[ Watch The Birdie II, Revenge Of The Feathery Thing (Page
4) ]
Week 4 – Arizona Cardinals (2-1) @ New York Jets (3-0)
Strengths
- Passing game very similar to the one we faced last week – a very accurate but
not terribly big-armed quarterback with a supporting cast of several very good,
not great, receivers.
- Right side of front seven – John Abraham, Cowart, Robertson – pretty fearsome.
- Well-rounded team without too many obvious flaws.
Weaknesses
- As against New England, a receiving group who are deep but doesn’t contain any
outstanding individuals is a good matchup for our secondary. Which is why we
only gave up 300+ passing yards and 31 points last week, plainly.
- “Not too many obvious flaws” not quite the same as “no obvious flaws” – the
defence as a whole lacks a little for speed, particularly in the secondary.
Game Plan
On offence, we’ll try and get Shaun McDonald and Bryan Gilmore, our fastest
receivers, into the game as much as possible and really test the Jet D-backs’
ability to stay with them down the field. But this game is going to be won and
lost in the trenches – if Curtis Martin and Chad Pennington get into a rhythm,
this could be a long day. Similarly, if our line can buy Jeff Blake enough time
to stretch the defence and Marcel Shipp room to get to the second level, we have
the tools to keep the Jet offence off the field and dominate the game
Like last week, when we had a 30 mins. to 13 mins. time of possession advantage
over the Pats and only gave up 31 points. Not wanting to keep banging on about
it, like.
-
It’s always hard work for me against the Jets - it always feels vaguely
disloyal if we manage to beat them. And I can’t get a decent level of hatred
going if we happen to get lucky and turn them over – and if the point of
videogame helmetball isn’t to start personal vendettas against innocent
fragments of code, well then I don’t know what it is.
Second matchup on the bounce on the East coast, then. At least there are
actually people here to see us this week – the last game against the Pats seemed
to be being played on the poop-deck of the Marie Celeste. We celebrate by losing
the toss, by way of a sodding change, and New York elect to receive the ball
first.
The Jets start off on the ground, as the Jets are wont to do, and Curtis Martin
rolls back the years with a toss-right that he takes 30 yards, busting tackles
the whole way. We have a real problem here in that C-Mart always seems to be
able to beat the first man who gets to him, meaning that we have to commit more
defenders to stop the run. It’s coming, I know it’s coming... yep. 1st and goal
at the 2, Pennington goes to the play-pass that we just can’t help but bite on,
and hits fullback BJ Askew for the game’s opening score. Bloody hell, that was
just too easy for them. ARI 0-7 NYJ
The danger when the opposition score so quickly is that our offence will press
too hard and make mistakes trying to make sure we don't lose touch. It only
happened about twenty times last year, so it’s not like I’ve had a chance to
learn to recognise the signs or anything. My fears are misplaced, however, as
the Jets show the sort of shockingly poor run defence that made them the team
they are today – the absolute capper being a 15-yard TD rumble by Marcel Shipp
in which he’s not touched by human hands ‘till after he crosses the goal-line,
at which point two New York defenders jump on him. Yeah. That’s good work, boys.
ARI 7-7 NYJ
If you think I’m worried about Chad Pennington getting into a groove... well,
you’re right. We mix it up with a bit of pressure on the Jets’ next possession,
and it does the job – with Levar Fisher closing in, Pennington has to use his
checkdown option before Curtis Martin’s ready for it, and the ball ends up
bouncing off the back’s back and hitting the floor. New York have to punt it
away, and book themselves in for front-row seats at the Marcel Shipp Travelling
Roadshow. It only takes a couple of plays of the Jets playing the role of
tenpins to Marcel’s bowling ball before they shift to the 4-6, figuring that
with eight men in the box there’s more chance of Shipp accidentally tripping
over someone on his way through.
So let’s see... eight men up to stop the run, so that leaves how many to defend
the pass?
Play-action, Blake to Boldin, the big receiver guiding Donnie Abraham away with
a straight arm then cutting back inside safety Jon McGraw who’s taken an
absolutely horrible line trying to pin Anquan to the sideline – to be fair,
McGraw gets back for the tackle, but only after he’s given up 15 extra
unnecessary yards. The 30-yard play gives us 1st down at the Jet 20 as time runs
out on the first quarter.
Travis Minor manages to single-handedly sabotage our ensuing drive by not
being able to work out where the sideline is twice on consecutive plays. Some
would say that the bloody great big white stripe painted down the side of the
field was a clue, but hey, what do I know. Then to add injury to insult,
Pennington, Martin and Moss just mug us – CP’s already 10 out of 11 for 131
yards and a pair of sco... oh, no, make that 11/12 for 144 yards and 3 TDs.
SachinfrachinrachinSantanaMoss... We’re at the two-minute warning. ARI 14-21
NYJ
To paraphrase the mighty PFC J. Vasquez, whatever we’re going to do, we’d better
do it fast. We announce our intentions by coming out in a four-wide set, which
New York answers with its nickel package. Three cornerbacks trying to cover four
receivers means we’re going to get a mismatch somewhere if Jeff Blake can avoid
the rush long enough to find it, and he does, hitting Bryan Gilmore on
consecutive plays for a short hook then a deep post – first down at the Jet 40,
1:20 left to play. Linebacker Victor Hobson drops Blake before he can find an
open Shaun McDonald, and it looks like the drive could stall, but Anquan Boldin
loses his marker dragging across the line of scrimmage and ends up with a
16-yard gain, then on 3rd and short the defence is so busy watching certified
dangermen Johnson, Boldin and Shipp they neglect to pay attention to tight end
Freddie Jones, whose slant-and-go picks up 19 for a first down at the 12 with 20
ticks remaining. Travis Minor then partially redeems himself for his earlier
arsewittery by staying the right side of the pretty white line all the way into
the endzone, where Blake finds him wide open for the simplest of TDs.
It’s an easy game when you’re not repeatedly shooting yourself in the foot,
isn’t it? Halftime, and it’s anyone’s guess how this is going to shake out -
ARI 21-21 NYJ
-
This has got the makings of a shootout (no? Really? What subtle indicator led
you to that conclusion, Mister Tactical Mastermind? Have you been getting
coaching tips from John Madden again?), oh shut up. Stupid brain.
Er, anyway...
With both offences firing, this might well come down to the first team who makes
a mistake losing the game. We make an early bid to get our name on that
particular sash when Marcel Shipp lets a pass bounce off him to put us at 3rd
and 10, but the Jets aren’t to be outdone and call a zone blitz that leaves DE
Shaun Ellis and a linebacker trying to cover the fastest player on the Cardinal
roster. That’s about as successful as it was in the first half, 22 yards, 1st
down. New York give us a 4-6 look for a while, but a couple of passes cures them
of that and when they shift back to the 4-3 we shift back to the run. Heh heh
heh. Marcel Shipp has played better in the second halves of games all year, and
there’s no change in the trend now as he picks up 25 yards in three carries,
forcing the Jets to once again stack the line to try and slow him down which
leads, inevitably, to a play-fake and Jeff Blake gunning a pass into Bryant
Johnson for the go-ahead score. I love it when a plan comes together. ARI
28-21 NYJ
The predominantly zone defence we played in the first half plainly didn’t get
the job done, so more in hope than expectation we shift to more man-coverage for
the start of the second. Of course, it doesn’t matter what system you’re playing
if you just can’t make your tackles, our defence seeming to be having a
flashback to last season as it allows Curtis Martin to break another big run on
the toss right – 25 yards, this time. He picks up another 9 going left, but is
stuffed on 2nd down and facing 3rd and 1 the Jets go pass-wacky and pressure
from Calvin Pace causes Pennington’s throw to Wayne Chrebet to be errant enough
that No-Mark Barrett can get his hand to it and force a punt. Yay us!
New York just don’t know how to play us – they bring the safety up, and Bryant
Johnson heads into the space he’s just left for 29 yards before Jon McGraw can
get back to cover. Travis Minor comes in to spell Marcel Shipp and picks up 16
yards as the o-line once again does a fabulous job of opening up a running lane
and from 1st down at the 20 it’s just pound, pound, pound, pound, end of the 3rd
quarter, pound, ARI 35-21 NYJ
Time’s starting to be a bit of a problem for the Jets, which might end up taking
Curtis Martin out of the game. Just as well, because quite frankly we don’t look
like we’ve a hope of stopping him. Curtis Conway makes a grab, then Pennington
hits Brian Finneran (Wayne Chrebet and Brian Finneran. Never in NFL history have
a slower, whiter pair of wide receivers shared a roster) for another first. With
our defence looking for the short completion, New York go for the blockbuster,
putting up a deep bomb for Curtis Conway on a fade down the left sideline.
Adrian Wilson is the safety with responsibility deep, but he’s plainly not going
to get over in time so it’s all up to rookie corner Jed Bowden who’s got
man-coverage on Conway. To his credit, Bowden is right there, staying with the
receiver all the way down the field, getting the inside line. He glances back as
he hears the crowd’s roar change in pitch, sees the ball in the air, goes up at
the last second... and takes it away!
Unbelievably, it’s only the third pass all day that Chad Pennington’s failed
to complete, and it gives us 1st down at our own 40. Pound, pound, pound, pound
to nobody’s surprise, but, hey, they haven’t stopped us yet, you know? Shipp
carries 6 times for 34 yards before Al Michaels announces that “he’s heading to
the sidelines for a blow”.
Well, it’s not like he hasn’t earned it.
Fullback James Hodgins gets one a carry – an event rarer than a December win for
New Orleans – to take us to the goalline, but we outsmart ourselves a bit on 3rd
and goal at the 1 and send Jeff Blake on the quarterback sneak. He promptly
fumbles the ball, the goon, which bounces hither and yon chased by numerous
large gentlemen ‘till it rolls to a halt at the feet of right tackle Tony
Clement, who skillfully, gracefully falls on the damn thing. I don’t know, it
seems pretty fitting that this drive is capped off by a touchdown for an
offensive lineman... 11 plays, 60 yards, 6:17 off the clock and just over 3:10
to play with the score at ARI 42-21 NYJ
This isn’t over just yet. I seem to remember the Peytonator being down by 21
points with three minutes to play against the best defence in the league and
pulling out a win. Ah, but we’re not the league’s best defence, are we? So
that’s alright. Nothing to worry about, then. 1st down at the 20, and Pennington
kicks off the Jet drive by looking Anthony Becht on an out-pattern, but the pass
is just a smidgeon behind the tight end and sam ‘backer Raynoch Thompson
stretches, reaches in and takes the ball away and, to quote Private First Class
Vasquez’ squadmate, PFC W. Hudson – “Game over, man! Game over!”
Marcel runs twice to get us the one first down we need to take the clock down
to the 2-minute warning, then with the goal-line at our mercy, Jeff kneels three
times to kill this one off... eh? What? Herm Edwards has a temporary headfit and
takes timeout on 3rd and goal, because he’s got a sneaking suspicion that the 40
seconds left in the game might just be enough to allow his team to make up a
three-touchdown deficit. What an unbelievable tosspot. We fully intended to let
them off the hook and get us all in out of the cold at the earliest possible
opportunity, but instead, outraged, we send Whatshisname Gramatica in to hit the
point-blank figgie and stretch our lead to 24. To no-one's surprise except,
apparently, Herm Edwards, the Jets can’t do anything with the last 36 seconds
and that's the end of the game. At bloody last.
The Jets looked an awful lot like us last year – a strong offence having to
operate under constant pressure because of a porous D. Still, screw ‘em. On our
side, there were great performances all over, particularly from Jeff Blake
(20/26, 238 yards and 2 scores) and Marcel Shipp (30 carries, 151 yards, 3 TD).
No turnovers, only 21 points given up and none of those coming in the second
half – these things haven’t happened in Arizona since dinosaurs roamed the Earth
and Emmitt Smith was still a great running back. The question is – is it a
performance we can build on? Final score - ARI 45-21 NYJ, we move to 3-1.
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(c) daniel
roe 2004
