Ask Revenge of the Birds

We all assume that Warner is seriously bothered by the symptoms and he would play if he could. No one second-guesses him and we want him to be 100% when he takes the field.

Nothing can stop Warner from getting out on the field. This is the biggest game on the schedule so far for the Cardinals, and everybody on the team will be there and playing in desperation mode.

I guess my answer would be…..I’d prefer not to get shot.

In all seriousness the Vikings are one of the rare offenses that are dangerously strong in the running and passing game. That of course means that you can’t solely focus on one or the other and still have any hope of winning. That being said I think they’re defensive game plan might depend on who play’s QB. If Warner is under center then I would bet that the defense is able to take a few more gambles (ie focusing on the run and blitzing) because they’re less afraid of getting into a shoot-out. If Leinart is under center then the gameplan might be more conservative (ie always keeping a safety or two deep and giving up more runs and short passes underneath) because they know that Leinart won’t put up as many points.

As far as how our OL will handle your DL, I’ll say that I think the best gameplan would be pray daily. Simply put, our front five has zero chance against your front four. To make matters worse our LT, Mike Gandy, might miss the game or at least play but not be 100% (so bet on Jared Allen picking up at least one sack). The Cardinals, for whatever reason, don’t like to keep a tight end in to help thier tackles but I’ve gotta think they’ll do that this week. Otherwise we’ll be simply overmatched.

1) I think that we will have our problems because most of your receivers are quick. I’d imagine Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, easily the fasted DB in the league would cover your quickest receiver. Bryant McFadden is a physical DB so he’d need have to jam whoever he covers at the line and disrupt their routes. After that I’m worried because our DB depth is thin. Adrian Wilson will likely cover Shancoe(sp), which he can have trouble against good receiving tight ends.

2) If we focus on AD then Favre will find more open recievers. i think the Cardinals need to focus on stacking the box, but also bringing heavy blitzes when Favre throws.

1 – Good question with no clear cut answer. Hightower is the starter in the sense that he is on the field for the first play of the game but after that Whiz simply rides the hot hand. Beanie had been getting more carries leading up to the Titans game but an early fumble sent him to the bench for a while. Either way they’re carries will likely be in the 8-12 range and if we can manage to grind out 80 yards on the ground, I’ll be impressed.

2 – Can anyone effectively shut down both?

3 – That’s an impossible question but I’ll simply say that if the Cardinals play their best game, they can beat anyone. It helps that the Vikes and Saints play in a dome so I don’t think that simply playing on the road eliminates their chances of winning. It’s also worth noting that we have a better record on the road this year than at home.

I’d say Wells will have the better game, and that’s assuming the Cardinals don’t abandon the run. Wells is much more quicker and explosive and against your D, that would be better to have.

The Wildcard game in Arizona has a 50/50 chance of being those Fudge Packers. (as of now.) The Packers could lock up that #5 spot.

I think the Cardinals will be ready for the Packers, especially since the Bucs already beat them.

But do you see him doing enough to win?

Inconsistency has been that name of the game in Arizona ever since they’ve been here pretty much. The positive thing is that they’re good more often than their bad these days.

But they’ve won 6 out of the last 8 games so that’s saying something. The run D was very good at the start of the season but has faltered since then. I’m hoping they get their act together on Sunday ; )

We could limit Favre and he could have the worst game of the season, or he could go off and throw 5 TDs, but I don’t see anything in between.

I think if the Cardinals put more defenders in the box, it will be to slow Peterson, but if the Vikings pass more, they’ll use the defenders for all out blitzes. Not blitzing last week killed us against the Titans and I’m hoping the Cardinals learned.

The other one will be under fire all day.

And Ken Whisenhunt has shown a tendency to let them work it out. I’d love to see some TE help or RB chip blocks but I don’t see that happening.

 He’s played all but 1 game but I’m assuming that’s slowing him. He’s still a valuable asset to our offense and not having Kurt on the field has limited his production.

Those are the guys you probably want to look for the most.

We give up a ton of yards (24th in the league) but we’re pretty decent at keeping opponents out of the endzone (13th). Names you should know though (and hopefully they’ll show up)…

 - Darnell Dockett – Believe me he’ll have a good game. He think he’s the best DT in the league (even though he’s now an end) and with the Williams Wall in his backyard he’ll have some motivation.
 - Adrian Wilson – Best safety you might have never heard of.
 - DRC – Best young corner in the game.
 - Karlos Dansby – Will be the best LB on the free agent market this offseason.

I’m obviously over selling a bit but those are the faces of this D.

Watch out for Darnell Dockett – Had 3 sacks last week and 6 in the last 4 weeks. Can disrupt a lot of plays

DRC – Very fast young corner and likes to go after the ball. If Brett puts one up in the air he can make a play.

Antrel Rolle – He’s not the best free safety in the league but if he picks off a pass, he’s a threat to take it back.

Calais Campbell – A young player you’ve never heard of that can play with a high motor and he’s 6’8

Or he might use up the last year of his contract to stay on the sidelines and help Leinart get used to starting again.

Either way, I think after his contract is up he will be done playing in the NFL. He doesn’t want to get hurt too much since he has 7 kids and he is thinking about what he wants to do after he retires along with the crapload of charity work he does already.