Roland Williams was the leader of the group, as he pulled in 25 receptions and six touchdowns on what was primarily a blocking unit.

Adam Bergen led the Cardinals' tight ends in '05 with 28 catches and a touchdown. The expected starter entering the upcoming season is rookie third-rounder Leonard Pope, who dominated at the University of Georgia. The 6-7, 250-pound Pope has all the tools to be a force in the passing game, especially around the opposing goal-line. Advantage: '06 Cardinals.

Offensive line - It was often overlooked, but the Rams' line was among the steadiest in the league in '99. Perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Pace anchored the group, while key veterans like Tom Nutten, Adam Timmerman, Ryan Tucker and Andy McCollum finished it off. The fivesome's cohesion and performance was at the top of the charts. Obviously, it helped that all were and still are solid players, save for Nutten, who retired after last season.

Much like that Rams line, the Cardinals' unit of today isn't expected to perform well. However, the players are certainly there. For success, chemistry must be formed. Pro Bowl alternate left tackle Leonard Davis is at the forefront, just like Pace was in St. Louis. Next to him sits $17 million left guard Reggie Wells, who has the potential to be a great interior lineman. Accompanying that duo is center Alex Stepanovich, right guard Milford Brown and experienced right tackle Oliver Ross.

Without question, Arizona's current line catches a bad rap. Few expect it to be above-average, but that seems odd, since the talent is certainly there. Advantage: '99 Rams. Don't be surprised, though, if the Cardinals' line gets the job done this season.

Coaching - Head coach Dick Vermeil was an offensive-minded leader, but he stepped aside for coordinator Mike Martz, who has earned the reputation as a play-calling guru. Nobody can argue that, Martz took his unit to the top ranking in '99. The most notable assistant on Martz's side was receivers coach Al Saunders, the guru behind the Washington Redskins' current offense.

The Cardinals' head coach, Denny Green, has been known throughout his days in the pros as someone with an offensive mind. Green, the former Vikings' head coach, had some of the best units in the league in Minnesota. He still controls most of the Cardinals' offense, along with coordinator Keith Rowen.

The Cardinals' offensive coaches know what they're doing, but the Rams' staff was on a different level. Advantage: '99 Rams.

After breaking it down, it's fair to say the '99 St. Louis Rams have a better offense (on paper) than the current version of the Arizona Cardinals. Still, it's also fair to say that the Cards' offensive unit will be among the elite in the league this season. With talented players like Boldin, Fitzgerald, James and Pope, it's hard to imagine the Cardinals not accumulating a boatload of points this year.

--Connor J. Byrne can be reached at cbyrne@realfootball365.com

Get more on the Cardinals' offense at Realfootball365.com
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