Improving Cardinals still looking up in NFC West

By Eddie Griffin  |   Monday, September 18, 2006  |  Comments( 0 )

Arizona Cardinals
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article!

The Arizona Cardinals are gradually pulling themselves closer and closer to the haves, but they still have a ways to go, as shown by their 21-10 loss to the Seahawks on Sunday.

But, the gap between the elite and the also-rans is getting smaller. True enough, something must be said for the Seahawks and how they haven't quite lived up to Super Bowl contender status in the first two weeks in rather subpar, unconvincing victories over opponents who are usually woodshed material, Detroit and Arizona. But, their issues are not mine to decipher.

Something else must be said for the amount of effort put forth by Arizona after Seattle had gone up 14-0 before most of Qwest Field's seats had ample time to get warm.

The Cardinal defense, which was borderline nonexistent in Week 1 against the 49ers (or is it that San Francisco's offense is all of a sudden just that darn good?) did a solid job of limiting the Seattle O to mostly peanuts for the last three quarters.

After the initial two drives and 17 plays, which netted 154 yards and two touchdowns in the first 10 minutes of the game, Arizona's defense held pat, forcing Seattle to punt five times, intercepting Matt Hasselbeck twice and blocking a short Josh Brown field goal. The only blemish was an 11-play, 80-yard drive that resulted in Seattle's final touchdown, and put the game away early in the fourth quarter.

Last year, had the Cardinals gotten in such a deep hole early, 14-0 would've been the beginning to a nasty blowout. Not only did the defense give the Cardinals a chance to gain themselves some respect but, from the looks of it, the team should've walked away with a win and an early division lead.

The stops by the defense put the offense in position to do plenty of damage, but an offense that should thrive in short-field situations faltered immensely, running into a brick wall made of both the Seattle defense and the foot-shooting Cardinals themselves.

There were two sustained drives in the first half, but both of those ended disappointingly, with two misses by Neil Rackers from 50-plus yards out. So, instead of being down by a touchdown and a two-point conversion at the half, it was still 14-0.

The Cards' real chance came in the third quarter, when they stopped Seattle cold on its first two possessions, while either moving or beginning in Seattle territory on all three of their possessions. But, they stalled at the Seahawk 43 on the first one and mustered only a field goal on the second, after starting at the Seattle 42.

Down 14-3, Arizona was back in the game, and the defense put the team in a position to get even closer, forcing a three- and-out and a punt that put Warner and the gang on the right side of the 50 yet again, this time at the 46. But, the offense not only failed to move the ball, it went backwards, making way for the punt unit.

Had the Cardinals managed to get something, even just a field goal, it would've pulled them within a touchdown, with momentum on their side and over a quarter to play. But, within minutes, what could've been 14-6 or 14-10 was 21-3, and the mountain was just too big to climb for Arizona, despite an immediate touchdown that countered the Seahawks' final score of the day.

It's an encouraging sign that the Cardinals didn't give up after getting ambushed early. But what separates teams like the Seahawks (on most days) is much more than effort on one side of the ball.

Along with a poor offensive day, the Cardinals fumbled five times, and were lucky to only lose one of them. Throw in a Kurt Warner INT, the two missed field goals and that overall failure to capitalize on the most golden of golden opportunities, and Arizona blew a chance to make a serious statement to the division and the league.

Capitalization in football is equally as important as it is when you're writing your midterm essay. If you don't capitalize when you should, that's points off the board, in both cases.

And just like learning proper grammar and usage can sometimes take a while to perfect, so does becoming an overall efficient football team.

It's clear that the Cardinals want to be among the elite, and they have what it takes to be among the elite, but for that to happen, they're going to have put in a complete game on both sides of the ball.

And, in the first two weeks, it's been one way or the other, and that shows there's still a long way to go before the Cardinals will be able to group themselves with the haves.

Get weekly Arizona Cardinals coverage at RealFootball365.com
Got something to say?

Sign Up and be the first to comment on this article! (0)

Article Tools Share!   |  RSS  |  Bleacher Report About Bleacher Report