Panthers-Cardinals: Making a Statement

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Trick or Treat: Super Cardinals Downright Scary

For many years, the Arizona Cardinals were the pennies of Halloween. Or the apple. Or any other unwrapped or otherwise useless waste of time and energy item that made you wish you just skipped that house.

You walk up having no idea if what you get now will be better than what the last house had to offer, but you always have high expectations. Or at least, you hold out hope.  

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How Arizona Can Play (and Beat) the Giants Pass Rush

The Cardinals offensive line has played pretty well the past couple of weeks. And when you consider they went against the likes of Mario Williams and Patrick Kearney, that’s something to build on.

And build on it, they must.

There seems to be a general consensus that the best (only) way to keep Cards QB Kurt Warner from picking the recently exposed New York defensive secondary apart is to put massive pressure on him, rattle him early, don’t let him get comfortable, etc. …

Gee, that may be easier said than done. More on that later. I need to get busy gushing all over the Giants DL. It’s a MUST, you know, when you have the Gee-men on your schedule.

The Giants have an excellent defensive line.

That said, the question now would be, do they try to get pressure, as the Colts and 49ers did, with generally a four-man rush?

I mean these guys are the cats pajamas! Ends Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora are among the league’s best tandems going. The ability to pressure with four, and have seven back in coverage, would cover the weakened pass defense quite nicely, no?

Or will they, as some are saying, provide a relentless blitz package early and often. Don’t even allow Warner a chance to get hot. Keep him off balance and uncomfortable from the get go.

With the return last week of TE Ben Patrick, the Cards used a two TE set more than they have all year. It worked well against Seattle, and was nice to see.

It seems to me that it would behoove the Big Red to use it often Sunday night in the Meadowlands. If the OL can handle a four man rush pretty well, they’ll pull the safeties up as the TE’s chip a guy, and take a few steps up-field. Work RB Tim Hightower early and often with screens and little passes over the middle. Five and seven-yard gain their defense to death.

This, of course will allow the Cards terrific trio of receivers more room, and provide more one-on-one matchups against inferior defenders for long passes and big plays.

I realize that with two TEs, there will generally only be two of those talented receivers out there, unless they go with an empty backfield at times. But with Anquan Boldin missing much of practice this week, and obviously hurting, even though he’ll be on the field, few teams can have as capable third receiver to slide into the No. 2 spot as Steve Breaston.

I would reeeally like to see them try at least two or three “jump balls” per game in Larry Fitzgerald’s direction, too.

Back to Warner. The Giants, or any team, can get pressure on him. That, of course, will cause a drop in his production if successful. Warner isn’t a scrambler, and if the OL plays like turnstile’s, it can and will make things a lot harder for the offense to move the ball.

But rattle him? Make him uncomfortable ?

Warner’s days of getting rattled are over. This guy has been through it all. He’s played behind horrible lines, and great ones.

He’s played against the best the NFL has to offer for a decade, and keeps his emotions in check even on days he’s harassed, hurried or hauled down throughout the game.

The guy is about as even keel and cool behind the line as there is. He’s among the best at quick reads and making the right check at the line. He can get drilled one play, then launch a perfect 35-yard “thread the needle” pass the next.

So while the Giants DL may— may — get to him physically, they will NOT “get to him”.

He’s just way too cool for that.

 

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How Arizona Can Play (and Beat) the Giants Pass Rush

The Cardinals offensive line has played pretty well the past couple of weeks. And when you consider they went against the likes of Mario Williams and Patrick Kearney, that’s something to build on.

And build on it, they must.

There seems to be a general consensus that the best (only) way to keep Cards QB Kurt Warner from picking the recently exposed New York defensive secondary apart is to put massive pressure on him, rattle him early, don’t let him get comfortable, etc. …

Gee, that may be easier said than done. More on that later. I need to get busy gushing all over the Giants DL. It’s a MUST, you know, when you have the Gee-men on your schedule.

The Giants have an excellent defensive line.

That said, the question now would be, do they try to get pressure, as the Colts and 49ers did, with generally a four-man rush?

I mean these guys are the cats pajamas! Ends Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora are among the league’s best tandems going. The ability to pressure with four, and have seven back in coverage, would cover the weakened pass defense quite nicely, no?

Or will they, as some are saying, provide a relentless blitz package early and often. Don’t even allow Warner a chance to get hot. Keep him off balance and uncomfortable from the get go.

With the return last week of TE Ben Patrick, the Cards used a two TE set more than they have all year. It worked well against Seattle, and was nice to see.

It seems to me that it would behoove the Big Red to use it often Sunday night in the Meadowlands. If the OL can handle a four man rush pretty well, they’ll pull the safeties up as the TE’s chip a guy, and take a few steps up-field. Work RB Tim Hightower early and often with screens and little passes over the middle. Five and seven-yard gain their defense to death.

This, of course will allow the Cards terrific trio of receivers more room, and provide more one-on-one matchups against inferior defenders for long passes and big plays.

I realize that with two TEs, there will generally only be two of those talented receivers out there, unless they go with an empty backfield at times. But with Anquan Boldin missing much of practice this week, and obviously hurting, even though he’ll be on the field, few teams can have as capable third receiver to slide into the No. 2 spot as Steve Breaston.

I would reeeally like to see them try at least two or three “jump balls” per game in Larry Fitzgerald’s direction, too.

Back to Warner. The Giants, or any team, can get pressure on him. That, of course, will cause a drop in his production if successful. Warner isn’t a scrambler, and if the OL plays like turnstile’s, it can and will make things a lot harder for the offense to move the ball.

But rattle him? Make him uncomfortable ?

Warner’s days of getting rattled are over. This guy has been through it all. He’s played behind horrible lines, and great ones.

He’s played against the best the NFL has to offer for a decade, and keeps his emotions in check even on days he’s harassed, hurried or hauled down throughout the game.

The guy is about as even keel and cool behind the line as there is. He’s among the best at quick reads and making the right check at the line. He can get drilled one play, then launch a perfect 35-yard “thread the needle” pass the next.

So while the Giants DL may— may — get to him physically, they will NOT “get to him”.

He’s just way too cool for that.

 

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How Arizona Can Play (and Beat) the Giants Pass Rush

The Cardinals offensive line has played pretty well the past couple of weeks. And when you consider they went against the likes of Mario Williams and Patrick Kearney, that’s something to build on.

And build on it, they must.

There seems to be a general consensus that the best (only) way to keep Cards QB Kurt Warner from picking the recently exposed New York defensive secondary apart is to put massive pressure on him, rattle him early, don’t let him get comfortable, etc. …

Gee, that may be easier said than done. More on that later. I need to get busy gushing all over the Giants DL. It’s a MUST, you know, when you have the Gee-men on your schedule.

The Giants have an excellent defensive line.

That said, the question now would be, do they try to get pressure, as the Colts and 49ers did, with generally a four-man rush?

I mean these guys are the cats pajamas! Ends Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora are among the league’s best tandems going. The ability to pressure with four, and have seven back in coverage, would cover the weakened pass defense quite nicely, no?

Or will they, as some are saying, provide a relentless blitz package early and often. Don’t even allow Warner a chance to get hot. Keep him off balance and uncomfortable from the get go.

With the return last week of TE Ben Patrick, the Cards used a two TE set more than they have all year. It worked well against Seattle, and was nice to see.

It seems to me that it would behoove the Big Red to use it often Sunday night in the Meadowlands. If the OL can handle a four man rush pretty well, they’ll pull the safeties up as the TE’s chip a guy, and take a few steps up-field. Work RB Tim Hightower early and often with screens and little passes over the middle. Five and seven-yard gain their defense to death.

This, of course will allow the Cards terrific trio of receivers more room, and provide more one-on-one matchups against inferior defenders for long passes and big plays.

I realize that with two TEs, there will generally only be two of those talented receivers out there, unless they go with an empty backfield at times. But with Anquan Boldin missing much of practice this week, and obviously hurting, even though he’ll be on the field, few teams can have as capable third receiver to slide into the No. 2 spot as Steve Breaston.

I would reeeally like to see them try at least two or three “jump balls” per game in Larry Fitzgerald’s direction, too.

Back to Warner. The Giants, or any team, can get pressure on him. That, of course, will cause a drop in his production if successful. Warner isn’t a scrambler, and if the OL plays like turnstile’s, it can and will make things a lot harder for the offense to move the ball.

But rattle him? Make him uncomfortable ?

Warner’s days of getting rattled are over. This guy has been through it all. He’s played behind horrible lines, and great ones.

He’s played against the best the NFL has to offer for a decade, and keeps his emotions in check even on days he’s harassed, hurried or hauled down throughout the game.

The guy is about as even keel and cool behind the line as there is. He’s among the best at quick reads and making the right check at the line. He can get drilled one play, then launch a perfect 35-yard “thread the needle” pass the next.

So while the Giants DL may— may — get to him physically, they will NOT “get to him”.

He’s just way too cool for that.

 

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The Top 5 Fantastic (Regular Season) Finishes in Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals History

Now, before you haters and nay-sayers suggest that the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals don’t HAVE five fantastic finishes in their ..ummm, spotty history, let me tell you, as a long suffering fan, how wrong you are.

You see, while prior to 2008, the Cardinals haven’t spent much time being mentioned in the same sentence as ‘success’ or ‘playoffs’ ..or (of course) ‘Super Bowl’, any long time fan can tell you that they have been in some really exciting, fun, and meaningful games.

So I figured I’d take this bye-week opportunity to share the …okay, MY top 5 Cardinals fantastic finishes, that come to mind.

Note that these tid-bits will be confined to the Cardinals history JUST from the time they’ve been in Arizona. No “Night Train” Lane tales, no Paddy Driscoll stories,.. but a look at guys that gave their long time Arizona fans, all 23 of us that were there from day one, some wonderful moments to re-live forevermore. Also note that this do not include their 2008 Super Bowl Season

So, lets get started, shall we?

Begin Slideshow

“Bye” the Way, No Cardinals Football This Week Sucks!

 

There seems to be a general consensus around Cardinal-land that, while early in the season, this week is a “good,” or even “great,” week for the struggling Cardinals to have their Bye Week.

The Bye Week, of course, is that NFL’s annual reprieve from the weekly grind. That once a season opportunity to heal minor wounds, rest strained hammies, and/or fix what otherwise may be ailing a player…or a team.

In the Cards’ case, it’s both. Anquan Boldin will get to rest that hamstring. Kurt Warner will get some relief to his surgically repaired hip pain, shoulder stinger, and assorted other bumps and bruises. Steve Breaston’s knee, Darnell Dockett, Levi Brown, and Rashad Johnson’s aching ankles, Early Doucett and Sean Morey’s ribs, and other players’ nicks and scratches, will get a break.

Team-wise, the Cardinals clearly need to do something to emerge from their current funk. According to head coach Ken Whisenhunt, that includes going back to the basics and working on fundamentals. And there’s little doubt that he’s on to something.

The pass blocking fundamentally stinks. Not on every play, but in general, they are playing worse than they were last year. Same five guys, same OL coach Russ Grimm. But they aren’t playing “on the same page.”

The running game basically stinks. Much of that has to do with the fundamentally under-achieving OL, but it may be a good time to work on those sub-receiver packages that kept Beanie Wells on the bench in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s Colts pasting.

There are a multitude of reasons why, when someone says that its a “good” or “great” week, they are right.

But that doesn’t make the Bye Week suck any less for your average fan. It doesn’t make it suck any less for the football junkie that needs his fix. And it certainly doesn’t make it suck any less for those of us who write about our team, but find a dearth of news and info to chew on, and through our tireless fingers, spit back out for the masses to chew on.

And spit back out, as the case may be.

This is the weekend that you told yourself (and/or your significant other) last weekend (and all previous weekends) that you would take advantage of, and accomplish otherwise unaccomplished chores, projects, or honey-do’s around the house.

This may be the weekend that you finally take the kids on that long promised trip to the zoo or the park, instead of sitting down in the Lay-Z-boy at 10 a.m. with remote in hand, ready for your 10 straight hour football-fest.

This Bye Week may be “good” or “great” for all kinds of reasons. Most of them legitimate.

But it’s only Tuesday. Wednesday is generally the day that the coaches introduce a new game plan for the coming Sunday’s opponent. Instead, my team will go through very light practices tomorrow, maybe watch some film, and basically saunter around in sweats. They may do the same on Thursday. Or not.

Friday, Saturday, and Sunday they won’t work at all. They will rest, relax, convalesce, and maybe actually do a few of those long promised honey-do’s themselves.

But not me. I’ll be in my Lay-Z-boy, remote in hand, watching football teams play that I don’t really care that much about, for 10 hours. And regardless of the positives, I’ll be thinking how much the Bye Week sucks.

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Bird Droppings: Notes and News From the Arizona Cardinals Nest

He’s So Special

Cardinals defensive end Calais Campbell was announced as this week’s NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance Sunday against the Jaguars in steamy Jacksonville.

Campbell (essentially) won the award for his crucial game-changing blocked field goal early in the second quarter, when the game was still close. It was “game changing” in that his block not only prevented the Jags from closing the gap to 10-6, but in that it was caught out of the air by safety Antrel Rolle and returned for a touchdown.

That gave the Cardinals a 17-3 lead that Jacksonville couldn’t recover from.

What’s interesting here is that Rolle didn’t get the award for the touchdown return, an 83-yard gem that put all the momentum on the Cardinals’ side. But Rolle’s not-so-special miscues on two other plays (punt returns) would have eclipsed the TD in terms of being special teams “Player of the Week” status.

As for my postgame suggestion that Warner potentially receive NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors, he probably would have if 49ers RB Frank Gore didn’t explode with two touchdowns for over 75 yards each.

Gore won the award this week. Kurt gets to keep his NFL record, however

Marcus Needs a Twitter Sitter

There were mumblings about Cardinals All-Pro WR Larry Fitzgerald’s being upset at the number of balls coming his way in Glendale last week when he was spotted on TV in an animated “discussion” with fellow Pro Bowl quarterback Kurt Warner in the waning moments of the first half against the 49ers.

At the time, Fitz had an un-customary one reception, and the Cardinals offense was …well, sputtering. 

That “news” kind of died its own slow death as the week went along.

But Fitz’s little brother, Marcus, casually threw gas on what was left of the smoldering embers Sunday when he started Tweeting Larry’s perceived dissatisfaction, again, with the number of balls coming his way.

It seems that during the game, Marcus sent out a tweet referring to Warner as an “old f*cking man.” Not cool.

But it was his tweet after the game that got the ball rolling in this perceived discontent between the two teammates.

“Just got off the phone with my brother. he’s happy about the win. But PISSED he didn’t get the ball thrown 2 him much!” is what now has the Internet all a-buzz.

My take on this mini-uproar is as follows. Larry is a competitive guy. You can’t reach his level of greatness without having that competitive fire. He wants the ball every down. Not in that “Just gimme the damn ball” kind of way. But in a professional way.

Fitzgerald is no Diva. We don’t have a potential Terrell Owens situation on this team, or between these two. I don’t see Larry exploding on the sidelines, or whining in the media, as T.O. did to…well, name everyone that gets paid to throw him the ball.

You can keep Warner off the list of guys like Jeff Garcia, Donovan McNabb, or Tony Romo, QB’s that were on the wet side of a self absorbed wide receivers’ tongue lashings.

My guess would be that Larry said how happy he was with the huge win, and maybe confided to his brother that he wished he was more involved than his four receptions would indicate.

I’m more than a little sure that Larry didn’t want or expect Marcus to tell the world how “PISSED” Fitz was following the team’s first win of 2009.

Fitz and Warner will forever be linked in Cardinals/NFL lore for their record shattering postseason in 2008. They genuinely like and respect each other. And its obvious that Kurt wants to get Fitz the ball. I see no problems here.

While Fitzgerald didn’t catch as many as he’d have liked to on Sunday in Jacksonville, you can be sure he’ll be at his typical numbers at seasons end.

I’m also quite sure that Fitz will take wins over personal stats, anytime.

Its clear that Larry needs to to get his little brother to ick-snay on the eammate-ashing-bay on Tweets. Or he could be forced to get Marcus a Twitter Sitter.

Stat Attack!

The Cardinals have eight sacks as a team after two games. After picking up four in the opener against San Francisco, they added another four Sunday in Jacksonville.

Bert Berry leads the team with two, while Darnell Dockett, Karlos Dansby, Calais Campbell, Chike Okeafor, Antrel Rolle, and Clark Haggins have one each.

They have also forced six fumbles. Adrian Wilson, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Dansby, Haggins, Dockett and Rolle all have one apiece.

Kick returner LaRod Stephens-Howling is doing quite well returning kickoffs so far this year. Thus far, he has five returns for 113 yards (22.6 avg). His longest thus far is 30 yards, but it won’t be long before he breaks one and takes it to the house.

The Cardinals were just 2-for-13 on third down conversions last week. They are 6-for-23 on the season. That needs to improve.

Offensively, the team ranks 10th in the NFL in points (23.5 avg), 15th in total yards (341 avg), seventh in passing yards (266 avg) and 25th in rushing yards (79 avg).

Beanie Wells is tied for the league lead in fumbles with two.

Sunday’s sellout against the Indianapolis Colts will mark the 35th straight sellout since the team moved to UoP Stadium.

Final Note

Interesting story/debate by Kyle Strittholt called Give Beanie Wells the Rock.

Check it out and comment!

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Cardinals at Jaguars: A Must Win Game for the Big Red?

Things may look grim with a road loss to the Jags

You could hear it a thousand times late last Sunday. In locker rooms and on postgame radio talk-shows all across the fruited plains, the number “15” kept popping up.

Not so coincidental, it generally comes from locker rooms on the losing end of the scoreboard in their season opener. It especially happens in locker rooms that a favored team going into the game, comes up short.

“There are still 15 more to play.”

And for many teams, this is true. Okay, technically speaking, for all teams that’s true, since they haven’t started getting byes. But for some teams, it’s more true than for others.

Yes, as I type, the Cardinals have 15 games to play. One loss is no big deal. I mean, were you expecting an unbeaten season? They’re going to lose some games, right?

So, running with that theory, the Cardinals are in no worse shape than…oh, 15 other NFL teams at this point.  

But as noted, for many teams, this theory is more true than it is for others. And any fan of Arizona football knows, this team never makes anything easy. So you can guess which category they fall into.

The Cards are one of but a few teams that can, and should, consider this a ‘must win’ game. Jaguar fans, both of them, can argue all they want that the Cardinals are in no different boat than their 0-1 team at this point. They can argue ’til the next sellout at Jacksonville Memorial Stadium (which could run into eons)that their Jags are just as one game out of first place as the Cardinals.

But that’s not exactly true. Technically, it is. But in the reality world of NFL football, it’s not. Sorry, Jag-fan.

The Cardinals are reining NFC Champions. There are expectations on a Conference Champion that other teams only hope to dangle to the masses.

The Jaguars lost 17,000 season ticket holders in one offseason. They are expected to show less games locally than the 0-16 Detroit Lions. If that doesn’t scream “THERE ARE NO EXPECTATIONS HERE!” from the “faithful,” I’m not sure what does.

And for the Arizona Cardinals, a team that “expectations” would generally be associated with top 10 picks in late April, this is new terrain. This is a brand of expectations not seen in these parts since…well, since these parts were a dusty capitol city with a population under 100,000.

And yes, (all together now)…since Harry Truman was President. Oh, and the Cardinals were still 13 season from moving to St Louis, and 41 years prior to their Arizona arrival.

Added pressure for this team is their miserable road record. Especially in games east of the Mississippi. Add to that, the offensive struggles as they search (thus far in vein) for that elusive 2008 “rhythm.”

And top it all off with the always powerful Indianapolis Colts coming to town next week, this is as close to a ‘must win’ as a team can get with 15 more games to play.

It seems, all this being said, that the players are well aware of their situation.

“The great thing about that is we set an expectation,” Cards QB Kurt Warner said. “We expect to live up to it and we have to expect to live up to it. And when we don’t, people get disappointed. That’s what we tried to build here so we can’t get mad at that.”

Uhhhh, okay. That’s all well and good. It’s how I want my quarterback thinking. But there’s more to it than that.

I prefer to think of it as Cards defensive tackle Darnell Dockett puts it. “At the end of the season, when you get to games 12 and 13, you start looking back at those games you should’ve won that could’ve put you in first place, or locked up a playoff spot.”

“Those games you can’t get back. So yeah, every game is a must-win,” he added.

Those are the words, as a fan with expectations, that I want to hear coming out of Tempe. While three teams that started the season 0-2 went to the playoffs in 2008, it was an aberration.

Overall, only 14 percent of teams that start out 0-2 make the playoffs.

With Payton manning and the Colts riding into town next week, going into that game 1-1 looks a lot less grimm than an 0-2 start would elicit.

That all makes this east coast trip, maybe not a “must game,” but a “You damn well better win” game!

Or you can expect to see (or not see) a few blacked out games in the desert, too, if it continues. The second to the last thing this team wants is for the faithful to lose expectations.

The last thing this team wants is for the world to think that 2008 was the aberration.

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Raising Arizona: What Will It Take to Ignite the Cardinals Offense?

As the Arizona Cardinals head into Jacksonville for week two, there are a few items on both sides of the ball that will need to be addressed if they plan on playing deep into January.

 

Running the ball

Sure, it was nice to see second-year RB Tim Hightower grab 12 receptions for 121 yards last week. It reminded many of us of Larry Centers, the former Cards fan favorite that set running-back reception records in the mid-90s.

However, there has to be more from the RB position than receptions. They actually have to run the ball! And herein lies the problem.

A notoriously lousy running team, the Cardinals showed last week why improvement in that area is a must for this team.

Sure, they have their aerial attack. But with nagging injuries to No. 2 Anquan Boldin and No. 3 Steve Breaston, the results speak for themselves.

Last week, the running game started to perk up when rookie Chris “Beanie” Wells was inserted in the third quarter. But for reasons known only to themselves, the coaches abandoned it after their best drive of the day.

This is NOT a call for Wells to start at RB. It’s a call to the coaching staff to use what’s working. And Wells’ third quarter drive, including two plays in particular on their lone solid drive of the day, was moving the ball on the ground. At least a few times.

Which brings us to…

 

The Offensive Line

I feel like a lone voice in the woods, because it seems no one is or has been talking about the offensive line’s part in both the lack of a running game, as well as pass protection.

We in Cardinal-land know that this line has been together some 25+ weeks now, if you consider pre-season. Its an amazing achievement in today’s NFL, to be sure. But for a group with that much time together, they often play undisciplined and/or in disarray.

There were four false starts last week in Glendale. When a team only gets between 12 and 16 drives per game, that averages out to 25 percent to 33 percent of drives that are retarded, or at least affected, by false starts.

If it happens early in downs, as it did on the first play of their final drive, it hurts, but may not kill the drive. If it happens on second or especially third down, it could spell disaster.

Follow it up with a holding penalty (as happened on that same drive, turning a first and 10 at the SF 38 into a first and 25 and the Cards 47) and barring a big play, you’re toast.

Levi Brown hasn’t lived up to his fifth-choice-in-the-draft status thus far, although he IS getting better. But he has trouble sticking to D-linemen, and picking up a linebacker on a blitz if they stunt, or the play moves away from his side.

The reason that Hightower had such a big game is because Brown and RG Deuce Lutui aren’t taking their man out of the play.

When the 49ers brought a blitz, Warner’s ONLY choice was to hit the vacated area where Hightower roamed in the flat. He had time to do little else.

Which brings us to…

 

The Pass Protection

Or lack thereof. Okay, it hasn’t been horrible. But the Cardinals pass protection in the preseason AND in Game 1, wasn’t anything to write home about either.

Warner was sacked three times. But two of the sacks happened on that last drive, the last one turning into a fumble out of bounds as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

But he was pressured constantly, which forced throws before the double-teamed All-everything WR Larry Fitzgerald and Pro Bowl partner/gimpy-legged Anquan Boldin could get open for mid-range and deep opportunities.

Unless and/or until the line can help turn the running game into a true threat, Warner will need a bit more time for plays to develop.

That forces walking that fine line of holding your blocks, and being called for holding. But that’s the way the rules are set up these days.

Today’s defensive linemen are fast as well as strong. Moving their feet better and staying low will help in keeping their arms inside, while being able to stick and slow down the defender. 

Once a defender is able to shed a block, the disciplined O-lineman needs to do anything short of extending his arms, or the inevitable holding call will come.

 

The Bottom Line

This is a young offensive line, but these guys have been together for over a year, shoulder to shoulder.

There’s really no excuse for the pre-snap penalties. Russ Grimm needs to get on them, and start threatening jobs if this not horrible, but sloppy play continues.

In the immortal words of one John Madden, “It ALL starts in the trenches.”

It all ends there, too.

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