Know Your Enemy- Arizona Cardinals

 

Different Cardinals, but you get the point

Coming off a feel good win over the hapless Cleveland Browns, the Chicago Bears (4-3) face the NFC West leading Arizona Cardinals (4-3) in a midseason game with massive postseason ramifications.  Looking to bounce back from an embarrassing loss at home to the Carolina Panthers, the Cards come to an unseasonably warm Soldier Field Sunday eyeing revenge for the now infamous 2006 collapse against the Bears.

 

Why it matters-  As I said, this game presents substantial playoff opportunity for both ballclubs.  With the Minnesota Vikings running away with the NFC North, the Bears need a win to keep pace with the Packers (who play the winless Bucs) and the rest of the NFC to reach the season’s midpoint with a realistic hope of playing in January.  Perhaps more importantly, the Bears need a confidence boost- something a victory over a team with an excellent passing attack would provide.  The Cards, on the other hand, need a win to stay ahead of the San Francisco 49ers in the NFC West, but could absorb a loss and still have a shot at a division title- and the accompanying postseason berth.  In short, the Bears are fighting for only a Wild Card berth; the Cards have a chance at either their division or the Wild Card fallback.  Obviously, Lovie Smith’s bunch need the win more.  Although Sunday’s winner will hold the head-to-head tiebreaker and boast an additional conference win, the Bears play in a tougher division and are well out of first place.  Last season, the Cardinals made the playoffs by way of the NFC West title with a 9-7 record; by contrast, the Bears missed the postseason with an identical record.  At the risk of sounding unnecessarily hyperbolic, the Bears season hinges on Sunday’s game.

 

Alex Brown enjoyed the postseason in 2007

History-  The Cardinals are perhaps the NFL’s most travelled franchise.  Founded in Chicago in 1898, the Cards joined the NFL in 1920 as one of the two charter members (the Chicago Bears were the other).  Unlike their crosstown rival, the Cardinals did not enjoy much success- winning only a pair of championships and three division titles in 40 years on the Windy City’s west side.  Their 1925 title is one of the most controversial in football lore, as it came before the league sponsored a championship game and one other team actually posted a better record.  After losing fans to the wildly successful team on the lakefront, the Cardinals moved to St. Louis in 1960, where they remained until 1987.  During their stay on the banks of the Mississippi, the football Cards posted six winning seasons, won the NFC East twice, and the Wild Card once.  That said, the St. Louis franchise never hosted or won a playoff game and between dwindling attendance figures and losing seasons, the team departed for the Arizona desert in 1988.  The departure for Phoenix did nothing to cure the Cardinals’ perpetual defeatism.  Playing in the aluminium hot bed- Sun Devil Stadium- the Cards went a decade without a playoff appearance and rarely hosted a full house.  Candidly, the team was the laughing stock of the NFL.  That was until last season.  Led by three-time MVP Kurt Warner, the Cards won their first division title in 34 years and stormed to the Super Bowl, only to fall to the Pittsburgh Steelers.  The Bears hold a 57-26-6 record against the Cardinals franchise alltime, including a 5-1 record since the franchise moved west.  The most memorable game being the 2006 Monday Night altercation, where the Monsters of Midway overcame six Rex Grossman turnovers and a 20-0 halftime deficit to win 24-23.  No matter how long I live, I will remember celebrating in my parents’ basement (I was in law school, excuse my need for cheap housing) while watching Dennis Green meltdown in the postgame press conference.

Opposing fans- Cardinal fans are perhaps the most persuasive evidence in support of the truism “if you build it, they will come.”  In an area of the nation without much football history, the twice transplanted franchise now plays before sellout crowds.  Give them credit, after a relatively tepid initial response, the new stadium, coaching staff, and ownership have done a spectacular job of cultivating an otherwise barren pigskin culture in the Arizona desert.  As one of the NFL’s annual doormats for many years, the fan base lacks a true identity, much less a potentially comic stereotype.  This is in part due to their location in a state predominantly populated by midwestern transplants, but primarily a result of their lack of success.  According to my cursory Google search research, Cards fans are excellent tailgaters really enjoy leopard print clothing.  

 

It's 400 degrees in Arizona, why wear a coat?

Player to watch- The Bears entire offensive line are my players to watch on Sunday.  Every week, I lambast the front five during my wrap-up, so this is their chance to surprise me.  The Cardinals utilize a 3-4 defense (like many of the Bears early opponents) that until last week absolutely dominated opposing rushing attacks.  The Carolina Panthers effectively neutralized All-Pro nose tackle Darnell Dockett, something Frank Omiyale, Olin Kreutz, and Roberto Garza must reproduce.  All season, Omiyale and his replacement, Josh Beekman, have disappeared in run protection- resulting in Matt Forte’s mediocre statistics to this point.  To have a successful offensive output on Sunday, the offensive line must channel whatever spirit invaded their bodies during the Steelers game in September.  The Cardinals have all the weapons to light up the Soldier Field scoreboard- especially if the Cover Two fails as it did in Cincinnati.  However, if the offensive line can block Dockett off the blocks and use Matt Forte to play ball control, the Bears should have a chance to win.

 

2009 season in two words thus far- Collective Fail

Outlook-  I would feel exponentially better about this game if the forecast were for snow and wind.  Unfortunately, Chicago will enjoy an unseasonably warm Sunday afternoon- perfect for throwing the football.  With the Bears enduring one of the most fragile pass defenses in the league, this game has the substantial blowout potential.  To have a chance to win, it is imperative that the Bears pressure Kurt Warner and force him to make uncomfortable throws.  Many analysts compare this weekend to the Cincinnati game, but that analogy vastly overstates the Cardinal running threat.  Without having to prepare for a substantial dose of rushing the football, the Bears defense should be able to pin their ears back and harass the three-time MVP.  That said, I am incredibly pessimistic when it comes to the offensive line; I fear that Matt Forte will not have an opportunity to get into the secondary and that Jay Cutler will endure constant pressure.  This will be a fourth quarter game, but I fear the o-line is too porous to ensure adequate offensive output.  I hope I am wrong and BEAR DOWN!!!

 

Hopefully I will be more positive on Sunday night