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Nov 4 2012

Birdgang Keys to Victory on the Frozen Tundra

Today, the Cardinals will once again attempt to right the ship. As great as the undefeated month of September was, it seems like a decade ago after the birdgang faithful suffered through a winless October. The unfortunate losses to Buffalo and St. Louis are now magnified as the Cards are now in middle of the stretch of games that seemed like almost sure losses before the season began.
So, how does this get fixed? Well, the roster is what it is. I do not anticipate any midseason changes whatsoever to significantly reshape the team. The team sits at a midseason crossroads. At 4-4, this season can go one of two ways….horribly wrong or they can get on a heater. And, everyone knows you don’t get up from the table when you are on a heater. So, can this team go on a 6-2 run in the back half of the season to get to 10-6? What about 5-3 to go to 9-7? Besides the Packers and Falcons, the Cardinals have the Rams, Jets, Seahawks, Lions, Bears and 49ers. Four of those teams are very beatable and, as for the others, who knows…any given Sunday.
The first order of business is trying to get a win today at historic Lambeau Field. Yeah, it is Lambeau but at least it isn’t December or January.
I actually think the Packers are one of the better teams in the NFL and will be a legit Super Bowl contender even in spite of the robbery they suffered through on MNF in Seattle. Can the Cardinals win? Of course. The Cardinals can beat anyone…unfortunately they have also proven they can lose to anyone. This Packer team is a little vulnerable right now too because of injuries.
Jordy Nelson is questionable heading into the game which could affect their passing game…although they do have other capable receivers. Their running game is nearly as anemic as the Cardinals. Alex Green replaced Cedric Benson however has been underwhelming to say the least (I would know, he is on my fantasy team) and James Starks is nothing to be scared of either.
I believe the pivotal key to this game (as with many games) will be the line play. The Cardinals offensive line has been much-talked about (and not in a good way). But, the Packers have issues too. That Monday night game against Seattle was an absolute trainwreck for Green Bay as Aaron Rogers got to meet the Seattle defensive players up close and personal regularly. I actually think the Cards have a better pass rush than Seattle so that could be fun to watch. However, if they don’t get there, Rogers accuracy could shred the Cardinals. I don’t expect the Packers run game to factor in much so it will probably be an Aaron Rogers passapalooza.
The defense and special teams have got to make some big plays and force turnovers/ create scores. That is the primary difference between this season and last. Outside of the long fumble return against Philly, there have not been the big scores. That needs to change.
Offensively, well we all know what we are looking at…a backup QB behind a horrific line and a 3rd string running back. That does not bode well for the Cardinals so they are not going to want to get into a track meet. I liked the play calling early in the 49er game, lots of quick passes and screens. I would like to see more of the season. A conventional offense just is not going to happen this year. I also would like to take some shots down field. I realize that takes time but you have to stretch the field to keep them honest and I think Fitz, Floyd and even Housler can go get them. There must be fewer drops though. If Skelton can somehow hit an open receiver, they absolutely cannot drop it. That has killed several drives this year and we need every drive we can get!
I look forward to seeing how the coaching staff approaches this game as it is a big one to build on going down the stretch. Ray Horton for President.

By Shane O'Neil • Uncategorized • 0

Sep 28 2012

#BIRDGANG Podcast: “Miami Dolphins Preview”

In this episode of the Birdgang Podcast, we preview the upcoming came versus the Miami Dolphins

By AZBirdgangMC • Uncategorized • 2

Sep 18 2012

Watch The First Ever #Birdgang Roundtable Right Here:

Every week we will have a “BIRDGANG” Roundtable using Google+, if you would like to be on a future episode of the Birdgang Roundtable, you can friend us on Google+ by searching under our email: birdgangpodcast@gmail.com

Watch the first episode of the Birdgang Roundtable below:

By AZBirdgangMC • Uncategorized • 0

Sep 13 2012

Birdgang Breakdown from Kickoff Weekend

Finally, football-real regular season means-something type football has arrived..and it was great.

For the birdgang faithful in attendance at U of P stadium, I salute you. The atmosphere was great with a minimal amount of blue and green dotting the crowd. From the pre-game introduction, the crowd was loud and proud. The defense especially seemed to feed off the crowd (as always) and I would like to think we all played a little part in the win. Today, I will break down what I saw from my vantage point. But, I would like to focus on non-QB issues as that issue has been beaten to death at this point.

First off, I must say this, as a Cardinal fan I prefer to kickoff to start the game. There is less likelihood of the offense making a costly mistake early in the game and spotting the opposition points plus it also means that the Cards receive to start the second half which is always nice. Further, I say start with your strength and this team’s strength is in the defense. If this team is to have any success this year, it is going to have to lean heavily on the defense. I reminisce of Superbowl-era Ravens teams which featured a punishing and opportunistic defense with a less than impressive offense but a QB that did not do anything terribly stupid. That is how this team needs to win…and for the most part, that is exactly what happened.

On the offensive side of the ball, I must give a shout out to D’anthony Batiste and Bobby Massie. I was very nervous about the pass protection going into the game from the tackle position. However, I was pleasantly surprised as the line held pretty well against a good Seattle defense. Skelton actually had a pocket the majority of the team in passing situations…so for that, I salute you O-line.

Now, that doesn’t mean there is not work to be done because the running game was a train wreck. Andre Roberts was the leading rusher…enough said. LSH, Beanie Wells and Ryan Williams repeatedly were forced into almost non-existent holes. I think it is too early to panic on the run game and maybe I am not giving Seattle enough credit in their gameplan and run support…so this topic will be tabled for now.

Otherwise, offensively, this team was pretty much as expected. Larry is Larry and if you feed him the ball good things happen generally speaking. One day Skelton and Kolb will learn that. I really liked Roberts effort as well. I have never been a fan but I will admit he played a good game. The play-calling was largely unimaginative as we have come to expect from The Whiz. Man, I miss Todd Haley and his creativity. From the start of the second half until the final drive, it was as boring of an offense as you could ever imagine. Whiz seems content to try to run the ball repeatedly with any kind of lead at all and we have all seen many a lead dwindle away. And, could we ever consider stepping into modern-era football and running some draws and screens? I just do not see them out of this team. But, when they do eventually run one successfully, it works because the opposing teams are so surprised to actually see one, they are caught flat-footed. LSH is a weapon that can be used like Darren Sproles with any imaginative play-calling.

Defensively, what can I say? They were balling…and I loved it. At one point, I turned to my wife and asking how many tackles Daryl Washington had because I swear he had been in on every tackle. It seemed like Docket and A-dub were in the backfield the entire time and if Russel Wilson was not so fast, he may not be alive today. He was running for his life most of the game and I was not that impressed with his play considering all the hype. I really liked the linebacker play as well as the secondary for the most part. I thought they played fast and aggressive and I look forward to seeing what else they can do this season. I think the D may need to really carry this team and create scoring opportunities as well as get in the endzone themselves.

Overally, a win is a win especially against a division opponent. Next up, Gisele’s husband and some other guys that are pretty good.

By Shane O'Neil • Uncategorized • 0

Sep 10 2012

#BIRDGANG Podcast: AZvsSEA Game 1

In this latest episode of the Birdgang Podcast Mario, Joe, and Tyler discuss the ever changing QB position, the defense, O-line, and our keys to victory against New England next Sunday. We also share several player audio clips we received, courtesy of SB Nation Arizona. This was a great win for the Cardinals, hopefully the team carries the excitement of this victory into next week. #BIRDGANG!

By AZBirdgangMC • Uncategorized • 0

Aug 28 2012

#BIRDGANG Podcast: “Third String’s A Charm”

The Arizona Birdgang Podcast crew is back to give you a preview of theCardinals/Broncos game before it airs this Thursday night! Joe, Mario, McStats and Tyler hit the studio to discuss a plethora of topics, including the ever popular quarterbacks, the shaky offensive line and the enigma that is Beanie Wells.

The offensive line has been a big issue this offseason. How can the Cardinals repair it? Who should start and who should go? Hear what we have to say on this edition of the podcast entitled, “Third String’s A Charm”.

Listen right here using the media player below, or download the new “Podcasts” app from your iPhone app store.

By AZBirdgangMC • Uncategorized • 2