Don't fall asleep on the Cards

[Bang]

the Cardinals have been a nemesis since forever.

They've NEVER been good (except for small blips).

But they have ALWAYS given us fits, games we're supposed to win.

I grew to distrust them in the mid 70s, when on the final play of the game, Jim Hart thjrew to Mel Grey in the end zone in front of pat Fischer.. Grey had the ball in his hands, and before his second foot came down Pat RIPPED it out. There was no replay for the refs to see,, this was 1975. We could see it. there's no WAY he had the ball when he came down.

the refs huddled, and called it a TD, no time left, game over. ****s.

A few years ago I was at a signing in a VFW where Pat was.. and he and Ron McDole hadn't come out yet, so I figured to take a look in the bar. Sure enough there they were. So I grabbed my son (about 9 or so) and into the bar we went. Ron McDole was cool, signed my son's ball, slapped him five. Pat Fischer was REALLY cool, saw my son's 89 jersey and grabbed him, said he thought he was a wide receiver. He was really cool, gave Max an autograph, asked him if he ever wanted to play defense,, told him then he was allowed to really hit guys, gave him a wicked smile and a wink with that.... and then i looked at him as we were leaving and I said "Mel Grey never caught that ball!".

Well, he came alive, let me tell you. Came right down off his stool yelling and pointing "No way! No way in HELL did he catch that ball!" So I stood there in this bar with Pat Fischer for about five minutes recreating that damn play and really like joshing around with one of my friends about football. He is STILL hot over it. He was loud and proud, grabbing me and showing my son how he ripped the ball out.. it was a trip. (Meanwhile there's about 150 fans out in the main room waiting for these two to finish their drinks )

I remember one time we were supposed to beat the Cards and Boomer friggin' ESIASON threw for 522 ****ING YARDS and we lost.

that day, I had planned a crab feast. Should be a great day. Bunch of friends, crabs and beer, and an easy win for the redskins.

522 ****ING YARDS!!!!!!

Last week they let a rookie throw for 400 yards on them. One of the worst teams in the league abused their defense.

So of course I'm a nervous wreck.

~Bang

[Botched]

That is an awesome story Bang.

I get a bad feeling about Cardinals games too. Seems like during the Norv years we always managed to find a way to lose to them.

[Crazy Levi]

That is an awesome story Bang.

I get a bad feeling about Cardinals games too. Seems like during the Norv years we always managed to find a way to lose to them.

What are you talking about?

They didn't take Monday off.

THEY DIDN'T TAKE IT OFF you mutha!!!!!

I don't think you realize how huge this is. The Reskins refused a day off. Clearly, they will win the Super Bowl this year.

[NewEraofSkins08]

The Redskins have no reason to "fall asleep" on ANY team. However, I do believe we are a much better team than the Cardinals. If we are a "changed" Redskins team then we should come out Sunday and blitzkrieg the Cardinals. Our Front 7 should abuse theirs, as we did to the Giants in the 2nd half. The Giants O-line is Top 10, while Cardinals is bottom 10. We should go up early in this game and keep on it, no pumping the brakes. If we go out and win this one by 14+ points, it'll show that we are a playoff contender. Let's go Skins!!!!

[Warhead36]

The Cards are a better team than their record last year would indicate. They made the Super Bowl in 08 and were a playoff team in 09 as well. They had horrific QB play last year which set them back big time. Now they have what looks like a legit QB in Kolb.

Top to bottom I think we're better but there are a couple matchups there that could single handedly cost us the game. Fitzgerald possibly going up against Doughty scares the crap out of me and I could see Joey Porter, Calais Campbell, and Darnell Dockett abusing Trent Williams and our OL all day.

[skins island connection]

the Cardinals have been a nemesis since forever.

They've NEVER been good (except for small blips).

But they have ALWAYS given us fits, games we're supposed to win.

I grew to distrust them in the mid 70s, when on the final play of the game, Jim Hart thjrew to Mel Grey in the end zone in front of pat Fischer.. Grey had the ball in his hands, and before his second foot came down Pat RIPPED it out. There was no replay for the refs to see,, this was 1975. We could see it. there's no WAY he had the ball when he came down.

the refs huddled, and called it a TD, no time left, game over. ****s.

A few years ago I was at a signing in a VFW where Pat was.. and he and Ron McDole hadn't come out yet, so I figured to take a look in the bar. Sure enough there they were. So I grabbed my son (about 9 or so) and into the bar we went. Ron McDole was cool, signed my son's ball, slapped him five. Pat Fischer was REALLY cool, saw my son's 89 jersey and grabbed him, said he thought he was a wide receiver. He was really cool, gave Max an autograph, asked him if he ever wanted to play defense,, told him then he was allowed to really hit guys, gave him a wicked smile and a wink with that.... and then i looked at him as we were leaving and I said "Mel Grey never caught that ball!".

Well, he came alive, let me tell you. Came right down off his stool yelling and pointing "No way! No way in HELL did he catch that ball!" So I stood there in this bar with Pat Fischer for about five minutes recreating that damn play and really like joshing around with one of my friends about football. He is STILL hot over it. He was loud and proud, grabbing me and showing my son how he ripped the ball out.. it was a trip. (Meanwhile there's about 150 fans out in the main room waiting for these two to finish their drinks )

I remember one time we were supposed to beat the Cards and Boomer friggin' ESIASON threw for 522 ****ING YARDS and we lost.

that day, I had planned a crab feast. Should be a great day. Bunch of friends, crabs and beer, and an easy win for the redskins.

522 ****ING YARDS!!!!!!

Last week they let a rookie throw for 400 yards on them. One of the worst teams in the league abused their defense.

So of course I'm a nervous wreck.

~Bang

Very cool bit there, I bet your son was hyped up! Thats one thing missed today, players caring more about the game than the money they made...

[wrecker]

Statement from Kevin Kolb interview about the skins D.

On what he saw from the Redskins secondary Sunday against the Giants:

“With the front four, as well as the linebackers, the secondary makes you get rid of the football quickly. A lot of the defenses in the league forces that issue. The secondary is talented, especially when [safety LaRon] Landry is playing. We will try to take our shots, but at the same time, we will try to put together a solid drive and try to pick them apart as well.”

Does he know we play a 3-4? Was this a slip up or is he sleeping on the skins?

[authentic]

Absolutely OP, I'm happy to have have finally beat the Giants, but I hope the players haven't overstated the win. The Cardinals may not be the same as it was under K. Warner, but they're still dangerous especially with L. Fitzgerald. However i believe that Shanny has them on point.

---------- Post added September-15th-2011 at 10:39 AM ----------

I remember one time we were supposed to beat the Cards and Boomer friggin' ESIASON threw for 522 ****ING YARDS and we lost.

that day, I had planned a crab feast. Should be a great day. Bunch of friends, crabs and beer, and an easy win for the redskins.

522 ****ING YARDS!!!!!!

~Bang

^^This i will never forget. That game was a mess! I also remember that Boomer ran though the NFCE in consecutive weeks. He had close to about 1,200 yards in 3 games (btwn the Giants, Eagles, and Skins). But of course we caught the worst of his wrath. SMH

[pjfootballer]

This was my worry in the other thread. We usually have clunkers after a big win. I hope we've truly turned the corner as a team and won't get sucked in to playing bad the next game. I like that we are at home for the "trap game." But if we continue to play the way we have the first 5 games of the season (preseason included) we can beat anybody. I don't want Rex to have to drop 400 yards on the Cardinals. Like Shanny wants, I'd rather have 150 rushing yards and 275+ passing yards. Balanced offense will win us games. I really thing Torain should get some carries in this game. I'd like to see Hightower get 20 carries, Torain 15 and Helu 3. I'd like to see Rex go 22-30 for about 250 and 2 TDs.

[illone]

This team waived its day off to prepare.

I don't think they are taking anyone lightly.

Skins always beat the cards and have done so with much worse teams, and the cards having much better teams than this.

As a fan, I'm not too worried.

[kevinklein]

Well, we as fans can do whatever we want. It simply leads to disappointment, or a smug "I knew it" attitude.

I don't think this team is going to be sleeping on anyone. Not with Shanny at the helm, and the divas out of the locker room. Arizona is scary. Fitz, no matter what, is a threat, and nearly undefendable. Kolb is an upgrade from anyone they've had at QB in many years. Warner was good, but the final years of his career. Beanie Wells has a lot of upside.

This should be a great matchup, and a nice measuring stick for our team.

[TD_washingtonredskins]

The Cardinals last beat us at home in 1998, I was there

Was that the ridiculous comeback attempt that came up just short? We were down 31-0 or something at halftime and ended up pulling to within 3 points at the end?

[santanathegreat]

Something I pulled from the Cards board. The "expectations" part made me lol.

Wanted to express some optimism I am having with this matchup.

First off the Washington offense gave up 4 sacks to a defense that was missing its 2 best pass rushers and was relying on the front 4 for pressure. Secondly, did you hear about hightowers game. 72 yards on 25 carries. Nothing that i'll be getting excited about. Of course Grossman through for 300+ yards. But who didn't this past week. The Oline at Washington is much like ours. Not all that great. That being said I was pleased that what our Oline did for the run and the pass. Obviously we have one major flaw but Kolb did a good job of rolling away from the pressure.

The cards defense:

-First things has to be our dline. It seemed D Williams and Carter were holding blocks or shedding them to get in the backfield to disrupt the run game. That was one of the highlights for me on the defensive side of the ball vs carolina.

-Second our defense has a whole week to get grilled and reconditioned to fix the bone head mistakes that were popping up. It seemed a lot of defenses around the league were a step or two behind where they should be. Without a doubt the defenses has been hit the hardest by the lockout.

-Third. Patrick Peterson. I look for this kid to have a much better game in the secondary. Its evident that all of our secondary can tackle and tackle very well. Peterson will get more confidence in his game play and not be afraid to take a chance the more hes on that field. And you have to love marshall blitzing from the nickel the guy had good timing and really puts some power into his hits.

- Lastly is Schofield. The more he can get in the better our pass rush will be. Every play he was in on felt like he was putting consistent push on the pace. I think that haggans will be seeing more time on the pine the more schofield progresses and eventually takes the starting position.

Things i want to see against washington

- Shut timmy down keep him at 1 ypc not 2

- 6 sacks or more ( I believe we come back strong with more schofield and a better more crisp approach to the defense in general)

- See Adub humbled a little bit so that he stays committed and keeps the big play from repeating itself

- Forced fumbles. Its timmy so I want to see at least 2 from the skins

He wants to see 1 ypc, 6 sacks, and 2 fumbles from the Cards defense. Maybe I should play them in my fantasy league this week.

[Boss_Hogg]

Was that the ridiculous comeback attempt that came up just short? We were down 31-0 or something at halftime and ended up pulling to within 3 points at the end?

it was an unbelievable game...I'll never forget watching Pat Tillman play; he wasn't the biggest or fastest guy on the field but damn did he give his all on every snap.

We lost like 45-42

Here's the Box Score:

http://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/199811220was.htm

[Truant]

If we lose it won't be because we "slept" on the Cardinals. Why do I say that? Because the players wanted to come in on Monday to get their work in. Do we think that's because they wanted to bask in the Giants win or if they were looking ahead to their next opponent.

I do agree that some fans should take the Cardinals more seriously if they are overly encouraged by the Carolina game. The Cardinals blew some massive coverages and threw the kitchen sink at Cam. That offensive line in Carolina might be better than ours.

So things that apply:

1. Week two, you expect less mental lapses compared to week 1.

2. Cardinals absolutely stuffed the Carolina run game, with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart.

3. Cardinals were not afraid to continuously blitz -- Grossman's stats last week were far worse against the blitz.

4. A DL of Dockett, Campbell, and Dan Williams is VERY formidable. Dockett and Campbell have played near their first round talent level. Williams is a first rounder.

5. Beanie Wells is running hard. He averaged 5 yards a carry last week and he's looking like a completely healthy version of Bradshaw.

6. Hate to admit it, but Kolb is impressive. The Cardinals moved him a lot last week and both inside and outside the pocket he was extremely accurate. He also showed a willingness to throw the ball up to his playmakers. When you have a guy like Fitzgerald, that's very dangerous.

Expect a very close game. Our recent history versus the Cardinals means nothing. They have probably spent the last two days coming up with ten plays to get Larry one on one vs. Doughty. Buckle up for this one.

[Gibbs Hog Heaven]

Whilst I don't think Arizona is much cop at all, EVERY team deserves the utmost respect when you play them; regardless of record or perceived reputation.

When you start taking teams for granted, that's when you inevitably end up losing.

Hail.

[Saqs]

Something I pulled from the Cards board. The "expectations" part made me lol.

He wants to see 1 ypc, 6 sacks, and 2 fumbles from the Cards defense. Maybe I should play them in my fantasy league this week.

Sounds like a (dreamy) recipe for a win to me.

[seriously]

I really don't like the fact Landry is out, and Larry Fitz is a monster.... That being said, I hope Rexy is sexy this game lol

[Bobbyst21]

We cant afford to take any team lightly.With any of our previous coaches id of been worried.Shanny will have them ready.I believe.

[Conn]

I agree with the sentiment of the thread, but I look at it another way. Our team should in no way overlook ANY game vs. ANY team.

But good teams beat the teams they "should" beat on paper, more often than not. If we want to really believe that this team is a little something special, we need to accept that if we don't win this game, we need to evaluate why and what that means about this iteration of the Skins. Because the players believe they've got something special...and special teams don't often lose to teams they "should" beat, especially ones that have a poor defense.

[rdskn4eva]

The Redskins cant afford to sleep on ANYBODY, good or bad. The Cards are a good team - we'd better bring our A game. We aint good enough to think we can sleep on the Cardinals.

[skinnyles]

I get a sense, this year, that because of the youth and "Non-Headliners" we have, that each player is trying to pad his stats for the future instead of resting on his laurals(SP).....Thus no let downs!!!

[SkinsFTW]

This game is another one where everything plays into our favor. Cards usually do bad in early east coast games. New QB in a new system, new defense too. Their defense looked lost against Carolina most of the game and Grossman should pick them to pieces. Our defense should play them just like the Giants tried to play Grossman last week. Pressure the hell out of the QB. Kolb is in his first year in a new system and the team didn't have much time to get it together in the offseason. He's going to make some mistakes if rushed, IMO. Especially if our offense takes advantage of their weak defense and puts up 20+ in the first half.

This shouldn't be a tough game but we know what has happened in the past. I'd like to think that all this talk of this being a "different team" is reality. For us to go and lose this one would bring back all the doubt from the past.

So if this is really the different team that people have been talking about then this is the first blowout of Shanahan's Redskins and we should win 38-17 at least. I don't expect that though. I think Grossman will do well but throw a pick or fumble, or both, and our DB's get exploited a couple times, a few dropped balls again, a few dumb penalties, and we win 31-24 in a game that we could have won 45-10.

Then again, with Landry out, we very well could end up losing as well but mistakes are going to be the difference. If we don't make them we can blow this team out. Regardless of Fitzgerald or Wells or Kolb.

[thebluefood]

If there's one thing being a Redskins fan has taught me, it's that you cannot ever take a team lightly. Ever. You have to treat every team like a world beater, even if they're dead last in their division.

This will be a big test for the coaches, to see if they can keep the team disciplined.

[Destino]

Sleep on the Cards? I fully expect the skins to need 30+ points to win this game with Doughty expected to play significant minutes. Eli Manning may need the running game in order to pass the ball... the Cardinals need no such thing.