Post by End Zone on Nov 15, 2021 3:30:32 GMT -7
ARI at SEA November 21, 2021.
Hello and welcome to the Forum’s 11th Arizona Cardinals Game Day Thread (GDT).
The Seattle Seahawks (3-6) team is struggling through uncharacteristic hard-times in 2021. The team probably hit rock bottom vs the Green Bay Packers (8-2) last weekend by getting shutout, 17-0. The shutout also was the first for QB Russell Wilson and the first for the team in about 10 years (last shutout was also on the road, at the hands of the Steelers during week 2, 2011 season). The Seahawks tough year can be attributed to several issues including QB Wilson going on IR mid-October and missing three games, less-than-stellar starter and back-up players’ performances, unusually high numbers of penalties, several close games lost, and maybe a string of bad luck. Moreover, the team’s three wins only came against sub-.500 teams—Colts, 49ers, and Jaguars—highlighting the Seahawks struggles with good teams. Looking ahead on the 2021 schedule, the Seahawks have one of the NFL’s easier schedules, playing 4 games at home and 4 games on the road, and 5 of 8 games against sub-.500 teams through the next 2 ½ months. At the beginning of the season, Seattle was ranked by most sports media at 2nd in the NFC West Division, behind the Rams and ahead of the 49ers and the Cardinals. Obviously, something is amiss at the Seattle Seahawks today. Rumors continue to circulate about QB Russell Wilson (33 years old) seeking a way out of the franchise. If Wilson is on the way out at Seattle, he might not have a long wait. Example is QB Matt Stafford. He was moved from DET to LAR in the off-season. Another example is QB Tom Brady. He was moved from NE to TB a year earlier. High-value QBs do change teams. However, Wilson will not be a Free Agent until 2024. Wilson signed a 4-year contract extension worth $140 million on April 17, 2019. Reference: www.spotrac.com/nfl/seattle-seahawks/russell-wilson-9885/. It is also being discussed by Seattle’s locals that the NFL game has passed by HC Pete Carroll (70 years old) and that it may be time for the Super Bowl-winning coach to do something else, like go fishing and play with the grandkids fulltime. The Seahawks’ ugly shutout last Sunday has intensified calls for Carroll to step down, or be fired, before the entire 2021 season is lost.
Seahawks History. For a thorough rundown of the Seahawks Seahawks storied history since being established in the mid-1970s, reference Wikipedia at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Seahawks. The NFL achieved a business coup when it established the Seattle Seahawks franchise in the US northwest region. The Seahawks overall record from 1976 through the first 9 games of the 2021 season is 370 wins, 346 losses, 1 tie, or about .515% winning percentage. The Seahawks have experienced success in a relatively short NFL team history, earning 11 Division titles, 3 NFC titles, and 1 NFL title (2013). The Seahawks last made the playoffs in 2020, finishing the season with a 12-4 record and 1st in the NFC West Division, but losing in the Wild Card round to the LA Rams, 30-20.
Seahawks Today. Many Seahawks players, coaches, and fans are still fuming about the officiating at the SEA @ GB game last weekend. It can be hard for younger fans to accept that pro football is not an exact sport driven by technology to a level of 100% fairness, not yet anyway. Football bounces are not predictable. The unexplainable happens at every game. Players also do strange things, amplifying the unexplainable. Officials make snap decisions and some are not reviewable. Player emotions drive off-the-cuff actions, leading to major penalties. At least three potentially game-changing official’s judgments went against the Seahawks at critical times on Sunday, appearing to be unfair and to seal the Seahawks fate. C’est la vie.
In addition to the Seahawks strange shutout loss at Lambeau Field, their 9th loss in a row on that famed outdoor field, some other game numbers from last week provide the clearest view of the Seahawks ability or inability to execute plays: 208 yards gained, a season low; 1 INT in the GB red zone; 12 tackles by 2nd year LB Jordyn Brooks, the 4th game of the season with double-digit tackles; 75.5 passer rating for QB Rodgers, his lowest rating since game 1 of the 2021 season; 78 yards receiving allowed by All-Pro WR Adams, who pulled down 326 yards the previous 2 games versus Seahawks defense; 4 punts by K Dickson inside the 20 yard line, and 2 punts inside the 10 yard line, a shining ST performance; 63 yards for TE Everett on 8 catches, season highs; and just 49 yards receiving combined by WR Metcalf and WR Lockett, the lowest output for this dangerous duo all season (Metcalf was ejected from the last game with about 2 minutes to go in the 2nd half, having little or no impact on the duo’s final yardage).
The Arizona Cardinals will not depend on officials to bail them out at the Seattle Seahawks. Good teams impose their will and make their own good luck. Likewise, bad teams error often and make their own bad luck. The Seahawks are a team experiencing myriad hard times. It is important for HC Kingsbury to jump on the Seahawks fast, hard, and often and force HC Carroll to take ever-increasing risks. The Seahawks are a dangerous team to the Cardinals future. Do not allow the Seahawks to soar. Force the team to endure more hard times through the last game of the 2021 season.
Head Coach Pete Carroll. For a compete review of HC Carroll’s background, see: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Carroll . Dang, I just learned that Pete Carroll (born 09/15/1951) is younger than me by 6 months, 28 days.. Ha, whippersnapper! (aka a young and inexperienced person considered to be presumptuous or overconfident). HC Carroll is one of the few direct D1-to-NFL head coach success stories. He coached at USC from 2001-2009. He did have significant NFL coaching experience prior to USC, starting in 1984 at the Buffalo Bills. His Seattle record is impressive: 151 wins, 106 losses, and the 1 tie (SEA @ ARI, 6-6). Pete Carroll has either played or coached football his entire life. Only after his college graduation did he work as a regular dude, selling roofing materials in the Los Angeles area and earning enough money to makes ends meet until hired as a graduate assistant coach at Pacific University in the mid-1970s.
Quarterbacks. When I prepared this GDT, the Seahawks were carrying three QBs on the active roster. #3 Russell Wilson, #7 Geno Smith, and #17 Jacob Eason. For 2021, Wilson (10 years’ experience, age 32, 5’11” and 215 lbs) has 10 TDs, 3 INTs, 1357 yards, and a 104.4 rating. Wilson threw the 3 INTs in his last two games, both losses. He has been sacked 16 times. Expect Wilson to play the entire game on Sunday. Last week, he wore a flexible finger brace on his throwing hand middle finger to protect a recently fractured bone that was surgically repaired. Wilson claimed the brace and healed injury had nothing to do with numerous errant passes versus the Packers defense.
Wilson vs. Cardinals. The Sunday game is the first of the season between the two teams. The Cardinals will host the Seahawks the last game of the regular season on January 9, 2022. Versus the Cardinals, Wilson is 10-7-1, playing at regular season games only. For nostalgia buffs, Wilson started his NFL career in a game against the Cardinals on September 9, 2012. He completed 53% of his passes for 153 yards, 1 TD, and 1 INT. The Seahawks lost that game, 20-16. All fans hate tie games. The Cardinals and Seahawks played the infamous 6-6 tie game on October 23, 2016. Both teams had several chances to win that game, leaving everyone extremely frustrated at the end of one overtime (OT). At a post-draft interview in early 2019, QB Murray remarked that he is almost the same weight and height as Wilson, but definitely faster that Wilson. Murray has played the Seahawks 4 times, twice in 2019 and twice in 2020. His record is 2-2 versus Wilson and the Seahawks, splitting each season series.
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. The Seahawks were moderately busy signing and re-signing players during the off-season. Notables: QB Geno Smith, re-signed with the Seahawks. RB Chris Carson, re-signing on a 2-year, $14.625 million deal. TE Gerald Everett, signing a 1-year deal worth up to $7 million, including $6 million guaranteed. OG Gabe Jackson, acquired in a trade with the Raiders in exchange for a 2021 fifth-round pick. Jackson is signing a 3-year, $22.575 million extension, which includes a $9 million signing bonus and $7.075 million in additional guarantees. OG Ethan Pocic, re-signed a 1-year, $3 million deal. OG Jordan Simmons, re-signed with the Seahawks. OT Cedric Ogbuehi, re-signed with Seahawks. DE Carlos Dunlap, re-signed on a 2-year deal worth $16.6 million with $8.5 million guaranteed. DE Benson Mayowa, re-signed on a 2-year deal with a max value of $8.8 million and $4.61 million guaranteed in Year 1. DE Aldon Smith, signed a 1-year deal. DT Kerry Hyder, signing a 3-year, $16.5 million deal with a chance to make $17.5 million. DT Robert Nkemdiche, signed to a free-agent deal. DT Al Woods, signed a 1-year, $3 million deal that includes a $750,000 signing bonus. NT Poona Ford, re-signed to a 2-year deal worth up to $14 million with incentives. CB Pierre Desir, agreed to terms on a 1-year deal with the Seahawks. CB Damarious Randall, re-signed a free-agent contract. CB Ahkello Witherspoon, signed a 1-year, $4 million deal that is fully guaranteed. 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 (8-2) are 2.5-point favorites over the Seahawks (3-6). The final score O/U is 49.5. These values do not take into consideration player status, e.g., who is activated for the game.
Referee Crew Information - see www.footballzebras.com/2021/06/officiating-crews-for-the-2021-season/ . Referee assigned to today's game is Clete Blakeman. 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).
November 19 Update: Referee #34 Clete Blakeman, 57 yo, will officiate the Cardinals @ Seahawks game. Now in his 14th year, Blakeman is one of the most experienced officials in the NFL. Blakeman was hired by the NFL for the 2008 season at the field judge position. He was then promoted to referee for the 2010 season. Blakeman is an attorney and works in Nebraska.
Blakeman last worked a Cardinals game on December 26, 2020, when the 49ers visited the Cardinals. QBs Murray and Beathard started. The 49ers won, 20-12. Blakeman's crew dished out 8 total penalties, 4 for 20 yards to the Cardinals and 4 for 27 to the 49ers.
Major feature games refereed by Blakeman include:
the Houston Texans' 31-10 victory over the Bengals in a 2011 wild-card game;
the Denver Broncos' 24-17 victory over the San Diego Chargers in a 2013 divisional game;
the Baltimore Ravens' 30-17 victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in a 2014 wild-card game;
the Arizona Cardinals' 26-20 victory over the Green Bay Packers in overtime in a 2015 divisional game;
the Super Bowl 50 and Broncos victory over the Panthers, 24-10;
the New England Patriots' 24-20 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2017 AFC Championship Game;
the Los Angeles Chargers' 23-17 victory over the Ravens in a 2018 wild-card game;
the Patriots' 37-31 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime in the 2018 AFC Championship Game;
and the Packers' 28-23 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in a 2019 divisional game.
Weather. For the November 21st game at Seattle's outdoor Lumin Stadium, expect 100% cloudy skies, and 46F for a high at kickoff, and 39F for a low after daylight hours. A cold rain shower on your head is possible if not seated under an stadium overhang. If it is not raining at kickoff time, or maybe just sleeting, that's a minor weather miracle for the U-Rust City faithful and Arizona Cardinals fans. Pack a raincoat and woolies for the game—you will need them. Also pack earplugs—the 12th Man is noisy.
Stadium Information. Lumen Field is a multi-purpose stadium in Seattle, WA. Located in the city's SoDo neighborhood, it is the home field for the Seattle Seahawks of the NFL, and the Seattle Sounders FC of Major League Soccer (MLS). Originally called Seahawks Stadium, it was renamed Qwest Field in June 2004 when telecommunications carrier Qwest acquired the naming rights. It became known as CenturyLink Field in June 2011 after Qwest's acquisition by CenturyLink, and then received its current name in November 2020 with CenturyLink's rebrand to Lumen Technologies. It is a modern facility with views of the Downtown Seattle skyline and a seating capacity of 68,740 spectators for NFL games and 37,722 for most MLS matches. Seahawks fans at Lumen Field have twice claimed the Guinness World Record for loudest crowd roar at an outdoor stadium, first at 136.6 decibels in 2013, followed by a measurement of 137.6 decibels in 2014. The crowd's notorious noise has also contributed to the team's home field advantage with an increase in false start and delay of game penalties against visiting teams. The stadium was the first in the NFL to install a FieldTurf artificial surface. For more information, see: stadium.org/lumen-field/stadium-features-facts/
Game Broadcasts. Game will be carried by FOX and 98.7 FM. Kickoff at LUMEN Field is 2:25 PM MST. Note Primetime scheduling--potential National TV broadcast.
Next week's game: BYE.
Odds and Ends. If visiting Seattle for the first time, there is plenty to do and see in the city and region. Check numerous web sites for more information. I recommend starting with: www.events12.com/seattle/ . If you want to try something different, try Axe-Throwing. Two-hour training classes are offered by bona fide lumberjack coaches at “FlannelJax’s Seattle.” I last visited Seattle as a tourist about 20 years ago. I was impressed by the friendly people, unique sites, and awesome scenery.
Cardinals Football Trivia Q&A. The Cardinals head coaches have won only a few (3) national-level awards in 100 years of football. Which Cardinals Head Coach (HC) first won the Coach of the Year (COY) award? HC Jimmy Conselman won the COY award in 1947. Why did he win? The Cardinals won the NFL Championship that year. Which Cardinals HC was the second to win the COY award? HC Don Coryell, in 1974. Why did he win? The Cardinals finished 1st in the NFC East Division. Which Cardinals HC was the third to win the COY award? HC Bruce Arians, in 2014. Why did he win? The win is a mystery to me. The Cardinals finished 2nd in the NFC West Division at 11-5 and lost in the Wild Card game. Perhaps there was carry-over from 2013 when the Cardinals finished 3rd in the NFCW with a 10-6 record but missed the playoffs due to a competition ranking quirk. Oddly, HC Ken Whisenhunt took the Cardinals to their only Super Bowl in 2008, but he did not make the COY final cut. Who says politics has nothing to do with winning these awards. The Whiz clearly deserved COY award for the Cardinals huge successes in 2008 and 2009.
Seahawks Football Trivia Q&A. Who was the Seahawks first player to win the coveted NFL MVP award? WR Steve Largent? Nope. CB Richard Sherman? Nope. How about steady-man QB Russell Wilson? Nope again. The Seahawks first NFL MVP as RB Shaun Alexander, in 2005, en route to a Super Bowl XL appearance. Later in his career, he would be named "All Decade." Quite an honor, I'd say. It's time to pick on Houston again, but for the year 1976! What player did the Seahawks get from the Houston "Oilers" for an 8th round draft pick? None other than HoFer WR Steve Largent who would go on to gain 13,089 yards receiving on 819 catches and score 100 TDs. Not bad for an 8th rounder, and at 5'11" and 190 lbs with a 4.7 40-yard dash! Today, Largent would be the slowest Cardinals WR on the active roster if he played today. The underdog Seahawks (13-3 season, at their 2nd SB appearance) easily embarrassed the heavily favored AFC representative (13-3 season) at Super Bowl XLVIII in 2013. What team did the Seahawks destroy that day and what was the final score? Broncos 8, Seahawks 43. That game is famous for the fastest 2 points ever scored in a Championship game. The Seahawks got a safety on the Broncos offense after just 12 seconds had elapsed in the 1st quarter. RB Knowshon Moreno was tackled in the Broncos end zone by DE Cliff Avril. The Seahawks stampeded the Broncos that SB day at MetLife Stadium, NJ.
PutMeIn Bottom Line. I am concerned about this next game. The Seahawks Defense put up a hard fight against the Green Bay Packers a week ago, and could have helped the team win the game had the Seattle Offense showed up at any point in the game. That same robust Seattle Defense will be ready for the Arizona Cardinals Offense, led by a yet-to-be-named QB. HC Kliff Kingsbury is holding his decision cards close at mid-week as QB Kyler Murray continues rehabilitation for an injured ankle suffered during the Green Bay game almost 3 weeks ago. If Murray is not activated by Sunday morning, then the Cardinals must rely on QB Colt McCoy (1-1) and 3rd-string QB Chris Streveler (0-0) to get the job done. The Carolina Panthers Defense definitely had McCoy’s number last week, completely dominating the Cardinals offense for 4 quarters. The Seattle Defense is not as highly rated as the Panthers Defense, but obviously a top 10 group based on their season stats and their work against the Green Bay Packers for most of the game last week. The Cardinals are in need of some good players at key positions: QB, WR, RB, DE, CB, etc. Without healthy player help, Sunday wil be another long day for Cardinals fans. PutMeIn’s score: Cardinals 31, Seahawks 24 (if Murray plays), and Cardinals 9, Seahawks 35, (if McCoy and Streveler plays). Go Cardinals. 1-0 every Sunday! 9-2 heading into the Bye.