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A Breakout Game for Beanie Wells is on the Horizon
by Andrew602 on Nov 20, 2009 3:00 AM MST
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With Sunday's game approaching, rookie running back Beanie Wells has yet to have a "breakout game" if you will. Last week he scored two touchdowns, but was limited to 85 yards. The good news is that Wells did this against an 11th ranked Seahawk rush defense, and the upcoming Rams are presently yielding 142.3 rushing yards per game, which accounts for 28th in the league.
Handing off the ball to Beanie and Tim Hightower(I still have love for him) will be one key to the Cardinals winning the game on Sunday. In their past two games, which have both been victories, Ken Whisenhunt has shown a tendency to open the game with Hightower, and close it with Wells. Should the Cardinals take the same approach on Sunday, Wells may get even more opportunities against a vulnerable defense. The Rams have allowed 13 rushing touchdowns this season, which is 29th in the league, and give up a 4.5 YPA average which is 24th in the league.
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Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams: Know Thy Enemy Edition
by Pyromnc on Nov 19, 2009 10:30 AM MST
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For the St. Louis Rams, they have had a very rough past few seasons. They have managed to win just 6 games out of their last 41, currently making them one of the worst teams in the NFL. Part of this is because of the youth movement that has been brought upon their roster. No longer are the days of Torry Holt, Isaac Bruce, and Marshall Faulk tearing up the field. Those jobs now belong to running back Steven Jackson and wide receiver Donnie Avery. Avery, a second year player, still has a lot to prove at his position but Jackson is just starting to hit his prime.
Jackson was drafted in the first round six years ago to come in and start the process of replacing Marshall Faulk, who was at the end of his career. In Faulk's final season he would mentor Jackson and try to mold him into a quality running back in the NFL. Faulk did that job very well as Jackson turned into one of the more prolific running backs in the NFL. Since becoming the starter he has had four straight seasons of 1,000 rushing yards and 250 receiving yards and is well on his way to making that five straight barring some sort of injury. Even though he has had a nice career thus far, it has been a different story against the Arizona Cardinals.
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Arizona Cardinals Fly Around the NFC West and Is It Too Early to Talk Playoffs?
by Hawkwind on Nov 18, 2009 11:15 AM MST
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The NFC West went 2-2 over week 10 with wins by the Cardinals and 49ers. The Cardinals are the only team over the .500 mark (6-3) with San Fran currently sitting at 4-5 in second place and the Seahawks (3-6) and Rams (1-8) round out the division. The Niners and Hawks both travel to NFC North opponents this week (Packers and Vikings respectively) while the Cards and Rams will meet for the first time this season.
San Francisco 49ers: The Niners are coming off an uninspiring Thursday night win over the Bears that saw them turn five Jay Cutler picks into just ten points, but a win is a win and it ended a four game losing streak. While a 4-5 record might not inspire a great deal of confidence, the Niners fans aren't giving up on the playoffs just yet. As crazy at that may sound with games remaining against the Packers, Cardinals and Eagles, all of whom are ahead of them in the playoff picture, you could say that they still control their own destiny. Even tougher for the Niners fans to watch right now is the resurgance of the Carolina Panthers, who've won four of their last six after starting 0-3, and with three upcoming games against teams with a combined 9-18 record, that first round pick could get pushed down much further than Niners' fans were hoping. One interesting segment over at Niners' Nation worth checking out is an 'approval rating' on both Mike Singletary and Jimmy Raye (OC). Interestingly enough nearly 90% "approve" of the job being done by Singletary but Raye's "approval" rating is just under 40%.
After the jump we'll look at the Seahawks and Rams, and take a quick look at a premature NFC playoff picture.....
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An Angry Beanie Wells Progressed as the Game Continued
by Andrew602 on Nov 17, 2009 3:00 AM MST
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The start of the Cardinals/Seahawks game saw an offense sputter in the first quarter and trail heading into halftime. They were down 17-10, and just blew a potential touchdown because of a Mike Gandy penalty. Wells didn't see much action in the first half due to the Cardinals playing catch-up. After a successful opening drive to the third quarter however, the Cardinals marched into Seattle territory, where there was a key play that may have changed the game.
"That was terrible," Beanie said after the game, the smile back on his face. "That’s was the first time I lost my composure like that playing football since I was about 8 years old."
A post-play skirmish between Beanie and Seahawks safety Deon Grantescalated into some swings from both sides, the last of which was Wells’ hand whacking Grant’s facemask right in front of the referee. At the time, it looked like it would cost the Cards, who were trailing, 17-10, and would have had a first down at the Seattle 4-yard line.
Beanie could have been the goat. But four plays later, it was Wells bouncing outside a tightly compacted line on fourth-and-1 for a 10-yard touchdown. He finished it with an angry spike of the ball.
| 1st | 1st | Tot | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | Tot | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | 3rd | Tot | 4th | 4th | 4th | 4th | 4th | 4th | Tot |
| -4 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 9* | 4 | 3 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 10 | 6* | 22 | 7 | 13 | 29 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 54 |
* = Holding Penalty
If Beanie can continue to turn it on when he's on the field and play angry, he gives the Cardinals an added dimension they severely lacked last season. He's a workhorse, and only showing a small fraction of what he's capable of. In the first five games of the season, Wells averaged 24.8 rushing yards per game with 0 touchdowns. In the last four games, Wells is averaging 67.75 rushing yards, and has scored 3 touchdowns. The Cardinals do appear to be using Wells more, and as the chart shows, they're giving him more carries once the lead has been established. What are your thoughts on the Cardinals running back situation? Should Beanie Wells be the starting running back?
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ROTB Checks in with Former Arizona Cardinals Offensive Tackle Elliot Vallejo
by Hawkwind on Nov 12, 2009 5:00 PM MST
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Revenge of the Birds brings you another interview this week and this time the man under the microscope is former Arizona Cardinals' offensive tackle Elliot Vallejo. Vallejo dislocated his knee cap during the preseason and accepted an injury settlement shortly thereafter. Considering the uncertain future, not the mention the lackluster current, situation of the Cardinals offensive tackle position, this seemed like a great opportunity to check in with a guy who many considered the team's future at left tackle.
ROTB: First and foremost, what's the status of the knee/rehab? How close are you to 100% and/or "game ready?"
Elliot Vallejo: I feel ready to go. My left leg is not as explosive or strong as the other one yet, but I did very well in my work out with Browns. If I had to put a number on it, I would say I am about 82.5%.
ROTB: Secondly, I'm not sure that most of us understand the details of your injury settlement with the team. If I remember correctly you could be re-signed nine weeks into the season. Does that mean after the ninth game or literally nine weeks (aka eight games and a bye week)?
EV: Yes, nine weeks is correct and it does include the bye week. It is an NFL rule that the team who injured/waived you cannot resign you until six weeks after the settlement period. I had a settlement for three weeks into the season, so I cannot go back until week nine.
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Seattle Seahawks @ Arizona Cardinals: Know Thy Enemy Edition
by Pyromnc on Nov 12, 2009 9:34 AM MST
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In week six's edition of Know Thy Enemy, we talked about Matt Hasselbeck being the player to watch. He remains a player to watch at all times in this game, but there are other players that you need to know about too. There are several players that standout but none more than defensive end Patrick Kerney. He has had injury filled seasons since becoming a Seahawk, but that doesn't negate the fact that when he is on the field, he is a beast.
Kerney started his path to the NFL by going to the University of Virginia where he would play on the Lacrosse team( was originally recruited for this), and a defensive end on the football team. Kerney wasn't considered to be a great football player when going to Virginia, as they wanted his services mainly for the lacrosse team. He would only accept the scholarship they were offering him for lacrosse if they gave him a shot at making the football team. Ultimately they would agree and Kerney would make the football team, but would have to work very hard to become a starter. It would show in his freshman and sophomore seasons, as he would total just one sack. Things would change his junior year.
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Displaced Cardinal Fans?
by Andrew602 on Nov 5, 2009 2:35 PM MST
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I received some info through an email I thought I'd share with everyone.
Are you the DirecTV Ultimate Displaced Fan?
DirecTV is looking for the craziest most-die hard Cardinals fan living outside the Arizona market. Candidates can submit essays, pictures and videos illustrating why they are the DirecTV Ultimate Displaced Fan! The grand prize winner will win a Super Bowl week prize package that includes: an all-expense paid trip to the Super Bowl, two tickets to the Super Bowl, a media tour with one of the star players from their favorite team and the opportunity to play in the nationally televised DirecTV Celebrity Beach Bowl with former NFL players and celebrities. Go to www.ultimatedisplacedfan.com for more info.
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Arizona Cardinals at Chicago Bears: Know Thy Enemy Edition
by Pyromnc on Nov 5, 2009 11:15 AM MST
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In the first 7 weeks of football the Arizona Cardinals defense allowed just 67.5 yards rushing per game, and in week 8 the Cards allowed 270 to the Carolina Panthers. This was just one of their major problems that happened last week, but was probably the biggest reason the lost, outside of the turnovers. This week the Cards face another team that is trying to get their running game going but cannot. The difference between last week and this week though, is that the Bears have given their running back enough carries to get it going while the Cardinals had to abandon the run because of being behind. Regardless of how bad the Bears running game has been this season, they will still try to duplicate what the Panthers did to the Cards last week with Matt Forte.
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