Official Game Day Thread - GB @ ARI October 28, 2021
Oct 24, 2021 16:58:48 GMT -7
FLCardinalFan and Drachir like this
Post by End Zone on Oct 24, 2021 16:58:48 GMT -7
The GDT is posted. Enjoy. Go Cardinals!!!!!!!!!!!!
The Cardinals "IT" Factor (click pic to enlarge)
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GB at ARZ Oct 28.
Hello and welcome to the Forum’s 8th Arizona Cardinals Game Day Thread (GDT).
7-0. That’s the Cardinals record starting the 2021 season. The team is in first place in the NFC West Division and has the NFL’s best record through 7 games. The team’s 1974 season winning streak record is tied. The Cardinals are no fluke, dominating all teams every week. Big whoop-tee-do. That newest 7-0 record and any bragging rights are all meaningless since no post-season threshold is yet crossed. The Cardinals still have not qualified for the playoffs (98% chance though). Much hard work remains to be done to earn a playoff berth with the best NFC record, and earn the coveted NFC playoff Bye. Every week for the Cardinals the team goal is 1-0. That goal is about winning one game at a time, one week at a time. No more, no less. This Cardinals team is experienced, patient, and confident. Every remaining team on the Cardinals 2021 schedule is beatable. None are easily beatable, but all are definitely beatable one at a time.
When the Packers and Cardinals get together for a football game, the Cardinals typically have enjoyed some of their sweetest victories. This next game should be no different, matching an aging master QB—one with nothing to lose, with a hot-shot 3rd year QB—one with everything to win. Since their first game played on November 20, 1921, the two teams have met each other 75 times (including 3 postseason games), with the Green Bay Packers winning 45 games and the Arizona Cardinals winning 26 games. That's, uh, lopsided with the Packers notching 19 more wins. The teams also tied 4 times. However, in the last decade, that is since January 10, 2010, the Cardinals won 4 of the last 5 games versus the Packers. Two of those games were exciting playoff games, and both games went into OT where the Cardinals shocked the Packers and infuriated the Cheesehead fans. Digging through the game histories (www.footballdb.com), I noted that the first game played in 1921 ended in a tie, 3-3. On December 6, 1936, there was an unusual tie game, where the 3-8-1 Cardinals scored 0, and the 10-1-1 Packers scored 0. Only 4,793 fans attended the game at Wrigley Field, Chicago, IL. Between the two teams there were many shut-outs, the last happening on September 19, 1976, when the St. Louis Cardinals playing at old Busch Stadium smoked the Green Bay Packers, 29-0. Regarding high-scoring games, the playoff game at Arizona on January 10, 2010 is NFL legend, when the Arizona Cardinals offense eclipsed the Packers offense by a whopping score of 51-45 in OT! There were 6 fumbles in that game, 3 by each team. The last fumble was by QB Arron Rodgers in OT and it instantly cost Green Bay the game when OLB Carlos Dansby stripped the ball and ran it 17 yards into the Packers end zone for a game winning TD. Offenses were unleashed that night, with the Packers gaining 493 total yards and the Cardinals gaining 531 total yards. QB Kurt Warner won his last NFL game that night, retiring 19 days later on January 29th.
Packers History. The Green Bay Packers are the last of the "small town teams" which were common in the NFL during the NFL's early days of the 1920s and 1930s. Founded in 1919 by Earl "Curly" Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun, the Packer's franchise traces its lineage to other semi-professional teams in the Green Bay area, some dating back to 1896. Between 1919 and 1920, the Packers competed against other semi-pro clubs from around Wisconsin and the Midwest, before joining the American Professional Football Association (APFA), the forerunner of today's NFL, in 1921. In 1933, the Packers started splitting their home schedule between Milwaukee and Green Bay. Then, major stadium upgrades at Lambeau Field in 1995 made it more lucrative to play at Green Bay full time; today, Milwaukee is considered the home media market for the Green Bay Packers. Although Green Bay is by far the smallest major league professional sports market in North America, Forbes.com ranked the Packers as the world's 27th most valuable sports franchise in 2019, with a value of $2.63 billion. Since establishment, the Packers have won 13 League Championships, the most in NFL history. Four of those wins are Super Bowl wins (1966, 1967, 1996, 2010). The Packers also lead the NFL in wins and lead the NFL in winning percentage (re-calculated weekly). Significant additional team history is available at: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Bay_Packers.
Packers Today. The Packers are aligned to the National Football Conference (NFC) since 1970 and the North Division since 2002. Team colors are dark green, gold, and white. Fight song is "Go! You Packers Go!" Owners are all the stock investors; last count was 360,760 active stock accounts. Chairman/CEO/President is Mark Murphy. General Manager is Brian Gutekunst. Head Coach is 41-yo Matt LaFleur since 2019. His head coach regular season record is 32-7 (.821) as of October 25, 2021. His post-season record is 2-2 (.500). The team's long-standing #1 rival is the Chicago Bears, also in the NFC North Division. Since 2000, 21 years total, the Packers missed the playoffs just 6 times (2000, 2005, 2006, 2008, 2017, 2018). The team has a winning tradition unlike any other US sports franchise that continues through today.
Third-year Head Coach Matt LaFleur is one of a handful of young, talented, and successful football Brainiac's (also substitute taught high school-level math classes at Saginaw, MI, area schools) leading a legendary NFL team that is well managed and consistently finds and employs great-minded head coaches. LaFleur did not learn his football trade at a major DI program nor suit up for any NFL team in his brief player career. Like QB Kurt Warner (Arena-to-NFL), Matt LaFleur comes from modest beginnings, playing college football at [sic] powerhouse Saginaw Valley State, and then signing with two professional indoor football clubs, the Omaha Beef (2003) and the Billings Outlaws (2004). He coached college football as an assistant and played pro football (Arena) to pay bills and gain valuable leadership and coaching experience. In 2008, he finally jumped to the NFL, signing with the Houston Texans as an Offensive assistant. He rapidly moved through the ranks at Houston, Washington, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Tennessee NFL teams before signing on as HC at Green Bay in 2019. At Green Bay, and riding QB Arron Rodgers arm (509 points and 48 TDs in 2020 alone!), LaFleur compiled a truly impressive 2-year record, 28-8 by the end of the 2020 season. Already in 2021, he is leading the 6-1 Packers to another winning season.
The Green Bay Packers worked out contract restructuring issues with their starting QB Aaron Rodgers (17 years’ experience, 6'2", 225 lbs., 37 years old, and 17 years NFL experience), during the summer of 2021. Rodgers will earn about $27M this season--just from the Packers!—and he can walk away from the team at the end of the 2021 season as a Free Agent with no further obligations. Rodgers will carry the QB load for the Packers all season if he is not injured or stricken with a virus. The #2 QB is Jordan Love, 2020 1st Round Draft pick, who played most of pre-season game 1 (12 of 17 for 122 yards and 1 TD), but was injured (shoulder stinger) at pre-season game 2. The #3 QB is funny man Kurt Benkert. He gained starting QB reps at pre-season game 2 and is serviceable if Rodgers and Love are unable to play. It is unknown if QB Aaron Rodgers will play football at Green Bay or another team after this season. His composite pay could zoom to just under $50M in 2022 and fall back to about $33M in 2023. The funky contract is laden with many escalators for everything from workout to playoff appearance bonuses. 1st Round pick and backup QB Jordan Love's rookie contact is very modest in comparison, just $12,383,453 spread across 4 years. Regarding Rodgers game daytime performances, you first must look at the Packers massive trophy case to appreciate Rodgers’ value to the team and his threat to all NFL competition. He’s a winner.
Rodgers versus the Cardinals. As noted, above, the Cardinals quarterbacks are riding a hot streak versus the Packers since 2010, taking 4 of 5 hard-fought football games—with 2 wins in OT and those were at the playoffs. Packers’ fans cringe every time the Cardinals are on the Packers schedule. And for good reason—painful OT memories leave deep scars. However, most teams’ players and all the coaches have all changed. So, the past is pretty much a non-factor in the locker rooms today. QB Rodgers is expected to play at TNF, October 28th. He's a bona fide QB magician and can break defenders’ hearts with arm fakes, pin-point passes, timely runs, and a few lucky Hail Mary’s. In the huddle, he has complete control and will over-rule the HC play-calling if necessary. He's a master at using the game clock, managing series tempo, and acting for the Referee. Rodgers greatest weakness is when he is on the Packers bench. When Rodgers is on the bench, he has absolutely no affect on the game. To beat Rodgers, the Cardinals must keep Rodgers on the bench, or take him out of the game entirely (not by injury of course).
QBs. The Cardinals and QB Murray do not need to be perfect to beat the Packers on Thursday night. Murray is fully capable near-perfection if the offensive line just does its job. The Cardinals offensive scoring threats at RB, WR, and TE are double or triple what the Packers present. But the Packers have QB Rodgers. He will exploit every nuance of the game—including the Referees and the crowd. It is also a fact that Packers fans travel well and are represented in every NFL city. So, expect Rodgers to use the Cheesehead noise factor to his advantage and cause Cardinals Defense disruptions, use cadence adjustments and no-huddle plays causing offsides penalties, use a Wild Cat fake, and even use a fake injury to split attention. Rodgers does not cheat; he thinks fast and works faster. He forces the Defense to pay attention to everything. If the Cardinals Defense can mostly contain the Packers QB, WRs and TEs, the Packers will not score much and will not win. The Packers have a sup-par running threat in 2021, as again evidenced by the WFT v. Packers on October 24th (15 attempts by RBs and the Qb for 57 yards). The passing game is lethal. To win, the Cardinals Defense must dominate. The Offense must score TDs often. And that's really about all there is to winning this next game and 1-0.
Injury Reports. See FLCF’s post. Moderators will post player injury data provided by the Cardinals medical or coaching staff no more than 24 hours prior to the game. It is NFL policy that, “If any player has a significant or noteworthy injury, it must be listed on the practice report, even if he fully participates in practice and the team expects that he will play in the team’s next game. This is especially important for key players whose injuries may be covered extensively by the media.” Moreover, the policy also reads, “The information must be credible, accurate, timely, and specific within the guidelines of the policy, which is of paramount importance to maintaining the integrity of the game.” Teams found in violation of the policy face the risk of being fined or forfeiting Draft picks.
Roster Information. The Cardinals team roster information (updated weekly) can be reviewed at www.ourlads.com/nfldepthcharts/depthchart/ARZ . Roster Rules 2021 (COVID-19): (1) Expansion of practice squads to 16 players, including up to 6 who have more than 2 accrued seasons; (2) The ability to protect up to 4 practice squad players per week from being signed by other teams; (3) Elevation of up to 2 practice squad players to the active roster, without removing any current players, before 4 p.m. ET the day before a game; (4) Elevation of 1 additional practice squad player within 90 minutes before kickoff in the event of a late COVID-19 positive test result; (5) Players placed on injured reserve can return after 3 weeks, rather than 6 weeks as in normal seasons; (6) Removal of the limit for how many players can be activated from injured reserve.
Odds. Per the professionals, the Cardinals are 6.5 point favorites over the Packers as of October 26th. The O/U is a robust 53.5. Much scoring is anticipated. * WR Adams potential absence from the game on Thursday night due to a positive COVID-19 test this week has caused the Las Vegas point spread to move 3 points favoring the Cardinals.
Referee Crew Information - see www.footballzebras.com/2021/06/officiating-crews-for-the-2021-season/ . Referee assigned to today's game is (Alex Kemp). Other officiating information: For 2020, NFL games averaged 156.4 plays; there were 40,032 total plays; 99.1% of the plays were officiated on the field without Instant Replay Booth involvement; only 364 of the plays were reviewed; the most commonly reviewed plays were pass completion (82), incomplete pass (47), and runner broke the goal line plane (44).
Weather. For October 28th and the NFL Thursday Night Football (TNF) game at Glendale, AZ, the forecasted high temperature is 86F and low is 59F. Chance of rain is zero. Wind will be light and 0-3 mph. The average temperature is high 82F degrees and low 58F degrees. For outdoor sports enthusiasts, Arizona's weather conditions are ideal. This time of the year is the start of the "High Season" for tourists and snowbirds transitioning to sunny Arizona after a scalding hot summer. Rain occurs on average just 1 day in late October. It is possible that the Cardinals will open the retractable roof for this game, if conditions are tolerable at kickoff at 820pm ET.
State Farm Stadium Information. See www.statefarmstadium.com/ for all necessary information to enjoy a great day. Additionally, see the Arizona Cardinals website at www.azcardinals.com/.
Game Broadcasts. Game will be carried by FOX, NFL NETWORK, AMAZON, and 98.7 FM. Kickoff at SFS is 5:20 PM MST. The game is confirmed National TV broadcast.
Next week's game: ARI (7-0) visits SF (2-4) on week 9, Nov 7th. Before the Cardinals visit the 49ers, losers of their 4th straight game while playing at home versus the Colts at Sunday Night Football (SNF) on October 24th, the 49ers will travel to Chicago to play the 3-4 Bears on October 31st. The Bears are no walk-over team. The Cardinals also play the Bears later this season. Much could change with the 49ers team by the time the Cardinals visit the woeful SF 49ers on November 7th. Versus the Colts, the 49ers turned the ball over 4 times and committed 7 penalties for 122 yards. For the year, though 6 games, the 49ers converted just 22 of 70 third-down attempts. Often-injured QB Garoppolo continues to struggle with consistency and a lingering injury (calf strain). Rookie QB Lance is questionable (knee strain) and week to week. Hell, it’s even possible, but unlikely, that Shanahan could be fired at mid-season. His HC record (31-39 and .443) is terrible for a team thought by many 49ers faithful and media suck-ups to be headed back to the Super Bowl (remember, the 49ers crashed and burned in a 4th quarter defensive meltdown and shocking loss to the KC Chiefs at the 2019 SB). He’s had just 1 winning season, 2019, going 13-3. Only Shanahan’s post season record (2-1) seems to keep him employed at SF for now.
Odds and Ends. First things first. The Packers blocked a WFT FG attempt last Sunday. The kicker's last name: BLEWITT. You cannot make up stuff like that. Here's the FG block video:
The 2021 Cardinals are on track ito smash their previous Points For (PF) Points Against (PA) differential from 2015, when the HC Bruce Arians' NFC West Division winner had a 13-3 record, scored 489 points, gave up 313 points, for a PF / PA differential of +176. Through the first 7 games in 2021, the 7-0 Cardinals' PF is 225, PA is 114, and differential is +111. Research continues on the Cardinals and Packers issues for this short week. On October 25th, the NFL and GB announced that the Packers DC Joe Barry tested positive for COVID-19 and likely will miss an opportunity to direct the GB defense from the sidelines at the TNF game.
How about some GB social gossip? Regarding Aaron Rodgers' other performances, uh, I meant social life, Aaron Rodgers is engaged as of last February 2021 to be married to Miss Shailene Woodley, a 29-year-old hottie brunette actress. She is a truly a hot babe! Rodgers previously was dating Miss Danica Patrick, NASCAR and Formula 1 race car driver and hottie brunette model starting in 2018 until they broke up in July 2020. Prior to his relationship with Danica Patrick, Rodgers was dating Miss Olivia Munn, another brunette actress, for several years. Aaron Rodgers is a renowned bachelor and romantic among women athletes, models, and actresses.
Cardinals Football Trivia Q&A. How many offensive team receivers did the Chicago Cardinals select with their first Draft pick from 1936-1959? 0. The Cardinals selected 18 "backs" or similar offensive team ball-carriers across those years. In what year did the Cardinals finally break the NO RECEIVER FIRST ROUND DRAFT PICKS barrier? 1967, with the selection of WR Dave Williams, U. of Washington. Williams subsequently was traded in 1972. Who was the second WR picked with a Draft 1st Round pick? Bobby Moore aka Ahmad Rashad, U. of Oregon, in 1972. Rashad subsequently was traded to the Buffalo Bills in 1974. Rashad has 2 significant NFL distinctions. What are they? (1) the longest play from scrimmage that did not score a TD -- 98 yards in a 1972 game vs. the Rams and the game was witnessed by PutMeIn in person at old Busch Stadium, STL; and (2) a Hail Mary catch for the Vikings in a come-from-behind game that secured the NFC Central Division title for the Vikings in 1980. Rounding out the first 3 receivers selected by the Cardinals in 100 years is Clyde Duncan, U. of Tennessee, drafted in 1984. Duncan was a total bust. He did not practice and had a contract dispute that was not ironed out until just before his first pro game in 1984. Then almost immediately, he injured his shoulder in a game and went on IR. In 1985, Duncan struggled to make the team's line-up, earning 3rd string WR. During the off-season in 1986, the Cardinals had seen enough, and cut Duncan. Duncan passed away from unreported causes at the age of 54 in mid-February 2015.
Packers Football Trivia Q&A. What year were the Packers founded? 1919 (semi-pro). And what year did the team officially join the NFL? 1921. From 1919 to 1921, the team had 3 nicknames. What were the team's 3 unofficial and official nicknames? The Indian Packers, the Acme Packers, and finally the Green Bay Packers in 1921. The "Packers" name was associated with a multi-state U.S. company, the Indian Packers Company, which was involved in providing canned meat supplies for the US military and WWI support, for apparent advertising purposes. The company also donated or loaned Packers football team managers $500 so the team could buy its first uniforms. The first year of existence at Green Bay, WI, Earl "Curly" Lambeau and George Whitney Calhoun organized and managed the fledging team. Curly, an employee of the Indian Packing Company, was team captain, akin to today's head coach position. The semi-pro Indian Packers shot out of the gate from September 14th to November 11th in 1919, winning 10 straight games and losing 1 game on November 23rd. the last game of the first season. That 1919 Indian Packers team also gave up just 12 points in the 11 total games. The run-oriented Indian Packers Offense routinely scored over 50 points per game. The team beat the Sheboygan Company C (assumed US Army) by the amazing score 87-0, the Sunday just before Thanksgiving Day.
PutMeIn’s Bottom Line. The psychology of the game will be on display at TNF. The HC’s are smart and ambitious and willing to take big risks on offense and defense that provide big payoffs. The Cardinals on offense have incredible scoring firepower, but must address the Center and Right Guard problems during this short week prior to the TNF game. How that gets done is a fan’s best guess. The job definitely is on the coaching staff and trainers. C Garcia routinely performs like a back-up. His errors are mental and physical. A memory problem can be mitigated using the KISS rule (keep it simple ). Murray can help his Center in that regard with QB cues that do not require short-term memory. Garcia needs to train more to get better. I do not know why Garcia is so wild on some snaps. Does he have tiny hands? Is the football too big for his right hand? The Right Guard fix requires more training and more experience. Thankfully, QB Murray can outrun most of RG Jones’ mistakes. In time, Jones will either solve his mistakes, or be traded/cut. The Cardinals cannot sacrifice QB Murray’s health while waiting on the RG to learn on the job. The Cardinal’s Defense is as good as any defense can be. The team statistics are proof that the defensive group is awesome at dominating opposing offenses in an NFL designed to benefit offensive group scoring. Like the Cardinals offense, the Packers Offense runs through QB Rodgers (#17 ranked QB 2021, 151 of 221 attempts 68.3%, 1710 yards, 7.7 yards average, 244 yards per game, 15 TDs, 3 INTs, QBR 66.2). He prefers a shotgun formation with a smooth pocket and will move right and left or roll out to open passing angles and lanes for receivers. Rodgers is most comfortable in the passing game and uses every receiver. He rarely calls his own number for a run. Overall, the Packer’s run game is below the NFL average so far in 2021, 714 yards total, as evidenced again during at WFT @ GB game (see all NFL Gamebooks). The strength of the Packers is their Offense (15 TDs by passing, 4 TDs by rushing, 12/16 FGs). The Packer’s defense can contain average offenses and take quick advantage of errors, mistakes, and bad decisions; average <3 sacks per game, +5 on turnover ratio; allowed 6 of 14 fourth-down conversion attempts. The Packers “Gauntlet” starts with the Cardinals at the TNF game. After the Cardinals, the Packers are at KC Chiefs and then at home against the Seattle Seahawks. QBs Murray, Mahomes, and Wilson are guaranteed to bring their A-game to the Packers. And the Packers know this next 3-team Gauntlet will determine their 2021 season. The Packers can score but their defense cannot contain or stop the NFL’s top offenses from passing and running down the field and scoring at will. I like the Cardinals to win by six points or more based on their healthy and superior defense and offense capabilities. Cardinals 30, Packers 24.