Here’s what went down Monday on G&A…
Not There Yet…the Cards got a much-needed win Sunday, outlasting the Texans 28-21 in Glendale. G&A know the bottom line in the NFL is winning or losing, but know there’s plenty of work to be done for this team to return to its late-2008 form. Gambo knows the Cards still have a lot of work to do, but that’s ok…because it’s October. Mark knows Ken Whisenhunt’s team averted disaster and beat a team they were expected to, which could prove big in the wacky NFC West that saw the 1st-place 49ers get blown out by Atlanta and Seattle shutout Jacksonville.
We were joined by Cardinals starting defensive end CALAIS CAMPBELL, who blocked a field goal, had a tackle for loss, and made a touchdown-saving stop on a long punt return by the Texans’ Jacoby Jones in the third quarter as the Cards held off Houston 28-21. He said he still has plenty of work to do to become the player he hopes to be, but is excited for the starting opportunity that was presented when Antonio Smith signed a free-agent deal with the Texans this past off-season.
Goal Line Stand…the Cards defense stepped up when they needed it most Sunday afternoon. With just seconds left, Gabe Watson blew up the center and Ali Highsmith nailed Houston running back Chris Brown just inches from the goal line to preserve the win. Ash pointed out D-coordinator Bill Davis’ defense has shut down some of the best running backs in the league this season, including Frank Gore, Maurice Jones-Drew and Steve Slaton. Gambo knows when the defense is focused they have enough talent to be one of the best in the league. Both blame the offense for a lot of the second-half short-comings, specifically the lack of a run game and inability to piece together long, clock-sustaining drives.
Lacking Killer Instinct…elite teams in the NFL don’t let the Texans do what they did to the Cardinals Sunday afternoon. Down 21-0 at half, Houston mounted a furious second-half comeback and almost embarrassed the Cardinals on their home field. Gambo knows the NFL’s best (Colts, Giants, Vikings) would never allow an average team like the Texans to put themselves in position to steal a road win. Ash knows a lot of these problems stem from a woeful run game that didn’t improve at all against one of the weaker run defenses in the league. Both know the Red Birds won’t be so lucky in future weeks as the competition stiffens.
NFC (Wild) West…on the same day the Cards got a hard-earned win over Houston, the 49ers and Seahawks switched roles in the NFC West. San Fran, who had impressed early this season, got smoked by the visiting Falcons, while the Seahawks shut out Jacksonville 41-0 in Seattle. The guys know there are still plenty of games left, but the NFC West is much improved over a year ago, especially with a healthy Matt Hasselbeck in the Pacific Northwest.
More Impressive?…two interesting storylines early in the NFL season are the upstart Broncos and Bengals. Young Josh McDaniels has Denver at 5-0, and many feel he is the front-runner for coach of the year. Meanwhile, the Bengals improved to 4-1 and should be 5-0 except for Brandon Stokley’s tipped pass last-second catch and run in Week 1. Ash is taking a wait-and-see approach with the Broncos, especially with upcoming games against the Chargers, Ravens and Broncos. John knows Cincinnati isn’t in the class of AFC-elite, but Sunday’s win in Baltimore could go a long way in boosting their confidence the rest of the season.
Tuesday we’ll be joined by ESPN college football analyst Mark May at 4:25 and D-backs General Manager Josh Byrnes at 3:00.
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