The Mondays: Playoffs are set

So it should be noted that all four wild card games involve teams that played each other during the season. In fact, three of the four actually played each other during week 17.

Saturday

New York Jets at Cincinnati Bengals- The Jets blew out the Bengals to be the final team in the playoff mix. The Jets have the best defense in the NFL. They're also one of the best rushing offenses in the league. If they can do what they did on Sunday night, they'll easily defeat Cincy. However, the Bengals didn't get to this point without having a good defense as well. They need to shut down the running game and pressure Mark Sanchez. If they can do that, it certainly won't hurt their chances of winning.

Philadelphia Eagles at Dallas Cowboys- Another rematch from Sunday. The Cowboys won and took the wind out of the sails. It won't be as easy for our namesake as it was on Sunday. Philly will come to play on Saturday night.

Sunday

Baltimore Ravens at New England Patriots- We have two playoff tested teams going at each other. Baltimore lost a close game in the regular season. However, it's the Patriots. Tom Brady is one of the best playoff quarterbacks of all time. The Patriots will be ready to play. However, it looks like they'll be without Wes Welker. This could potentially work to the Ravens advantage. Suddenly, double teaming Randy Moss doesn't sound like a bad idea for Baltimore.

Green Bay Packers at Arizona Cardinals- The Cards definitely held back on Sunday against the Packers. Matt Leinart saw a lot of action. Rest assure Cardinal fans, Leinart won't be seeing action this Sunday, unless Kurt Warner gets hurt. This game could be the most exciting wild card game, or at least the highest scoring one out of the four.

The Mondays: The Cardinal Conundrum

When the Arizona Cardinals won against Minnesota earlier this month, they looked to be on the right track and good to go for the playoffs. They came off a tough last second loss to the Titans, and the win against a the Vikings helped the Cardinals prove their worth in the NFC.

They had a few key wins earlier in the season, including a win in the Meadowlands against the Giants and a 20-plus point win in Chicago. At 8-4, the Cards looked ready to claim their second straight division title in the NFC West.

By no means was the San Francisco game a clinching game, but a win against the 49ers would have put to rest any hopes of somebody taking the West from the defending NFC champions. That said, they still needed to win, last Monday night. And things were looking well for the Cardinals going into that Monday night game against the 49ers.

Seven turnovers later, the Cardinals left San Francisco with an ugly loss. Kurt Warner threw two picks in the loss and the Cards fumbled seven times (five counted as turnovers). It really was a frustrating game for the Cardinals.

On Sunday, the Cardinals just squeaked out a win against the Detroit Lions, who have been a popular team on our Loser Rankings as of late.

The Cards jumped out to a 17-0 lead at halftime. However, the Lions put on the board 17 points of their own in the third quarter, including a 100-yard interception return for a touchdown by Louis Delmas.

Detroit never took the lead, but did tie the game, 24-24, with less than four minutes left. It was a Warner touchdown pass to Anquan Boldin with 1:54 left, that put the Lions away for good. With the 161 yard rushing day by the Lions (126 via Maurice Morris), it marked the second straight week that the Cardinals gave up more than 150 yards rushing on defense.

Now let's make this point that yes, the Cardinals did clinch the NFC West after the 49ers lost to the Eagles on Sunday.

The Cardinals should be happy to be back in the playoffs. But that's not why I'm writing the column.

It was one year ago today that the Cardinals lost their snowy affair to the New England Patriots, 47-7. I didn't really have much to say about that day, but it was definitely a tough one for the Cardinals to take. They lost two of their final three games and found themselves in the wild card game against Atlanta.

Sure enough, those Cards did run the table and made it all the way to the Super Bowl. It was definitely one of the best playoff runs for a team in NFL History (Note: I'm not saying it's the best run, just one of the best).

By no means am I calling the Cardinals a bad team. They've played well this season, better than last season. You can credit the defense for that. Going into Sunday, the Cardinals were the sixth best defense in the NFC. Last season though, the Cards were the third worst in the NFC, behind an 0-16 Lions and the Rams.

With the Saints and Vikings all stumbling this weekend, and Philly winning big over San Francisco, it's safe to say the Cardinals are still in decent shape. They will most likely be playing on wild card weekend though. But this is a team that has the potential to get hot at the right time. The only question I have is, will they or won't they?

Photo Credit: Associated Press

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: Arizona Cardinals

To say that I was only a little surprised to see the Cardinals make it to a Super Bowl, is truly the understatement of the year. I was stunned, shocked, stupefied, aghast (and anything else I could find in the thesaurus).

The Cardinals indeed showed that on "any given Sunday," a team has an opportunity to win. They certainly proved so in the Super Bowl game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Had it not been for a Santonio Holmes touchdown catch with less than a minute left, we might have called the Cardinals Super Bowl champions. This situation can be described as the following:

• Hell freezing over
• Pigs flying
• Ross really ending up with Rachel
• Susan Lucci winning an Emmy
• Paris Hilton winning an Oscar
• Me winning Powerball
• Me dating a Supermodel

I think you get the point though.

The Cardinals have one issue working against them. In the past 10 seasons, only the 2006 Seattle Seahawks have made the playoffs the season after losing in the Super Bowl. However, the Cardinals do have a shot of making the playoffs again, given how weak the NFC West is.

First and foremost, they still have Kurt Warner, even though he's 38. Warner threw for more than 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns last season, his highest total since the 2001 season. If Warner struggles, the Leinart pressure could be on him.

However, if Warner has another 4,000 yard passing season, he could be the first player in NFL history to pass for back-to-back 4,000 yard seasons after the age of 36. (Note: Jon Kitna and Warren Moon had back-t0-back 4,000 yard passing seasons when they were 34 and 35).

The Cardinals also have Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin (despite the contract issues). Fitzgerald is coming off back-to-back 1,000 yard seasons. Fitzgerald is indeed coming into his own as one of the top receivers in the NFL. This season should be another good one for the young receiver.

Now it's time for those yearbook questions (Predictions):

Most Defensive Guy (Defense MVP): Karlos Dansby
Most Offensive Guy (Offense MVP): Larry Fitzgerald
Best New Guy (Rookie of the Year): Beanie Wells
Favorite Coach: Not Todd Haley
Coolest Twitter Page: Darnell Dockett
Most Team Spirit: Any regular Cardinals fans?
Coolest Names (Top 3): Early Doucet, Wilrey Fontenot, Deuce Lutui
Most Likely To Succeed (Team MVP): Larry Fitzgerald
Record for 2009: 8-8

Tomorrow, I'll cover the Philadelphia Eagles.

My Super Bowl Pick

I hope you enjoyed my time away from the blog. I figured I would come back and give my final thoughts on the big game.

Why did I take the break, you might be asking...? I feel like there are people out there who can analyze, and to an extent overanalyze, the game on Sunday better than I can. So why hear what I have to say?

Is Kurt Warner a hall of famer? No, he is not a hall of famer. I'm not saying he's a bad player, but to get into Canton is to be among a Parthenon of Gods. I don't think Warner is at that level. It doesn't seem like that long ago, he fell off the face of the earth. He was replaced by a back-up in St. Louis and held down the fort until Eli Manning took the position in New York. Soon enough, the Cardinals will have to choose between Warner and former first round pick, Matt Leinart. I can't imagine Warner has much left in the gas tank.

I think Ben Roethlisberger is a good quarterback. He's not quite a hall of famer, though. Don't you try to play this bias on me. He's a tough guy, even if he is an awkward of a runner and gets hit too much.

This won't be a high scoring game. Don't fool yourself into thinking that is the case.

My pick: Steelers 17 - Cardinals 13

Enjoy the Super Bowl!

The Mondays: Is this the apocalypse?

The Super Bowl match-up is finally set. Those of you who established your official Super Bowl predictions in the preseason, I laugh at you. I laugh at you a lot. This is why I never make my Super Bowl picks before the regular season starts! So take that. Enough of my soap box crap!

Arizona Cardinals 32 - Philadelphia 25- It looked like the Cardinals had this game wrapped up. However, the Eagles struck back, only to lose in the end. Eagles coach Andy Reid and quarterback Donovan McNabb are now 1-5 in conference championship games. Is it safe to assume that this tandem is similar to Marty Schottenheimer and Bernie Kosar in Cleveland in the 80s or Marv Levy and Jim Kelly in Buffalo in the early 90s? Just a thought!

As for the Cardinals, it's great to see a team that has stunk up the league for so many years make the Super Bowl. It shows me that parity does exist and will continue to do so as long as the league is in existence. Congrats Cardinals!

Pittsburgh Steelers 23 - Baltimore Ravens 14- First off, best wishes to Ravens running back Willis McGahee. He suffered a concussion in the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game. According to PFT, he is okay.

This was a hard-nosed battle. It was also a good game. The Ravens just couldn't get it going. Quarterback Joe Flacco had three interceptions and had a QB rating of 18.2. Not a good day rushing for the Steelers. They had only one rushing first down. Willie Parker had only 47 yards rushing.


So there ya have it, we have the Steelers and the Cardinals battling it out in Tampa...In the Super Bowl.


Seriously, is this the apocalypse?

NFC Title Preview: Philly vs. Arizona

So here we are, at another conference championship showdown. Today, it is a look at the NFC Championship Game.

Who would have thought that the Cardinals would be hosting the conference title game. This is the Cards first championship game in 60 years. Not since 1948 have they been to a title game. The previous year, the Cardinals won the NFL title at home. Both of those games were against the Eagles.

The Cardinals do have a chance to get to their first Super Bowl in team history. Is it possible? I certainly think so. They'll have the home crowd out in full force. It's weird how a couple weeks ago, the Cards were having trouble selling out the wild card game. Now is definitely different.

Instead of previewing the game and breaking it down. I think it's only reasonable that we offer a history lesson of these two teams in championship games. These two teams first faced each other in the playoffs in the 1947 NFL Championship Game.

The Cardinals won that game 28-21 in Chicago at Comiskey Park after Elmer Angsman ran for two touchdowns and 159 yards. Angsman had two 70-yard runs in that game. Meanwhile, Charlie Trippi also added two touchdowns for the Cards, including a 75-yard punt return.

For the Eagles, quarterback Tommy Thompson threw for 297 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions in the game.

The 1947 championship game is in fact the only title for the Cardinals.

The 1948 title game has some historical significance. A lot of snow fell in Philly for that game. In the end, it was a 5-yard touchdown run by Steve Van Buren that made the difference as the Eagles defeated the Cardinals 7-0.

Who will win in this game? I'm picking the Eagles, even though the Cardinals are on a hot streak. Yeah the Cardinals have Kurt Warner, but I like that Jim Johnson defense over the Cardinals offense any day of the week.



I'll preview the AFC Title Game for Friday.

The Mondays: And then there were only four...

I will have a championship Sunday preview for you guys later this week. For now, here's a divisional recap.

Saturday Games:

Baltimore Ravens 13 - Tennessee Titans 10- This game was just flat out sloppy. The Ravens weren't doing much on offense and the Titans kept turning over the ball. If the Titans get just one turnover, this game ends differently. Joe Flacco played smart football on Saturday. He has a chance to get this team to the Super Bowl.

Arizona Cardinals 33 - Carolina Panthers 13- The Cardinals just mauled the Panthers, which seems like a contradiction. The Panthers kept turning over the ball. No doubt, the Cardinals came ready to play.

Sunday Games:

Philadelphia Eagles 23 - New York Giants 11- This was a tough NFC East battle. The Eagles really brought it to the Giants on Sunday. The Eagles are soaring right now. They always seem to have this ability to play hard late in the season. Now, it's carrying over for the Eagles.

Pittsburgh Steelers 35 - San Diego Chargers 24- The Steelers decided to stop the San Diego train in Heinz Field. Philip Rivers still had a three touchdown day for the Chargers, but Darren Sproles was held to 15 yards rushing.

Here are the match-ups:

Baltimore Ravens at Pittsburgh Steelers
Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals


I'll have a preview this week.

The Division Showdowns: Arizona at Carolina

Arizona Cardinals at Carolina Panthers- Saturday 8:15 PM ET on FOX

These two teams squared off in week 8 of the 2008 season. In that game, the Cardinals jumped out to a 17-3 lead. However, the Panthers would put up 21 points in the third quarter, as well as a field goal in the fourth quarter, to defeat the Cardinals 27-23.

Kurt Warner and his trio of receivers (Boldin, Fitzgerald and Breaston) dominated the passing attack for the Cardinals. Warner threw for 381 yards and two touchdowns. The Panthers never gave up more passing yards then in the game against the Cardinals.

It seems unlikely that the Cards will have the same kind of success. It seems harder knowing that the Panthers will focus much of their defense on the passing attack. However, the Falcons couldn't stop the Cardinals, so anything is possible.

The key for the Panthers is the running game. DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are a true 1-2 combo punch. Williams and Stewart represent 2351 of the 2437 rushing yards for the Panthers this season. The Panthers ran for 30 touchdowns this season, best in the NFL.

The Cardinals are in the middle of the pack when it comes to giving up rushing yards. However, the Cardinals managed to shut down the Michael Turner attack, holding him to only 42 yards.

My Pick: The Cardinals have had their great deal of road woes this season. They're 3-5 on the road. So I don't think they could pull it off. I'm picking the Panthers.

Tomorrow, I'll profile the NFC match-up.

NFL Preview Show Extravaganza: Arizona Cardinals

Today, we put the focus on the state where it is always hot, but the football team is always not. You guessed it, it's the Arizona Cardinals.

When I think of the Arizona Cardinals, I think, that is the franchise where careers go to die. Emmitt Smith and Boomer Esiason are the names that come to mind. Kurt Warner will be another name to add to that list once he calls it quits.

Last season, the Cardinals showed quite some promise and won quite a few games. They finished the season .500 for the first time since the Cardinals reached the playoffs in the '98 season.

Warner returned to old form, throwing for 3400 yards and 27 touchdowns. First round pick from 2006, Matt Leinart only played five games, he missed the rest of the season with a collarbone injury.

The showdown this training camp will be between Warner and Leinart. The question that needs to be asked is, do you go with the veteran who led most of the way last season, or do you go with the young upstart quarterback that is the future of this franchise. Head coach Ken Whisenhunt has a lot on his plate.

Now I know Leinart can't be mentioned in this preview without bringing up the infamous party pictures from earlier this year. I won't delve any further into these pictures. We here at Oh No Romo prefer to take the high road. We're a football blog, not US Weekly Sports edition. There are some exceptions, but this Leinart story is irrelevant. Enough of this PSA, on with the football.

The Cardinals will open up the 2008 regular season on the road when they face division rival San Francisco 49ers. At home, the Cardinals will face Miami, Buffalo and Dallas. On the road, the Cardinals will face Carolina, Philadelphia and Washington.

Now it is time for the always popular, always strange burnin' questions (yearbook style):

• Starter for 2008: Kurt Warner
  
  
• Finishes the 2008 season: Kurt Warner
  
  
• Number of games Leinart plays: 8
  
  
• Edgerrin James will: Run for 700 yards
  
  
• Leading receiver for Cardinals: Larry Fitzgerald- 1178 yards
  
  
• Most interceptions: Antrel Rolle- 4 interceptions
  
  
• Coolest names (Top 3): Chike Okeafor, Roderick Hood, Al Johnson (Best damn Swedish Pancake place in Wisconsin)
  
  
• 80s song that best describes team: Old and Wise- Alan Parsons Project
  
  
• In 2008, the Cardinals will: Go 9-7
  

Hump Night (Not Day): Arrington Arrested

Happy Hump Evening to you. It is the late edition for you crazy football fans. Here's what is going on in the NFL at the moment.

Arrington arrested in night club fight- Cardinals running back J.J. Arrington has arrested by Rocky Mount (High), N.C. police after a fight in a night club. Arrington was charged with disorderly conduct earlier this morning. The former Cal running back has not worked out well for the Cardinals. If the Cedric Benson situation has taught us anything, it's that Arrington could be out of a job soon- AZ Central

Walker expected at Raiders camp- The Raiders expect newly signed receiver Javon Walker to be with the team once training camp starts in Napa, Calif. next month. Over the weekend, Walker was found unconscious after a robbery on a Las Vegas street. Walker has been released from the hospital with only facial injuries- AP/ SF Gate

The battle at quarterback continues- It's a three-way shootout to determine who will be quarterback in San Francisco. The three players battling it out are 2005 #1 overall pick Alex Smith, J.T. O'Sullivan and Shaun Hill. One of these three will be starting for the 49ers soon enough. It's Smith's spot to lose ultimately, but if it's not Smith than the likely choice is Hill.

That's all I have for now. Enjoy your evening.


Oh No Romo

The Best of the Mondays: Week 2

So I'm doing week two of the Best of the Mondays. It is very exciting. I'm happy to do it. Oh, how it seemed to be so long ago. Matt Schaub was turning into a household name. The Giants started 0-2, GASP! So kick back, and enjoy.

• Houston Texans defeated the Carolina Panthers, 34-21- How about Matt Schaub, two touchdown passes and 228 yards passing. How about Andre Johnson, seven catches, 120 yards and two touchdowns. This team might surprise a lot of people come playoff time. Their next test will come against Indy at home, do I smell an upset?- Well it's the Colts.
  


• Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the New Orleans Saints, 31-14- The Saints knocked me out of a Survival Pool. Thanks guys- Oh those Bucs! I'm never picking the Saints in a survival pool again.
  


• Arizona Cardinals defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 23-20- This is a joke, right?- How strange is it to see the Seahawks lose?
  


• Green Bay Packers destroyed the New York Giants, 35-14- I'm not a Brett Favre fan or a Packers fan, but Favre is certainly a winner- Don't worry, the re-match is better.
  


• ROMO ALERT: Tony Romo threw for 186 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins- Yep......
  


• Monday Night Pick: Washington Redskins over Philadelphia Eagles- Yay!
  

See ya Wednesday

Oh No Romo

The Mondays: Leinart right deck for Cards

Happy Monday! It's the first Monday in June and I am still stoked about last night's WEC event.

Leinart the starter in Arizona- It looks like Cardinals coach Ken Whisenhunt has made a decision to stick with Matty Leinart at the quarterback spot. According to reports, it seems that Leinart has been working hard this offseason to prove that he will be the Cards quarterback in 2008- Arizona Republic

Mangini's feeling the heat of the summer- As I always say (yeah right), if you can't stand the heat, get out of the oven. Well from the looks of it, Mangini is in the oven now. With the Giants winning a Super Bowl and the Jets coming off a 4-12 season, you can bet that Mangini's feeling the heat. If things don't go well for the J-E-T-S, then the Mangini might get C-A-N-N-E-D! I love spelling words- New York Post

Tyree catch doesn't haunt Harrison- Does everybody remember that David Tyree catch in the Super Bowl? Rodney Harrison certainly remembers that catch and he's moved on from that moment. In that type of situation, all you can do is move on. Will fans bring it up? They might do that, but it's not like it was a Scott Norwood moment. Harrison was a witness to a historic moment of the Super Bowl- The Boston Globe

That's all I have for now. Enjoy your Monday!

Oh No Romo

Hump Day: Slow news day, it's video time

Sure we could talk about the owners opting out of the Collective Bargaining Agreement, but I'm not the expert to turn to in regards to CBA's. I'll leave that to the fine folks at PFT. Keep up the good work guys!

In the mean time, I have some videos for you guys to enjoy today.

First one is Adrian Peterson



Now a retrospective look at the Arizona Cardinals 2007 season (From the Arizona Cardinals Football Club)




Joshua Cribbs Highlight Reel (From Orange and Brown Report)

Friday Briefs: Part Two of the NFL Schedule

Happy Friday to all!

As apart of the NFL schedule being released earlier this week, I am breaking down the 2008 season. For each week, I will give three games to watch for. On Wednesday, I did weeks one and two. Today, I will do weeks three and four. Monday, I'll have weeks five and six ready for you.

Week 3- September 21 & 22

Jacksonville Jaguars at Indianapolis Colts- Two AFC South rivals going at it in the early part of the season. Chances are, both of these teams will be undefeated heading into this game. Somebody will leave the RCA Dome with their first loss- 4:15 PM ET on CBS

Arizona Cardinals at Washington Redskins- One of these teams are legit playoff contenders. Can you guess which one?- 1 PM ET on FOX

Pittsburgh Steelers at Philadelphia Eagles- It's the Pennsylvania state championship game, only with pro teams. Only one team will win- 4:15 PM ET on CBS

Week 4- September 28 & 29

Minnesota Vikings at Tennessee Titans- Adrian Peterson takes on Vince Young- 1 PM ET on FOX

Denver Broncos at Kansas City Chiefs- AFC West rivals go face to face. It can only be the NFL on CBS- 1 PM ET on CBS

Washington Redskins at Dallas Cowboys- NFC East foes. There can only be one!- 4:15 PM ET on FOX

I'll see ya on Monday

Nos

The Monday's: Matt Schaub Rules

Oh the excitement of week two in the NFL. The Plethora of storylines should keep you guys satisfied.


Here are the storylines from Week 2.

• Houston Texans defeated the Carolina Panthers, 34-21- How about Matt Schaub, two touchdown passes and 228 yards passing. How about Andre Johnson, seven catches, 120 yards and two touchdowns. This team might surprise a lot of people come playoff time. Their next test will come against Indy at home, do I smell an upset?
  


• Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the New Orleans Saints, 31-14- The Saints knocked me out of a Survival Pool. Thanks guys.
  


• Arizona Cardinals defeated the Seattle Seahawks, 23-20- This is a joke, right?
  


• Green Bay Packers destroyed the New York Giants, 35-14- I'm not a Brett Favre fan or a Packers fan, but Favre is certainly a winner.
  


• ROMO ALERT: Tony Romo threw for 186 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-20 victory over the Miami Dolphins.
  


• Monday Night Pick: Washington Redskins over Philadelphia Eagles.

Tuesday's with Romo: Ocheinta y Cinco Comes Out on Top

Happy Tuesday everybody. Let's do a quick recap of last night's games.

• The Cincinnati Bengals defeated the Baltimore Ravens, 27-20. The game featured plenty of injured players. The Ravens saw quarterback Steve McNair, linebacker Ray Lewis and offensive tackle Jonathan Ogden all went down with injuries. On the Bengals side, kicker Shayne Graham and offensive linemen Levi Jones and Willie Anderson were all injured.
  
• Ocheinta y cinco a hall-of-famer?: Is Chad Johnson worthy of wearing that hall-of-fame jacket? Well he certainly had a great game last night. He caught five passes for 95 yards and one touchdown. Who knows if he's bound for Canton or not?
  
• The San Francisco 49ers won against the Arizona Cardinals, 20-17. Defenses everywhere would be proud of both teams performances. Neither team blew the other away. Ultimately, it came down to a one-yard touchdown run by 49ers wide receiver,Arnaz Battle, with 22 seconds left in the game.

SEE YA

Nos

Tuesday's with Romo: The Arizona Cardinals

Today, we get to discuss the Arizona Cardinals, yay. Or as I like to call it, the place where careers go to die. The Cardinals (surprisingly enough), finished in last place in the NFC West, going 5-11.

They have new changes to the coaching staff, out went Dennis Green, in came Ken Whisenhut, Pittsburgh Steelers Offensive Cooridinator.

The Cardinals drafted OT Levi Brown out of Penn State in the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft.

The Cardinals open up on the road on Monday night, against the 49ers. They play the Ravens, the Bucs and the Redskins on the road and the Lions, the Falcons and the Panthers at home.

Time for some Burnin Yearbook style questions:

1. Ken Whisenhut's offense will: Be offensive alright (Just terrible)
2. Most likely to pay the most alimony on the team: Matt Leinart
3. Leinart will: Pay more in alimony then he will throw in yards (3,148 yards)
4. Edgerrin James will: Struggle without an O-Line to protect him
5. Team touchdown leader for 2007: Anquan Boldin
6. Player who's career will most likely die under the Arizona sun: Kurt Warner (Happened already?)
7. Defense will: Give up most touchdowns in the NFL
8. 'Kiss' song that best describes the team: Anything for My Baby
9. In 2007, the Cardinals will: Finish in last, go 6-10