How could the Cardinals blow this one?

Oct 20

NFL

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I just had the chance to see the last Monday Night Game: The Bears at Arizona.

Without knowing the final score – Yeah it’s been hard to avoid it – I was expecting – as almost everybody – a pretty loopsided game: How dominant would the Bears beat up the Cardinals.

But whow, quite the opposite – at least for almost the entire first half.

Why only almost? Well in my opinion the Cardinals blew it already in the first half with very poor playcalling in the Redzone. Why did they try to run it in the Redzone? It didn’t work in open field – why should it all of a sudden work in the Redzone? I think that’s when they already laid the cornerstone for the Bears unbelievable, No-Offense-At-All-Comeback!

But now back to the beginning of the game: I was amazed how much the strategy of the Cardinals matched my article about the 3-step-passing-game: Easy reads for the QB, don’t give the Defense a chance to really pressure the QB, thus easing the task for the OL. And on the other side the problems the Bears had trying to establish the long pass with the 5-step and 7-step drops: 2 interceptions and 2 fumbles by the QB when getting sacked.

But then the Cardinals playcallers (or gameplanners) tried to get smart: they abandond their very successful strategy, trying to run the ball, when the Defense wasn’t giving it to them – man! take what the defense gives you, even if it’s the same thing the whole game.

Before that game – which was the first I could see of the Bears I really thought they were my favourite for the Superbowl (at least participating in it) but now I’m pretty sure they are not! The Offense was so unable to move the ball consistently and the defense was actually unable to stop the 3-step-passing-game at all. Why the Cardinals abandoned it is beyond me.