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Cardinals rock the Jaguars from start to finish, win 31-17
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AP Photo / Phil Coale
Week 2
Jacksonville Stadium - Jacksonville, FL
Arizona Cardinals 31 - Jacksonville Jaguars 17
They're baaaack! Since the offense never showed up for the 49ers game last week, let me introduce you to Kurt Warner, Anquan Boldin, Larry Fitzgerald, Steve Breaston, and Tim Hightower. A collective sigh of relief could be heard all over Phoenix as the Cardinals put up 383 total yards against the Jaguars, 265 of that passing the ball. They even had enough of a cushion to get their backups in by the end of the third quarter...As Martha Stewart would say, that's a good thing. Now, for the breakdown.
Let's start with the positives this week...
Run Game - This was my "Key to the Game," and the Cardinals shined. All three running backs were used to mix up the play-calling and all three played well. Wells had some issues holding on to the ball, but that's just being a rookie in the NFL and it will get fixed.
Kurt Warner - Warner went 24 for 26 for 243 yards and 2 touchdowns and didn't even play in the fourth quarter. Are you kidding me? His near-perfect completion percentage was a direct result of the aformentioned run game. Keep 'em honest - that's the creed. You run well and opposing defenses have no choice but to respect you at the line of scrimmage. As a result, passing lanes open up and Kurt Warner is the master of taking advantage of windows in the secondary.
Calais Campbell - Antonio who? Calais Campbell is a beast. He knocked down a ball at the line of scrimmage for the second game in a row and blocked a field goal that Antrel Rolle returned for a touchdown. If that isn't enough, after he blocked the field goal, he got back up and made a great block for Rolle to come free - that is heart and hustle at its best.
Offensive Line - Except for a couple of breakdowns, the line held up very well today, opening holes for the run game against a stout Jacksonville defense and protecting Kurt Warner as well as can be expected.
Play-calling - Much much much much better. 32 passes for 265 yards and 28 rushes for 118 yards. Enough said.
LaRod Stephens-Howling - He's not in this list for his running game, but for his special teams play. He may have been the smallest player on the field when the Cardinals were kicking the ball to Jacksonville and yet, he made key tackles multiple times. Once again, that's the kind of heart and hustle that you have to love as a coach or a fan.
But there are things to improve upon...
Beanie Wells - He's still running very well, overall, but as good as he runs, he HAS to hang on to the football. Turnovers in the NFL are a death sentence and Wells is a big, strong player, so he shouldn't have problems keeping the ball close. He is a rookie and fumbles are a rookie mistake - I'm confident he'll fix this.
Kick and punt returns - It's mostly Antrel Rolle's fault this is in the negative category, but it's not all Rolle. The Cardinals return game just wasn't explosive at all. L-Rod should get better on kick returns as the season progresses, but this is an important part of the field-position battle.
Quarterback contain - Though the defensive line played incredibly well throughout the game, there were a couple of times that Gerrard got loose when he should have been sacked for a loss. The Cardinals won't always face as mobile a quarterback as Gerrard, but when they do, this needs to be cleaned up.
Levi Brown - He allowed his man to come free a few times and had another false start on a 3rd and short (after a timeout). Though it's a little nit-picky since the line played so well overall, Brown was the worst of the best today.
Pre-game Articles:
Players who needed to have an impact in the Cardinals-Jaguars game
5 matchups to watch in the Cardinals-Jaguars game
The key to the Cardinals-Jaguars game: Running the ball
Preseason Articles:
How the NFC West will finish in 2009
NFC West players who need to be at the top of their game all season
The coaching situations around the NFC West
The rookies that could have an impact in the NFC West this year
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