Cincinnati v/s Arizona
by AZ retiree on Dec 20, 2011 8:40 PM MST
Email
Print
This is a great setup road game for the Arizona Cardinals. Perfect football weather, nice soft artificial turf built for speed and an opponent that has trouble with teams that feature Defense.
The Bengals have a good QB in Andy Dalton and Cedric Benson is a very good RB. The key is to simply shut down Dalton, who can pass and is not afraid to use his sticks and force Benson to carry Cincinnati.
The Cardinals have been improving on both sides of the ball and at the QB position. An Arizona win will depend on the willingness of Ken Whisenhunt to start John Skelton and allow his OC and DC to call the plays. Both teams are fighting to stay in the Wild Card hunt. Saturday may define one team as a contender and the other as a pretender.
I will be disappointed if Whiz starts Kolb after Skelton has shown leadership and the ability to connect with Fitz, Roberts, Doucet, Heap and LSH. Skelton has been handing the ball off to Beanie without fumbling and even running for positive yards in a pinch. Kolb continues to struggle with injuries and rust. In my opinion to change horses now would be a huge mistake on the part of the Head Coach. We shall see.
This would be a toss-up game if the Cards were not peaking. As it is, the Arizona team looks primed for the playoffs. This is Whiz's game to win or lose. This is not a game for the pucker factor to affect decision making on the sidelines.
Who should Whisenhunt start in Cincinnati and why?
This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of Revenge of the Birds' (ROTB) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of ROTB's editors.
36 comments
|
0 recs |
Do you like this story?
Comments
Skelton's got a "heater"
going on right now, and you never leave the table if your on a heater. What’s up with your team’s dump err…stadium, two brownouts how embarrassing.
Formerly known as Cardsfan928, If you wanna grab a quick game of madden, my screenname is also my Xbox name.
by INSOMAN1ATIC on Dec 20, 2011 10:31 PM MST reply actions 2 recs
Probably some Dead Head was wondering "What does this switch do?"
Then when the lights came back on he couldn’t help himself from double checking that he was the cause. I’m sure there were “roaches” on the floor near the main switch.
In a word....
A.J.Green. He is a huge threat. Add to that Dalton’s ability to get outside, makes this game scary. Just look at the last game and how the Cards where burned with that combo and they where not as good as these guys.
Keeping Dalton in the pocket, where sacks can be had, will win this game.
If the D can’t keep these guys corralled, we’re in deep dodo.
It's Peterson's time to show what he's learned, so far, about playing Defense.
Green has a sore right shoulder and can be made ineffective or knocked out with a few vicious hits. Nothing illegal but hard plays worthy of the NFL. (sic ’em Petey!)
I'm not so sure,
Washington can chase Dalton down without an issue, however Peterson is lining up against a former SEC foe (I thiink A.J. Green played down south), so like he said it’s Peterson’s time to show us he can shut down the elite (Yes, I know it’s still his rookie season, but can anyone argue Green has been nothing short of amazing). They are both rookie so it’s time for PP to get the heads talking about his abilities as a CB not a PR
Formerly known as Cardsfan928, If you wanna grab a quick game of madden, my screenname is also my Xbox name.
by INSOMAN1ATIC on Dec 21, 2011 5:17 PM MST up reply actions
Green is an U of Georgia product so yeah they faced each other. Green will be a test for sure and one I think PP will pass.
"The point is, by my standards, I won fair and square."
-Bender
Peterson should win this battle.
I believe PP is more physical than Green, plus with the injury Petey should dominate from the get-go. Green is a stick next to the Cards pitbull.
Skelton
I like both QBs and what they can potentially bring to the table. Both have shown SOME brilliance and A LOT of room for improvement. I think we stick with Skelton for the rest of the year though. To switch back to Kolb right now would be a mistake. Let them jocky for position over the off-season and we can have controversy then. Something to talk about as we wait for the season.
Agreement here!
Let the foot heal completely and allow the concussion to do the same. Put Kolb on ice for this season and warm up Bartel as the backup. Another bad performance or injury on Kolb would be devastating to the young man and his prospects.
On the other hand Kolb is bought and paid for, so if he’s needed maybe the Cards should just throw him out there and see if he can play well and post a W.
If he does get to play I hope he has a short leash for the sake of Arizona fans. Bengals are tough and will be hard to come back against.
It Doesn't Matter it's all about the D
Whether they start Skelton or Kolb, this team is predicated on their D. Neither Skelton or Kolb would be successful if it wasn’t for this great Pittsburgh style D. If we stop Benson, and keep Dalton in the pocket we’ll win.
by Gilbertsportsfan on Dec 21, 2011 8:26 AM MST reply actions
If I'm Whiz, I install consistancy at QB and start Skelton.
A Kolb start, ending in a loss would draw unrelenting criticism of the HC. I think this is too big a game to take chances with miscues. Kolb and Skelton both have talent but John has the most recent reps, let him continue.
Start Kolb but if he isn't playing well going into the 3rd Quarter and we're down, throw in Skelton
by Alex Mann on Dec 21, 2011 11:03 AM MST up reply actions 1 recs
No way,
Kolb’s season needs to be over, the season is nearly over and Skelton may not be as “consistent” as the Kolb bench would like, but he has consistently gotten the job done when he has to.. If not for Tebowmania we would be seeing the Cardinals all over the media for the OT finishes we have accumulated over the back half of this season.
Formerly known as Cardsfan928, If you wanna grab a quick game of madden, my screenname is also my Xbox name.
by INSOMAN1ATIC on Dec 21, 2011 5:22 PM MST up reply actions
You sure we would get that coverage?
Before the loss to GB, that probably would have been murdered by the media if it were not for Tebow. And I would be much more okay with that to be honest.
"If Gortat pulls off a real Dream Shake in-game this year I will shave my head.
Mark my words." Piotr Szczesniak 12/12/11 2:12 PM
Cardinals, Suns, D-backs for life!
AZ retiree, I am confident that enough points will be put on the board with either qb
as long as the D continues to do what they have been doing.
by Gilbertsportsfan on Dec 22, 2011 2:36 PM MST up reply actions
What its surprising to me is
I haven’t read our failed to see, anyone call Kolb injury prone. Call it bad breaks call out what you will. But he has been injured in more than ten fifteen games he has supposed to have started.
Start Kolb only if he is 100%. But if he struggles in the least, bring on Big John!!!
by fansincejakenrob on Dec 21, 2011 8:45 AM MST via Android app reply actions
TRUST THE "WIZ"
He will make the right call for the QB.
I agree with Gilbertsportsfan on this (with a little editing):
It Doesn’t Matter it’s all about the D
Whether they start Skelton or Kolb, this game is predicated on the D. If we stop Benson, and keep Dalton in the pocket we’ll win.
Agreed
The way the defense has been playing all that matters is that we are close in the fourth quarter.
by Jesse Reynolds on Dec 21, 2011 1:00 PM MST up reply actions
10000 times this
As long as our defense plays they way they have, it doesn’t really matter who is QB. They will most likely have a chance to win the game. I am waiting til next season to know if we need to look for another QB or if one of the two we have will emerge.
"If Gortat pulls off a real Dream Shake in-game this year I will shave my head.
Mark my words." Piotr Szczesniak 12/12/11 2:12 PM
Cardinals, Suns, D-backs for life!
I dont think it will matter who starts.
they both seem to struggle forst half and de better in the second. It may be a team issue rather then a QB issue. I think if Kolb is fully recovered he will start. Whiz is a fair coach like that. I dont see him benching Kolb. I think its the right signal to send to team. Honeslty I think we will see similar results no matter which QB starts. They just seem equal to me. I know in the begining of the year we lost games. But they were so close. Now we win the close ones and I think its mainly because of the D. Not the QB. But I think either one is good enough to win!
Insert epic quote here: "I got nothin'"
If Kolb starts, any miscue on his part will be on Whiz.
This season will define Whisenhunt as a Head Coach, either Whiz performs or he shows himself to be a victim of circumstance.
I hope he has the testes to lead this team into a future of “Arizona Winning Tradition”.
That's just dumb ... If Kolb faulters that's not of Whiz. Whiz will get the job done in that I have supreme confidence.
Oh & just how do you figure this season is Whisenhunt’s measuring stick as a coach?
"The point is, by my standards, I won fair and square."
-Bender
I agree
Whiz isn’t going anywhere. Kolb should start if healthly. I like skelton but he only plays well in the clutch and let’s face facts he has a penchant for bad throw. He should have thrown four picks against Cleveland. Kolb is the guy Skelton is a good backup. If the d does it’s job it won’t matter. Regardless of who starts go cards!
by kardsfan on Dec 21, 2011 6:53 PM MST via mobile up reply actions
Whiz is the guy pulling the strings.
If he plays the QB with rust all over it and the game is lost because of it, shame on him. Kolb has a tender foot and got his bell rung.
It makes no sense to me to pressure this guy to perform. A loss must go on Whiz if he starts Kolb and he fails.
If Whisenhunt gambles on Kolb and he shines as an NFL QB I’ll be surprised and the first to praise the insight of the HC. I just don’t see it happening.
Skelton takes risks where Kolb doesn't
Kardsfan, you mentioned that Skelton has a penchant for making bad throws but he also has the moxy to take those risks. You have to take the good with the bad. I don’t think we would be 7-7 if Skelton hadn’t been willing to take those chances.
by Gilbertsportsfan on Dec 22, 2011 2:29 PM MST up reply actions
The risk should pay off!
The Bengals CB Nate Clements will have a tough time guarding Larry Fitzgerald. I can see Skelton exploiting that matchup all day long.
Add a little pass here and there to LSH mixed with handoffs to Beanie and the Cards win going away in a rare road win. Cincinnati will not be able to contain Roberts, Doucet, Housler, Heap and Fitz (all of whom are recent targets of Skelton).
I predict Skelton emerges as the Arizona Cardinals Number One QB.
Although I think we will win this game regardless of who starts
I really like Skelton in the no-huddle offense which I think they should run more often particularly in the 1st half when things aren’t happening. This would really put the Bengals D on their heels. It is possible that we may see something like what we saw with Leinart and Warner back in 2007 with Kolb starting and Skelton running the no huddle offense.
by Gilbertsportsfan on Dec 22, 2011 2:47 PM MST reply actions
imo, the no huddle with Sketon is a good choice
because he had the D to deal with and , no time to think, just play. Meaning, it’s my believe that his big problem is that he thinks to much in the game. Practices are for thinking and game are for reacting. In pressure he doesn’t have the time to think.
I'm pleasantly surprised!
Cardinals fans seem to be evenly split on Kolb/Skelton without the vicious attacks on either. That, to me, points to an overall acceptance of both. It also points to a healthy QB competition in the off season for Arizona.
Things are looking up in the desert!
Comments For This Post Are Closed
Secondary Sidebar
User Tools
Related FanPosts on Revenge of the Birds
FanPosts
Community blog posts and discussion.
Recent FanPosts
In Association With
Shutdown Corner - NFL - Yahoo! Sports
- Former high-school star Brian Banks does serious time on trumped-up charge, now hopes for an NFL shot
- Former ‘idiot kicker’ Mike Vanderjagt in trouble after accosting junior-high heckler
- Adrian Peterson blows teammates away in footraces; appears to be on the mend
- UPDATE: Charlie Sheen didn’t buy Lawrence Taylor’s Super Bowl ring
- Alex Smith gets blown up by Jon Beason over Cam Newton comments
