Kurt Warner

[Azrael]

The Cardinals ran the ball a lot more in the playoffs (28 attempts per game) than in the regular season (21.25 attempts per game). But the reason Kurt Warner still put up awesome stats in the playoffs was because the Cardinals only averaged 3.3 yards per carry in the playoffs, which made it impossible for Arizona to win without big numbers from Warner.


If that actually happens, Warner won't come anywhere close to the 4500 yards he threw for in the regular season last year. It's a big if though.

This is neither here nor there fantasy relevant but this was my exact argument against analysts claiming "the Cards have found a run game" in the playoffs. No they didn't. They just ran it more. They weren't any more effective. They still averaged 3.3 per carry which was the worst of any playoff team I think.

[biju]

The Cardinals ran the ball a lot more in the playoffs (28 attempts per game) than in the regular season (21.25 attempts per game). But the reason Kurt Warner still put up awesome stats in the playoffs was because the Cardinals only averaged 3.3 yards per carry in the playoffs, which made it impossible for Arizona to win without big numbers from Warner.


If that actually happens, Warner won't come anywhere close to the 4500 yards he threw for in the regular season last year. It's a big if though.

This is neither here nor there fantasy relevant but this was my exact argument against analysts claiming "the Cards have found a run game" in the playoffs. No they didn't. They just ran it more. They weren't any more effective. They still averaged 3.3 per carry which was the worst of any playoff team I think.

These are the 2008 Postseason totals. The Cards ranked 6th of the 12 playoff teams.

Code: Select all

Team                 YPC
-------------------  ---
Carolina Panthers    5.0
Minnesota Vikings    4.4
New York Giants      4.3
San Diego Chargers   4.1
Tennessee Titans     4.1
Arizona Cardinals    3.3
Philadelphia Eagles  3.2
Balimore Ravens      3.1
Indianapolis Colts   2.9
Pittsburgh Steelers  2.9
Atlanta Falcons      2.5
Miami Dolphins       2.5


[mikus]

The Cardinals ran the ball a lot more in the playoffs (28 attempts per game) than in the regular season (21.25 attempts per game). But the reason Kurt Warner still put up awesome stats in the playoffs was because the Cardinals only averaged 3.3 yards per carry in the playoffs, which made it impossible for Arizona to win without big numbers from Warner.


If that actually happens, Warner won't come anywhere close to the 4500 yards he threw for in the regular season last year. It's a big if though.

This is neither here nor there fantasy relevant but this was my exact argument against analysts claiming "the Cards have found a run game" in the playoffs. No they didn't. They just ran it more. They weren't any more effective. They still averaged 3.3 per carry which was the worst of any playoff team I think.

These are the 2008 Postseason totals. The Cards ranked 6th of the 12 playoff teams.

Code: Select all

Team                 YPC
-------------------  ---
Carolina Panthers    5.0
Minnesota Vikings    4.4
New York Giants      4.3
San Diego Chargers   4.1
Tennessee Titans     4.1
Arizona Cardinals    3.3
Philadelphia Eagles  3.2
Balimore Ravens      3.1
Indianapolis Colts   2.9
Pittsburgh Steelers  2.9
Atlanta Falcons      2.5
Miami Dolphins       2.5


OK so not the worst among playoff teams, but the point is still valid. 3.3 yards per carry is not "finding your running game."

[bagobonez]

My biggest concern is the sheer amount of passes the Cardinals throw leaves a 38 year old QB (that's had a history of durability problems) more susceptible to injury. That subsequently makes me a bit leery of Fitzgerald, Boldin, and pretty much all of the Cardinals skill position players. Everything centers on Warner's ability to suit up each week. I just have a feeling Warner's going to miss some time this year. I could be wrong, it's happened once or twice before.

[fantasizing]

My biggest concern is the sheer amount of passes the Cardinals throw leaves a 38 year old QB (that's had a history of durability problems) more susceptible to injury. That subsequently makes me a bit leery of Fitzgerald, Boldin, and pretty much all of the Cardinals skill position players. Everything centers on Warner's ability to suit up each week. I just have a feeling Warner's going to miss some time this year. I could be wrong, it's happened once or twice before.

I guess the question then is: can you trust Leinart to continue providing great passing yardage to Fitz and Boldin?

[moose_ffc]

Things smell fishy in Arizona...

* Warner is really old and he is OVERDUE for another breakdown. Thumb, concussion, knee, elbows, pick your poison it could be anything.
* You have the Super Bowl hangover effect for the loser of the Super Bowl. This trend is very strong.
* Anquan Boldin is very under paid and very unhappy.
* Chris Wells might just be T.J. Duckett 2.0 if the teams tries to use him as a power back because of his size. Power backs aren't just made up from size and speed.
* Fitzgerald is on the cover of Madden ... Madden Curse anyone?
* Fitzgerald is on the cover of EVERYTHING. Sounds a bit like a cash in. I am concerned that he might be too distracted. HEY, it's possible.

The first domino in this house of CARDS to fall will be Warner. Everyone now is drafting him like he is Iron Man. He is SOOOOooooo going down in 2009. Things change fast in the NFL.

[dgan]

I totally agree. I'm adding a little twist to my projections this year where I grade not only their projected stats over 16 games and deducting a portion for possible games missed. I also have added a small influence of upside vs. downside to account for those players who have a higher potential of boom or bust. After doing all the math, I have Warner #8 among QBs. I don't know if that's where I'll put him on my draft board, but in my projections, he certainly has several red flag indicators.

[Azrael]

The cards as a team last year were really not that good, 9-7, winning the worst division in the league. It was so bad, didn't they have the darn thing won with like 5 weeks to go? They were 3-7 outside the division. All things point to a meltdown really. The key piece to the offense is Warner. If the guy stays healthy, it's pretty hard to screw up. If Leinart has to play much then you could see the wheels come off. I'm not really worried about anyone else unless Warner goes down.