Feeling The Heat: An Arizona Cardinals Franchise (Madden 2011)

[Jim Jones]

Can Matt Leinart lead the Cardinals to the Playoffs?

Aaaaaaand welcome back to NFL Live folks, Trey Wingo here alongside Cris Carter and Ron Jaworski. Now guys let's head out to the desert and the situation that everyone is watching out in Arizona - the quarterbacks. A piece recently ran on CardsReport.com, questioning Matt Leinart's work ethic and whether he has what it takes to lead this Cardinals team to the promised land. We're two days away from Week 1 of the NFL season and the question must be asked - Is Leinart the right guy for this Cardinals team? What do you guys think?


Well Trey, consider these things: Arm strength, footwork, body language, field vision, film study, the ability to read a defense, the ability to command the respect of your teammates. THESE are all the factors that go into making a SUCCESSFUL QUARTERBACK IN THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE. Now look, the fact of the matter is that not every quarterback in the National Football League is going to have ALL of these attributes. As a matter of fact, most don't.. and that's fine! But what I will tell you is that Matt Leinart possesses enough of those traits to be a starting quarterback in the National Football League!


Well it's easy to say that Jaws, but when is he going to start showing it on the field? I mean we already know he doesn't have great arm strength, we already know that his timing, vision and commitment to the game are highly questionable..and I can tell you right now from players I've talked to that he ain't got the respect of his teammates..so when exactly is he going to start showing some of those qualities??


Rome wasn't built in a day Cris, and a quarterback in the National Football League won't get built in a day either. Look at Mark Sanchez last year - 12 TDs, 20 INTs, 53.8 completion percentage and a QB rating of 63..now look at Leinart's rookie season in Arizona - 11 TDs, 12 INTs, 56.8 completion percentage with a QB rating of 74...Leinart had the better rookie season! Yet people wonder if he has what it takes, while most expect Sanchez to lead the Jets to the Superbowl? Why is that? Because Sanchez is on the field playing, maturing, getting experience under his belt, while Leinart has spent time watching from the bench, as he should have been with a great quarterback like Kurt Warner, but nonetheless..the only way to prove that you are worthy of being a starting quarterback in the National Football League is if you are allowed to go out there and perform on the football field and anytime Leinart has been out there, he's had an extremely short leash on him. A young quarterback needs to be able to learn, grow, and make mistakes. I think once Leinart is given that opportunity, he will flourish as a quarterback in the National Football League.


But there's been too many mistakes, Jaws! Too many mistakes! You're all about the film study, so let the film do the talking. You can't look at him and tell me he has what it takes. Poor body language, poor grasp of the offense, poor timing on his throws, inability to truly read a defense and frankly, his arm strength isn't really ALL THAT. He can't make a lot of the throws that Kurt Warner was able to make. And when you've got a player like Larry Fitzgerald having to reach behind him to catch passes, or getting led into traffic by his quarterback..well that's just a problem right there. And we already saw him come up with an ankle injury in preseason thanks to a bad pass by Leinart. I'll tell you right now that the Cardinals future QB ain't on this roster, because it's pretty slim pickings as it is, so there's not much competition for Leinart to begin with, but the fact is that he's not the right guy for the job and I don't even think he'll last the whole season before gettin' yanked out of there!


Well fellas he'll get his chance soon enough. The Cardinals begin their 2010 campaign Sunday in St. Louis and believe me, the eyes of the NFL will certainly be on Arizona this year. I think we can all agree they're talented enough to at the very least, return to the playoffs..the question is just going to be whether or not Leinart can get it done. You've heard what our pro's think..but the time is near where the talking stops and Leinart's play has to start doing the talking!

[tomriddle]

get rid of Leinart imo -.-

try to trade for a 1st rd but more realistically a 2nd rounder

use your scouting skills and pick up a QB off the draft

Leinart at the helm is.. nah, just nah

[Adam14]

All I'm gonna say is that's a goofy looking picture of Jaws... haha.

That said, I'm following.

[Jim Jones]

OFF AND RUNNING
Wells, Fitzgerald power Cards past Rams, 30-14

By Bruiser Brody
CardsReport.com

ST LOUIS, MO -- So far, so good.

It wasn't always pretty, but in the end, the Arizona Cardinals did enough to secure a 30-14 victory over the Rams at the Edward Jones Dome on Sunday afternoon. Better yet, they did it with a little of the flair Cardinals fans have grown accustomed to in recent years.

Score one for Team Leinart, as the much-maligned quarterback made some of the big plays that many have wondered if the Cardinals would be able to make in the post-Kurt Warner era.

Leinart connected on a 65-yard touchdown pass with Early Doucet in the first quarter, then found Larry Fitzgerald for touchdown passes of 11 and 77 yards in the second quarter. Sure, he threw two interceptions, but his 353 passing yards were a sign of a quarterback who seems ready to step up to the challenge laid out before him.

Cards coach Ken Whisenhunt was quick to point out, however, that Leinart's two interceptions were poor decisions on the quarterback's part.

"Those were bad reads and throws he didn't need to make," Whisenhunt said. "He looked spectacular at times, but we can't have mistakes like that."

Leinart brushed off the criticism and preferred to focus on the positive.

"I think the positive outweighs the negative, don't you?" Leinart asked a crowd of reporters outside his locker. "We've told people all along that we were still going to be able to make big plays in the passing game and I think we proved that tonight."

The Cardinals nursed a 21-14 lead for the entire fourth quarter, until Larod Stephens-Howling rumbled in from two yards out to put the game on ice.

So while the win wasn't quite as glamorous as the final score might indicate, it was still a win, and one game into the Matt Leinart era, it's starting to look like these Cardinals might not be as grounded as some anticipated.

CARDINALS @ RAMS HIGHLIGHTS

Matt Leinart floats a 65-yard TD pass over the secondary to Early Doucet

Spoiler

EA Sports: Madden NFL 11 Video Highlight

Larry Fitzgerald takes a Matt Leinart pass and leaves the secondary in his dust en route to a 77-yard touchdown catch

Spoiler

EA Sports: Madden NFL 11 Video Highlight

Calais Campbell gets his third sack of the game, bringing down A.J. Feeley for a safety on the final play of the game

Spoiler

EA Sports: Madden NFL 11 Video Highlight

NFL Scoreboard - Arizona (1-0) at St. Louis (0-1)

September 12, 2010 1 2 3 4 F Arizona 7 14 0 9 30 St. Louis 0 14 0 0 14 Top Performers Arizona - Stats Chris Wells: 20 carries, 100 yards Larry Fitzgerald: 6 rec, 153 yards, 2 TD St. Louis - Stats Laurent Robinson: 3 rec, 90 yards, TD A.J. Feeley: 8-of-17, 167 yards, TD	Team Stats Comparison ARZ STL First Downs 30 14 3rd Down Efficiency 5-10 4-11 4th Down Efficiency 0-0 0-0 Total Yards 589 426 Passing Yards 353 232 Rushing Yards 101 92 Penalties-Penalty Yards 3-45 2-20 Turnovers 2 0 Time of Possession 21:28 18:32
Scoring Summary First Quarter ARZ STL ARZ 1:01 Doucet 65 pass from Leinart (Feeley kick) 7 0 Second Quarter ARZ STL STL 7:59 Robinson 36 pass from Bradford (Brown kick) 7 7 ARZ 4:15 Fitzgerald 11 pass from Leinart (Feeley kick) 14 7 STL 1:06 Jackson 12 pass from A. Feeley (Brown kick) 14 14 ARZ 0:44 Fitzgerald 77 pass from Leinart (Feeley kick) 21 14 Fourth Quarter ARZ STL ARZ 0:13 Stephens-Howling 2 run 28 14 ARZ 0:00 Campbell sack for Safety 30 14
Arizona Passing C/ATT YDS TD INT Matt Leinart 15/32 353 3 2 Rushing ATT YDS AVG TD Beanie Wells 20 100 5.0 Larod Stephens-Howling 4 1 0.2 1 Receiving REC YDS AVG TD Larry Fitzgerald 6 153 25.2 2 Steve Breaston 4 88 22.0 Early Doucet 3 95 31.6 1 Larod Stephens-Howling 1 -3 -3.0 Anthony Becht 1 20 20.0 Defense TKL SACK INT TD A. Wilson 5 G. Hayes 5 C. Campbell 4 3 J. Porter 3 B. Robinson 2 M. Ware 2 D. Williams 2 K. Rhodes 2 P. Lenon 2 G. Toler 2 D. Rodgers-Cromartie 2 Kick Returning NO. YDS TD LONG L. Stephens-Howling 3 64 0 23 Punt Returning NO. YDS TD LONG A. Roberts 6 71 0 21 Kicking FGM/A XPM/A PTS LONG J. Feeley 0/0 4/4 Punting NO. YDS AVG IN 20 B. Graham 4 178 44.5 4 St. Louis Passing C/ATT YDS TD INT A.J. Feeley 8/17 167 1 Sam Bradford 7/13 100 1 Rushing ATT YDS AVG TD Steven Jackson 23 90 3.9 Receiving REC YDS AVG TD Donnie Avery 3 48 16.0 Laurent Robinson 3 90 30.0 1 Steven Jackson 3 39 13.0 1 Mardy Gilyard 2 42 21.0 Daniel Fells 2 31 15.5 Defense TKL SACK INT TD J. Butler 5 C. Long 4 F. Robbins 4 J. King 3 J. Laurinaitis 3 R. Bartell 3 1 B. Fletcher 3 1 B. Carpenter 2 L. Grant 2 K. Payne 1 C. Dahl 1 Kick Returning NO. YDS TD LONG D. Amendola 5 100 0 23 Punt Returning NO. YDS TD LONG D. Amendola 1 2 2 Kicking FGM/A XPM/A PTS LONG J. Brown 0/0 2/2 Punting NO. YDS AVG IN 20 J. Brown

OperationSports.com

[hockeyplaya2724]

Quote:

Passing C/ATT YDS TD INT Matt Leinart 15/32 353 3 2 I call hax

__________________
The Coaching Legacy of Aaron Wheeler (NCAA Football 11)

[Jim Jones]

Quote: Originally Posted by tomriddle

get rid of Leinart imo -.- try to trade for a 1st rd but more realistically a 2nd rounder use your scouting skills and pick up a QB off the draft Leinart at the helm is.. nah, just nah

Believe me, I thought about it..but I think it'd be a good redemption story if I can get him going..plus I at don't feel like realistically he'd net a very high pick in real life so I dont wanna do it in the game.

[Jim Jones]

ESPECIALLY DEFENSIVE
Six turnovers, two special teams scores lead Cardinals in 62-26 thrashing of Falcons

By Bruiser Brody
CardsReport.com

ATLANTA, GA -- After Matt Ryan's first pass attempt, it was clear that he and the Falcons would be in for a long day.

The Cardinals defense certainly made like miserable for Ryan and his Falcons, intercepting the third-year signal caller five times and forcing six turnovers en route to a 62-26 pounding at the Georgia Dome.

The Cardinals' 62 points is a franchise-record, besting the previous high of 55.

On a day where the Cardinals offense was lackluster at best, it was the defense that set the tone. And after an offseason of hearing about Leinart and the offense, it's not hard to understand why the defense was so eager to send a statement.

"All anyone talks about with this team is the offense, who is going to be the quarterback, who's gonna do this, who's gonna do that," said Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, who had two interceptions. "We're here to show people that it don't matter, because if we have this defense we'll win games."

Ryan's struggles began on the first play of the game, when he was hit by a blitzing Joey Porter from his blindside. The ball floated up in the air and was intercepted by a diving Darnell Docket.

From there on, it was open season for the Cardinals defense, who continued to force turnovers and set up a short field for the Cardinals offense. Beanie Wells was the biggest beneficiery, scoring four touchdowns on just 62 rushing yards.

Matt Leinart had a solid outing, completing 12 of his 20 attempts for 220 yards, 2 TDs and an interception. His day was highlighted by an 88-yard TD pass to Steve Breaston, who broke down the middle of the field and split between two defenders to make the score.

"Give credit to our defense today for stepping up the way they did," Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "When you can force turnovers like that, it makes everyones life a little easier."

Next up for the Cardinals is the team's home opener, next Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.

NFL Scoreboard - Arizona Cardinals (ARi) at Atlanta Falcons (ATL)

September 19, 2010 1 2 3 4 F Arizona Cardinals 21 14 21 6 62 Atlanta Falcons 14 5 0 7 26 Top Performers Arizona Cardinals - Stats Atlanta Falcons - Stats	Team Stats Comparison ARI ATL First Downs 11 15 3rd Down Efficiency 3-11 4-12 4th Down Efficiency 1-2 0-0 Total Yards 331 440 Passing Yards 261 358 Rushing Yards 70 82 Penalties-Penalty Yards 3-22 2-15 Turnovers 3 6 Time of Possession 23:27 20:22
Scoring Summary First Quarter ARI ATL ARI 8:45 B. Wells 2 run (J. Feeley kick) 7 0 ARI 4:47 B. Wells 26 run (J. Feeley kick) 14 0 ATL 4:30 R. White 81 pass from M. Ryan (M. Stover kick) 14 7 ATL 2:29 H. Douglas 64 pass from M. Ryan (M. Stover kick) 14 14 ARI 2:14 L. Stephens-Howling 103 Kick Return (J. Feeley kick) 21 14 Second Quarter ARI ATL ATL 9:24 ARI Team Safety 21 16 ATL 6:02 M. Stover 44 FG 21 19 ARI 4:35 S. Breaston 88 pass from M. Leinart (J. Feeley kick) 28 19 ARI 0:07 A. Roberts 7 pass from Leinart (J. Feeley kick) 35 19 Third Quarter ARI ATL ARI 7:59 A. Roberts 82 Punt Return (J. Feeley kick) 42 19 ARI 6:35 B. Wells 5 run (J. Feeley kick) 49 19 ARI 4:11 B. Wells 1 run (J. Feeley kick) 56 19 Fourth Quarter ARI ATL ATL 9:23 J. Norwood 4 run (M. Stover kick) 56 26 ATL 4:54 J. Feeley 43 FG 59 26 ATL 1:34 J. Feeley 17 FG 62 26
Arizona Cardinals Passing C/ATT YDS TD INT M. Leinart 12/20 220 2 1 J. Skelton 2/7 37 0 2 Rushing ATT YDS AVG TD B. Wells 19 62 3.2 4 T. Hightower 5 14 2.8 M. Leinart 3 -6 -2.0 Receiving REC YDS AVG TD N. Broughton 4 36 9.0 B. Wells 3 30 10.0 A. Roberts 2 45 22.5 1 S. Breaston 2 112 56.0 1 E. Doucet 1 11 11.0 0 A. Becht 2 31 15.5 Defense TKL SACK INT TD G. Hayes 7 J. Porter 4 1 K. Rhodes 4 1 P. Lenon 3 C. Brown 3 A. Wilson 3 M. Ware 3 O. Schofield 2 D. Dockett 2 1 D. Rodgers-Cromartie 2 2 G. Toler 2 1 Kick Returning NO. YDS TD LONG L. Stephens-Howling 3 146 1 103 Punt Returning NO. YDS TD LONG A. Roberts 3 97 1 82 Kicking FGM/A XPM/A PTS LONG J. Feeley 2/2 8/8 14 44 Punting NO. YDS AVG IN 20 B. Graham 3 153 51.0 0 Atlanta Falcons Passing C/ATT YDS TD INT M. Ryan 19/43 358 2 5 Rushing ATT YDS AVG TD M. Turner 19 81 4.2 J. Norwood 3 1 0.3 1 Receiving REC YDS AVG TD H. Douglas 5 126 25.2 1 J. Norwood 4 35 8.7 R. White 3 104 34.6 1 M. Turner 2 19 6.0 E. Weems 2 36 18.0 Defense TKL SACK INT TD T. Decoud 6 E. Coleman 4 C. Owens 4 B. Williams 4 M. Peterson 3 J. Anderson 3 1 P. Jerry 2 1 D. Robinson 2 1 J. Abraham 2 1 J. Babineaux 1 1 S. Nicholas 1 1 Kick Returning NO. YDS TD LONG E. Weems 7 136 0 24 H. Douglas 3 59 0 21 Punt Returning NO. YDS TD LONG E. Weems 3 27 0 15 Kicking FGM/A XPM/A PTS LONG M. Stover 1/2 3/3 6 45 Punting NO. YDS AVG IN 20 M. Koenen 3 144 48.0 2

OperationSports.com

[hockeyplaya2724]

Amazing win against the Falcons, if your defense plays like that every game with your offense backing them up you'll have no problem winning almost every game this season.