The Arizona Cardinals are a team which is coming off two wins, an outstanding win against Houston in which Rodgers-Cromartie makes the interception, puts the ball in the end zone. It is 28-21. They hold off on the goal line stand – three snaps on the one-yard line to get the win. Against Seattle, a team they admittedly aimed toward because it is in the division. Seattle has won the division quite a few years. They played exceptionally well. They had 14 points on the board before the ball was ever in Seattle's hands. Seventeen points in the first quarter. That was pretty much it. So they are coming off two wins. They are playing well. Their defense is one in the league against the run. Their offense is sixth in the league in the pass. They have good return people. As you see, the kicking game is strong. They have given up some punt returns against. But they are a solid team, and of course they are the team that represented the NFC in the Super Bowl.
Q: Their rushing numbers offensively are low. Can you see why that would be?
A: It is probably based primarily on how they play. The ball is in the air a lot.
Q: What are they doing so well defensively, especially against the running game?
A: I think that their front is very good. They are playing well together. They are physical. They are penetrating. They are just playing good defense. They are running to the ball, they are pressuring the quarterback. The secondary seems to be playing well. The two corners are holding up real good.
Q: Is their passing attack a lot different than what you just faced?
A: It is a different style, there is no doubt. It is a different style. Kurt Warner is having a real good year. He is throwing the ball very well. All four receivers are involved. The tight end is involved. The backs – Tim Hightower is the third-leading receiver. They have excellent distribution. The numbers are spread around real good.
Q: When Kurt Warner is really on he is getting the ball out quick. But he has at times lapsed into holding it too long. What have you seen from him this year? Does he have that quick release?
A: He's getting the ball out of there.
Q: On Monday you were talking about your secondary and said that sometimes guys were in position but it was a matter of the other guy making a play. When you go about correcting that, is it coachable at this point in the season?
A: Certainly, it is always coachable. It is always coachable. You challenge them to be in the right place, see the ball better. Have a sense for the ball and where the ball is and exactly where the defender is, what the defender is going to do. You can't just play his eyes; you have to play his hands and the way in which he prepares himself when the ball comes. You have to study those things and see those things. And there is always improvement, there is always coaching involved. And we are going to do a better job of that.
Q: How difficult is it for whoever has to cover Larry Fitzgerald because he is so good at positioning himself?
A: Very good. That is actually how he gained so much notoriety a year ago and rightfully so, the way he played, then went up for the ball and the way he utilized his size and his strength to go get the ball - which he still does. I think there is great knowledge between the quarterback and the receiver. If you saw the ball that was thrown the other day, Kurt threw it up high and he was probably the only one that could get it. And he went up and got it in the end zone. So there is good knowledge there of individual receivers, where the ball has to be thrown and what he expects out of them when the ball arrives.
Q: One of the things Aaron Rouse is supposed to be good at is ball skills; playing the ball. Considering you are playing another passing team, might he get more time this week?
A: Yes. I don't see any reason why – we played all three of them last week. We will do the same this week. But basically they will start out the same. We will use the sub package as you saw. ………
Q: Some of your players the other day said that they could see that the preparation was the not the same last week. They particularly mentioned Wednesday. Looking back, did you sense that?
A: It wasn't a very good practice Wednesday.
Q: Just sloppy?
A: Well it was that the execution just wasn't there. Some balls went over our head; things of that nature. It's not just reflective. That was called to our attention on Wednesday. The post practice meeting was about that.
Q: Was that acceptable?
A: No, we are not accepting that.
Q: How are Kareem McKenzie and Mario Manningham and will they practice?
A: Yeah, they are both going to try. They are going to be limited. Kareem is going to try to go. If he gives us a few snaps, that would be good.
Q: Is Chris Canty still out?
A: Yes.
Q: How do you feel William Beatty did when he came in for McKenzie on Sunday?
A: He did okay. He is a young, talented kid that just needs to play. And in this particular game, Chris Snee was next to him so he could help him.
Q: Is a kid like Clint Sintim ready to make any kind of significant contribution on defense?
A: Well, obviously at this point it hasn't been - he was injured, then you do have a number of situations, particularly in terms of your special teams ….. And you would like to see him advance, obviously. I think he is ….. player. He is going to be a physical guy who is going to help us down the road. We would like to move in that direction. But we have to deal game in and game out with what our situations are, what our needs are, how our numbers are going to come down.
Q: Whenever the secondary gets burned bad you always say, well the pass rush didn't help, either. It didn't look like they had much of a shot on a lot of plays to get there. Do you think they could have done more?
A: Well you always think that. We are very much in need of all three phases to play well together and I'm talking about on defense, the front, the backers and the back end. But we need to pressure. We need to be there for the quarterback. Some of the stuff that they did was off play action. Which necessarily isn't a reaction right away by the …..tackle in terms of his pass. So there is a combination, really. It is not just because we weren't trying to get there.
Q: When Seattle got 14 yards rushing last week, was that a function of them falling behind by so much so early?
A: They only had 46 snaps. It was a dominating game by the other team.
Q: Last week was the second time that Brandon Jacobs has come out with the burner. Is that the same issue?
A: He comes right back in.
Q: Is he more vulnerable now?
A: No, I don't think so. You would say that if it happened a couple of weekends in a row. But he is strong and he is strong in the weight room. He comes right back. I don't think there is any vulnerability. At least I hope not.
Q: Is there something about Nicks that has made him more able than maybe a normal rookie might have been to be this involved this early in your offense?
* *A: He is a good player. He catches it. Obviously he has shown the ability to run. He is strong.
Q: You spoke a little bit in the mini camp about him being a guy you liked for some off the field reasons. Is it something that he does in meetings?
A: He is an attentive young guy that wants to be good. Anybody that wants to be good and is willing to play the price, I normally like.
Q: Is Bradshaw back in his boot?
A: There is no boot on right now. He has taken a bunch of the jog-thru reps. I would imagine they will put it on him for practice. But right now he is not wearing one. He is in the jog-thru and he is going through that process. He is not going to practice but he is getting some of the mental reps.
Q: Any issues with Eli's foot?
A: No, he is doing well.
Q: Danny Ware?
A: I'm working toward that - the final physical piece to that. Hopefully it will take place this week. He has a few things that he still has to prove.
Q: Eli had a moment on the field on Sunday with Ahmad where he kind of got frustrated. Did you have to talk to him at all about that?
A: I talked to him about the interception.
Q: What did he say about that?
A: He took full responsibility like he always does.
Q: Do you sense that he was a little more frustrated about Sunday maybe because he was ---?
A: …..about that I think. But hey, there was good reason to be frustrated on Sunday. Not just him. I wouldn't make a big deal out of that. To try to get more responsibility on the quarterback you try to make sure – and he has done a good job of that. He has worked hard with those guys. And I think that for whatever reason the communication wasn't as solid as it should have been. That is what frustrated him, not the play. It was just the fact that he couldn't get the message across to him.
